| September 28, 2007 |  |
Bush Administration's Major Global Warming Polluters Meeting Amounts to Nothing, Says Science Advocay Group
Statement by Alden Meyer, Union of Concerned Scientists
WASHINGTON (September 28, 2007)-The Bush administration concluded a two-day meeting of the world's major global warming pollution emitters today with no agreement on setting mandatory emissions reductions, despite calls from other industrialized nations to establish such a binding framework.
Below is a statement by Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS):
"President Bush's climate meeting today achieved nothing. The president had nothing new to say on the two biggest issues on the agenda: what global emissions reductions must be achieved by mid-century, and what the United States is willing to do to meet that goal. It's like inviting people to a dinner party and putting no food on the table. The European Union, Japan, China and the other countries at this meeting should refuse to continue to participate in this process until the United States puts forward specific proposals on these key issues. As long as the White House continues to oppose mandatory pollution limits, it is part of the problem, not the solution.
"President Bush's announcement that he would convene a meeting of heads of state next summer to agree on a long-term emissions reduction goal is especially audacious. This president doesn't have the credibility to host such a meeting, given his continuing refusal to embrace the mandatory caps on U.S. emissions that the rest of the world is demanding. The long-term goal and the strategies to meet it will be key elements of the negotiations expected to be launched at the U.N. climate summit in Bali, Indonesia, this December.
"The president should focus his efforts on working with Congress to set a binding U.S. emissions target for 2020, not just 2050. This is what's needed to promote clean energy technologies, not more international gabfests that generate more carbon emissions than they save.
"The administration is pinning its hopes on new technology. More investment in long-term technology research and development is needed, but even more important are policies that put currently available energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to work cutting emissions now. The key to making this happen is to put a price on global warming pollution by extending and deepening the mandatory emissions limits agreed to under the Kyoto Protocol. Until President Bush acknowledges this reality, he will have nothing useful to contribute to confronting the threat of global warming."
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
