From the Office of Senator Kerry

Wednesday, August 1, 2001

Washington, DC – The Senate Foreign Relations Committee today passed an amendment to the State Department bill that set forth key principles to guide the Bush Administration in the international global warming negotiations. The Sense of the Congress amendment passed by a unanimous vote of 19 – 0. It was sponsored by Senator John F. Kerry and Chairman Joseph R. Biden.

Senator Kerry said, "More than anything, this amendment makes clear that the Bush Administration's current posture of sitting on the sidelines is unacceptable. The Committee is saying very loudly that it expects the U.S. to provide international leadership. We've also set forth some specific principles about what leadership means, and that includes working to fix Kyoto or providing an alternative, that we must have a binding agreement—voluntary proposals are insufficient—and the U.S. should present a plan to the international community as soon as possible. We've also said this should be done in a manner that will protect the environment, protect our economy and include participation by the developing nations—all goals we can achieve."

In addition to stating the scientific consensus on global warming, the Kerry amendment advances several key policies on climate change. They include the following:

The amendment directly addresses Senate Resolution 98 by finding that while it expressed that developing nations, especially the largest emitters, must be included in any future binding agreement and that such an agreement should not cause serious economic, it should not cause the United States to abandon its shared responsibility to help solve global climate change.

It calls on the Administration to participate in international negotiations, including putting forth a proposal at the next meeting of the Conference of the Parties. The Bush Administration has stated it may not do so.

It calls on the Administration to participate in the international negotiations with the goal of crafting a revised Kyoto Protocol or other future binding climate change agreements. The Bush Administration has called Kyoto "fatally flawed" and "dead." The Bush Administration has refused to recognize the need for binding agreements, instead endorsing only voluntary approaches.

It calls on the Administration to craft an agreement that is consistent with the environmental objectives of the Framework Convention on Climate Change, that protects the economic interests of the United States, and recognizes the shared international responsibility for addressing climate change, including developing country participation.