Friday, June 01, 2007

Bush in U-turn on global warming

Bush in U-turn on global warming
By Andrew Ward and Edward Luce in Washington and Fiona Harvey in London
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
Published: May 31 2007 16:06 | Last updated: May 31 2007 19:25


George W. Bush on Thursday unveiled a striking about-face on global warming, calling on the world’s leading economies to join the US in agreeing a global target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions before the end of his term in office.

Fiona Harvey , environment correspondent, analyses whether Bush’s reversal on climate change offers any hope
The US president was speaking just ahead of a G8 summit at which climate change was expected to be high on the agenda of European governments. He explained that his apparent conversion – which follows almost seven years of having rejected precisely the road he outlined – was prompted by new scientific findings.

But Mr Bush made no pledge on the size of emissions cuts that the US would be prepared to sign up to and gave no indication of a timeframe. The White House also ruled out carbon trading as the way to cutting emissions.

Environmental campaigners accused the president of cynically seeking to circumvent the Kyoto process, which the United Nations is seeking to renew at talks in December. Others accused him of a ploy to derail tougher European proposals.

Mr Bush said: “Science has deepened our understanding of climate change and opened new possibilities for confronting it.

“By the end of next year, America and other nations will set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases.”

He said the US would convene a series of multilateral meetings involving the biggest polluters – including China and India – to seek agreement on a reduction target and how to achieve it.

Mr Bush added that the process was aimed at preparing the ground for a successor to the Kyoto Protocol – which Washington never ratified – when it expires in 2012. The administration had resisted global emissions regulation.

A senior administration official said G8 members would also be involved in the process, along with Brazil, Mexico, Australia and South Korea. The first meeting was likely to take place this autumn, he said.

Germany, the host of next week’s G8 summit, said it was positive that Mr Bush had “recognised the urgency and need to act on the issue of climate change”. But in a sign that Berlin remained firmly at odds with Washington, a senior official stressed that “all initiatives should be included”.

Tony Blair, British prime minister, described the US move as a “huge step forward”.

The European Union has argued for calculating emissions limits by agreeing to a goal of preventing a temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celsius. But Mr Bush made no mention of tying emissions curbs to a specific temperature goal.

Robin Oakley, of Greenpeace, said Mr Bush’s gambit was “a classic spoiler” ahead of the G8, “designed to kick this issue into the long grass until he leaves office”.

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