Wendy Barth, the 2nd District Green Party candidate for Congress took the time to answer five good questions about the environment and a sustainable energy policy. Dave Loebsack, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Brian White...Heeeeelllllooo?
Take a look at what Barth has to say and then ask the others to answer the questions--as bad as the economy is, imagine the economy if we don't do something about global warming and a coherent energy policy that reduces our dependency on the 70% of foreign oil that comes from folks we seem to like to fight with (or at the very least, don't invite to the Rose Garden).
CandidAnswers 2008
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Showing posts with label Environmental Policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environmental Policy. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 8
Monday, June 9
Iowa, A Good Place to Groan
Mike Carberry is a friend, neighbor, and fighter for a better environment, as well as other progressive causes.
Mike Carberry of Iowa City is director of Green State Solutions, which provides environmental and energy consulting services.
The state slogan of Iowa was changed in 1999 to "Fields of Opportunities." When I was growing up in a small Iowa farm town, the slogan was "A Place to Grow."
Both slogans have business, agricultural and educational components to their meaning. Iowa is known worldwide for its agri-business and education systems. Both of these are well-earned, and all Iowans should be proud of them.
But in the past few years, I have seen a darker meaning in our state's slogan. Exactly whom is the opportunity for? For the citizens of Iowa or for corporate polluters? Iowa has become a state that allows large corporations and factory farms to pollute our land, water and air with virtually no repercussions.
Last year, Gov. Chet Culver signed into law the Generation Iowa bill. The stated purpose of this law was to stop and possibly reverse the state's brain drain. Far too many college graduates leave the state. They leave to find good jobs, exciting places to live and a clean, healthy environment for recreation and raising a family.
Iowa has done a good job of creating good jobs, especially in renewable energy. It has also done a good job of creating an exciting place to live through its Vision Iowa and Community Attraction programs. Where Iowa has dropped the ball is in protecting the environment. Without that, Iowa won't be "A Place to Grow"; it will remain "A Place to Leave." Without better leadership from the Statehouse, the Generation Iowa program will be doomed to failure.
Iowa has the worst water quality in the country. Agricultural and industrial runoff infests our natural waters. Pesticides, herbicides, nitrogen, fertilizer and mercury make the water virtually unusable for recreational purposes that require the participant to get into the water. Because of mercury contamination, our fish shouldn't be eaten. Because our wastewater-treatment plants are substandard, we routinely read about sewage bypasses.
The Iowa Utilities Board just approved a coal-fired power plant in Marshalltown. This is a wrong-headed decision when we should be concentrating on energy efficiency, renewable energy and public transportation. States all around Iowa are denying permits for new coal plants, which contribute greatly to global warming and endanger public health. Why can't we stop using last century's dirty energy? We need to put a moratorium on all new coal plants and to start shutting down some of the old ones, which emit the most greenhouse gasses.
Concentrated animal-feeding operations, or CAFOs, are destroying the rural way of life. They threaten health by their odors, the particulate matter they put into the air and the manure spills that pollute land and water. But what do we get from our legislative leadership? A $23 million, taxpayer-financed bill to study hog odor. This will forestall any real solutions to this problem for five years until study results are completed. Here's a news flash: Manure smells like manure. It is not the smell of money. We need a moratorium on factory farms, and we need to support family farms before they become extinct.
As an Eagle Scout and the son of a large-animal veterinarian, I was always taught about stewardship and protecting this beautiful land. Elected leaders need to stop listening to large corporate interests that fund their election campaigns and start listening to the people of Iowa.
I want the opportunity to raise a family in a safe, clean environment in Iowa, not a neighboring state. I love this state, and I want our leadership to prove that they do as well. I want Iowa to be a field of opportunity for all.
Mike Carberry of Iowa City is director of Green State Solutions, which provides environmental and energy consulting services.
The state slogan of Iowa was changed in 1999 to "Fields of Opportunities." When I was growing up in a small Iowa farm town, the slogan was "A Place to Grow."
Both slogans have business, agricultural and educational components to their meaning. Iowa is known worldwide for its agri-business and education systems. Both of these are well-earned, and all Iowans should be proud of them.
But in the past few years, I have seen a darker meaning in our state's slogan. Exactly whom is the opportunity for? For the citizens of Iowa or for corporate polluters? Iowa has become a state that allows large corporations and factory farms to pollute our land, water and air with virtually no repercussions.
Last year, Gov. Chet Culver signed into law the Generation Iowa bill. The stated purpose of this law was to stop and possibly reverse the state's brain drain. Far too many college graduates leave the state. They leave to find good jobs, exciting places to live and a clean, healthy environment for recreation and raising a family.
