President gets heat for climate control
The U.N. meets today to discuss climate change, a week before President Bush's separate meeting with world leaders on the same topic. But critics say they haven't heard enough specifics from the White House about the latter. Sam Eaton reports.
United Nations symbol at UN headquarters (Nicholas Roberts / Getty Images)
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Bob Moon: Climate change is the main topic today at a meeting at the U.N. President Bush takes up the same discussion later in the week, and critics say his timing may not be by accident. From the Marketplace Sustainability Desk, Sam Eaton reports.
Sam Eaton: The U.N. meeting is aimed at shoring up support for a post-Kyoto international climate treaty. But it's a separate meeting to be hosted by President Bush that's getting most of the attention.
Those talks will bring together leaders of the world's major economies, including China and Brazil. But the White House isn't releasing specific details, and that has some environmental groups crying foul.
Philip Clapp: This conference is developing to be more a talkfest than anything else.
Philip Clapp heads the National Environmental Trust. He says while the U.N. is seeking concrete reductions in greenhouse gases, the White House is still talking about voluntary cuts.
Clapp: There are no proposals on the table, either from the administration or from other parties, for any mandatory or binding emissions-reduction agreements of any kind.
Clapp fears that could further isolate the U.S., jeopardizing its role in the upcoming climate treaty talks in Bali, which are scheduled to begin in December.
I'm Sam Eaton for Marketplace.
