Experts available for commentary on Kyoto Protocol, COP-9 and global warming

News items of note:
• Russia announced yesterday that it will not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Without Russia, the Kyoto Protocol will not be legally binding and will not come into force.
• At COP-9 in Milan, the European Union has reported that 13 out of 15 European countries are not meeting their emissions targets under Kyoto.
• Canada’s Prime Minister designate Paul Martin has announced that Canada may withdraw from Kyoto since Russia has refused to ratify.
• A poll of the UK public indicates that 57% believe that the UK should not implement Kyoto if the treaty harms Britain’s economy, and 70% believe that the UK should pursue less-costly strategies to address climate change.

The Framework Convention on Climate Change says that solutions to global warming must be cost-effective and must be taken in light of scientific evidence to prevent “dangerous” human interaction with the earth’s climate. In light of growing evidence that Kyoto would cause economic harm without clear benefits for the earth’s climate, ministers meeting at the high-level meeting next week in Milan must propose alternative strategies to deal with climate change.

According to experts in a new book released this week – Adapt or Die: The science, politics and economics of climate change – adaptation, rather than climate control through the Kyoto Protocol, is a less costly, more effective, and more just strategy to address climate change, both now and in the future.

Experts available for commentary:
Kendra Okonski, Editor of Adapt or Die (published December 2003, Profile Books), Director of Sustainable Development Project, International Policy Network (London, UK) Tel. +4420 7231 9270 Mobile +4477 3469 3068 kendra-at-policynetwork.net (replace -at- with @)

Martin Ågerup, economist, President of the Copenhagen Academy for Future Studies, Denmark, Tel. +45.46.38.49.59 martin-at-enerne.dk
(replace -at- with @)

Dr. Margo Thorning, International Council for Capital Formation
Author of several analyses of the impact of Kyoto Protocol on European countries
+1.202.469.0903 mthorning-at-iccfglobal.org (replace -at- with @)

Julian Morris, economist and lawyer, Visiting Professor at the University of Buckingham and Director of International Policy Network
Tel. +4420 7231 3162 Mobile +4477 8874 8657 julian-at-policynetwork.net (replace -at- with @)