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![](/i/favi32.png) S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1topnotchenglish Reading for the Real World 1adhere
to
the guidelines of
the Protocol. The 15 EU nations at the summit agreed to further reduce emissions
to 8 percent, the US to 7 percent, and Japan to 6 percent below the 1990 levels.
The US officially signed the Protocol on November 12, 1998, but the US
president then did not send it to the Senate to officially approve the treaty
because he knew there was little hope for its approval at that time. When the
next president took office in 2000, the new administration openly
opposed
the
Protocol. The Bush administration claimed the standards set in the Protocol
were unfair to developed countries. Australia also rejected the Kyoto Protocol on
the basis that the UN
predictions
of industrial growth (and thus future
greenhouse emissions) were improbable.
Even with the predictions of the Protocol called into question, many
countries continued to push for its approval. In July 2001, delegates met again
in Bonn, Germany, to discuss the Protocol. At the Bonn meeting, the delegates
agreed, despite opposition from US representatives, on setting guidelines and
timetables for achieving the reductions set in the Kyoto Protocol. The following
year, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South
Africa, Russia
indicated
it would soon officially approve the Kyoto Protocol.
However, in late 2003, Russia said it needed to further study the Protocol’s
requirements and predictions before signing. Without Russia’s approval, there
seems little chance the Kyoto Protocol will ever be completely
ratified
.
Reading Time
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583 words
27
adopt --- to take as one’s own; to follow
33
adhere to --- to follow; to obey
39
oppose --- to speak against; to take action against
42
prediction --- a statement about the future
50
indicate --- to show
53
ratify --- to formally accept
R
eading Comprehension
62
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