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Gore pledges 'flexibility' at climate summit
December 8, 1997
Gore
Web posted at: 9:50 a.m. EST (1450 GMT)KYOTO, Japan (CNN) -- U.S. Vice President Al Gore on Monday pledged that Washington would show "flexibility" in trying to agree on an international treaty to curb greenhouse gasses, but he did not specify how far the United States might go in trying to reach a compromise with its critics at the climate conference in Kyoto.
Gore told delegates from 160 nations that the U.S. negotiation team would "show increased negotiating flexibility" in order to reach an agreement on how best to control emissions of greenhouse gases, which many scientists say are contributing to global warming.
Gore said that "a review of all issues is in the new flexibility," including proposals for the size of U.S. emission cuts.
The size of the U.S. curbs and a commitment by developing nations to fight the problem have become key issues holding up a possible accord.
U.S. Vice President Al Gore responds to a reporter's question about the meaning of the term "flexible negotiation" 
306K/27 sec. AIFF or WAV sound CNN's May Lee reports on reaction in Kyoto to Gore's comments 374K/32 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Gore on global warming
Gore said he had observed "some movement" in developing nations agreeing to give commitments to join the fight against global warming.
However, he insisted that an international treaty must set "realistic targets" and timetables.
"Our first step should be to set realistic and achievable, binding emissions limits, which will create new markets for new technologies and new ideas that will, in turn, expand the boundaries of the possible and create new hope. Other steps will then follow. And then, ultimately, we will achieve a safe overall concentration level for greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere," Gore said.
Gore: Pact shouldn't 'promise what we cannot do'
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The United States is the largest producer of so-called "greenhouse gases," created by the burning of fossil fuels. The initial U.S. position is to agree to reduce its levels of greenhouse gas emissions, to their 1990 levels by the year 2012.
The United States also has been insisting that major developing countries, such as China, India, Brazil and Mexico, among others, also accept some limits on the level of greenhouse gases they emit.
"The imperative here is to do what we promise, rather than to promise what we cannot do," Gore said.
But European countries and Japan have been pushing for binding targets that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions even more sharply than what the United States proposes. And some developing countries reject the idea that they should face limits at all, arguing that restrictions would inhibit their ability to progress economically.
Gore reassured developing countries that the United States was interested in an agreement that balanced their economic interests against the need to reduce emissions.
"The United States has listened (to developing countries), and we have learned," he said. "We understand that your first priority is to lift your citizens from the poverty so many endure and build strong economies to insure a better future. This is your right. It will not be denied."
"Success will require, first and foremost, that we heal the divisions among us," Gore said.
Gore: U.S. will take 'concrete steps'
Gore described himself as "optimistic" that the delegates meeting in Kyoto this week can come up with a workable solution to the problem of global warming. But even if the conference fails to reach an agreement, Gore pledged that the United States unilaterally "will take concrete steps to help meet this challenge."
"President Clinton and I understand that our first obligation is to address this issue at home," he said. "I commit to you today that the United States is prepared to act and will act."
In his remarks, Gore also expressed his views about the importance of combating global warming, saying "the human consequences and the economic costs of failing to act are unthinkable."
"Our fundamental challenge now is to find out whether and how we can change the behaviors that are causing the problem," he said. "To do so requires humility, because the spiritual roots of our crisis are pridefulness and a failure to understand and respect our connections to God's Earth and to each other."
Japan's Hashimoto stresses energy efficiency
Preceding Gore to the podium Monday was Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, who promised that Japan would set strict energy consumption standards for its key automobile and electronics sectors as part of its efforts to cut emissions.
Hashimoto urged a long-term regimen of energy efficiency as the most viable approach to emissions control.
"Bearing in mind a fairly long-term target period, we will set energy consumption standards at the highest levels technically feasible, on a product category basis, in the automobile, electric appliance and other manufactured goods sectors," Hashimoto said.
In an apparent bid to soothe opposition from developing countries to calls that they participate in efforts to curb emissions, Hashimoto also stressed that such cuts need not impair economic growth.
"By determining appropriate rules, we can simultaneously achieve both economic growth and a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through improvements in energy efficiency," he said.
Correspondent Tom Mintier, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Global warming debate: Dueling views of the future - December 2, 1997
- Negotiators discuss 'differentiated' emissions cuts - December 2, 1997
- No consensus on solving global warming - October 6, 1997
Related sites:
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- Official Site of the Third Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC
- Global Climate Information Project
- Climate Countdown - National Environmental Trust
- U.S. Global Climate Research Program
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