William Helms: “Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., the distinguished former Senator from North Carolina, often said that the United States had…”

“Senator Sam J. Ervin, Jr., the distinguished former Senator from North Carolina, often said that the United States had never lost a war nor won a treaty. Well, during the summer, the Clinton administration quietly set the wheels in motion in Geneva for yet another disastrous treaty for the United States. During July meetings, Tim Wirth, Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, committed the United States to the negotiation of a binding legal instrument with the stated goal of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. Many experts agree that the premise for this new treaty, which excludes developing countries from enforcing the commitments to reduce emissions, makes its goal simply unachievable. Developing nations such as China will be the largest source of new greenhouse gas emissions in the post 2000 period, yet will be exempt from any new restrictions. The United States currently is party to the U.N. Convention on Global Climate Change, signed at Rio in 1992 and ratified by the Senate in 1993.”