Gore fingers Bush admin. at U.N. global warming conference
The United Nations has been meeting this week in Bali to negotiate steps industrialized nations will take to reduce emissions and combat global warming. Predictably, the Bush administration’s delegation is doing what it always does — block progress, stall for time, and undermine the process. It’s reached the point that our European allies are prepared to boycott U.S.-led climate talks next month unless the Bush administration begins to compromise in good faith.
Today, Al Gore was on hand, and didn’t hesitate to take his country’s irresponsible approach to task.
“My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali,” said Gore, who flew to Bali from Oslo, Norway, where he received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping alert the world to the danger of climate change. […]
Gore urged delegates to reach agreement even without the backing of the United States, saying President Bush’s successor, who will take office in January 2009, would likely be more supportive of binding cuts.
“Over the next two years, the United States is going to be somewhere it is not now,” he said. “I must tell you candidly that I cannot promise that the person who is elected will have the position I expect they will have, but I can tell you I believe it is quite likely.”
In other words, “Ignore Bush and strike a compromise now — the United States can catch up once what’s-his-name is gone.”
Indeed, Gore drew a loud ovation when he “reminded delegates that President George W. Bush has only one year and 40 days left in the White House.”
For it’s part, the White House says Gore has it all wrong.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said Thursday Gore was wrong in blaming the United States for holding up progress. “I think he is incorrect,” she said. […]
The United States, Japan and several other governments are refusing to accept language in a draft document suggesting that industrialized nations consider cutting emissions by 25 percent to 40 percent by 2020, saying specific targets would limit the scope of future talks.
European nations said they may boycott a U.S.-led climate meeting next month unless Washington compromises.
“No result in Bali means no Major Economies Meeting,” said Sigmar Gabriel, top EU environment official from Germany, referring to a series of separate climate talks initiated by President Bush in September. “This is the clear position of the EU. I do not know what we should talk about if there is no target.” […]
The United States delegation said while it continues to reject inclusion of specific emission cut targets, it hopes eventually to reach an agreement that is “environmentally effective” and “economically sustainable.”
It also noted that that the conference was the start of negotiations for a new climate pact, not the end.
“We don’t have to resolve all these issues … here in Bali,” said Undersecretary of State Paula Dobriansky, the head of the U.S. delegation.
Of course. What’s the rush? Why work on emissions cuts now when Bush can hand off the crisis to his successor without having done anything except make the problem worse?
“I think he is incorrect,” she said. […]”
translation: “i think the sun rises in the west.”
Georgie got fingered. One sad thing is that much of the Republican support comes from small business, as if small business had anything at all in common with big business.
We don’t have to resolve all the issues here in Bali
Translation: We don’t intend to do anything about global warming because we want the end of days to come as soon as possible.
Republicans have maintained power in the U.S. government by requiring no sacrifice from its citizens for anything, and in fact, by consistently claiming…” vote for me, get some money back!”
The Republicans didn’t get voted out by suddenly requiring sacrifice… or because the people suddenly wanted sacrifice and responsibility… but because the Republicans bungled Iraq and Katrina so badly, it cost us plenty and made us look bad.
I’m suspicious about whether Americans really want to do what it takes to resolve the global warming problem; but I will withhold judgement until the adults take over, and see how much folks really want to do what’s right.
Republicans are saying that fighting global warming will our bring our petroleum dependent economy to its knees. Not true – an Apollo-like project would be a boon to the economy, but let’s go along with the Republicans. Accept their claim. Then what happens when oil depletion becomes critical, which everybody knows will occur sometime in the next 25 years, even the peak oil skeptics. Won’t that bring our economy to its knees? Of course it will. And we may be fighting World War III over the remaining few reserves as well.
We have to find an alternative, global warming or not. So why aren’t we doing it? I don’t get it.
I get it, as long as anyone else opposes something, we’re not the only ones holding it up.
Now that’s leadership.
Flashback time:
on Sept. 29, 2000, Bush announced his energy policy and said: “We will require all power plants to meet clean-air standards in order to reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and carbon dioxide within a reasonable period of time.”
Someone should make sure to tell those Balians that Gore is a “phony American”.
Rush? Bill O.? Who’s up for a junket?
Well done, Mr. President! It’s high time that someone stood up and reminded the world that they can legitimately ignore the lame dodo in the Oval Office. Stick a fork in the phony cowboy and his obstructionism. Negotiate as though he wasn’t even a part of the process any more. If the Israelis could do it to Arafat, then the reality-based world can do it to BubbleBoy!
Make KG43 the new definition of “irrelevant….”
CSI Antarctica; Where the villian unleashes millions of machines
to take in cool-sweet-air, then exhaust hot-acidic-gases, killing
a planet.
RacerX, @ 6.
You’re making it too easy with your 29.IX.’00 flashback… 🙂 Define “reasonable” in the phrase “a reasonable period of time” before suggesting he’s being inconsistent.
Hark – (Re #5) Cheney & Bush have pretty strong ties to the oil industry, correct? Republicans have always had a lot of support from the coal industry, too.
I don’t even think that math is necessary on this one.
“Gore fingers Bush admin. at U.N. global warming conference”
do we know which finger he used?