Bush Set For Climate Change U-Turn

The Guardian (UK) ^ | Gaby Hinsliff - Juliette Jowit - Paul Harris

[blam]

Bush set for climate change U-turn

Downing Street says that belated US recognition of global warming could lead to a post-Kyoto agreement on curbing emissions

Gaby Hinsliff, Juliette Jowit and Paul Harris
Sunday January 14, 2007
The Observer (UK)

George Bush is preparing to make a historic shift in his position on global warming when he makes his State of the Union speech later this month, say senior Downing Street officials. Tony Blair hopes that the new stance by the United States will lead to a breakthrough in international talks on climate change and that the outlines of a successor treaty to the Kyoto agreement, the deal to curb emissions of greenhouse gases which expires in 2012, could now be thrashed out at the G8 summit in June.

The timetable may explain why Blair is so keen to remain in office until after the summit, with a deal on protecting the planet offering an appealing legacy with which to bow out of Number 10. Bush and Blair held private talks on climate change before Christmas, and there is a feeling that the US President will now agree a cap on emissions in the US, meaning that, for the first time, American industry and consumers would be expected to start conserving energy and curbing pollution.

'We could now be seeing the beginning of a consensus on a post-Kyoto framework,' said a source close to the prime minister. 'President Bush is beginning to talk about more radical measures.'

The move will be seen as part of a wider repositioning of the Bush government after its comprehensive defeat in last autumn's mid-term elections.

A change of heart on the environment was signalled earlier this month when the US administration unexpectedly announced that polar bears were now an endangered species because their habitat

[JSteff]

"Not going to happen."

What do you base that statement on?

Was it Bush's firm stance on illegal immigration? Was it his firm stance against the expansion of the governments role in private health care (several trillion dollar prescription drug program)?
No maybe it was that way he took firm control of the State Department, CIA, and the FBI when he rooted out the clintonista holdovers who were thwarting is every move.
Maybe it was his strong stance on American energy self sufficiency by opening up our "protected" oil reserves to drilling.
Maybe what thrilled you was the smooth way he was able to get all his judicial nominees approved in a timely manner.

Sure, Bush will stand firm against the Kyoto type hijack of our countries economy and sovereignty. Rove already has what is good for our country all planned out and is advising Bush on it right now.

[stockpirate]

And the two issues concerning SS benefits to Mexicans that involves redistribution of wealth.

The other concerning the seniors prescription benefits is a redistribution of wealth from one group to another with their consent, just as the first issue.

[stockpirate]

And if he changes course on this issue posted here it will mean a redistribution of wealth yet again.

[VRWC For Truth]

Domestically it's been all downhill since CFR.

[rottndog]

For some on FR, plausible deniability has become pathological deniability.

[kabar]

First of all, Bush has already said that he is in favor of reducing green house gases and emissions. He provided his alternative to Kyoto. It would leave the United States with an increase in emissions of 25-30 percent in 1990 levels by 2010. This compares with the commitment under Kyoto of minus seven percent. So I suspect that this is old news.

Bush Plan Could Reduce Global Warming As Much as Kyoto

I stand by my statement that the Guardian probably has very good sources inside 10 Downing Street -- but that doesn't mean they're necessarily approved by Blair.

LOL. And who the hell vouches for your credibility? The Guardian?

[meyer]

...One example: Take a look at the Big Three's current domestic market share versus what it was just 30 years ago...

Not only market share, but look at the growing portion of non-domestic parts and assemblies that go into those "American" cars. Seats from Mexico, steel from overseas, etc. Granted, this has been going on since well before GWBush. But I don't see the trend changing.

A lot of our dwindling manufacturing base has shrunk as a direct result of extreme environmental regulations, OSHA, tort abuse, and, of course, inflexible unions. Compare our capabilities in the 1960's with what we have now. I don't think the capability exists in the US any more to completely manufacture a car from raw materials to end product. We are succeeding at pricing ourselves out of business.

[JSteff]

"Congress has to ratify it IIRC."

Just a bit naive to think this congress won't. They will hold a special session and let The President know that they will only sign it if he also signs his illegal immigrant amnesty bill.

