On March 14th, Environmental Defense sharply criticized a statement made by
President Bush reversing his earlier commitment, made during the presidential
campaign, to curb emissions of all key pollutants from electric power plants,
including carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming. The
statement was contained in a letter from the President to Senator Chuck
Hagel (R-Neb). The letter also reiterated the administration’s opposition to
the Kyoto Protocol, which was also stated during the campaign.
“Not only has the administration reneged on a campaign commitment, but in
opposing the Kyoto Protocol and power plant pollution controls, it has
effectively blocked the only two proposed vehicles for fighting global
warming, the key environmental threat of this century, while offering no
alternative path to protect the planet,” said Fred Krupp, executive director of
Environmental Defense.
“By raising the specter of scientific uncertainty, this position effectively rejects
the judgment of the world’s leading climate scientists, confirmed just weeks
ago in the assessment released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change. That report warned that the threat from global warming has grown
and that Earth’s climate, its species, and many of its countries are already
feeling its effects,” said Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, chief scientist of
Environmental Defense.
“We urge the administration to reconsider its position and work with the
bipartisan Congressional coalition developing legislation to control carbon
dioxide from power plants, while playing an active role in negotiations, due to
resume in July, aimed at improving and finalizing the Kyoto Protocol,” said
Joe Goffman, senior attorney at Environmental Defense. “As the world’s last
remaining superpower, and the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gases,
the United States has a special obligation to lead on this issue. The
international community and forward thinking elements of the business
community are already taking this problem on, it’s time for the new
administration to face its responsibilities on global warming as well.”
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