US Defends Climate Policies At Milan Conference

MILAN (AP)--U.S. greenhouse gas emissions will increase over the coming years, but the percentage of increase will be less than 'business as usual' because of Bush administration environmental policy, the senior U.S. climate negotiator contended Monday at a U.N. conference on climate change.

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'True, our emissions will increase,' climate negotiator Harlan Watson said at the conference. But, he said, 'they will increase by 4 1/2% less than business as usual over the next 10 years. And the first step to reducing emissions is slowing the (emissions) growth and then leveling off,' said Watson. The U.S. official didn't give a percentage for 'business as usual' increase.

The Washington D.C.-based World Resources Institute, which has done research for the U.N., says its analysis indicates that the Bush administration's greenhouse gas intensity target will result in a 14.3% increase in emissions from 2000-2012.

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Environmentalists at the conference said the U.S. administration was being misleading in presenting its policy. The U.S. 'target is just a bluff. It really means nothing as far as emissions reductions,' said Jennifer Morgan, director of climate change for the World Wildlife Fund. The U.S. administration's energy goal is 'inadequate and too late,' said Christopher Miller, at the conference on behalf of U.S. Senator James Jeffords, an independent from Vermont."

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The word choice is so telling of how this administration views this good, green earth only as a giant green dollar signs.

GHG production has slowed because of the slow economy, or recession/depression as this contracting period should be called.