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CLIMATE WATCH
CRIEF

AN INFORMATION UPDATE FROM THE GLOBAL CLIMATE COALITION
September 1, 1999

Volume 5, Issue 28

INDUSTRY TAKES LEADERSHIP ROLE IN EMISSION REDUCTIONS

ROUNDTABLE BACKS VOLUNTARY ACTIONS, NEW TECHNOLOGIES
According to a lusiness Roundtable_CBRTIrenort)vleas
, government
the
development
of
techno
ogles
to
be used to address
policies are nee ed to expedite
climate change issues. The report is a result of a survey of BRT members, which
includes chief executives of more than 200 of the largest U.S. companies, on how
industry can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Roundtable proposes a national summit to bring industry and government leaders
together to discuss ways to speed the development and use of energy-efficient devices
to help combat climate change.
"The Business Roundtable believes the development, large-scale commercialization and
global dissemination of innovative long-term technologies will enable us to meet the
world's growing environmental and energy needs," said Robert Burt, chairman of the
roundtable's Environment Task Force. The group is opposed to the implementation of
the Kyoto treaty, which "would have a negative impact on the U.S. economy and would
bring no significant global environmental benefit."
The Global Climate Coalition welcomed BRT's report, saying it was in line with GCC's
members' commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions through voluntary and
cost-effective actions.
"With the Congress and now, the Administration, focusing more and more on voluntary
programs, BRT's report provides further evidence of current and future progress," said
Glenn Kelly, executive director of GCC. "We are proud of industry's efforts over the
last 25 years to improve our environment and still keep our economy the strongest in
the world."
MOBIL REPORT SAYS DEVELOPING COUNTRIES MUST CUT EMISSIONS
According to a new Mobil Technology report, reducing worldwide emissions of carbon
dioxide cannot succeed unless all countries and all industries join in the effort.

LATEST
ESTIMATES OF
JOB LOSSES
UNDER KYOTO
AGREEMENT
Alabama
67,500
Alaska
4,300
Arizona
102,000
Arkansas
20,600
California
278,000
Colorado
47,400
Connecticut
28,100
Delaware
4,500
Florida
142,000
Georgia
80,000
Hawaii
9,700
Idaho
11,600
Illinois
190,700
Indiana
99,700
Iowa
21,600
Kansas
18,400
Kentucky
56,500
Louisiana
64,500
Maine
7,000
Maryland
33,300
Massachusetts
45,600
Michigan
96,500
Minnesota
46,900

 CLIMATE WATCH
ISRIEF
The report, "Climate: Technology and Carbon Dioxide Emissions — A Global Review
and Assessment," finds that if developed countries were to implement advanced
technology they could achieve an 8-billion ton reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
by the year 2030. However, those results would be greatly diminished by the increased
emissions output of developing countries, which are expected to double over the next 30
years
"Sheer growth in developing countries simply overwhelms the emission reductions that
developed countries can achieve with advanced technology," said Michael Ramage,
chief technology officer at Mobil Corporation. "And by the end of the 21st century,
developing countries are projected to contribute up to 80 percent of the world's CO2
emissions."

SCIENTISTS SAY HOT SUMMER NOT DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE
Researchers at the University of Buffalo reported that this year's heat and drought that
have occurred across the country are due to normal climatological patterns, not global
warming.
"Drought occurs in almost every region on earth on a somewhat regular basis," said
Charles H.V. Ebert, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of
Geography in the U13 College of Arts and Sciences. "Patterns of relatively wet, dry, hot
or cold weather usually run in six-to-eight year cycles. But media attention, combined
with our poor memories of past weather, tend to generate unjustified alarm for our
climactic future."
According to Ebert, hot spells have been occurring for thousands of years and each one
is followed by a cooling period. People just don't remember, because "our memories
are short."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that in contrast to this
summer's heat wave in the eastern United States, much cooler than normal temperatures
dominated the western third of the country. Some parts of the southwest experienced a
lack of normal heat. For example, Tucson, Arizona set a July record for consecutive
days of cooler-than-normal temperatures.
In an August 24 Washington Times op-ed, environmental scientist Patrick Michaels
criticizes the Clinton Administration for blaming the current drought on global warming
and states that "any attempt to hype this thing into something that it isn't — some type
of national or global catastrophe — is a clear and cynical attempt at distortion."

