Some enviros say the Clinton administration is proposing “loopholes” in the Kyoto climate change treaty so big that they would let the U.S. get away with doing almost nothing to curb its emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. Many crucial decisions on how to implement the treaty will be made next month at an international negotiating session in The Hague, just days after the U.S. presidential election. Eight enviro groups wrote President Clinton last week urging him to taker a tougher stance to fight global warming. A number of groups, including the World Wildlife Fund and Greenpeace USA, are threatening to withdraw their support for the treaty if negotiators approve the Clinton administration’s proposals, including one that would let the U.S. avoid cutting emissions from power plants and factories by planting and cultivating forests to absorb some carbon dioxide. Some enviros also oppose letting the U.S. meet many of its treaty commitments by trading emission rights with other countries instead of cutting its own emissions.
