The archipelago, currently dependent on oil imports, plans to reach total self-sufficiency by 2020. This Think Tank Monitor Article reveals how the coal industry sponsored a report showing that minority populations will suffer most if the Kyoto agreement passes the US Senate. When ministers get together in November to discuss the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol, they have to reach an agreement or the entire process is in danger of falling apart, says a high-ranking UN official. It will review the progress of a sustainable development program which was adopted at the last conference in 1995. Metalclad Corp. The US-based company was denied permission to operate a hazardous waste disposal site in central Mexico.
Commentators are worried that environmental protection is increasingly seen as a trade issue.
Clean production is the main goal in China s city of Taiyuan, the first city designated to cooperate with the UN Environmental Program to save the environment. Some anthropologists criticize protecting the environment, claiming that it is often at the expense of indigenous peoples. Although companies would be using the center for information to avoid adverse environmental impact, some, such as Rio Tinto and BP Amoco, will also supply information, calling into question the independence of the new center. France proposes the creation of a new international organization to ensure respect for international commitments on the environment. The new organization would also address the global imbalances of placing too much focus on trade.