Europe: A Commitment to Kyoto

The author contends that the Bush administration used a "half-truth" to deflect from its own lack of climate policy by claiming Europeans were hypocrites for not yet ratifying the Kyoto Protocol. The text clarifies that signatories, including European nations, agreed to negotiate key provisions for market-based flexibility and compliance before beginning the ratification process. While the November summit in The Hague failed to conclude these rules, European nations remain committed to ratification once the implementing framework is finalized.

• The Bush administration's assertion that Europeans are hypocrites for not ratifying the Kyoto Protocol is characterized as a "big lie" intended to hide the administration's lack of a plausible climate policy.
• Industrialized countries that signed the Kyoto treaty in 1997 agreed to negotiate and elaborate on critical rules regarding compliance and market-based flexibility before proceeding with ratification.
• Following unsuccessful talks in The Hague in November 2000, governments agreed to resume rule-making negotiations in Germany, with European nations committed to ratifying the treaty once the implementing framework is complete.

APA

Wiser, G. (2001). Europe: A Commitment to Kyoto. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/news/europe-a-committment-to-kyoto-op-ed-article-in-the-washington-post/

Chicago

Wiser, Glenn. Europe: A Commitment to Kyoto. Center for International Environmental Law, 2001. https://www.ciel.org/news/europe-a-committment-to-kyoto-op-ed-article-in-the-washington-post/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Wiser |first1=Glenn |title=Europe: A Commitment to Kyoto |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=1 June 2001 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/europe-a-committment-to-kyoto-op-ed-article-in-the-washington-post/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{wiser2001europe, author = {Wiser, Glenn}, title = {{Europe: A Commitment to Kyoto}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2001}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/europe-a-committment-to-kyoto-op-ed-article-in-the-washington-post/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }