U.S. President Bill Clinton had announced before the conference that the United States would only be willing to agree to a 5 percent reduction and wanted to take longer to do it. But U.S. negotiators had been instructed to take a flexible posture during negotiations. However, the treaty only becomes binding on countries when it is ratified by their governments. And the exemption for developing countries is expected to make it difficult to get the treaty ratified by the U.S. Congress. The United States is the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, which are produced by burning fossil fuels.
Many scientists blame the gases for global warming.
So if the United States opts out, the treaty's effectiveness would be undermined. Congressional leaders have made it clear they will fight the treaty. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, scientists say that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could double during the next century, warming the atmosphere and triggering an environmental chain reaction that could raise sea levels, change ocean currents and intensify damage from storms, droughts and the spread of tropical diseases. Correspondent Tom Mintier and Reuters contributed to this report. Inc. All Rights Reserved.