U.S. Rejects EU Targets On Climate Change

Bush Adviser Says U.S. Prefers To Focus On Specific Sectors, Not General Goals

(CBS/AP)  The United States rejects the European Union's all-encompassing target on reduction of carbon emissions, President Bush's environmental adviser said Tuesday.

James Connaughton, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said the United States is not against setting goals but prefers to focus them on specific sectors, such as reducing dependence on gasoline and cleaner coal. "The U.S. has different sets of targets," he said.

Germany, which holds the European Union and Group of 8 presidencies, is proposing a so-called "two-degree" target, whereby global temperatures would be allowed to increase no more than 2 degrees Celsius — the equivalent of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit — before being brought back down. Practically, experts have said that means a global reduction in emissions of 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

Connaughton, who is on a one-week bipartisan trip to Europe with members of the House of Representatives, said the U.S. favors "setting targets in the context of national circumstances."

But despite the disagreements, Connaughton said the G-8 meeting, which brings together the leaders of Germany, the U.S., Russia, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Japan, could still result in a productive conclusion.

"Let the G-8 process run its course," he said. "Give the leaders a chance."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who opposes President Bush on climate policy, urged international cooperation in tackling climate change.

Pelosi, on a separate trip to Berlin, hailed Chancellor Angela Merkel's "extraordinary leadership" in fighting climate change and agreed "that these solutions must be multilateral."

"We are trying to preserve the planet, which many in our country, including I, believe is God's creation, and we have a responsibility to preserve it," Pelosi said, speaking alongside the German leader after a meeting at the chancellery.

The California Democrat said faith-based organizations could play a role in battling climate change. The United States needed "the spirit of science to show us the way and faith-based organizations to help mobilize to preserve the planet," Pelosi said.

Merkel, who will host the summit of leaders from the G-8 in Heiligendamm, was diplomatic as she met with Pelosi and her bipartisan congressional delegation. The German leader said she was delighted there was "a bipartisan movement in the U.S. Congress that pays great importance to the issue of energy."

Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has been more blunt, voicing regret after he met Pelosi on Monday at the difficulty of achieving "concrete results" with the Bush administration.

"I think that what we could achieve is at least a mandate for negotiations — a clear mandate — for the climate conference" later this year in Bali, Indonesia, which is set to consider future action against global warming, Gabriel told ARD television.

"The United States is rejecting that as well, so far," he said, but "if we could achieve that, then I think Heiligendamm would have achieved a breakthrough."

The U.S. has not ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol limiting emissions; President Clinton never submitted it to the Senate. President Bush, who has also declined to submit it for Senate confirmation, has argued that Kyoto would harm the U.S. economy and unfairly excludes developing countries such as China and India from obligations.

Pelosi has disagreed with that decision on Kyoto, but has said she wants to work with the Bush administration rather than provoke it. On the way to Europe, her delegation stopped in Greenland and saw the effects of global warming firsthand, she said.

[processor2]

Any "climate treaty" that exempts China & India the way the current Kyoto treaty does,
is a flawed treaty.

...

[Syndicate]

Exactly. Why should I cut back if you are going to exempt 1/3 of the people. What the Europeans should do is use their economy to lean on China and India. Tax everything from China and India at a rate based on their carbon emissions. Europe could probably get the United States to go along with that.

[jimfinster]

The idea is that richer nations can afford to control CO2, and "developing nations" can't. But China & India should NOT be exempt. They have the financial to pay.

[jjreding-2009]

The US is NEVER going to go along with this common sense approach as long as George Bush the Obstructor is in office. It's the US putting up a fight against the G8 climate change plan while all the rest of the civilised world understands that something must be done NOW. I read a report the other day about a tiny fishing village in Alaska that is going to have be moved because the permafrost that their livelihood depends on is melting and there is too much slush there to even hold up the wooden houses the residents live in. Chunks of Antarctica continue to fall off and sea creatures not common to the icy cold waters off that continent have been found. New species are cropping up in Europe that have never been seen that far north before.

[st3v3p]

What nonsense. China is bringing one of the dirtiest kind of coal power generators on-line each week. They cannot curb their CO2 emissions because they cannot afford it, then I would say the US who is doing more than any other country to reduce CO2 cannot afford it either. What a sham, just like Kyoto.

[jimfinster]

FARTKNOCKER2:

"Syteven Milloy" (nice spelling) is bought and paid for by big oil and tobacco. Coincidence that he is sponsored on the Fox News website? Nope.

