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U.S. Out of Step With World on Environment
- Most adults in 20 countries express a commitment to ecological responsibility, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies for Maclean's. 87 per cent of global respondents believe damage to the environment must be reduced, even if it means slower economic growth.
In Mexico, Spain, Australia, Japan, Lebanon and Turkey, at least 90 per cent of respondents agreed with the question's premise. The lowest numbers came in the United States, where 70 per cent of respondents favoured environmental protection.
In 1998, several countries agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, a proposed amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The agreement commits nations to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The U.S. signed the protocol but has not ratified it.
In June 2005, U.S. president George W. Bush defended his decision not to adhere to the protocol, saying, "Kyoto would have wrecked our economy. I couldn't in good faith have signed Kyoto."
Yesterday at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference in Kenya, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan expressed concern over the current situation, saying, "While the Kyoto Protocol is a crucial step forward, that step is far too small. And as we consider how to go further still, there remains a frightening lack of leadership. (...) I think it would be preferable if (the United States) signed the Kyoto agreement."
U.S. undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs Paula Dobriansky defended Washington's record on environmental issues, saying, "We think that the United States has been leading in terms of its ground-breaking initiatives. We seek to slow, reverse and to really curb emissions."
Polling Data
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? - Damage to the environment must be reduced, even if it means slower economic growth.
Agree | Disagree | |
World | 87% | 13% |
Mexico | 95% | 5% |
Spain | 93% | 8% |
Australia | 92% | 8% |
Japan | 91% | 9% |
Lebanon | 91% | 9% |
Turkey | 90% | 11% |
Britain | 89% | 11% |
Egypt | 89% | 11% |
India | 89% | 11% |
Saudi Arabia | 89% | 11% |
France | 89% | 12% |
China | 88% | 12% |
South Africa | 88% | 13% |
Russia | 87% | 13% |
Canada | 88% | 12% |
Israel | 86% | 15% |
Germany | 85% | 15% |
Italy | 84% | 16% |
South Korea | 80% | 20% |
United States | 70% | 30% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies / Maclean's
Methodology: Online interviews with 5,800 adults in Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the United States, conducted from Sept. 22 to Oct. 6, 2006.