He ordered American negotiators to show flexibility, apparently with results. After a press conference Monday in which Mr. Gore asserted his optimism that an agreement would be achieved, he quickly left town, and yesterday American negotiators indicated the U.S. will yield to demands for cuts in so-called greenhouse gases below 1990 levels.
Economists differ on the exact cost to the American economy from such a sharp reduction.
But they all agree that compliance will slash jobs, push up prices of virtually all products, and cut incomes of American workers. That could come as no surprise to anyone who's already seen through the mist of talk about global warming. Before they cheer, however, everyone, including the representatives from over 150 countries attending the conference here, had better think long and hard about the consequences of such an agreement. With so many economies in shaky shape, restricting energy use by major nations could contribute to a trade war, a major drop in world-wide production, rising unemployment, and possibly political strife in the countries where economic growth will be affected. Plentiful energy, produced almost entirely from fossil fuels, has underpinned a great improvement in the lives of men and women.