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Washington: A group of global lawmakers signed a resolution urging a new agreement limiting greenhouse gas emissions by 2009 to succeed the Kyoto protocol, which is set to expire in 2012.
The resolution reached after a two-day forum on global warming attended by lawmakers from about 20 countries, including members of the US Congress, urged the Group of Eight industrialised countries to commit to the 2009 deadline when they next meet in June.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the rotating presidencies of the G8 and the European Union, outlined her priorities on global warming in a video address to the forum. Merkel has agreed to convene an international meeting on climate change in May to prepare for the G8 summit in the German resort of Heiligendamm from June 6-8.
Lawmakers attending the forum held on Capitol Hill said after hearing from US lawmakers who attended that they sensed a political shift in Washington toward greater cooperation with other countries on combatting global warming.
"I've detected a really quite remarkable change here on climate change," said Elliot Morley, a British member of Parliament who chaired the forum.
Committed
A senior State Department official told the attendees on Thursday the US is committed to working with other countries on the issue.
"We share with other countries the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and introducing new, cleaner technologies," said State Department Undersecretary Paula Dobriansky.
She outlined steps taken by the US in reducing emissions but made no mention of the Kyoto treaty, which the US has refused to endorse since it was negotiated in 1997.
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