The largest gathering ever of heads of government convened Friday at the Earth Summit to inaugurate far-reaching plans to clean up the planet's air and water and protect its plants and animals.
Europe took an early lead in advancing plans to help developing nations. The 12-nation European Community pledged to increase aid for environmental projects by $4 billion, Portuguese Prime Minister Anibal Cavaco Silva said.Germany, meanwhile promised to boost its aid to 0.7 percent of its gross national product - from 0.42 percent, or $6.3 billion, nearly doubling its funds.
British Prime Minister John Major announced a plan to make British climate control technology available to developing countries, according to an advance text of his speech. The proposal on studying resources appeared similar to one made by the United States.
"The environment is no longer the specialized concern of a few," Major said. "It has become the vital interest of us all."
More than 110 world leaders, including President Bush, were attending the summit has become the vital interest of us all."
to sign treaties that set a framework for international cooperation to improve the world's environment.
Bush came hoping to vanquish criticism that the United States cares little for Earth Summit initiatives.
"This is a unique, and perhaps the last opportunity, to build a new world," said Brazil's president, Fernando Collor de Mello, who opened the session. "Our people expect a lot from us."
Delegates have been working since June 3 to finish the documents, but some points - particularly on questions of money - remained for the world leaders to wrap up.
On the table are two legally binding treaties and three other documents that are broad statements of principle and action.
More than 60 nations already have signed the climate control treaty, which calls for the worldwide reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and the biodiversity treaty, which aims to protect plant and animal species.
The United States has been widely criticized for opposing the biodiversity treaty and for weakening the climate control pact before it would agree to sign it. Because of U.S. insistence, the latter no longer includes caps on carbon dioxide emissions, which are believed to be the main cause of global warming.
As if to answer those critics, senior U.S. negotiator William Reilly said Thursday the Bush administration will spend $1.4 billion for climate control research and monitoring, and will share the results with other countries. He also announced a U.S. plan to begin collecting information on the world's plant and animal species.
However, the $1.4 billion was part of the budget plan Bush submitted to Congress at the start of the year, and the White House already had announced the proposal for cataloging the world's plant and animals.