New kick to the Kyoto protocol

2001/04/18 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Ingurumena
• Etika

The future of the Kyoto Protocol, born with such good intentions, is increasingly black. Recently, the US president announced that his country would not ratify his commitment (see "Cracks in the Kyoto Protocol", 03/30/2001). Although it has claimed an alternative project is being prepared, the United States seems that for some the Kyoto Protocol has lost credibility or weight, for example, for Australia.

Within the 2001 Global Greens conference held in Canberra from 14-16 this month, Australia announced the cessation of the Kyoto Protocol. Since the United States announced its intention not to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, it was the first time that ecological groups from around the world and leaders from various countries met.

For his part, the president of the Federation of Green Parties, Pekka Haaviso, on behalf of the ecological parties participating in the Global Greens, said they were going to boycott the oil companies that drove the United States to abandon the Protocol. The Greens recalled the effectiveness of such actions and commented on what happened in 1995 with the oil platform Brent Spar. At that time, even though the company Shell intended to submerge this oil platform, Greenpeace's boycott of its products forced it to be dismantled.

Despite pessimism, projects in favor of the Protocol continue. For example, British Transport Minister John Prescot has traveled to the United States to convince the government of that country to comply with the Kyoto Protocol.