May 26: Long time ago, Hollywood started an incredible campaign to showcase the American heroism and their gallant contributions to save the human race. Numerous box office hits were received by the global audience with the tag line – America will save you against space invasions, in the Third World War; Americans will fight the earthquakes, the Tsunamis, volcanoes, so called terrorists and the rising temperature. But, that is how a fiction goes. Facts are too hard to be weaved and when it comes to a more responsible role as a leader, there are but few. The great leader of this great nation won’t simply agree on cutting the emissions and save lives of the millions of people, who will be affected tomorrow.
According to recent reports, US officials have rejected draft proposals by Germany to cut the emissions. The proposals will be presented in the G8 summit, scheduled for June, this year. The American leadership has once again expressed its reluctance to adopt and abide by the proposals herein. The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has given a clear indication and has been focussed on this issue. This time America will stand isolated as the members of G8 are committed to endorse a work plan.
The Kyoto Protocol, an agreement made under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC, was framed to check the greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for increasing the temperature on this earth. From its infancy, U.S. put hurdles in its way and until now has not ratified. It was first adopted at the third session of the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC, in Kyoto Japan, in 1997. Following the ratification of the protocol by Russia in 2004, the protocol came into force on Feb 16, 2005.
Earlier, the leadership of Britain observed concerns after a detailed study by the scientists from the same place. The British President, Tony Blair, is convinced about the amount of commitment and importance it calls for. Blair, who shares good relations with the American President Bush, has long been trying to persuade him on this issue. However, U.S. leadership appears to be too worried about their national interests and as such reject proposals and in many instances have tried to bring in a lot of amendments to the drafts sent to them.
Merkel, who will represent Germany’s presidency in the G8 summit, scheduled to take place from June 6 to June 8, in Heiligendamm, is all set to push the deal forward. This time bound deal will take into consideration:
• Agreement to slow down the average rising temperature by 2C
• 50 per cent cuts below the levels of 1990 in greenhouse emission by 2050
• A 20 per cent rise in energy efficiency in power and transport by 2020
One more reason of the rising interest in this summit will be the American perspective and how the leadership responds to that. Right now, there are many leaders from this state who have the climate change as one of the primary concerns in their agenda. John Edwards, one of the contenders in presidential elections, have already promised to change the attitude of his government.
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