Blair Sees "Quantum Shift" In US Attitudes On Climate In Bush Speech - Sunday Herald

[hatrack]

:wtf:

GREEN ACTIVISTS missed it and critics of George W Bush failed to spot it in the president's State of the Union address last week. But yesterday Tony Blair told world political leaders and business chiefs in Davos there has been a "quantum shift" in the attitude of the United States towards climate change.

The Bush administration has been under attack for focusing on "energy security" rather than climate change in his speech to congress. However, the prime minister told the World Economic Forum in Switzerland the world was on the verge of a "major breakthrough" in halting global warming because of a change in the US attitude.

With officials from the Bush administration trying to influence the latest United Nations report on climate change and urging the report's conclusions should not support a new world-wide treaty on binding carbon emissions - the prime minister's definition of a "quantum leap" was last night questioned by Green MEP, Dr Caroline Lucas. Lucas told the Sunday Herald: "I think the prime minister's grasp on reality is failing him. The Bush administration is doing the opposite of what it should be doing on climate change. Words fail me when Tony Blair calls this a major change in attitude. This is not the reasoning of someone who is taking this seriously."

EDIT

However, the scale of Blair's praise for Bush's new-found eco-credentials will have surprised many. Blair said: "The president's State of the Union address built on his addiction to oil' speech last year and set the first US targets for a reduction in petrol consumption." Although Bush's speech was expected to hint at a U-turn on accepting scientific foundations of global warming, the president focused on the need for the US to reduce petrol consumption by 20% over the next 10 years.

EDIT/END

http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.1152861.0.0.php

Whatever, Tony . . .

[LoZoccolo]

1. He's actually right.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/quantum

[Nihil]

4. That's what sprang to my mind too! (n/t)

:toast:

[Eugene]

2. Any shift comes no thanks to Bush.

The states and private businesses have been acting for years
while the Bushies have been in denial.

Tony has told us to watch for that Bush U-turn for some time now.
Bush only mentioned global warming in passing. Was that it?
Apparently, Blair is ready to take any excuse for vindication
he can find. Sad.

[yourout]

3. They can spin it anyway they want.........Al Gore deserves most...

of the credit for the change in America's attitude on global warming.