Iowa has done a good job of creating good jobs, especially in renewable energy. It has also done a good job of creating an exciting place to live through its Vision Iowa and Community Attraction programs. Where Iowa has dropped the ball is in protecting the environment. Without that, Iowa won't be "A Place to Grow"; it will remain "A Place to Leave." Without better leadership from the Statehouse, the Generation Iowa program will be doomed to failure.
Iowa has the worst water quality in the country. Agricultural and industrial runoff infests our natural waters. Pesticides, herbicides, nitrogen, fertilizer and mercury make the water virtually unusable for recreational purposes that require the participant to get into the water. Because of mercury contamination, our fish shouldn't be eaten. Because our wastewater-treatment plants are substandard, we routinely read about sewage bypasses.
The Iowa Utilities Board just approved a coal-fired power plant in Marshalltown. This is a wrong-headed decision when we should be concentrating on energy efficiency, renewable energy and public transportation. States all around Iowa are denying permits for new coal plants, which contribute greatly to global warming and endanger public health. Why can't we stop using last century's dirty energy? We need to put a moratorium on all new coal plants and to start shutting down some of the old ones, which emit the most greenhouse gasses.
Concentrated animal-feeding operations, or CAFOs, are destroying the rural way of life. They threaten health by their odors, the particulate matter they put into the air and the manure spills that pollute land and water. But what do we get from our legislative leadership? A $23 million, taxpayer-financed bill to study hog odor. This will forestall any real solutions to this problem for five years until study results are completed. Here's a news flash: Manure smells like manure. It is not the smell of money. We need a moratorium on factory farms, and we need to support family farms before they become extinct.
As an Eagle Scout and the son of a large-animal veterinarian, I was always taught about stewardship and protecting this beautiful land. Elected leaders need to stop listening to large corporate interests that fund their election campaigns and start listening to the people of Iowa.
I want the opportunity to raise a family in a safe, clean environment in Iowa, not a neighboring state. I love this state, and I want our leadership to prove that they do as well. I want Iowa to be a field of opportunity for all.
Sunday, April 13
Iowa House and Senate Pass E-Bill
Despite being voted against by our two area Representatives (Mary Mascher and Vicki Lensing), the Iowa House has followed the lead of the Senate and approved a proposed constitutional amendment to dedicate a portion of future sales tax increases to the environment.
If the constitutional amendment is approved, the Legislature could create a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund those efforts. The tax would go to such efforts as protecting natural areas of the state, cleaning up Iowa waterways and funding parks, trails, fish and wildlife habitats and soil conservation.
A special commission studying ways to secure reliable funding for natural resources came up with the plan, which would generate an estimated $150 million each year.
If the constitutional amendment is approved, the Legislature could create a 3/8-cent sales tax to fund those efforts. The tax would go to such efforts as protecting natural areas of the state, cleaning up Iowa waterways and funding parks, trails, fish and wildlife habitats and soil conservation.
A special commission studying ways to secure reliable funding for natural resources came up with the plan, which would generate an estimated $150 million each year.
Friday, February 22
Culver Calls for Green Government
From the Sioux City Journal
How about promoting mass transit and bikes too?
Gov. Chet Culver Thursday issued an executive order which requires and promotes energy-saving practices in state government buildings.
"I believe state government can and must be a model for greening Iowa's homes, schools and businesses," Culver said.
Culver will tap Office of Energy Independence Director Roya Stanley to oversee the Green Government Steering Committee, which will organize the eco-friendly initiatives.The new committee will offer modifications for existing state offices to make them more green, while ensuring all future state government structures meet efficiency standards, Culver said.
Members of the committee also will audit state buildings and offices for energy efficiency to establish baselines. Green thinking will be applied to many aspects of state government, from cleaning supplies to lighting systems, Culver said. State employees also will be encouraged to reduce their fuel consumption by promoting carpooling and the use of biofuels, Culver said.
"We need to get in the habit of applying best practices to our daily routines," Culver said.
How about promoting mass transit and bikes too?
Thursday, February 21
How Green Is Your Cubicle?
Reuters reports that workers are unlikely to bring their green attitude to work with them, even though energy conservation is likely to have a large influence on reducing greenhouse gases particularly carbon dioxide for the future.
According to Reuters,
According to Reuters,
A poll by Harris Interactive found that 93 percent of employed respondents conserve energy by turning off lights, computers or the television when leaving home for the day but only 50 percent do the same when leaving work.
The top reasons cited to "turn-off" at home were to save money - 85 percent - and to help the environment - 53 percent.
But while the same reasons apply at work, the percentages were significantly lower with only 36 percent turning off to conserve money and 30 percent to conserve energy -- even though 87 percent of employees say it is at least "somewhat important" that their employer offer green-friendly programs at work.
