US and Australia Heavily Lambasted for Not Ratifying the Kyoto Treaty

A 10-day U.N. Climate Control Conference started yesterday in Canada, 10.000 experts from 180 countries being expected to arrive and try to find new solutions to slow the effects of greenhouse gases and global warming, AP informs.

One of the hottest topics debated yesterday was US' and Australia's refusal to ratify the Kyoto treaty which has strict provisions regarding the reduction of carbon dioxide and five other gases responsible for increasing the global temperature.

Leading environmentalist groups lambasted the US, which together with Australia account for 35% of the total quantity of greenhouse gases, for refusing to ratify the treaty.

Dr. Harlan L. Watson, senior climate negotiator for the U.S. Department of State, said that although President George W. Bush refused to sign the treaty, the White House leader takes the global warming threat very seriously.

He added that the greenhouse gas emissions have in fact decreased by 8 percent under the Bush administration and that the US spends more than $5 billion annually to slow the atmosphere's deterioration.

Although American is responsible for the largest quantity of greenhouse gases (which is partly due to the large surface), Spain, Canada and Greece have also recorded significant increases. Between 1990 and 2003, Spain had 42% more greenhouse gases, while Canada's level increased by 24%.