However, he would support the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Vice President Al Gore, on the other hand, flew to Kyoto in 1997 to meet with delegates and convince them of the severity of the problem with global warming. Gore has long been an activist for the environment and would work hard to get the Senate to approve the movement, even though it may prove to be difficult to get 67 out of 100 members to comply. Meanwhile, environmental groups are pressuring politicians in Washington DC to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, thus beginning to address the damage that has been done since the beginning of the 20th century by fossil fuels. However, at the same time, oil moguls are also lobbying the nation's capital to inhibit the progress of the treaty.
Many oil companies face potential problems as the world withdraws from petroleum.
Another stumbling block for the Protocol is the disagreement between countries on specifics regarding credits for cutting pollution and penalties for not reducing emissions. The US disagrees with certain points on how to penalize countries that don't meet requirements, as well as credits for moving from oil and coal to hydroelectric or nuclear power plants. There are many different opinions within the meeting, as there is vast diversity within the politics, geography and economics of the countries involved. Australia, for example wants to sop up carbon dioxide by planting trees. The European constituency believes that imposing such a rule is a bad idea since it doesn't have the space or the wide-open areas of the Australian continent.