Beyond Kyoto

The new pact will allow signed-up countries - currently the United States, Australia, China, India, South Korea and Japan - to set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions individually, with no enforcement mechanism.

Not to be outdone…

The European Union says it will push for legally-binding global restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. A spokeswoman's comments came after the announcement of a voluntary pact, based on new technology, between the US and five Asia-Pacific states.

Any agreement on the environment involving China and India, who under Kyoto escape emissions limits, should be welcomed, especially in view of the fact that:

"If we look at the countries that ... represent not only half the population and economy, but also represent half of the energy consumption in the world, you've seen technologies adopted in those countries, particularly in the area of energy production and steel production, that will exceed the Kyoto reductions by 50 per cent and that is the reality of where we are now," Mr Macfarlane said.

This is a positive move that puts on the table some realistic options after the last G-8 statement on global warming:

The Kyoto Protocol, adopted in 1997, requires signatory countries to lower carbon emissions by 2012, but Canada, most European Union countries and several other signatory nations are already announcing that it is unlikely they will meet their targets. Other countries, most notably India and China, where emissions are increasing rapidly, are exempt from energy cuts under the treaty.

Environment