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 ...