From the AP story: "President Bush on Thursday urged 15 major nations to agree by the end of next year on a global emissions goal for reducing greenhouse gases."

Sounds very proactive of him. But wait a sec. There are already globally agreed emission reduction targets. They were set in Kyoto, Japan... 10 years ago. Hmm. Maybe no one told President Bush about the Kyoto Protocol, or perhaps it has just slipped his mind.

If you run into him, please point out that the Kyoto Protocol entered into force (became legally binding) on 16 February 2005. It commits industrialised countries (like the USA) to cut their combined emissions to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008 - 2012.

It might jog Bush's memory if you mention that under his administration the US pulled out of this treaty. At the time Bush said he preferred trying voluntary measures - an approach that had already been tried and failed. But then this is the "stay the course" presidency after all.

If you're wondering what Greenpeace thinks of Bush's new 'plan', here's the word from John Coequyt, of Greenpeace USA:

"Bush is clearly running scared on the issue of climate change and of the huge public demand in the US and globally for urgent action."

Full statement here.