MONTREAL, Dec. 10—In a major step forward in the fight against global warming, industrial nations other than the United States and Australia agreed early this morning to negotiate deeper cuts in their emissions of heat-trapping gases that are causing global warming. The decision came at the end of the first Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which entered into force earlier this year following Russia's ratification.

"The meeting in Montreal has generated new momentum in the fight to curb global warming emissions. The Bush administration clearly came here determined to prevent the rest of the world from extending and deepening their commitments under Kyoto," said Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "But their strategy failed, as Europe, Canada, Russia, and Japan decided to move forward without the United States. These nations understand that mandatory limits on global warming pollution, combined with market-based emissions trading mechanisms, are essential in mobilizing the private sector technology and capital needed to effectively confront the urgent threat of global warming. The Bush approach of relying solely on voluntary efforts and long-term R&D simply won't get the job done."

Meyer noted that more and more governors, mayors, and business leaders are making significant commitments to reduce global warming pollution. "Outside of Washington, DC, these efforts are spreading like wildfire," Meyer said. "Growing awareness of this trend in the U.S. appeared to give negotiators from other countries confidence that the Bush administration's head-in-the-sand approach to global warming is increasingly out of touch with U.S. civil society."

Meyer applauded the other major accomplishment at the Montreal meeting—the decision to conduct a broader review of the Kyoto Protocol's overall effectiveness at the next annual meeting of Kyoto countries in November 2006. "This decision gives industrialized countries a major opportunity to engage major developing countries like China, India, South Africa, and Brazil in constructive dialogue on ways to step up their participation in the Kyoto process while advancing their economic development goals. This broadening is key to the long-term success of efforts to deal with the problem."

"President Bush's short-sighted approach is isolating the United States, but that is likely to change in the years ahead," Meyer said. "As the Kyoto climate regime deepens and broadens, U.S. business and industry will mount irresistible pressure on U.S. leaders to re-engage in the process, rather than be shut out of rapidly expanding markets for clean energy and vehicle technologies."

"It is now up to President Bush to decide if he wants to reverse course and join the rest of the world in meaningful action to fight global warming," Meyer noted. "But rest assured, if he doesn't, the next President certainly will."

Former President Bill Clinton spoke to the conference on Friday about the need for urgent action on global warming. "President Clinton pointed out that aggressive efforts to address global warming will generate hundreds of thousands of jobs, and that American participation in a global carbon market will benefit the U.S. economy," said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "Accelerating the rollout of energy efficient cars and trucks, appliances, heating and cooling systems, and renewable energy technologies, will save businesses and consumers significant amounts of money, as well as create high-quality jobs and increase community investment."

25 senior U.S. economists, organized by UCS Board member and Columbia Business School economist, Geoff Heal, reinforced this message in a statement. The statement was issued in Montreal last Wednesday. The economists called upon the United States to combat global warming through use of mandatory caps on emissions of heat-trapping gases.

Countries at the Montreal climate talks also decided to pursue discussions on an innovative proposal by Papua New Guinea, Costa Rica, and other rainforest nations to slow tropical deforestation, the source of 20-25 percent of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide. The proposal envisions a legal framework under the Convention of adopting mechanisms to link deforestation financing and emissions reductions.