Vassilis Sgoutas, president of the International Union of Architects (UIA), issued a letter last month decrying the decision of some of the world's developed nations, including the U.S., not to sign the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that is aimed at creating a 7 percent reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by 2012.

"The Union understands that their explanation centers on the exclusion of developing countries from these obligations, " Sgoutas wrote in the letter, which was sent to the presidents of all UIA member sections. "This position is unacceptable in a global society and it is both disturbing and alarming to note that this situation has arisen after concerted efforts by so many nations over such a long time."

The letter refers to the issue of greenhouse emissions as "not a marginal environmental issue, but rather a threat to the sustainability of our environment for generations to come . . . Sustainability is one of the major challenges facing our professions. It is thus no coincidence that the next UIA Triennial World Congress, which will be held in Berlin in July 2002, has as its theme: Resource Architecture."

The letter also recalls the role that architects played in the seminal 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment, held in Rio de Janiero. "The UIA calls on all governments and organizations to continue to support and implement the Kyoto Protocol and to ensure that the Road from Rio will eventually bring logic to our handling of global resources," Sgoutas concluded.

Copyright 2001 The American Institute of Architects. All rights reserved.