The International Energy Agency chief on Friday warned not to fight past battles over the Kyoto Protocol after the United States election, saying the pressing concern was drafting a successor to the environmental treaty.
The Democratic Party, whose ranks include prominent environmentalists, this week swept congressional elections, ousting the Republican Party of President George Bush, an outspoken foe of the Kyoto protocol.
But Claude Mandil, director of the International Energy Agency which has sought urgent action to stop global warming, called on governments to focus on action after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
”One can say that the US was wrong in not ratifying Kyoto, but today it is not the Kyoto protocol at issue. The problem is what next,” Mandil told a news conference in Tokyo.
”I think that we all have to keep in mind that Kyoto is almost over,” he said. ”Even in terms of investments for the industries it’s too late.”
The Kyoto protocol, which is named after Japan’s former capital where it was negotiated in 1997, is the first treaty to obligate countries to cut down on carbon emissions.
Bush abandoned the treaty as one of his first acts after taking office in 2001, saying it was unfair as it did not require action by large polluters in the developing world such as China and India.
”The challenge in the coming years will be to find a way of bringing everybody in the boat,” Mandil said.
Mandil said he was ”cautious but optimistic” on fighting global warming as he saw ”a tremendous move in the public opinion which recognises that it is a serious issue”. – Sapa-AFP