Greenpeace

At a time when the American people, the newly elected Congress, and business leaders are calling for solutions to global warming, the President has once again failed to deliver. A year after he publicly admitted our nation's addiction to oil, the President tonight proposed a series of energy initiatives that won't address this dependency or the climate crisis facing the planet. This comes a week before the release of the United Nation’s latest assessment of the science of global warming.

Instead of creating a real national plan to combat global warming and increase energy security, the President has ensured his legacy of failure while continuing to represent the interests of the energy industry. Today, the President proposed an alternative fuels proposal that could actually increase global warming pollution along with a fuel efficiency program for automobiles that lacks any real targets.

Scientists repeatedly warn that the U.S. must reduce its global warming pollution 80 percent by mid-century if we are to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. A growing number of states, corporations and Congressional leaders have endorsed that goal. The President’s proposals do nothing to put us on that course. The American people and the world community deserve much better and it is available through existing technology, which the President chooses to ignore.

While the expectations were high for this speech as speculation swirled of a change in policy in the White House, the rumors were inaccurate. The international community should abandon all hope, once and for all, that President Bush will ever really change course on climate change.

It is clear that Bush is incapable of leading his country to face the challenge of climate change, now the best he can do is to follow the American people who understand the need for action.