By Julio Godoy
VIENNA, Sep 4 2007 (IPS)

Despite its new willingness to participate in a UN-monitored regime for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the U.S. government continues to oppose legally binding caps.

Harlan Watson, senior climate negotiator for the U.S. government, told IPS in Vienna that his government "will come through with a national scheme for reducing GHG emissions. But we will not accept an international mandatory regime of emission caps."

The U.S., the world&#39s largest emitter of GHG, has, together with Australia, refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which sets mandatory emission reductions industrialised countries must comply with before 2012.

Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialised countries must reduce their GHG emissions by an average of five percent relative to 1990 levels. The treaty does not assign targets to developing nations with strong growing economies, such as China and India, which are also large GHG emitters.

Watson was in Vienna last week as head of the U.S. delegation at the UN climate change talks to prepare for the summit scheduled in December in Bali, Indonesia. At the Bali conference, all countries will discuss new international emission reduction commitments for the period following 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

With an average emission of 19.7 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide per person in 2004, and well over seven billion tonnes in total, the U.S. emits 25 percent of the world&#39s GHG. By comparison, China, which is the second largest emitter, produces only 3.7 metric tonnes per capita.

But Watson says that even without complying with the Kyoto Protocol, the U.S. government "is well on track to meet the goals set out in 2002 of reducing emissions intensity by 18 percent by 2012. In 2005 alone, the GHG intensity declined by 2.5 percent, much faster than the average decline of 1.9 percent over the 1990-2005 period."

Watson&#39s admission that the U.S. government is not willing to accept an international mandatory regime of emission caps confirms claims by environmental organisations that Washington&#39s invitation to the major world economies to hold a round table on a new emission reductions regime next month is only a charade.

On May 31, and under heavy international pressure to accept the reality of climate change and its human-made causes, U.S. President George W. Bush invited the heads of state and government of 16 major economies to gather in Washington "to work together to achieve the common objectives of reducing global GHG emissions, increasing energy security and efficiency, and sustaining economic growth."

Later, at the summit of the eight most industrialised countries in Heiligendamm, Germany, Bush obtained support from the other G8 leaders. The Washington conference is due Sep. 27-28.

The 16 countries invited include the major industrialised countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan, and Australia), as well as the largest emerging economies China, Brazil, India, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, and Indonesia. Bush has also invited Russia, United Nations delegates and European Union representatives.

Watson said that to prevent further global warming and preserve the earth&#39s climate as it is will require "tremendous (emission) cuts, well beyond 50 percent in a number of countries, not just in developed countries, but in developing countries."

Scientific evidence suggests that in order to limit the rise of global average temperatures to two degrees Celsius by the year 2050, it will be necessary to keep atmospheric concentrations of GHG, mainly caused by fossil fuel burning for energy, to below 450 parts per million by volume, or even lower.

This would entail a downturn in global emissions by at least 50 percent by 2050.

Watson dismissed claims that the U.S. is up against other industrialised nations in its refusal to accept mandatory caps on GHG emissions. "Actually, there is much more that unites Europe and the U.S. than separates us," he said.

The European Union has set an objective to reduce its GHG emissions by at least 20 percent by 2020. To reach this objective, the group has started numerous strategies, from reducing emissions by automobiles to supporting use of renewable energy.

Some environmental organisations say that the U.S. position has changed only in rhetoric.

"Watson was very conciliatory," said Hans Verolme, climate expert with the WWF environmental group. But at the same time, Verolme said, the U.S. refuses to make clear commitments on reducing emissions.

"Europe clearly has made a commitment in this sense. I would love to see that from the United States," Verolme told IPS.

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