Japan Wins 1st (and Only) Place Fossil of the Day for Trying to Kill Kyoto Protocol

Cancun, Mexico – Japan received the dubious distinction of being the only government to win a Fossil of the Day award today for its efforts Monday to prevent the continuation of a protocol to the United Nations climate convention that was agreed to in its own city of Kyoto. This comes not two months after a new protocol and other agreements were reached in Nagoya, Japan at the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

The text of the award reads:
“Japan wins the 1st place Fossil of the Day. When leadership is needed most, the home country of the Kyoto Protocol made a destructive statement in the AWG KP Plenary yesterday. It factually rejected the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol by saying ‘Japan will not inscribe its target under the KP on any conditions or under any circumstances’. ‘Preferring’ a single-treaty approach is one thing, but aggressively denying the future of Kyoto in opening plenary is another. The statement upset many parties and created an unconstructive atmosphere for the negotiations. This COP was supposed to be the place to rebuild trust among parties. Japan's move is most unwelcome.”