27th June 2001

US under pressure over Kyoto agreement

The next session of the climate negotiations proper begin in Bonn in a fortnight and this week's meeting's designed to find out just how much remains of the Kyoto consensus since President Bush's bombshell. Although the EU says it's committed to ratifying the treaty anyway, it can't come into force unless enough of the world's big polluters have signed up.

negotiations: discussions that take place in which different parties try to reach an agreement

proper: placed after a word to emphasise that you are referring to the most important - the central part of something (here referring to the formal negotiations which follow )

consensus: general agreement amongst a group of people

bombshell: a sudden piece of bad or shocking news

ratifying the treaty: formally accepting a written agreement

polluters: those (countries) which are causing the pollution

signed up: agreed to take part

holds the key: is critical for the success of …

to salvage: to manage to save something (from destruction)

wavering: hesitating, not sure which way to go

interlocked: very closely connected

pressure: attempt to persuade someone forcefully

emissions: something which is released into the atmosphere

sticking to the line: not changing a policy or a promise but keeping to a single approach