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TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2001

After three days of negotiations in Germany, 178 nations on Monday finalized a treaty that seeks to limit emission of greenhouse gases thought to contribute to global warming.

The treaty is based on the Kyoto Protocol which was hammered out in Japan in 1997. But it contains some revisions in emissions credits and enforcement.

The provisions limiting emissions apply only to 38 industrialized nations, not developing ones. President Bush, who backed out of the treaty upon assuming office, regards this omission as one of the protocol's major flaws.

In order for the treaty to become effective, it must be ratified by 55 nations who are responsible for more than half of the world's greenhouse gases.

Get the Story:
U.S. Left Out of Warming Treaty (The Washington Post 7/24)
Climate Agreement Leaves U.S. Out in the Cold (The Washington Post 7/24)
178 Nations Reach Climate Accord; U.S. Only Looks On (The New York Times 7/24)
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The Kyoto Protocol - http://www.unfccc.de/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng.html
Perspectives on the Kyoto Protocol - http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/climate/ba/perspectives.html

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