U.S. Not Included In Climate Agreement

I am sure BushCo will spin the "deal" they signed at the UN climate conference as victory for the environment but it isn't worth the paper it’s written on. The U.S. will not join in further talks on mandatory reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. After walking out of the talks “The Bush administration blinked. The world should remember that,” said Bill Hare, policy director with Greenpeace International. They did return but accepted only a watered-down proposal to enter an exploratory "dialogue" on steps to combat climate change. That proposal specifically rules out "negotiations leading to new commitments". Countries which have signed up to the Kyoto protocol agreed to extend the treaty on emissions reductions beyond its 2012 deadline. The U.S. never signed the original Kyoto treaty and has not made any effort towards any other type of agreement. Nations Agree to Binding Climate Talks United States Balks, Agrees to Informal Dialogue By Julet Eilperin Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, December 10, 2005; 8:48 AM MONTREAL, Dec. 10 -- Brushing aside the Bush administration's initial protests, all the industrialized nations except the United States and Australia reached an agreement early Saturday to embark on a fresh round of formal talks aimed at setting new mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, when the existing pact known as the Kyoto Protocol expires. The United States, after fiercely resisting any new international talks to address Earth's warming climate, agreed to a separate nonbinding informal dialogue to respond to climate change as representatives of nearly 200 nations concluded two weeks of meetings on the issue. Read more at: Washington Post