Sad if you think this type of misinformation is fact.

[erasmus6]

st3v3p

"...the U.S. who is doing more than any other country to reduce CO2..."

Are you kidding me? Where do you get your information? The last I heard the U.S. was still pretty much in denial about the problem. Or maybe I should say more worried about the economy than fixing the problem.

And as for as not being able to afford the changes that need to be made, if China would quit lending money to the U.S. they would probably have enough. And if the U.S. would put the money they borrowed to better use, maybe they would be able to afford it.

It is going to be a considerable cost to ALL countries that have major CO2 emmissions. The U.S., China, India, etc. And ok, I will even admit that my country, Canada,(the best country) will also have a problem with the cost, even though it doesn't put out as much CO2 as the rest.:)

[jjp735i]

The EU needs to come back after 08 with any ideas. In the mean time, until Bush is impeached or 302 by a family member, the problem will continue until 08.

[jimfinster]

Bush was recently dragged into reality by the Supreme Court ruling on CO2. But clearly he will continue to stall any meaningful changes until the end of his term....

[tylenol6]

"The U.S. has different sets of targets."

I BET they do..... It's called BIG CORPORATIONS

[processor2]

Any "climate treaty" that exempts China & India the way the current Kyoto treaty does,
is a flawed treaty.

...

[terrapin78]

Bu$h only gives lip service about doing anything about human caused climate change.

Deep down I believe he thinks the Rapture is going to come and bail his a$$ out on EVERYTHING THE BU$H ADMIN has screwed up.

[chicnlittle]

Bush claims to be pro-life, bs...he's killing the human race with pollution
Posted by zoe20006 at 02:07 PM : May 29, 2007

Yea, it's all his fault. What are you driving?
Give us a break.

[skyhawk761]

Bush claims to be pro-life, bs...he's killing the human race with pollution
Posted by zoe20006 at 02:07 PM : May 29, 2007

Yea, it's all his fault. What are you driving?
Give us a break.
Posted by chicnlittle at 03:16 PM : May 29, 2007

chicky, to tired to argue with you today. Did you have a good Memorial weekend?

[dpholtz]

I truly hope that the rest of the world understands that there are some people in the United States that are trying hard to make a difference to reduce CO2 emissions. The wants and/or needs of this country's population are not directly reflected or properly represented in our government's actions toward such global issues. We have the right to be vocal with our displeasure of the way the government conducts itself, but that doesn't mean it's listening.

Also, anyone who believes that many of the actions of the human race do not effect the rest of the planet in a negative way are sorely misinformed, regardless of what they've read, seen or heard.

[chicnlittle]

chicky, to tired to argue with you today. Did you have a good Memorial weekend?
Posted by skyhawk761 at 03:24 PM : May 29, 2007

Hey Skyhawk, ditto. Had a fair one,how about you?

[skyhawk761]

Hey Skyhawk, ditto. Had a fair one,how about you?
Posted by chicnlittle at 03:44 PM : May 29, 2007

Great one! The kids and grandkids came down to the condo. Loved seeing them but they sure can tire me out. Recouping today with a few cold ones watching the waves!

[ubrew12]

Administration Mouthpiece: "The U.S. has different sets of targets"

You either bring down Earths Carbon Dioxide or you don't. Maybe they intend to target Mars and Venus.

From the Administration that thought Saddam Hussein was an Al-Qaeda agent, I wouldn't be surprised.

[chicnlittle]

Great one! The kids and grandkids came down to the condo. Loved seeing them but they sure can tire me out. Recouping today with a few cold ones watching the waves!
Posted by skyhawk761 at 03:52 PM : May 29, 2007

Sounds like a really nice time. I had the pleasure of sitting in traffic yesterday for 2 hours for a normally 45 min. ride. I'm near the beach too and the holiday traffic was the most I've seen in years. The verdict is still out for me on citizen caused global warming, but I couldn't help thinking how much of a waste it was to see these thousands of cars creeping along burning fuel. And you know why? Because of traffic lights. It wouldn't take much to alter traffic patterns on these sort of holidays to keep things moving. But hey, what do I know? Life is to short, glad you had a great time with your family!

[antoniof123]

Well, if this administration is against it then we should all be for it because they have consitantly been wrong in everything they have done so I put my money on them being wrong again.

[chicnlittle]

Recouping today with a few cold ones...

Sounds too good to me. I'm leaving early! Over and out.

