Greenpeace dismisses George Bush's speech in the Rose Garden on climate change, saying that his interpretation of climate science is fantasy at best, and deliberately misleading at worst.
Repeating the mantra of the US fossil fuel industry, Bush called for more scientific research while at the same time rejecting any real action to protect the climate.Stephanie Tunmore, Greenpeace Climate Campaigner said,
"Bush opens his mouth and the voice of the oil industry comes out. This statement confirms that the US will do nothing except put more money into studying the problem, and push carbon capture methods such as forest 'sinks' which are already scientifically discredited. The European public will not buy this new spin on US ignorance."
"This must be music to the ears of Esso and the rest of oil industry. After more than a decade of painstaking research the world's climate scientists all agree that the most important step is to cut emissions now. This conclusion is so unpalatable to Bush and his corporate backers, that they will keep feverishly adding up the same column of figures in the hope of getting a different result. Their actions will condemn our children and theirs to a world with millions of displaced people, floods, droughts, agricultural dislocation, and extreme weather events."
President Bush also cites lack of developing country participation in his rejection of the Kyoto Protocol. However, one of the main premises of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change is that the countries who are responsible for 80% of the current buildup of greenhouse gases - the richest countries in the world -are the ones who have to take the first serious steps to address it. The Kyoto Protocol represents those first steps.
The US is responsible for 25% of global emissions, whereas India and China are responsible for 6% and 12% respectively. Greenhouse gas emissions from the United States have increased FASTER than those of China, the largest developing nation and it emits 15 times more greenhouse gases per capita than India, and 9 times more than China.
Tunmore added,
"Not enough science, developing country action, voluntary agreements instead of mandatory targets. The fossil fuel industry has been putting forward these excuses for inaction for years. President Bush says he wants to lead the world on climate change but this statement shows that he is not leading anything just following orders from the dinosaurs in the oil industry. "
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Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255
