Bush Urges Move Away From Oil & Gas, Praises Alternative Energy

[hatrack]

Pardon me while I clean the puke chunks from the surface of the LCD screen - very contrary to manufacturer recommendations.

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - President Bush urged leaders ahead of a G8 summit on Wednesday to spearhead a worldwide effort to invest in alternatives to oil and gas to help control global warming. Speaking hours before the start of the G8 meeting in Scotland, Bush put forward economic arguments that might help bridge gaping U.S. differences with the other seven countries over how to cope with climate change. "Listen, the United States, for national security reasons and economic security, needs to diversify away from fossil fuels. And so we've put out a strategy to do just that. I can't wait to share it with our G8 friends," he told reporters in Denmark.

EDIT

Despite speculation in the British media, U.S. officials said on Tuesday Bush had not softened his stance on Kyoto ahead of the meeting of G8 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. But in words viewed by other countries as conciliatory, Bush said: "I recognize that the surface of the Earth is warmer, and that an increase in greenhouse gases caused by humans is contributing to the problem."

EDIT

"We spent about over $20 billion last year on research and development on new technologies that we are willing to share with the world. There's no doubt in my mind that we'll be driving a different kind of automobile within a reasonable period of time -- one powered by hydrogen," Bush said. ( and emphasis added)

EDIT

The British director of leading environmental group Greenpeace said Bush's comments were nothing new and urged other G8 leaders to isolate him at this week's summit. "We have about a decade to sort this problem out. Bush is saying he will do what he can, but there is no firm commitment," Greenpeace's Stephen Tindale told Reuters. "It is more than disappointing. It is deeply angering."

EDIT

Sorry to get all editorial, but occasionally a story really deserves it - this is an example.

[NVMojo]

1. oh, this is revealing something to us, we must think hard!

[marmar]

2. You could fertilize all of Texas with all that bullshit...

Hey Pinocchio, nobody believes you! I'm sure the rest of the G8 needs air sickness bags.

[suneel112]

6. GWB: Our new energy source...

...is using gassifiers to convert all of the right wing Bushit you hear into a renewable source of oil.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. WHAT strategy to diversify away from

fossil fuels?

[kestrel91316]

4. What's the big hurry, Georgie?

Nothing bad is going to happen for at least 100 years, so we can keep doing what we are doing for a long time, right? RIGHT??

[Coastie for Truth]

5. The other way to look at it

is that all of the "Big Oil" players at least have their

-patent portfolios,
-research contracts (one sided with garage and academic inventors), and
-"non-competes" (with the bright young alternative and renewable energy PhD's they hired and then laid off after 2-3 years)

all tied up nice and pretty.

That way they make money off of the risk takers who actually go into alternative, renewable, and green energy. But, they don't put their own capital at risk.

That is precisely the strategy that GM followed with hybrids and ev's. They own a piece of every hybrid (and pure EV) sold anywhere in the world -- and don't lift a finger. All because of their patent law suits in the early 1990's.

[ed2004]

7. peanuts

Bush is good for "one liners" and photo ops, as he was when he recently visited the hydrogen fuelling station in DC to make an alternative energy speech.