SCIENCE NEWS
July 24, 2001
A Global Warming Agreement
World leaders vow to fight global warming without the United States
 Representatives from Germany and Japan celebrate the agreement. |
 |  |
Representatives from 178 nations meeting in Bonn, Germany on Monday signed a historic agreement promising to fight global warming. The agreement is the world’s first ever treaty on global warming or human-caused pollution that experts say is making the world a warmer place.
Greenhouse Gases
According to the agreement, which United States officials refused to sign, world leaders agreed to reduce the release of “greenhouse gases.” Greenhouse gases are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere when coal and other fuels are burned to provide energy.
Scientists refer to the release of these gases as the greenhouse effect because when CO2 gets into the atmosphere, it acts like the glass walls and ceiling of a greenhouse. It lets sunlight in to warm things up, but it doesn't let the heat escape. Scientists say the same thing is happening to our planet, making it a warmer place. Many scientists believe the earth's rising temperatures could eventually melt polar ice caps, cause sea levels to rise and worsen flooding.
|  Demonstrators cover their mouths as they protest the U.S. position on global warming. |
How the Agreement Started
The agreement began as a 1997 treaty that had not been adopted called the Kyoto Protocol. That treaty limited the amount of harmful gases that countries may release into the atmosphere. President Bush has always rejected this treaty, saying it would be too harmful to America’s businesses. He has also insisted that any treaty apply to not only big polluters like the United States but also to smaller developing countries. This position has angered representatives from other countries who have signed onto the Kyoto Protocol.
One Giant Polluter
The United States, which represents 4 percent of the world's population, produces about 25 percent of the planet's greenhouse gases. But even without U.S. support, the treaty passed. Japan’s participation was very important because it has the world’s second largest economy after the U.S. and is also a giant polluter.
Despite U.S. opposition, world leaders celebrated the agreement. “We made a tremendous political advance today,” said Michael Zammit Cutajar, the top United Nations official dealing with climate change. President Bush, meanwhile, has charged a special group to come up with other ways to address the problem of global warming. The next U.N. climate conference is scheduled for October in Marrakesh, Morocco.
