A spokesman for General Motors, the world's largest automaker, said that company had no plans to leave the coalition. Its departure from the GCC was welcomed. Ford has also made announcements in the past two years that its light trucks would meet tougher emissions standards than the government requires. And Ford, like others, has been working on hybrid cars that get much greater mileage per gallon of fuel. But Ford has been under fire from environmental groups for manufacturing some of the largest sports utility vehicles, like the popular Expedition and Excursion models.
Green groups say the gas-guzzling vehicles spew too much carbon into the air.
It would require that the United States reduce greenhouse emissions to below 1990 levels by 2008-2012, a cut of more than a third from where emissions are expected to be by then. The document has faced opposition in the Senate, which must ratify the treaty before it becomes effective. Ford and others in industry, as well as the Global Climate Coalition, argues the Kyoto accord would lead to soaring energy prices and economic losses. Moreover, the treaty would not impose limits on economically developing countries such as China and India. The coalition contends that because they account for a significant portion of the world's population, and therefore its pollution, they also must agree to emissions cuts.