Briton links Katrina to global warming

BERLIN, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A British official has criticized the United States for not taking action against global warming, which he blamed for causing Hurricane Katrina.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott made the comments during a speech in Berlin to the International Congress of the Council of European Urbanism, the BBC reports.

Prescott, a negotiator for Britain on the Kyoto Protocol, said man-made conditions are encouraging global warming which leads to sea levels rising and more storms.

The United States refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce pollution.

Prescott expressed "compassion" for victims of Katrina and urged the United States to reconsider the Kyoto Protocol.