Nations discuss global warming in Mexico - Yahoo! News

MONTERREY, Mexico - Representatives from 20 of the world's most polluting nations met behind closed doors in this industrial city in northern Mexico on Tuesday to discuss ways to combat global warming.
Officials said energy and environment ministers from G-8 nations as well as developing countries such as China, India and Brazil considered how to create a new framework for tackling climate change before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
The 1997 Kyoto Protocol requires 36 industrial nations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other transportation, industrial and agricultural gases blamed by scientists for atmospheric warming.
The meeting is the second recent gathering of wealthy nations and emerging economies on global warming since British Prime Minister
Tony Blair' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Tony Blair said last year that the issue would be a priority during his presidency of the G-8 group of industrialized nations.
British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told the Mexico gathering that the development of new "green" technologies would bring new economic opportunities.
"It is a myth that effective action on climate kills growth," Beckett said, according to Britain's Press Association. "If we make the right choices, this will be an agenda of opportunity not of sacrifice."
The United States generates about a quarter of the gases blamed for global warming but has not signed the Kyoto Protocol — arguing that doing so would cost its economy 5 million jobs.
Instead,
President Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President Bush's administration has poured billions of dollars into research aimed at slowing the growth of most greenhouse gases while advocating a global cut on one of them, methane.
Mexican Environmental Secretary Jose Luis Luege said industrialized countries need to help poorer nations have access to more environmentally friendly technology.
"For developing countries, this represents an opportunity ... to facilitate investment," Luege said