U.S.-EU Sharply Divided On `Kyoto Protocol`

By the sharply divided opinion on the Kyoto Protocol between the U.S. and the EU, the improved outcome of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is hardly expected. The Panel is to discuss the measures to implement the Kyoto Protocol to regulate the greenhouse gas emission that is the main cause of the greenhouse effect on earth.

The 15 leaders of the EU member countries confirmed their decision to enforce the Kyoto Protocol 1997 from next year, stating that ``the earth climate is changing rapidly by the influence of the greenhouse effect and the side-effect of the climate change will spread over the world soon.``

Previously, 30 mayors of the major cities in the world including Venezia, Italy, sent a letter to urge U.S. President George W. Bush for the observation of the Kyoto Protocol.

However, Mr. Bush remarked before his departure for the G8 meeting that ``the U.S. decided to withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol last April due to the unreasonable regulations and [the U.S.] would not withdraw from the decision.``

U.S. President Bush also said, ``the world must recognize where the U.S. stands. We agree in the principle to reduce the greenhouse gas but cannot accept the package-reduction plan for the greenhouse gas as in the Kyoto Protocol.

Some countries such as Japan, Canada, Australia proposed a kind of compromise plan to the U.S. These countries propose to induce the U.S. into the Kyoto Protocol by deregulating the Kyoto Protocol, which regulates the U.S. to reduce the 7 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emission in the nineties by 2012. However, EU opposes against it.

Meanwhile, German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder met with Japan`s Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro yesterday, who supports the U.S.`s position. Mr. Junichiro promised his best effort for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol next year.

More than 6000 delegates from 180 countries are participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since its opening on July 16. After the working groups meeting, the Minister level meetings will begin on 19th and the whole panel will be concluded on July 27.

Kwon Ki-Tae kkt@donga.com