US states agree on a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
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Challenging the decision made by the federal government, 9 northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Main, Delaware y Massachusetts) are currently very close to signing a plan that aims at cutting down on gases emissions from 600 power plants.
The project, known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), will be signed next month. Although it will initially freeze gas emissions at their current levels, it plans to gradually reduce them by 10% by the year 2020.
Three other states from the West coast (California, Oregon and Washington) are currently considering a similar pact in a move that is seen as an open repudiation of George W. Bushs refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, signed by Bill Clinton his predecessor in the White House.
From the times of the Industrial Revolution, human beings have been forced to increase their energy production to meet the needs of larger and more demanding populations. They resorted to the burning of fossil fuels, mainly coal and oil. The burning of these fossil fuels releases into the atmosphere million of tons of carbon dioxide. The massive increase in the emissions of greenhouse gases, specially carbon dioxide, results in the so-called greenhouse effect, which contributes to global warming.
The consequences of such phenomenon are consistent with the predictions made by the collaborative group of scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Recent climatic changes owing to the rise in global temperature and change in other conditions made floods, droughts, new disease vectors, and climate pattern shifts more frequent around the world. Unless measures are taken, human beings will have to cope increasing changes in climate that can cause serious problems, loss of infrastructure and life, and demand enormous investments in the near future.
The Kyoto protocol, signed by 150 countries in 1997, encourages industrialized nations to cut down on their gas emissions (read more). The USA, whose emissions of carbon dioxide account for 25% of world emissions, did not ratify the agreement.
There is hope that this initiative, currently pioneered by 9, will set an example and be emulated by the rest of the country.
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4180426.stm
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/082405J.shtml
