Bush kan enda klare å sabotere en global klimapolitikk?
Det spekuleres om Bush vil bruke veto mot konkrete lover
- Privately, some European delegates are already saying they hope
their political leaders are *not* invited.
Kjell
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7019346.stm
This is a total charade... It's a total humiliation
*Critics angry at Bush climate plan*
By Roger Harrabin
Environment analyst, BBC News
US President George W Bush infuriated his critics by professing world
leadership on climate change at his meeting of the top 16 world economies -
while offering no new substantive policy and implicitly rejecting binding
emissions controls.
Mr Bush, who has been sceptical of climate change, said at the forum
in Washington that our understanding of the science had moved on.
He agreed that energy security and climate change were major
challenges and pledged to solve both problems - but dismissed notions of
despair.
The American president said clean technologies like nuclear power and
clean coal would protect the economy as well as the environment.
He said the US wanted to work with the United Nations towards a
long-term goal on greenhouse gases.
Delegates upset
He also proposed a new global fund from the US, Japan and Europe to
channel clean technology to developing countries.
But some visiting delegates were outraged by what they said was a
stream of spin running through the speech.
One (who understandably asked not to be named) said: "This is a total
charade.
"The president has said he will lead on climate change but he won't
agree binding emissions, while other nations will.
"He says he will lead on technology but then he asks other countries
to contribute funds, without saying how much he'll contribute himself.
"It's humiliating for him - a total humiliation."
Some delegates were particularly upset by the extravagant invitation
by Mr Bush for other nations to follow the US lead in cutting emissions
while increasing the economy.
Emissions did indeed buck the upward trend by dropping a fraction of
1% in the US during 2006 - but even the American government admits this was
due to a warm winter, cool summer and an oil price they considered far too
high.
Moving on
Significantly, some of the visiting delegates indicated they were
already planning for Mr Bush's departure from the White House.
The Germans said they had spent the past two days in productive
meetings with US Democrats.
More diplomatically, the British said the issue of climate change
stretched beyond any political cycle so it was natural to look ahead.
Certainly the Democrats are hoping to push an energy bill through the
US Congress soon - maybe within the next few months.
Mr Bush would then be forced to veto it to prevent it passing.
And this may not prove popular as opinion polls in the US suggest the
American people are more concerned about climate change than ever before.
Delegates, though, are not dismissing the Washington meeting out of
hand.
They say all talks on climate change bringing together the major
economic powers are useful in some way - forging personal relationships and
building trust.
A number of delegates said the Chinese were becoming less defensive
with every international meeting on climate - and that will be vital if
China is to be helped to deal with its booming emissions.
And some said it was useful - albeit tedious - to hear American
officials lecturing them with the very facts of climate change that they had
been ignoring for years.
The US has offered to continue this Washington process of discussions
if it is deemed helpful by the United Nations.
Mr Bush himself says he is organising a summit of world leaders next
summer.
Privately, some European delegates are already saying they hope their
political leaders are not invited.
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