31 August 2005CNSNews.com Patrick Goodenough
Germany's environment minister has added his voice to green activists and others who have sought to link Hurricane Katrina with global warming."The increasing frequency of these natural events can only be explained through global warming which is caused by people," Juergen Trittin told the ZDF television network.Trittin, a member of the Green Party in Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's ruling coalition, was also quoted by the Frankfurter Rundschau newspaper as criticizing the Bush administration for doing little to fight climate change.Germany is a strong supporter of the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that came into force last February. The pact requires industrialized nations to cut their emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other "greenhouse gases" blamed for climate change by specified amounts.Washington rejected the Kyoto Protocol, which President Bush said would damage the U.S. economy. Other critics note the treaty excludes major developing nations and polluters such as China and India.Frankfurter Rundschau quoted Trittin as accusing the U.S. of closing its eyes to the "emergency" of global warming, even as the average American was responsible for twice as much CO2 as the average European."The Bush government rejects international climate protection goals by insisting that imposing them would negatively impact the American economy," he said."The American president is closing his eyes to the economic and human costs his land and the world economy are suffering under natural catastrophes like Katrina and because of neglected environmental policies."Others who have linked the devastating hurricane to global warming include environment journalist and author Ross Gelbspan -- in a Boston Globe op-ed piece Tuesday'; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote that Katrina was "giving our nation a glimpse of the climate chaos we are bequeathing our children."An editorial on the website of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle stated Wednesday: "Even as the damage caused by hurricane Katrina in the US is assessed, the reason for its brutality is already known -- global warming."A month ago the U.S. joined Australia -- which also opposes Kyoto -- as well as Japan, India, China and South Korea in launching a new Asia-Pacific partnership aimed at finding ways to combat climate change outside the framework of Kyoto, while meeting the growing energy needs of the world's most populous regions.Last week, a New Zealand business grouping urged the New Zealand government -- like Germany, a devoted Kyoto supporter -- to consider dropping out of the treaty in 2008, joining the new Asia-Pacific partnership instead.The Employers and Manufacturers Association noted the New Zealand government's acknowledgement earlier this year that meeting the country's emission-reduction targets set by Kyoto would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars more than predicted.
