— The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Under international pressure to take tough action against global warming, President Bush on Thursday called for a summit of the United States and other nations that create the most greenhouse gases.
The goal: Set a long-term global strategy for reducing emissions, and counter allegations that the United States is foot-dragging.
The White House said the president's proposal addresses "life after" the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012, and he wants to bring India, China and other fast-growing countries to the negotiation table so they are part of the solution, not the problem.
"The United States takes this issue seriously," Bush said.
Critics disagree. They say Bush wants to set unenforceable targets for curbing greenhouse gases, not concrete limits on emissions.
David Doniger, climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Bush will have no credibility with the countries he wants to bring to the table unless he's committed to specific limits to cap U.S. emissions.
"The president is warming up to throw his opening pitch while business, states and the rest of the world are already at the top of the ninth inning," Doniger said. "It is nothing less than embarrassing that three of the world's biggest oil companies are calling for tougher measures than the White House."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, just back from a fact-finding trip to Greenland and European capitals, said simply getting nations to set voluntary emissions targets is not enough.
The president outlined his proposal in a speech just days before he attends a summit in Germany of leading industrialized nations.
Global warming is a major topic on the agenda and Bush will be on the spot.
The administration is resisting parts of a climate-change initiative being pushed by the host of the G-8 meeting, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She backs a plan that would limit the average global temperature increase to 3.6 degrees.
Bush is proposing that the United States and about a dozen other nations hold a series of meetings to set long-term goals by the end of next year for reducing greenhouse gases. The final list of nations has not been decided, but other participants probably would include India, China, Brazil, Russia, Canada, Japan, Australia, South Korea and the European Union.
He envisions that each country will set goals on how it wants to improve energy security, reduce air pollution and cut greenhouse gases in the next 10 to 20 years. Leaders from power generation, alternative fuels and transportation industries would form working groups to share clean-energy technology.
"We will create a strong and transparent system for measuring each country's performance," Bush said. "The way to meet this challenge of energy and global climate change is through technology, and the United States is in the lead."
While the United States signed a 1992 global agreement on climate talks, it refused to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Protocol limiting emissions. Bush argued that Kyoto would harm the U.S. economy, unfairly excluded fast-growing nations like India and China and said nothing about cutting emissions after the treaty expires in 2012.
Separately, the Bush-appointed head of the U.S. space program said Thursday that it's "a rather arrogant position" to say the world's climate has to change.
"I have no doubt that a trend of global warming exists," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said in a taped interview that aired on National Public Radio. "I am not sure that it is fair to say that is a problem we must wrestle with.
"I guess I would ask which human beings, where and whe.n, are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that's a rather arrogant position for people to take."
Some scientists responded by saying that Griffin's remarks show that he could be "totally clueless."
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