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On 7 July 2004, the California's Air Resources Board received their final public comments on a draft proposal to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases from motor vehicles. Their final "Environmental Justice Workshop on Climate Change" was held on 13 July 2004, ending a series of workshops that offered communities an opportunity to discuss the proposed regulation, which is designed to reduce GHG emissions by 30 percent. The regulation is driven by California's Vehicle Global Warming Law, which requires the state to "develop and adopt regulations that achieve the maximum feasible and cost-effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles" by January 1, 2005.

Reveals that the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization adopted amendments to the IMO regulations on the prevention of air pollution to establish a special emissions control area for the North Sea. Purpose of the mandatory instrument to be developed by the MEPC.

The article reports that Australian State and Territory Premiers and Chief Ministers have jointly issued a "National Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) Communiqu&eacute." The statement recognizes the importance of addressing climate change and publicizes the states and territories intentions to release in 2005, a public discussion paper regarding further analysis of the viability of a national greenhouse gas emissions trading program. The states have formed a joint working group to develop plans for a national ETS, implemented at the state level.

Hundreds of scientists from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany began a collaborative study this summer to sample air as it moves from New England to western Europe. Various combinations of these scientists have formed teams that work on independent research projects, but the combined efforts of the international teams is known as ICARTT, the International Consortium for Atmospheric Research on Transport and Transformation. The current research phase is ICARTT 2004, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration coleading the summer 2004 endeavor.

Almost immediately upon the July 1, 2004 rotation of the European Commission presidency to the Netherlands, Pieter Van Geel, Dutch Secretary of State for the Environment, announced the country's intention to use the opportunity to direct the European Union (EU) to establish further reductions in international greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Van Geel proposes a goal of decreasing global GHG emissions to 30 percent below 1990 baseline levels by 2020. The current EU obligation under both EU policy and the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to reduce GHG emissions from developed nations, requires cutting GHG emissions to a cumulative 8 percent below 1990 baseline levels during the 2008 to 2012 "commitment period.

Focuses on the expectation on developed country Ukraine and developing country Indonesia to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Vote by the Ukrainian Parliament; Hopes by the victors for economic growth through the sale of surplus emission allowances; Announcement by Indonesia Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro the impending agreement of the government to ratify the protocol; Trade of funding for sustainable project development in developing countries for greenhouse gas emission allowances.