[calcowgirl]

I'm speechless. I considered his prior decision to stay out of Kyoto one of the best things he has done.
I sure hope this prediction does not come true.

[stockpirate]

Well while that may be true, they need to open their eyes to the real world.

I was in denial myself for a while but now I must admit what I have been referring to for several days on FR.

Bush may just be a RINO or worse, a Socialist.

[boomop1]

I probably have false hope, why worry, be happy.

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

You said it. I read somewhere that even if we did sign on to the Kyoto treaty, the climate-guessers best guess (and don't let them ever get away with claiming it is anything but a guess) is that the effect of Kyoto would be to reduce global temperatures by a couple of hundredths of a degree over the next 100 years. Yeah, less than a tenth of a degree C in 100 years. That's a guess, only a guess, and it makes me think the entire Kyoto treaty/effort/etc. is pure BS.

[kabar]

"President Bush refuses to lobby for mandatory caps on carbon emissions, instead promoting voluntary steps and technologies that reduce or capture carbon."

Calif. moves to cap greenhouse gas emissions

[firebrand]

Nothing has changed except the willingness to talk about it.

See the EPA website and click on Climate Change. And the site has said pretty much the same thing for years.

McCain is attempting to take the issue away from Gore, and now Bush seems poised to take it way from McCain.

The facts don't change but the politics does.

[RobFromGa]

There can be no argument that humans cause global warming. I notice it every day when I wake up, as more and more people wake up it gets warmer and warmer. Then when we go back to sleep at night it cools down.

I think it is likely heat caused by the friction of all the people shoes and automobile tires on the surface of the Earth causing it too heat up. We are more active in the summer time taking vacations and playing leisure sports and it is more warm in the summer as compared to the winter.

We should all stay indoors for a month, let the planet cool off a few degrees and then start back up again right where we left off.

[prairiebreeze]

Bush never ran as a straight conservative. Sorry you never got that. The GOP hasn't had a real conservative since Reagan, but Bush is way better than any RAT.

The subject of this thread isn't about that or many of the other topics you list. Many of your points are quite debatable but not topic-related and I won't spend the bandwidth taking the discussion to areas other than the thread topic.

It seems you are here to bash the POTUS. And that's all.

[processing please hold]

and I won't spend the bandwidth taking the discussion to areas other than the thread topic.

Ignore the problem or pretend it doesn't exist that's the way to handle it./sac

That strategy didn't work too well during the Nov. elections. You ready for a repeat come 2008?

[prairiebreeze]

Nobody that I know has ever said the President has done everything right. No president ever does.

But you are here to complain about everything from soup to nuts as well as very prematurely about a questionable story from a highly biased source, to boot.

I will stand by my assessment of observing not only what is in the SOTU but further actions that may or may NOT be taken on this particular issue.

If you enjoy getting your panties in a bunch about something that hasn't even occured, be my guest.

[SierraWasp]

Even the strongest willed, strongest charactered and stongest God fearing person can only take so much of being beaten down and badgering by the bloviating bastards in the Bull Stream Media and all their swarms of allies. The final blow usually come when wife and mother begin to question his good sense for not going along with such a widely accepted fallacy. Even though this nonsense is the biggest conclusion jumping in the history of Earth.

He only has two years of Presidency left and his family probably fears his legacy will be seriously marred by this farce if he keeps resisting it!!! Stronger men than him have buckled under even less pressure. He undoubtedly feels he's just shoveling sand into the tide to try to resist any longer.

Of course that doesn't mean we have to cow-tow to this crappola. Afterall, we're used to the tyranny of the popular majority in CA, aren't we???

Ya know... Everybody wants to be loved... Especially Presidents, Governors, Senators, Congresscritters and all other elected officials in republics with democratic processes!!! Like Republican Everett Dirksen of IL once said:"The more I feel the heat, the more I see the light!" In this case, of course, the heat is creating another dark age, or at least a dark decade!!!

[Czar]

"I could have gone 'til the next election without thinking about the Kyoto agreement."

And so could we all.