Amid protests, summit ends

Meanwhile, China's announcement here that it had ratified the Kyoto agreement and Russia's promise that it planned to do so "in the very near future" were both heralded as important steps towards bringing the agreement into effect. US Environmental Protection Administrator Christie Whitman said Bush supported other countries' ratification of the deal, but that the agreement was not appropriate for the US, which, she argued "is taking other action to limit climate change."

Trying to downplay the disappointment felt here, organizers said that the gathering was more substantive than the one in Rio de Janeiro 10 years ago.

"Sustainable development is firmly back on the agenda. We realize we need to maintain that delicate balance between development and the environment," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. "I think we have to be careful not to expect conferences like this to bring miracles."

The real measure of success here, stressed Mr. Annan, is yet to come. "Johannesburg is a beginning. If we maintain the momentum ... this conference will have made a major contribution," he said at the final press conference of the summit.

In a speech here this week, Gro Harlem Brundtland, UN World Health Organization director general, said environment-related illnesses kill the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of children every 45 minutes.

"I can't believe that," said Roni Moyo, a South African working as a volunteer at the conference, directing world leaders to the side exits on the last day of debates. "But if they were talking here about changing that ... then I suppose this was an OK meeting."

Some main points from the draft Plan of Implementation expected to have been approved Wednesday night.

WATER AND SEWAGE: Calls for halving the proportion of people without access to clean water and decent sanitation by 2015.

ENERGY: Encourages helping the poor gain access to electricity, and "substantially increase" global renewable energy.

AID: Urges rich countries to make "concrete efforts" to give 0.7 percent of their national income to development aid.

PRECAUTIONARY APPROACH: Reaffirms that a state has a duty to protect the environment from a new product, even if there is no conclusive evidence that it could damage the ecosystem.

GOOD GOVERNANCE: Says that democratic institutions, the rule of law, gender equality, and an encouraging environment for investment are essential for developing countries.

POVERTY ERADICATION: Calls for the creation of a voluntary fund to eradicate extreme poverty.

TRADE: Restates the willingness of rich countries to negotiate an agreement by 2005 for "substantial improvements in market access" for developing-world products.

SUBSIDIES: Reaffirms rich countries' position that they are willing to launch talks on the eventual phaseout of all export subsidies and "substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support."

GLOBALIZATION: Praises globalization for encouraging trade and growth and raising living standards, but acknowledges that there are "serious challenges."

PRIVATE CAPITAL: Encourages "public-private partnerships" in sustainable development.

CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION: Says that "fundamental changes" are needed in the way societies produce and consume, and that developed countries should take the lead to ensure that the cycle is sustainable.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Says that "change in the earth's climate and its adverse effects are a common concern of humankind," and that states that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol on global warming urge states that have not ratified to do so "in a timely manner."

Source: AFP

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