JOB LOSSES
(cont'd)
Mississippi
28,600
Missouri
48,700
Montana
41,500
Nebraska
19,000
Nevada
27,300
New Hampshire
12,400
New Jersey
120,500
New Mexico
13,500
New York
140,000
North Carolina
107,200
North Dakota
3,600
Ohio
119,800
Oklahoma
26,600
Oregon
22,900
Pennsylvania
108,000
Rhode Island
3,400
South Carolina
32,500
South Dakota
7,200
Tennessee
39,500
Texas
124,600
Utah
12,700
Vermont
2,300
Virginia
34,600
Washington
47,700
West Virginia
19,400
Wisconsin
69,800
Wyoming
7,600
(Source: WEFA)

GLOBAL CLIMATE COALITION • 1275 K St. NW • Suite 890 • Washington, DC 20005 • Press Office (202) 628-3622

 U.S. REAFFIRMS "STRONG OPPOSITION" TO EU POLICY
The new U.S. Ambassador to the European Union, Richard L. Morningstar, publicly reaffirmed the U.S.
Government's opposition to the EU policy limiting emissions trading. In an open letter dated August 6 and
made available on the Internet, Morningstar declared: "We strongly oppose and regret the EU's decision in May
to seek limits on the use of Kyoto Protocol flexibility mechanisms, such as emissions trading."
He continued: "Despite this, we welcome the constructive dialogue we had with EU officials at preparatory
meetings this spring and hope we can work together at the next Conference of the Parties in November to make
progress on a wide range of issues. We must work together to find ways to ensure meaningful participation of
developing countries in the climate change process.

WORLD BANK TO INVEST IN EMISSION REDUCTIONS
The World Bank recently announced plans to create an investment fund to help companies and governments in
developing countries and Central and Eastern Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Participants in the
Prototype Carbon Fund, which will be launched in November, will receive emission reduction credits for
investing in the fund.
The fund is set up much like a mutual fund, spreading risk for investment in any one emission offset project
among all participants. The World Bank will begin accepting signed commitments for investments November
15 and will close the fund when commitments reach $150 million.
A spokesperson for the World Bank said it has already signed memoranda of understanding (MOU) with dozens
of companies and governments that are interested in investing in the fund. According to the spokesperson,
companies that have signed MOUs include British Petroleum and Chevron.
STATE LAW ESTABLISHES REGISTRY FOR VOLUNTARY EMISSION REDUCTIONS
New Hampshire has enacted a first-time law enabling companies to register voluntary efforts to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. The act is intended to encourage companies to achieve early emission reductions
and increase the chances of the efforts being recognized if the Kyoto accord is implemented in the future.
The law, signed by the governor in early July, calls for the state's Department of Environmental Services to
establish a greenhouse gas registry for companies to report emissions cuts made after 1990.
New Hampshire sources say that other states are considering similar legislation as they await the outcome of
Congress' heated debate on early action crediting and the larger issue of U.S. ratification of the Kyoto treaty,
which seems unlikely.

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES LEAD "KINGPINS OF CARBON" LIST
The Global Climate Coalition described as "irresponsible" a new Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
report declaring the world's major coal, oil and natural gas companies to be "carbon pushers."

 A

The report, released July 29, calculated the amount of carbon dioxide emissions produced by 122 energy
producers and said they were responsible for 80 percent of the world's carbon emissions. NRDC's "Kingpins
of Carbon: How Fossil Fuel Producers Contribute to Global Warming," is the first report to make a companyby-company tabulation of carbon emissions based on fuel production.
In the report, NRDC places blame on energy producers for meeting consumers' demand for energy, likening the
companies to drug pushers and citizens to drug users. According to GCC, 14 of the world's top 20 energy
producers named in the report would not be required to limit their emissions under the Kyoto Protocol because
they are located in developing countries.
"This study is a perfect example of what a dead-end strategy the Kyoto Protocol is," said GCC executive
director Glenn Kelly. "The NRDC's top "kingpins" are the biggest state-run companies in China, India,
Mexico, Indonesia, the Middle East and Russia. They are nowhere near our levels of efficiency, ingenuity and
technology-- and they won't need to be."

UPCOMING EVENT
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change hosts an Early Action Conference on September 13 — 14 at the
Westin Grand Hotel in Washington, D.C. This year's conference focuses on stabilizing greenhouse gas
concentrations and minimizing the costs of reducing emissions. Session topics include "The Case for Early
Action," "Review of Early Action Proposals,' legal and policy issues, carbon sequestration, past emissions and
baselines and inventories.

FINAL THOUGHTS...
"Those who are worried about global warming can cool down."
-- Sallie Baliunas, astrophysicist and senior scientist, George C. Marshall
Institute, Wall Street Journal, August 5, 1999

"We may have to think harder about what's driving the [climate] system on these long time
scales. It could be the whole carbon dioxide paradigm is crumbling at least when it comes
to explaining very long-term climate change."
-- Thomas Crowley, paleoclimatologist, Texas A&M in College Station,
Science Magazine, June 11, 1999