Press release - March 5, 2008
In his keynote address at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference today, President Bush failed again to make any meaningful commitments to reduce the United States’ global warming emissions. Instead, he took the opportunity to promote nuclear power to an audience of the world’s leading renewable energy experts.
While lauding the delegates as "pioneers on the frontiers of
change," instead of talking about how renewable energy and energy
efficiency would meet the world's growing energy needs while
solving the climate crisis, the President continued to promote an
increased reliance on nuclear power. The President said he expected
to have received 19 applications to build new nuclear plants by the
end of the year and spoke of US18 billion in loan-guarantees that
his Administration had obtained from Congress for nuclear energy,
compared to US10 billion for renewable energy expansion.
"After more than seven years of dithering, procrastination and
climate denial, Greenpeace held out a slim hope that President Bush
would take this last opportunity to bring the world's largest
greenhouse gas emitter into line with other countries in promoting
renewable energy targets. But, true to fashion, he took the
'A-Train'. A huge part of his speech was clearly meant for a
different audience, an audience stuck in the 2Oth century fantasy
of a nuclear future," said Sven Teske of Greenpeace
International.
While Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte acknowledged
yesterday that US government policy must facilitate 'real
solutions' to climate change, President Bush today returned to the
same tired calls for 'voluntary' pledges of action. "The only thing
vaguely renewable about President Bush's speech was the tired
rhetoric of voluntary measures," said Chris Miller of Greenpeace
USA. "Seven years of voluntary measures have produced nothing but
ever-accelerating global warming emissions. Fortunately, the US
Presidency is renewable - President Bush's time is running out, and
now we must ask the presidential candidates how they will address
the global climate crisis and what their visions for a renewable
energy future entail."
While President Bush has no vision for solving climate change,
Greenpeace has shown that there is a path to achieving a 50%
reduction in the world's global warming emissions by 2050.
Greenpeace's Energy
[R]evolution blueprint shows that renewable energy, combined
with greater energy efficiency, can deliver half of the world's
energy needs by 2050.
Other contacts: Chris Miller, Greenpeace USA Global Warming Campaigner +1 202 641 7468Sven Teske, Greenpeace International Climate & Energy Campaigner +31 6 212 96894Jane Kochersperger, Greenpeace USA Media Officer +1 202 680 3798