Bush 'light years behind' on climate

Source: Copyright 2005, Press Association
Date:&nbspOctober 29, 2005

President Bush is "light years" behind the rest of the world on tackling climate change, a leading environmentalist has claimed.

Sir Jonathan Porritt, chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, condemned the president for refusing to sign up to the Kyoto protocol.

"I'm sorry to say that the Bush White House is now light years behind the rest of the world, and actually behind most of the rest of America now," he said.

Sir Jonathan said there had been a distinct change in large sections of the US business community and political system, with people now acknowledging more needed to be done to tackle climate change. But the president had not caught up.

He dismissed suggestions that moves to combat global warming would harm the economy.

He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "If we make the kind of investments that we could make now in energy efficiency and in cleaner, more sustainable technologies, it wouldn't just be good for the environment and our grandchildren, it would actually be very good indeed for the economy."

Sir Jonathan said Kyoto did not go far enough but it had set the right direction for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.