Washington under growing domestic pressure on climate change: EU official

[dubyaD40web]

Washington under growing domestic pressure on climate change: EU official

BRUSSELS (AFP) - The US government is coming under increasing pressure from its own companies to sign up to the Kyoto protocol on climate change, EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstroem said.

"Slowly but steadily things are also changing in the US," she told reporters. "It is coming from the bottom up. There are also big American companies or multinational companies (which) look to Europe.


"They understand that they will have to do something about greenhouse (gas) emissions and climate change. There is a completely different scenario and political understanding of this problem," the Swedish official said.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1520&ncid=1520&e=10&u=/afp/20040602/pl_afp/un_climate_eu_us_040602164423


Maybe they're starting to see it hit them where it hurts. On the bottom line. On the other hand, since big oil and coal disagree, Kyoto is dead in the U.S. until we get rid of *

[struggle4progress]

1. kick

:kick:

[struggle4progress]

2. EU Commission sees U.S. return to Kyoto fold

The United States will eventually join other industrial nations in signing up to the Kyoto global warming pact despite its current opposition to the agreement, Europe's environment chief said on Wednesday.

"If we have more than, let's say, 125 countries around the world signing up to the Kyoto protocol, it will also be more difficult for the U.S. to stand outside," European Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom told a news conference.
<snip>

The 1997 protocol, which aims to cut gases causing global warming, took a sharp blow when Washington pulled out in 2001, but a promise of support from Russia has helped revive the deal. Russian ratification is essential for Kyoto to enter into force.
<snip>

"I think that there is a political change -- also in the United States," she said. "It is coming from the bottom up."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L0241782.htm

[Eloriel]

3. I've heard that insurance companies have led the charge

in the past. Never saw any confirmation of it (like news stories), but it certainly makes sense to me.