Outside the meeting site, Greenpeace activists demonstrated in polar bear outfits. Wildlife experts say the polar bear is jeopardized by the melting of Arctic ice due to global warming. We have to get an agreement. Under the Kyoto Protocol, industrialized countries committed collectively to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels. Greenhouse gas emissions mostly come from burning fossil fuels for factories, power plants and cars.
Carbon dioxide is a major component of the emissions.
The key issue blocking agreement at The Hague was whether and to what extent countries should be allowed to count carbon dioxide absorbed by forests and farmlands toward their emissions reduction targets. The United States supports such credits, while the European Union opposes them. We welcome your feedback. All rights reserved.