Harlan Watson Spreading America's Can't-Do Spirit At Climate Meet - 2020 Goals "Not Doable For Us"

[hatrack]

BONN, Germany - The United States will tell a July meeting of the Group of Eight rich nations that it cannot meet big cuts in emissions of planet-warming gases by 2020, its chief climate negotiator Harlan Watson said. "It's frankly not do-able for us," he told Reuters on Tuesday, referring to a goal for rich countries to curb greenhouse gases by 25-40 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.

A draft summit declaration, dated May 5 and seen by Reuters, showed Washington is blocking efforts to get the summit to agree targets for cutting carbon emissions, insisting that responsibility be shared by big emerging economies. The European Union says it will cut emissions by 30 percent if other rich countries do and supports a goal of 25-40 percent for all industrialised nations.

But the candidates running to replace US President George W. Bush, and who all support action to stem climate change, were only talking about returning to 1990 or 2000 US emissions levels by 2020, Watson said.

"And I think most analysis of whether we could do that (say) it would be a heavy lift for the United States given our current infrastructure."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/48619/story.htm

[sakabatou]

1. "So we won't even try."

Pathetic

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

2. Pure bullshit, WE ARE GOING TO CHANGE !

[phantom power]

3. Maybe he's just not thinking negatively *enough*...

A sufficiently severe economic collapse, or population crash, could get us there. The unfolding of cause and effect will do the heavy lifting for us.

Although I see that as more likely by 2050, than 2020.

[DCKit]

5. Yeah, but then we'll all be burning our furniture to stay warm through the winter.

Not a big help in the fight against global warming.

[kristopher]

4. The words of an extinct administration. nt