Kyoto Protocol Opens for Signature - Greenpeace:Climate Demands

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KYOTO PROTOCOL OPENS FOR SIGNATURE  Greenpeace - Climate Demands
Early Signature

WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 1998 - With the Kyoto Protocol opening
for signature today, Greenpeace is calling upon the Clinton
Administration to show U.S. leadership and commitment on climate
change by being the first nation to sign the protocol.  

As the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the U.S. can
send a powerful signal to the world of its commitment to reduce
its emissions.  The recent string of record breaking climatic
events--the most powerful El Nino on record, the hottest year on
record, and the warmest & wettest January and February in North
America on record--clearly demonstrate what is in store for us
if we do not break our addiction to fossil fuels and make the
switch to renewable energy as rapidly as possible.

Greenpeace is calling upon all parties to the Kyoto Protocol to
ratify and implement the Protocol as soon as possible. "The
Kyoto Protocol may only be a small step toward addressing the
threat of dangerous climate change, but it is a small step that
will help us take the bigger steps that are urgently needed,"
said Gary Cook, Greenpeace Climate Legislative Director.

Early action on the domestic level, such as the aggressive
promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency, should be
implemented as soon as possible.  While the Clinton
Administration's incentive package for renewable energy and
energy efficiency is a step in the right direction, it is only
a drop in the bucket compared to type of effort needed to
address the problem.  The Clinton Administration has yet to put
forth a consistent climate policy. "We cannot afford to burn
even a quarter of the fossil fuels that we have already found if
we are to avoid serious climate change, yet the Clinton
Administration is about to open up pristine areas in Alaska for
new oil exploration.  Further exploration for more fossil fuels
that we cannot burn is a waste of money that is desperately
needed for the development of renewable energy," said Cook.

Greenpeace is also seriously concerned about the remaining
loopholes in the protocol, including:

· Trading & Joint Implementation - As it currently stands, both
Emissions Trading and Joint Implementation could result in
reductions on paper only, not in the real world.  Paper trades
of "hot air" emissions reductions from Russia and other Central
and East European Countries would allow the countries involved
to continue to pollute at the same level, with no real benefit
to the environment.

· Clean Development Mechanism: While it has the potential to be
an important mechanism for helping lesser developed countries
leapfrog to renewable energy sources, if not designed properly,
it could simply become another mechanism for dumping outdated or
dangerous technologies, such as "clean" coal or nuclear energy.

· Sinks:  While Greenpeace strongly supports efforts to enhance
the protection of forests and other reservoirs of carbon, the
protection or planting of trees should be done in addition to
reducing fossil fuel emissions, not as an alternative.  To do
otherwise could lead to a catastrophic feedback in the near
future, as climate change impacts result in the destruction of
these same forests, releasing even more carbon into the
atmosphere.

Greenpeace on the Internet at http://www.greenpeace.org