BRUSSELS, July 29 (UPI) -- The EU does not consider a U.S.-led six-nation climate pact as a threat to the Kyoto protocol, the European Commission said Thursday.
The climate change pact between the United States, China, Australia, South Korea, India and Japan, which was unveiled Wednesday at the ASEAN meeting in Laos, does not appear to have ruffled feathers in Brussels.
The commission said it welcomed the deal as a sign of further awareness about the seriousness of climate change and believes it could be the cornerstone of a new deal when Kyoto expires in 2012.
Washington and Canberra, which championed the new pact, have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, a U.N. agreement that obliges developed nations to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The deal between the six nations merely sets up goals for emission reductions but does not contain any enforcement mechanisms.
