THE American delegation to the climate negotiations in Berlin found itself isolated early this week as the European Union informally backed proposals from major developing countries, including China and India, for legally binding cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases.
Though headed by two outspoken environmental advocates, Tim Wirth, Undersecretary for Global Affairs at the State Department, and former environmental campaigner Rafe Pomerance, the Americans initially refused to back the idea of a Berlin Mandate that would include targets and timetables for industrialised nations to cut their emissions. This left the Clinton administration appearing to side with oil-producing countries Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, which oppose any moves to force a reduction in the use of fossil fuels.
The conference is the first meeting of the 120 countries that have ratified the Climate Change Convention. Their main task is to decide whether existing measures to stabilise emissions of greenhouse gases from industrialised nations are adequate to halt dangerous global warming 鈥� and if not, what to do next.
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The American position has won it few friends. Several former climate change sceptics have become converts. John Gummer, Britain鈥檚 Secretary of State for the Environment, arrived in Berlin this week committed to cuts of up to 10 per cent by the year 2010. But some observers believe the American position may be overturned before the week is out. The last statement on the negotiations from Vice-President Al Gore came in mid-March, when he said that current commitments were inadequate and nations should 鈥渆xamine what we can each do to contribute to further reductions鈥�. He added that 鈥渨e must do a better job matching rhetoric with reality鈥�.