U.S. Endorses Treaty on Global Warming

In a move welcomed by environmentalists but condemned by congressional critics, the United States signed an international global-warming treaty Thursday at the United Nations, one of the modest achievements of a conference here that has focused on the role of developing nations in reducing “greenhouse” gases.

Before the signing, Undersecretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat made the announcement here to representatives of 160 nations who have spent a sometimes contentious two weeks wrestling over implementation of the accord reached last year in Kyoto, Japan.

“In taking this action, the United States reaffirms our commitment to work with nations gathered here to address the challenge of climate change,” Eizenstat said. “And we are guided by the firm belief that signing will serve our environmental, economic and national security goals.”

In taking another step toward a commitment to cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and five other gases that trap heat--creating the greenhouse effect--the United States joins about 60 nations that have signed the treaty.

The signing at the United Nations represents only a small, if necessary, advancement toward ratification of the treaty, which faces intense opposition in Congress. Republican opponents, some of whom question the very existence of a global-warming threat, demand that major developing nations make a stronger anti-pollution commitment before the U.S. even considers ratification.

So perhaps the closest development to a breakthrough here for the Clinton administration was a pledge by Argentine President Carlos Menem on Wednesday that his country will become the first developing nation to voluntarily set targets for itself to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. Kazakhstan also has promised to follow Argentina’s lead.

Menem’s announcement raised hopes among U.S. officials and environmental activists that attitudes are changing within a bloc of 77 developing and poor nations that had monolithically demanded that industrialized nations, the world’s biggest polluters, shoulder the burden.

“The United States commends Argentina for the historic announcement by President Menem,” Eizenstat said. “Without meaningful participation of key developing nations, the world cannot meet the challenge of global warming no matter how much is done by industrialized countries.”

Richard Mott, vice president of the World Wildlife Fund, praised the signing.

“U.S. participation in the global-warming treaty is nothing short of essential,” Mott said. “As the world’s leading source of greenhouse gases, it is welcome news that the U.S. will join all other industrialized nations in curbing emissions.”

A leading critic, however, said President Clinton’s decision “contradicts the will of the United States Senate.”

Sen. Charles Hagel (R-Neb.) cited a Senate resolution last year that called for the U.S. to refrain from signing any accord that did not include legally binding commitments for developing nations or that damaged the U.S. economy.

“The Kyoto Protocol fails both those tests,” Hagel said in a statement Thursday. “Once the president signs this flawed treaty, he should have the courage of his convictions and immediately send it to the United States Senate.”

At this point, ratification would have little chance of passing in the Senate.

However, U.S. officials and environmental activists say congressional opponents are out of touch with the U.S. public and, increasingly, with multinational corporations that have publicly acknowledged the menace of climate change.

Nearly eight of 10 U.S. voters support the Kyoto accord, and the majority of them, both Democrats and Republicans, want the U.S. to reduce emissions even if other nations do not, according to a poll released here by the World Wildlife Fund.

“Most Americans want their elected representatives to act on this and act now,” said Jennifer Morgan, the group’s climate policy officer.

Delegates to the conference continued laborious negotiations Thursday on a framework for policing emissions reductions around the world.