NEWS

Shifting Politics Of Global Climate Change

06/08/2007

By Mark Matthews

ABC 7 News

The president promises to seriously consider proposals to cut green house gases by 50-percent. But the agreement coming out of this weeks G-8 Summit failed to set mandatory cuts or timetables.

In one respect, any agreement on global warming is a win for environmentalists who are promising to turn up the heat.

When the leaders of Germany, Italy, France, Russia, Japan, Britian and Canada asked the president to sign on to cutting green house gasses by 50-percent over the next 43 years, President Bush said no to specific targets, no to a timetable and no to mandatory emission caps.

President George W. Bush: "Nothing is going to happen in terms of substantial reductions unless China and India are participating."

President Bush says it's not enough for the world's richest countries to lead the way if cutting back means energy intensive industries will move to China and India and the pollution wll increase.

But like a glacier, the president's views on global warming do seem to be moving. This was 2000…

President George W. Bush (2000): "But science, there's differing opinions and before we react I think it's best to have the full accounting."

Even Al Gore in 2000 wasn't talking up global warming. ABC7's political analyst says Gore's campaign advisors told him not to.

Prof. Bruce Cain, Ph.D., ABC7 Political Analyst: "He was so captured by his consultants and so focused on what it took to win that he didn't express what he truly believed passionately should be a very important issue on the agenda."

But eight years later, there isn't a top tier candidate for president that isn't willing to agree there's a problem.

Fmr. Gov. Mitt Romney, (R) Massachusetts: "First of all, Rudy is right in terms of a project to get us energy independent and the effects of that on global warming are positive. It's a no regrets policy. It's a great idea."

Today, California Attorney General Jerry Brown told a House committee he's worried it's all talk and no action.

Jerry Brown, California Attorney General: "I think what it's now is this stall, kind of smoke and mirrors kind of thing."

To combat that, the League of Conservation Voters has launched a Web site. The site, HeatIsOn.org is attempting to turn up the heat on presidential candidates asking them for solutions to the global warming problem and comparing their positions.

David Sandretti is a spokesman for the League of Conservation Voters.

David Sandretti, League of Conservation Voters: "We are in fact trying to have a little competition between the candidates to see who is better on these issues."

Sandretti says the league's Web site is updated whenever one of the candidates alters or adds to his or her position.