Major Global Warming Conference Begins in Montreal
Monday November 28, 2005
MONTREAL, Nov. 28, 2005 – On the first day of a United Nations conference on the crisis of global warming, Canadian Environment Minister Stepahane Dion called for a “more effective, more inclusive long-term approach to climate change” and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The comment was interpreted by many observers as an appeal to the United States, the world’s leading consumer of oil and gas and emitter of greenhouse gases, which refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a U.N.-sponsored environmental treaty that has been ratified by 156 nations.
The U.S., along with Australia, pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol after claiming that the treaty’s limits on greenhouse gas emissions places an economic stranglehold on industrialized nations. The Kyoto Protocol also excludes developing nations, such as China and India, because their emissions per capita are relatively low even though their total emissions are higher than some developed countries.
Approximately 10,000 representatives from 189 countries, environmental groups and businesses worldwide are meeting in Montreal, November 28 through December 9, to talk about how to continue the fight against global warming when the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol end in 2012.
The Montreal conference began just a few days after new research confirmed that greenhouse gas levels are higher today than at any time in the past 650,000 years. By showing that current global warming is not part of a recurring natural cycle, the research also shows that climate changes occurring now are directly linked to human activity.
"We know that climate change is the single most important environmental issue facing the world today. ...The longer we wait the larger will be the challenge," Dion said.
Comments
It is only common sense were running out of oil sooner or later we will have to stop using it any ways why do people fight it. We will have to use other types of energy we mies as well start right away and get use to it. So we can lead the world in it. We could save how much money a year if we stopped using oil . We have the technology we should use it solar power is cheap only thing we would have to pay for is the solar panels.