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Ways Must Be Found To Enable President Bush To End U.S. Isolation Over Climate Change

Speaking at the third annual William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Foundation Forum in New York on Monday 6 December, former U.K. cabinet minister Stephen Byers who is co-chair of the International Taskforce on Climate change said:

“alongside the fight against international terrorism, global warming is the world’s biggest collective challenge.

“There is no prospect of our planet saving itself from the disastrous consequences of climate change unless the United States becomes part of a world-wide effort to tackle global warming.

“It is clear that the Bush administration will not sign up to the Kyoto Protocol – that is the political reality of the situation.

“Adopting a high moral tone which simply condemns President Bush for his inaction may make his critics feel better but in practice it leads to an entrenchment of positions and does nothing to positively address the dangers we face.

“The challenge is to find ways which will enable President Bush to end U.S. isolation over climate change.

“Pressure for him to act is growing domestically. The insurance sector has seen claims arising from extreme weather conditions escalate dramatically – costing them tens of billions of dollars. In addition major companies like Boeing and DuPont are expressing concern.

“Tony Blair has said he wants climate change to be a priority for his chairmanship of the G8 in 2005. The International Taskforce will feed into this process by publishing an interim report in January.

“George Bush and Tony Blair have led the campaign against international terrorism. They must now act together in a concerted partnership to tackle global warming.”