The UN climate-change summit concluded here yesterday with an unexpected agreement to implement the Kyoto Protocol after make-or-break negotiations that went on through the night.
Japan, Russia and Australia had held out until the last minute for more concessions on compliance, seeking a looser regime of sanctions for industrialised countries that failed to meet target reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.
Though heavily compromised, the deal was hailed as a historic first step towards implementing Kyoto - the only international treaty aimed at cutting the emissions blamed for contributing to the phenomenon of global warming.
With the United States standing on the sidelines, the rest of the world decided to proceed with an agreement to begin tackling the problem - led by the European Union, in alliance with the G77 group of developing countries.
Mr Alexander de Roo, vice-president of the European Parliament, said both the EU and G77 had to make "painful concessions" to make Kyoto ready for ratification. The EU and G77, which drew close together in the final days of negotiations, were seen as the driving force behind securing support for the compromise package, which had been devised by the conference chairman, Mr Jan Pronk.
At the final plenary session, delegates gave the Dutch Environment Minister a standing ovation for his role in brokering the deal. But there were boos for the head of the US delegation, Ms Paula Dobriansky, when she said her country rejected it.
Mr Michael Meacher, the British Environment Minister, said it was very significant that the rest of the world had gone ahead with adopting a set of rules for implementing Kyoto despite the enormous setback of the US decision. The breakthrough in Bonn could even change the balance of power between the US and the EU, according to Ms Margot Wallstrom, the EU Environment Commissioner.
"We've managed to rescue the Kyoto Protocol, that's my overall assessment of what we've achieved," she said. "We can now start the ratification process and countries can start to take action on climate change."
Though the deal waters down the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol agreed four years ago, particularly by allowing industrialised countries to make more liberal use of forests as "carbon sinks", it was welcomed by environmentalists.
Deal rescues Kyoto-Opinion: 12 Editorial comment: page 13
