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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Bush seeks flexible CO2 targets | Bush seeks flexible CO2 targets |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| US President George W Bush has said every country must set its own targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. | US President George W Bush has said every country must set its own targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. |
| Correspondents say Mr Bush's comments, at a meeting of the top 16 polluting nations, suggest the US may not agree to any internationally-binding cuts. | Correspondents say Mr Bush's comments, at a meeting of the top 16 polluting nations, suggest the US may not agree to any internationally-binding cuts. |
| He also said combating climate change should not hinder economic growth. | |
| Critics say the US position could dilute attempts to reach a global agreement through the UN, ahead of the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. | Critics say the US position could dilute attempts to reach a global agreement through the UN, ahead of the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012. |
| Mr Bush, who shortly after taking office in 2001 said he would not submit the protocol to Congress for ratification, has opposed mandatory cuts. | |
| He has instead championed voluntary approaches - echoed by China and India. | He has instead championed voluntary approaches - echoed by China and India. |
| 'New approach' | |
| Addressing the US-sponsored forum on energy security and climate change, Mr Bush said the two issues were "the great challenges of our time" which the US was taking seriously. | |
| Each nation must decide for itself the right mix of tools and technology to achieve results that are measurable and environmentally effective US President George W Bush Motives behind Bush's summit | |
| He urged the participants to jointly set a long-term goal for reducing the CO2 emissions that were causing the climate to heat up. | |
| "By setting this goal, we acknowledge there is a problem. And by setting this goal, we commit ourselves to doing something about it," Mr Bush said. | |
| He proposed to hold a summit next summer to finalise the goal and other key elements of what he described as "a new international approach" on CO2 gases. | |
| Mr Bush also said such measures would help "advance negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change". | |
| 'Clean technologies' | |
| But he stressed that it was possible to cut emissions without harming economies. | |
| Activists want the US to take the lead in solving the climate crisis | |
| "Our guiding principle is clear - we must lead the world to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and we must do it in a way that does not undermine economic growth or prevent nations from delivering greater prosperity for their people," he said. | |
| He said developing clean energy technologies was the key to success, adding that the global demand for energy was expected to increase by 50% by 2030. | |
| But Mr Bush again hinted that the US would not commit itself to mandatory CO2 cuts, despite growing pressure by some of the forum's participants. | |
| "Each nation must decide for itself the right mix of tools and technology to achieve results that are measurable and environmentally effective," Mr Bush said. | |
| The top UN climate official, Yvo de Boer, said he believed the discussions at the conference could feed back into the UN process. | |
| Mr de Boer said it was crucial that industrialised nations committed to an approach that went "well beyond present efforts, given their historic responsibilities and economic capabilities". | |
| Teams from Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Russia and the US were taking part in the Washington forum. |