Kyoto pact on the ropes

Milan

Russia may have dealt the Kyoto treaty on global warming a deathblow this week when it said it would not ratify the pact. “The Kyoto protocol places significant limitations on Russia’s economic growth,” said Russian presidential adviser Andrei Illarionov. The treaty, which limits the amount of greenhouse gases countries may emit, can become binding only if ratified by at least 55 countries, including those responsible for 55 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. Since the U.S., the world’s largest polluter, already refused to ratify, that minimum could be reached only with Russian participation. Delegates at a U.N. environmental conference in Milan said they may have to try to renegotiate the treaty.

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