US President George W. Bush Thursday urged 15 major nations to
agree on a global emissions goal for greenhouse gases and to reach
a consensus by 2008.
With the United States accused of dragging its feet on combating
climate change, Bush asked for a meeting late this year of 15
countries identified as major emitters of greenhouse gases. This
list would include the United States, China, India and major
European countries.
The president outlined his proposal in a speech ahead of next
week's summit in Germany of leading industrialized nations, where
global warming is to be a major topic. Bush urged other nations to
eliminate tariffs on clean energy technologies.
Germany, which holds the European Union and Group of Eight (G8)
presidencies, is proposing a so-called "two-degree" target, whereby
global temperatures would be allowed to increase no more than 2 C
before being brought back down. Practically, experts have said that
means a global reduction in emissions of 50 percent below 1990
levels by 2050.
The United States has rejected that approach.
Instead, Bush said he wants nations to hold a series of
meetings, beginning this fall, to set a global emission goal. Each
nation then would have to decide how to achieve the goal, White
House officials said.
Bush's critics were quick to respond, even before the president
ended his speech.
Daniel J. Weiss, climate strategy director for the liberal
Center for American Progress, said the Bush administration has a
"do-nothing" policy on global warming despite US allies' best
efforts to spur US reductions.
"Our allies' pleas for action add to the voices of many big
corporations such as Dow, Shell, General Electric, and General
Motors," Weiss said. "These and other Fortune 500 companies
endorsed a 60 percent to 80 percent reduction in global warming
pollution by 2050, the level scientists indicate that we must reach
to stave off the worst impacts. Unfortunately, these appeals from
his foreign and corporate allies continue to fall on President
Bush's deaf ears."
While Bush announced his new proposal, the administration
registered its opposition to a number of approaches to combat
global warming. Specifically, the White House said it does not
support a global carbon-trading program that would allow countries
to buy and sell carbon credits to meet limits on carbon dioxide
levels.
The White House also expressed opposition to energy efficiency
targets advocated by the European Union, arguing that a standard
applicable in one country does not fit another.
(China Daily via agencies June 1, 2007)