Tuesday, February 5
An Endangered River Runs Through Us
One of the many cool things about living in Iowa City are the excellent opportunities that present themselves. Cory Sanderson who works with English professor Barbara Eckstein, sent this golden opportunity to learn more about the river that runs through our fair city (and cheap date). If you can make it, it sounds like an excellent (and free) educational event.
There will be a guided bus and walking tour that leaves from the south foyer of the UI Main Library at 3 on Friday February 8th. It includes stops at the IIHR Columbia River model dams, the Coralville Dam where the Corps of Engineers will give a tour, Johnson County creeks and a Lake Macbride beach where water quality is being tested, the Iowa River construction project and species relocation at Iowa Avenue, and an Iowa River photographic exhibit and reception in the second floor, north room of the UI Main Library. A box supper will be provided. At 7, Jacques Leslie, author of Deep Water: The Epic Struggle over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment, will read and lecture at the Iowa City Water Treatment Plant on Dubuque Street north of I-80. The bus returns to the south entrance of the Main Library by 8 to 8:30 pm.
Sponsored by The University of Iowa Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Perry A. and Helen Judy Bond Fund for Interdisciplinary Interaction, the Departments of English, History, and American Studies. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Cory Sanderson, in advance, at 319-353-1021 to register.
There will be a guided bus and walking tour that leaves from the south foyer of the UI Main Library at 3 on Friday February 8th. It includes stops at the IIHR Columbia River model dams, the Coralville Dam where the Corps of Engineers will give a tour, Johnson County creeks and a Lake Macbride beach where water quality is being tested, the Iowa River construction project and species relocation at Iowa Avenue, and an Iowa River photographic exhibit and reception in the second floor, north room of the UI Main Library. A box supper will be provided. At 7, Jacques Leslie, author of Deep Water: The Epic Struggle over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment, will read and lecture at the Iowa City Water Treatment Plant on Dubuque Street north of I-80. The bus returns to the south entrance of the Main Library by 8 to 8:30 pm.
Sponsored by The University of Iowa Office of the Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Perry A. and Helen Judy Bond Fund for Interdisciplinary Interaction, the Departments of English, History, and American Studies. If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Cory Sanderson, in advance, at 319-353-1021 to register.
Monday, January 28
Hot Air in Hawaii
The US will be hosting a funfilled two day meeting of the world's largest polluters to develop a pact the US government can live with.
From Reuters
From Reuters
The world's biggest greenhouse gas-polluting countries are sending delegates to Hawaii this week for a U.S.-hosted meeting aimed at curbing climate change without stalling economic growth.
The two-day gathering, which starts on Wednesday in Honolulu, is meant to spur U.N. negotiations for an international climate agreement by 2009, so a pact will be ready when the current carbon-capping Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.
The Bush administration rejects the Kyoto plan, saying it unfairly exempts developing countries from cutting back on emissions, and could cost U.S. jobs. Instead, Washington favors voluntary measures and "aspirational goals" to limit climate change, aided by easier transfer of environmental technology.
In addition to the United States, by many counts the biggest emitter of climate-warming carbon dioxide, the conference is expecting representatives from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
The United Nations and the European Union will also be represented.
Sunday, October 28
New UN Report Card: Humanity Gets an "F"
Whatever we think the most important issues will be for the 2008 election, we are delusional if we don't consider the impacts of humanity on our environment. From Spiegel online:
Dangerously declining amounts of drinking water, over-fished lakes and seas, a warming planet, plus a rising population: A large-scale report by the UN says the world is living beyond its environmental means.
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) released its first environmental report card in 20 years on Thursday, and the grades are jarring: Despite some praise for certain treaties and reductions, the report blasts the world community for "woefully inadequate" measures and "a remarkable lack of urgency."
In particular, the 550-page report entitled "Global Environment Outlook" (GEO-4) warned that climate change, species extinction, dwindling fresh water supplies and other threats will drastically -- and irreversibly -- alter life on Earth, if global action is not taken.The program's Executive Director Achim Steiner praised some government and NGO action so far as "courageous and inspiring." But he also said most nations had failed to "recognize the magnitude of the challenges facing the people and the environment of the planet."
He summarized the report by saying the world had seen a rise in demand for natural resources over the past twenty years -- coupled with a dramatic loss of them. "That equation cannot hold for much longer," he said. "Indeed, in parts of the world it is no longer holding."
A Tipping Point in Awareness?
