Japan, U.S. Differ Over Global Warming Issues

 



  Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and visiting U.S. 
President George W. Bush differed over the Kyoto Protocol and 
how to prevent global warming but agreed to cooperate on that 
issue.

  Bush repeated his rejection of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol aimed 
atcurbing global warming, and pushed for the alternative he 
announced last week.

  Koizumi, meanwhile, called the new U.S. plan "a very 
constructive proposal," but asked for more efforts from the 
UnitedStates.

  "It is for the U.S. to decide whether to take part in the 
protocol or not, but I hope we will continue with our efforts so 
we can move in the same direction," said Koizumi, who supports 
theKyoto Protocol.

  "Both the economy and the environment can be improved 
together.We'd like to see further efforts on the part of the 
U.S.," the Japanese leader added.

  Bush rejected the Kyoto pact last March, saying that it would 
hurt U.S. economic growth.

  The U.S. president announced an alternative proposal last 
week,calling for voluntary limits on greenhouse gas emissions by 
companies in accordance with economic growth instead of 
mandatory reduction targets presented in the Kyoto pact.

  The proposal is criticized by environmentalists as ineffective 
for solving global warming and warn that under the plan U.S. 
greenhouse gas emissions will continue to rise.

  In Monday's summit talks, Bush and Koizumi agreed to cooperate 
together with other countries, including developing nations, on 
the issue of global warming.

  Japan and the U.S. can cooperate over the development of new 
technologies in the field and that such technologies will help 
notonly the environment but also economic development, they 
agreed.



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