Reducing greenhouse gases: Promoting an international accord

This article reports on a Cornell Center for the Environmental sponsored workshop to explore the prospects for reducing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide as well as others through voluntary, market-based international accords. Cornell specialists in a range of fields were joined by participants from other universities and policy groups. The topics discussed covered the threat to the biosphere, why international measures are essential, and how they might be implemented. Tradeoffs in terms of emission sources and sinks were explored, along with issues of technology transfer. A panel of experts considered the potential interactions between increases in atmospheric greenhouse gases and agriculture, transportation systems, and national politics. Several participants presented the perspectives of developing nations. Other speakers discussed strategies for effluent monitoring to insure compliance with international accords, including the development and use of remote-sensing technology. The prospects for market-based mechanisms to alleviate other environmental problems, including the threat to biodiversity, were discussed by Cornell biology professor Thomas Eisner