Bush has called on the world’s leading economies to ‘join’ the US in agreeing a global target to reduce CO2 emissions. The US intends to hold a series of meetings with those nations producing the most greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of setting targets by the end of 2008. Bush said the administration took climate change ‘seriously’.

An amazing U-turn by a government that has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol,  or a PR play ahead of the G8 summit next week to buy stalling time for the US? Looking at the details of the speech suggests the latter.  There are no specifics regards reduction targets or timescales for the US, and the White House has made it clear it will oppose demands for the US to cut emissions at next weeks G8 summit in Germany, and will rule out joining a carbon trading system. It seems that the US may be just adding some more hot air to its already bubbling emissions pot!