WASHINGTON, 19 June 2005 — President Bush is taking heat from both his allies and critics over his position on global warming.
His administration has been charged with removing language calling for prompt action to control global warming in the draft of a joint statement being prepared for the leaders of the G-8 major industrial powers, while the Senate’s top Republican energy bill negotiator has dared to disagree with President Bush over global warming.
The G-8 draft, which was leaked to the press Friday, is meant to reflect the Group of Eight concerns and plans regarding climate change. Members have been working on the draft for several months.
Compared to an earlier draft released on May 2, the latest draft shows specifically what changes the Bush administration requested, and illustrates the broad gap between the United States and the group’s other members: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Russia.
Among the changes made that weaken the draft in the May 27 draft include the deletion of an introductory statement: “Our world is warming.”
Each change is enclosed in square brackets, which mean unanimous agreement has not been reached, and may be eliminated: [The statement issued by the science academies in June 2005 said that there is now ‘strong evidence that significant global warming is occurring’ and that ‘this warming has already led to changes in the Earth’s climate.]”
Other bracketed statements include: “[The world’s developed economies have a responsibility to show leadership.]” and the phrase “[and reduce greenhouse gas emissions].”
“[Those of us who have ratified the Kyoto Protocol welcome its entry into force and will work to make it a success.]” was enclosed in brackets.
Also bracketed was a much longer statement about the Kyoto Protocol that would strengthen its greenhouse gas emissions trading system and flexible market mechanisms that facilitate investment in carbon neutral projects.
The Bush administration has refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, although the United States signed the accord under the Clinton administration.
President Bush has said global warming is too uncertain a matter to justify anything more than voluntary measures to slow growth in fossil-fuel emissions.
But the US Senate’s top Republican energy bill negotiator dared to disagree with the president by breaking with the White House over the global warming issue.
Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, said Friday that the United States must act to curb heat-trapping greenhouse gases.
Domenici, chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, said he “is convinced that the science now indicates that climate change is occurring and we need to do something about it,” his energy advisor Alex Flint told the press. This position is contrary to the Bush administration’s opposition to mandatory measures.
Domenici supports recommendations by the National Commission on Energy Policy (NCEP) for a mandatory cap-and-trade system starting in 2010, Flint said.
The system would set percentages by which US utilities must cut emissions of greenhouse gasses blamed for global warming. Non-compliant parties would be able to buy financial rights to exceed their share of the carbon dioxide limits.
The senator’s support could change the calculus for Senate action on climate change. The chamber is expected to debate several climate change amendments next week, including the mandatory limits vehemently opposed by the White House.
The NCEP plan — similar to an amendment that Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman will offer to wide-sweeping energy legislation next week — calls for US utilities to cut the intensity of their greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 percent a year starting in 2010. The percentage would rise to 2.8 percent starting in 2020.
“I think the (NCEP plan) is very much the middle ground on climate change right now,” Flint said. “It may be the bipartisan consensus.”
Domenici could co-sponsor Bingaman’s amendment or some other version based on the NCEP plan, Flint said, adding that the senator has not yet made a firm decision.
The White House opposes mandatory carbon dioxide limits. President Bush in 2001 pulled the United States out of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, citing its economic cost, and instead called for industry to voluntarily cut its greenhouse emissions intensity by 18 percent by 2012.