[king77shaw]

Republican Mantra #1: Greed before Need

Republican Mantra #2: Profit before Country

Republican Mantra #3: Myth before Truth

[stevenga777]

Bush, Cheney, Rove, all Methodists, hide behind the Methodist Church with their supposed Christian Morals and their phoney "He helps those who help themselves." work ethic. All that is an excuse to profit off of other people and not feel guilty about it...after all...God told Bush to do it...invade Iraq. Christian's should be their brother's keeper and caretakers of the earth...not their brother's master and pillagers of the earth.

[stevenga777]

Bush, Cheney, Rove are all Methodists and hide behind the Methodist Church and supposed Protestang work ethic with their supposed Christian Morals and their phoney "He helps those who help themselves." work ethic. All that is an excuse to profit off of other people and not feel guilty about it...after all...God told Bush to do it...invade Iraq. Christian's should be their brother's keeper and caretakers of the earth...not their brother's master and pillagers of the earth.

[talkingham]

Misleading headline - US Rejects - no Bush rejects. He's a loser forced to play a winner by his former CIA chief, president and big daddy.

[rheola-2009]

Winston Churchill once said

"You can always rely on America doing the right thing, after they have tried everything else"

[cofmanaaron]

"The U.S. has different sets of targets,"

Yeah, like spewing 5 times more CO2 into the atmosphere so the very wealthy can make even more money while the rest of America and the world's poor die from thirst, disaster, and starvation. It's the same pattern as with Katrina. Bush never cared one bit for those caught in that hell-hole, and only acted when public anger reached a dangerous point. It sickens me that the majority of America voted for a man who has no sense of morality or empathy. He cares nothing about America. And that is why he does nothing to help Americans, just helps his loyal cronies.

[rheola-2009]

Climate research bodes badly for drought
Scientists say new research proves the Indian Ocean has significantly warmed and there will be less rain across southern Australia.

The CSIRO research has found a rise of 2 degrees Celsius in the Indian Ocean over the past 40 years.

It confirms long-held beliefs of general warming but for the first time in exact detail.

The researchers say the temperature change cannot be explained by natural variability and is linked to the heating up of the atmosphere.

Chief researcher Dr Gael Alory says the rising temperature of ocean currents means fewer storms along the Australian coast.

"There will be less rainfall on the continent," he said.

"The rainfall will move more south to just the ocean and that means less rainfall."

He says Western Australia's south-west will be hardest hit by the change in climate.

The research was carried out by following the trade routes of ships and measuring temperatures down to 800 metres.

[micma-2009]

The National Academy of Sciences did a survey of every Scientific, Peer-Reviewed, Global Warming Study done in the last ten years.


Every one of these studies agreed on three fundamental facts:


1) GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL

2) GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED BY MAN

3) GLOBAL WARMING WILL BE DEVISTATING TO ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET


The SCIENTIFIC debate ended long ago.


The POLITICAL debate rages on because the fossil-fuels industry (Exxon-Mobile) is poring millions into a disinformation campaign.

[tburzio]

A study came out just last week that found NO correlation between human creation of carbon and global temperature. NASA says the other planets are warming at the same rate as the Earth. Scientists who disagree with the theory that global warming is being caused by humans are signed up as agreeing, or faced with loosing their grants. Climatologists who know better are threatened with harm, and hounded.

http://www.burnhamshops.com/gw/TheGreatGlobalWarmin.flv

[jimfinster]

tburzio:

Who did the study?
Exxon Mobil? The Cato Institute? George Bush's dog?

[wogerwabbit]

It's a waste of time... it's too late. Just watch. In the next 5 years or so the earth is going to shake us off like a bad case of fleas.

[micma-2009]

The National Academy of Sciences did a survey of every Scientific, Peer-Reviewed, Global Warming Study done in the last ten years.


Every one of these studies agreed on three fundamental facts:


1) GLOBAL WARMING IS REAL

2) GLOBAL WARMING IS CAUSED BY MAN

3) GLOBAL WARMING WILL BE DEVISTATING TO ALL LIFE ON THE PLANET


The SCIENTIFIC debate ended long ago.


The POLITICAL debate rages on because the fossil-fuels industry (Exxon-Mobile) is poring millions into a disinformation campaign.

[clestes-2009]

"The U.S. has different sets of targets," he said."

Yeah, it's called protecting the oil industry and all the Bush Cheney family friends. With gas at record highs, and oil companies making record profits, you must be kidding to think that Bush is going to sign anything that will cut into their profits. Why, they put him in office!!