US President Mr George W. Bush's plan to combat global warming was greeted courteously by his allies today but environmentalists mostly treated it with ridicule.
Mr Bush won a few points by discreetly acknowledging the reality of an issue he had brushed off less than a year ago as lacking scientific proof. But he won no backers for his voluntary approach, based mainly on tax incentives that would aim to ease pollution by fossil fuels.
His plan does not appear to have damaged the core support for the Kyoto Protocol - the 1997 UN treaty he controversially rejected last March.
America's closest allies in the Kyoto process - Australia, Canada and Japan - had dragged their feet hoping to lure Mr Bush back, before finally wrapping up the treaty last November. It must now be ratified by them and other industrialised countries in order to take effect.
The three countries greeted the Mr Bush’s plans as a positive move to address the issue of global warming while voicing their reservations.
Foreign Minister Ms Yoriko Kawaguchi said Japan would press on with ratification of Kyoto, although it also hoped for "a common rule in future" would embrace all countries, including the United States.
Canadian Environment Minister Mr David Anderson said Mr Bush's alternative fell short of "a better approach" to Kyoto and Washington had made a mistake by taking the path of unilateralism. Australian Prime Minister Mr John Howard also questioned the point of ratifying Kyoto.
European Union Environment Commissioner Ms Margot Wallstroem said Mr Bush's plan "is no alternative" to Kyoto and she urged the United States to return to it.
AFP