The European Union yesterday expressed disappointment with President Bush’s decision not to regulate carbon dioxide, and Japan said the decision could undermine the Kyoto treaty on climate change. Germany went so far as to say the rest of the world might have to leave the U.S. behind and begin implementing the treaty alone. E.U. Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said she was especially concerned about Bush’s “remarks that more research is needed into the causes of climate change before we know what the solutions are.” In the view of the great majority of the world’s climate scientists and governments, the facts are clear that humans are helping to cause global warming by spitting greenhouse gases like CO2 into the atmosphere. Indeed, a study published today in the journal Nature adds to the evidence that humans are changing the atmosphere.
