Practice (complete the sentences)

1. They … second-cars and lorries.

2. We refuse to … firms that don’t allow us to trade on open account.

3. I think even a small concession would allow us to …

4. I always leave him to … the paperwork.

Exercise 10. Read the text (Financial Times, 2004) and assume that you are debating this issue on the international level. In this role you are participating in the implementation of this landmark protocol and in view of the above:

1. discuss the global implications of the Kyoto protocol

2. think about the benefits and detriments of the Kyoto protocol for different countries

3. focus on the Russia’s decisive role in its ratification

4. look at the consequences of its implementation for the Russian Federation

5. division in the world on the issue

6. indicate your personal attitude towards this issue

Vocabulary:

signatory – подписавшаяся сторона; подписавшийся;

stringent – строгий, точный;

raidly – время от времени, периодически, проводить что-то не регулярно;

to drive something up (phrasal verb) – быстро возрастать, усиливать;

contentious – спорный;

to allude to – ссылаться на, намекать на, упоминать;

discernible – различимый;

incoming environment commissioner – новоизбранный специальный уполномоченный (комиссар) по охране окружающей природы;

at times – иногда, временами;

lukewarm – fig. Прохладный;

threshold – fig. порог, преддверие;

to account for – составлять;

to sign up – подписать договор, соглашение, контракт;

to broker – to broker a deal/settlement/treaty etc. to arrange the details of a deal etc. so that everyone can agree to it.

Russia’s Kyoto move puts spotlight on us

Russia’s move towards ratifying the Kyoto protocol on greenhouse gas emissions was welcomed by green lobbyists and signatory governments around the world. But serious issues remain to be resolved if the Kyoto agreement is to have any real effect on global climate change.

The world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, the US, is still outside the treaty, which President George W. Bush refused to ratify in 2001. “Whoever wins [the US presidency, it’s extremely unlikely the US will come on board,” said Steve Howard, chief executive of the non-profit Climate Group.

This raised fears that countries that have agreed to curb emissions face economic disadvantage compared with those – like the US – that have not.

“The real worry is that more significant trading partners [than Russia] are still dragging their feet, in particular the US, China and India,” said Digby Jones, director -general of the Confederation of British industry. “We have got to fight for a level playing field.”

In China, a booming economy and a growing fuel consumption are raidly driving up greenhouse gas emissions.

The 1997 Kyoto protocol, which requires industrialized countries to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases by varying amounts by 2012, reflects concern over the possibility that human actions are changing the way the planet’s weather works. A growing body of scientific studies has blamed the increased emissions of “greenhouse gases” – chiefly carbon dioxide – for changes in global weather systems.

Apart from simply causing global warming, as often claimed, many scientists believe rises in the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouses in the atmosphere are likely to cause greater weather fluctuations, with an increase in so-called “extreme weather events” such as storms, floods and droughts. For instance, this year’s destructive hurricanes in the Caribbean led to claims they could be the a result of a climate change.

But such conclusions are sometimes contentious. Skeptical scientists argue that these fluctuations in weather may be simply natural short-term variations, and tell us little about whether human actions are affecting the planet’s weather systems. Andrei Illarionov, Mr Putin’s economic adviser and strong opponent of the protocol, alluded to these opinions in his statement that Kyoto lacked “any scientific relevance”.

Yet many governments are committed to reducing emissions. Tony Blair has pledged to make climate change one of the key areas of focus during the UK’s presidency of the European Union and G8 next year. Japan and Canada have also been – at times lukewarm – supporters of Kyoto, but the key driver of the agreement has been the EU.

The EU now looks likely to move ahead with its emissions trading scheme, which would help it meet its obligations under Kyoto. The agreement allows for each member country to emit a certain amount of greenhouse gases. Any emitting less than the allowance can sell emission credits to countries that are over their limit.

Although the incoming environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, admitted that some countries would not meet the January deadline for preparing to trade emissions, he said the system could go ahead without them.

The EU scheme creates an incentive for companies to invest in clean technologies and improve energy efficiency. It encourages companies to go beyond their emission reduction targets by allowing them to sell surplus permits to companies that would find it more expensive to cut their emissions.

Such systems are likely to have any discernible effect on the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Some scientists argue that these efforts will not be enough to protect the planet from the effects of climate change, and that more stringent standards are needed.

Moscow’s move towards ratification has effectively saved the Kyoto protocol. However, the problem of cutting emissions in the US and China may prove much harder to solve.