The World from Berlin: Bush Has 'Understood Nothing, Learned Nothing'
- added June 13, 2008
- 11 responses
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- conscious_bluemonkey
- added this
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Bush's plan for global warming? Wait until 2025. Only then, he said in a Wednesday speech, should the US cap greenhouse gas emissions. Germany is not impressed.
US President George W. Bush is in no hurry when it comes to global warming.
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AFP
US President George W. Bush is in no hurry when it comes to global warming.
When it comes to global warming, much of the world has been resigned for years to waiting out the end of the George W. Bush presidency. Under Bush, the White House has altered climate change reports, spiked global calls for action and maintained that it would simply be too harmful to the US economy to address the growing dangers of a warming climate.
With just months to go before Bush makes way for his successor, the US president on Wednesday (more...) once again confirmed that waiting for number 44 is the way to go. Bush called for the US to halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions -- but only in 2025. As the San Jose Mercury News wrote on Thursday: "Allowing emissions to rise for the next 17 years is not a plan; it's an abdication."
Europe, not surprisingly, tends to agree. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel (more...) called Bush's presentation a "Neanderthal speech," and said it represented "losership, not leadership. European Commissioner of the Environment Stavros Dimas was also critical. "President Bush recognized the need for mandatory federal legislation to tackle climate change," he said. "But what he proposed will not contribute to the effective tackling of climate change."
Others were more receptive of Bush's foray into environmental policy and saw it as a move away from his legacy, which includes steadfast refusal to honor the Kyoto Protocol and leadership of a decidedly conservative Environmental Protection Agency.
"It's good to have something on the table," said Yvo de Boer, head of the UN agency that oversees international climate treaties, including the Kyoto Protocol.
German commentators on Friday weren't in the mood to be quite so generous.
In an editorial headlined "Understood Nothing, Learned Nothing," the center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"For the first time, Bush has concretely said what the world's most dominant industrialized nation will do in the future to address global warming. His solution can be condensed into two words: absolutely nothing."
"That's a slap in the face to every citizen, local government and industry trade group -- including a growing number in America -- working to preserve the Earth's atmosphere. And it’s a mockery of those nations that have set climate protection goals, as well as a free pass for developing countries that have refused to sign a binding international treaty on climate protection."
US President George W. Bush is in no hurry when it comes to global warming.
Zoom
AFP
US President George W. Bush is in no hurry when it comes to global warming.
When it comes to global warming, much of the world has been resigned for years to waiting out the end of the George W. Bush presidency. Under Bush, the White House has altered climate change reports, spiked global calls for action and maintained that it would simply be too harmful to the US economy to address the growing dangers of a warming climate.
With just months to go before Bush makes way for his successor, the US president on Wednesday (more...) once again confirmed that waiting for number 44 is the way to go. Bush called for the US to halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions -- but only in 2025. As the San Jose Mercury News wrote on Thursday: "Allowing emissions to rise for the next 17 years is not a plan; it's an abdication."
Europe, not surprisingly, tends to agree. German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel (more...) called Bush's presentation a "Neanderthal speech," and said it represented "losership, not leadership. European Commissioner of the Environment Stavros Dimas was also critical. "President Bush recognized the need for mandatory federal legislation to tackle climate change," he said. "But what he proposed will not contribute to the effective tackling of climate change."
Others were more receptive of Bush's foray into environmental policy and saw it as a move away from his legacy, which includes steadfast refusal to honor the Kyoto Protocol and leadership of a decidedly conservative Environmental Protection Agency.
"It's good to have something on the table," said Yvo de Boer, head of the UN agency that oversees international climate treaties, including the Kyoto Protocol.
German commentators on Friday weren't in the mood to be quite so generous.
In an editorial headlined "Understood Nothing, Learned Nothing," the center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:
"For the first time, Bush has concretely said what the world's most dominant industrialized nation will do in the future to address global warming. His solution can be condensed into two words: absolutely nothing."
"That's a slap in the face to every citizen, local government and industry trade group -- including a growing number in America -- working to preserve the Earth's atmosphere. And it’s a mockery of those nations that have set climate protection goals, as well as a free pass for developing countries that have refused to sign a binding international treaty on climate protection."
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- conscious_bluemonkey
- 2 months ago
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My new favorite word: "losership" :)
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My new favorite phrase: "Neanderthal speech"
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just goes to show bush doesn't care about anyone, even his children and grandchildren, who will have to deal with it
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It's almost redundant now to say this, but look at your gas prices, your mortgage crisis, your food crisis, and the prospect of a THIRD war in the Middle East . . . He's not the sole contributor, but much of this could have been avoided if not for the war mongering selfishness of the corporate goons of the Bush cabinet
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its no wonder alot of the world hates america. personally i still love america. i know there are good people in this country. people who want change. but there is one big problem... they arent rich.
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No one is offering solutions to high gas prices. All we get is excuses and the run around. Take time to visit this web site. if you want to see a solution to the gas situation visit http://www.wesaidnomore.com. This site offers a way where we citizens can take back some sort of control and exercise our power and rights as consumers and voters. It's a little radical but it will work. That's "We said no more"
Thanks
Gary
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