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July 31, 1998
WASHINGTON, July 31, 1998 -- WWF expressed disappointment Friday that the Clinton Administration's
economic analysis of the Kyoto Protocol fails to envision real emissions cuts at home and relies
instead on buying the right to pollute from other countries.
The Clinton Administration's analysis assumes that it will achieve 75% of its emissions reductions
through international emissions trading. The analysis does not consider domestic emissions reduction
potential at all.
"The Administration's analysis is not even half complete. Who would release economic analysis without
calculating what its own country can do to reduce emissions at home?" questioned Adam Markham, director
of the WWF Climate Change Campaign. "While the Administration is heading in the right direction showing
that action to stop global warming is economically feasible and potentially attractive, it is going down
the wrong road in their efforts to solve the problem," Markham said.
A WWF Tellus Institute study entitled, Policies and Measures to reduce CO2 Emissions in the United
States, lists steps the U.S. government can take to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions
quickly and economically at home for a net economic gain. The policies and programs outlined in the
study would guide the economy toward more efficient, lower cost, less polluting and more sustainable
energy production and consumption. For example,
- setting renewable energy content standards, which would require an increasing proportion of
renewable resources for electricity and motor fuels
- establishing pollutant emission caps, which would limit greenhouse gas emissions in the electric
power sector through trading systems.
- progressively strengthening the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to induce automobile
manufacturers to improve the fuel efficiency of their vehicles.
"The results of the Administration analysis are based on faulty assumptions that will be bad for the
environment and bad for the U.S. economy," Markham said. "The Administration should not be looking
abroad for greenhouse gas emission reductions when there are a myriad of cost-effective, beneficial
steps that can be taken immediately to reduce emissions right here at home. This analysis sends
the wrong signal to U.S. business. It looks as if the White House has lost its faith in American
ingenuity."