With the Kyoto Protocol set to become international law tomorrow Sir David Wallace, Vice-President of the Royal Society, - the UK national academy of science - said today (Tuesday, 15 February 2005):

“The Kyoto Protocol represents the important first step on the long road to tackling climate change - an ominous spectre which threatens peoples lives and livelihoods around the world.

“And we cannot be complacent. The science tells us that if the world is really serious about avoiding the worst effects of global warming we need major reductions in emissions of greenhouse gases in developed countries that dwarf the approximately five per cent which Kyoto accounts for.

“We now need a long term road map, attached to the UN climate convention, which will outline global action to reduce substantially the emissions of greenhouse gases after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol which ends in 2012.

“This global response must include the United States, which despite being responsible for producing around 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions, has turned its back on the Protocol. This is even more alarming when, by the United States’ own estimates, under business as usual projections its carbon dioxide emissions are set to increase by 43 per cent between 2001 and 2025.

“Tony Blair’s identification of climate change as a key issue for the UK presidency of the G8 is welcome. The Gleneagles summit in July is an opportunity for all the G8 governments to acknowledge that the threat from climate change is real and commit to urgent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

Original press release: Kyoto Protocol becomes international law (The Royal Society)