| Even at the Kyoto Protocol's
inception in nineteen ninety-seven,
there were indications that some nations saw it more as a trade
opportunity than an environmental agreement. Last-minute
revisions were made allowing rich countries to keep their own emissions
high, instead paying poorer nations to reduce
theirs.
The country which would end up paying most, it was thought, was
the United States, while Russia would be the main beneficiary.
Now the US has withdrawn; and with it has gone Russia's main hope
of making money from the treaty. In recent days Russian officials
have said they won't ratify Kyoto
without guarantees of income.
There's undoubtedly political
pressure as well from both sides. When Canada was
wavering on ratification a year ago, the US
lobbied hard for it to withdraw, and it's likely the Bush
administration has been exerting similar pressure on Russia; whereas
some politicians from the European Union, the bloc
keenest on Kyoto, have said that if Russia wants to be Europe's
ally on other issues it must ratify.
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inception: a formal word meaning
start
last-minute: if something is last-minute
it happens just before something else
emissions: here, gases released
into the atmosphere
theirs: here, refers to emissions
beneficiary: if you are a beneficiary you receive or are
helped by something
ratify: accept or take on something
formally
undoubtedly: without doubt, certainly
wavering: becoming less certain
lobbied: tried to persuade
bloc: a group of countries with similar aims
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