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  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    Wednesday, 6 June 2007, 13:40 GMT 14:40 UK

    US rejects German G8 climate goal

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6725801.stm

    Washington says it will not agree to climate change targets ahead of a G8 summit in Germany already marred by a row over US missile defence plans.

    Rejecting proposals to slash emissions, a top US climate official said the G8 should not dictate members' policies.

    Washington's row with Moscow over US plans for a shield in two former Soviet satellites continues to loom large.

    And tensions are also mounting outside the summit area, where police are using water cannon to disperse protesters.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel, hosting the summit, has set what is seen as an ambitious personal goal of persuading the leading industrialised countries to commit to cutting emissions by 50% by 2050.

    She also wants them to increase fuel efficiency by 20% and limit the world's temperature rise to 2C.

    However, President George W Bush's senior climate adviser said on Wednesday that a number of countries - including the US - would not sign up to those commitments.

    James Connaughton insisted that there had been significant progress and consensus on the issue of climate change. But he made clear the US did not believe the G8 should be the forum for setting targets.

    "There is significant agreement that those should be established on a national basis, and the only area of disagreement is that the G8 should dictate the national policies of its members," he said.

    Mrs Merkel is using the hours before the summit opens to meet the leaders of the Group of Eight club individually.

    Speaking ahead of his meeting, Mr Bush said that instead of backing the proposed emissions caps he favoured his own plan that the worst CO2 emitting nations, including the US, China and India, meet before the year is out to put together a new long-term strategy to tackle the problem.

    "The United States can serve as a bridge to help find a solution," Mr Bush said.

    BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins says meetings of the world's most powerful leaders are always difficult, but this one looks especially tough. Mrs Merkel is going to have to decide how far the most contentious issues can be pushed.

    She is operating against a backdrop of increasingly fractious relations between some of the G8 members.

    Mr Bush and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, have been trading threats and accusations ahead of the meeting, sparked by Washington's plans to build a missile defence shield.

    The Czech Republic is the planned site for a radar base, while interceptor missiles are due to be deployed in Poland.

    Mr Bush, who is expected to meet Mr Putin on the sidelines of the summit, insists that the new system is a "purely defensive measure, aimed not at Russia but at true threats".

    However, Mr Putin has scoffed at US claims that the shield is designed to counter threats from states such as North Korea and Iran, and warned that if the US pressed ahead with its plans, Russia would target its weapons at Europe.

    On Wednesday Mr Bush dismissed the warning, saying "Russia is not going to attack Europe".

    "Russia is not an enemy," he said. "There needs to be no military response because we're not at war with Russia. Russia is not a threat."

    UK Prime Minister Tony Blair entered the debate in a BBC interview on Wednesday, saying it was not in Russia's interest to have a "scratchy" relationship with Western countries.

    He vowed a "frank discussion" with Mr Putin about his warning.

    Tensions are equally high outside the summit where several hundred anti-globalisation protesters have gathered near the fence protecting the building where the leaders of the eight top industrialised nations are due to meet.

    Others are trying to block the roads from the airport, where several delegations have yet to land.

    Police are also said to be using tear gas, but there have not been reports of any arrests or injuries.

    Some 16,000 officers have been deployed to deal with what are currently estimated to be around 6,000 protesters.

    The police are keen to avoid the disturbances seen last weekend in the city of Rostock, where protests turned violent and some 1,000 people were injured.
  • redrock
    redrock Posts: 18,341
    Typical G8 summit, Byrnzie?
  • polaris
    polaris Posts: 3,527
    yeah ... you ain't gonna get conservatives to agree on any real environmental progress ... it's not who they are ... some used to be but not anymore ...
  • mammasan
    mammasan Posts: 5,656
    polaris wrote:
    yeah ... you ain't gonna get conservatives to agree on any real environmental progress ... it's not who they are ... some used to be but not anymore ...

    Why bother with the environment when you know that the Rapture is coming.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Byrnzie
    Byrnzie Posts: 21,037
    redrock wrote:
    Typical G8 summit, Byrnzie?

    Looks like it.The U.S is again using bullying tactics and and acting recklessly in the face of the world consensus.

    By the way, I just stumbled across this interesting U.S Conservative website. Pretty disturbing stuff:

    http://www.cafepress.com/rightwingstuff/2402503
  • polaris
    polaris Posts: 3,527
    mammasan wrote:
    Why bother with the environment when you know that the Rapture is coming.

    oooohhh yes ... the rapture ... i wonder if there'll be free popcorn

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