US Pressure Muzzles Arctic Council - "More Review" Of Science Promised

REYKJAVIK, Iceland, November 30, 2004 (ENS) – Despite increasing scientific evidence that the Arctic environment is already showing the effects of global warming, the eight nations and six indigenous peoples groups of the Arctic Council failed last week to reach consensus on how to address the problem.

The joint declaration from the council acknowledged concern about the challenges climate change poses for the Arctic environment, but pressure from the U.S. delegation prevented inclusion of any specific recommendations. The council’s statement reflects the strong influence of the Bush administration, which has refused to call for mandatory cuts in industrial greenhouse gas emissions and repeatedly questioned the science that points to the effects of these emissions on the climate.

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In an address to ministers of the Arctic Council nations, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Issues Paula Dobriansky rebuffed criticism that the administration is not taking a proactive stance on climate change. “The United States is committed to ensuring that our policies are informed by the best information science can provide,” she said, adding that the administration will take the findings of the ACIA “into account as it continues to review the science on climate change.”

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Calling the meeting "disappointing," REP America, the national grassroots organization of Republicans for environmental protection, said America’s elected leaders must "end their do-nothing approach to global warming." “The Arctic climate assessment is an unambiguous warning that global warming, a result of carbon dioxide emissions caused by burning fossil fuels for energy, will have significant, worldwide impacts, including rising sea levels and disruptive weather patterns," said Jim DiPeso, REP America policy director. "These impacts present very serious risks to our nation’s economy and security, as well as to our environment."

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