The report took five years and 388 scientists to produce and comes 20 years after the last report in 1987. Since then -- on the positive side -- international response to the production of ozone-depleting chemicals has lowered production of those chemicals by 95 percent. Some emissions treaties and carbon trading and offset schemes were also cited by the report as solid steps forward over the last 20 years.
But the report also warns that such efforts have been grossly insufficient, and that countries must make major cuts in emissions by 2050, or the impact will be severe and most likely irreversible. Major cuts here means between 60 and 80 percent, compared to 1990 levels. MORE
Friday, October 19
Edwards: Stop Building and Get Tough on Hog Lots
The Des Moines Register reports
Presidential candidate John Edwards stepped into a raging rural controversy this week as he toured the western Iowa countryside.
The former North Carolina senator told audiences that he would push for a national moratorium on building or expanding livestock confinement facilities. He also said he would push for tougher federal environmental regulations and for rigorous enforcement of current manure disposal laws.
He mostly was talking about hog confinement operations, which have pitted neighbors against each other in many rural Iowa areas. Operators say well-run facilities are a safe, efficient way to raise hogs and compete on the world market. But many neighbors say the facilities stink up the air and foul the water, devastate their property values, and drive small farmers out of business.
Some other presidential candidates have talked about the controversy, but a leading hog confinement critic said Edwards is the only one she's heard propose a national moratorium.
In an interview, Edwards said his interest in the issue stems from experiences in his home state, where hog confinements first proliferated.
"There are parts of North Carolina where if you drove through them, the smell was overwhelming," he said. "And we've had huge problems with the water and water supply because of it."
North Carolina passed a moratorium on confinement construction about 10 years ago, and its main rules remain in effect. The nation should do the same, Edwards said.
His proposal would affect confinement operations with more than about 2,500 hogs. Officials said Iowa has more than 1,000 such facilities.
Presidential candidate John Edwards stepped into a raging rural controversy this week as he toured the western Iowa countryside.
The former North Carolina senator told audiences that he would push for a national moratorium on building or expanding livestock confinement facilities. He also said he would push for tougher federal environmental regulations and for rigorous enforcement of current manure disposal laws.
He mostly was talking about hog confinement operations, which have pitted neighbors against each other in many rural Iowa areas. Operators say well-run facilities are a safe, efficient way to raise hogs and compete on the world market. But many neighbors say the facilities stink up the air and foul the water, devastate their property values, and drive small farmers out of business.
Some other presidential candidates have talked about the controversy, but a leading hog confinement critic said Edwards is the only one she's heard propose a national moratorium.
In an interview, Edwards said his interest in the issue stems from experiences in his home state, where hog confinements first proliferated.
"There are parts of North Carolina where if you drove through them, the smell was overwhelming," he said. "And we've had huge problems with the water and water supply because of it."
North Carolina passed a moratorium on confinement construction about 10 years ago, and its main rules remain in effect. The nation should do the same, Edwards said.
His proposal would affect confinement operations with more than about 2,500 hogs. Officials said Iowa has more than 1,000 such facilities.
Monday, October 15
Edwards Snags Environmental Group's Endorsement
John Edwards won the backing of Friends of the Earth Action, the San Francisco-based political arm of Friends of the Earth.
In endorsing Edwards, the president of Friends of the Earth Action, Brent Blackwelder, said he was particularly impressed by how early in the campaign Edwards laid out proposals to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, push for a global climate change treaty and create 1 million new jobs by investing in clean, renewable energy.
Edwards has pushed other candidates to either match or improve upon his ideas, said Blackwelder, who announced the endorsement with Edwards at a house party in Dover.
"That leadership right away suggested to us that he had a distinguishing feature," Blackwelder said.
At a house party in Dover, Edwards said he would make fighting climate change a central part of his environmental agenda.
"It is a crisis by any possible measure," he said. The 2004 vice-presidential nominee also praised former Vice President Al Gore, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for his work on global warming.
"It's not as hard today to be an advocate on this issue because of his leadership," Edwards said of Gore.
Friends of the Earth Action also noted that unlike rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Edwards opposes building new nuclear power plants. The final factor was Edwards' courage to stand up to corporate lobbyists and special interests that have driven environmental policy in the Bush administration, he said.
In endorsing Edwards, the president of Friends of the Earth Action, Brent Blackwelder, said he was particularly impressed by how early in the campaign Edwards laid out proposals to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050, push for a global climate change treaty and create 1 million new jobs by investing in clean, renewable energy.
Edwards has pushed other candidates to either match or improve upon his ideas, said Blackwelder, who announced the endorsement with Edwards at a house party in Dover.
"That leadership right away suggested to us that he had a distinguishing feature," Blackwelder said.
At a house party in Dover, Edwards said he would make fighting climate change a central part of his environmental agenda.
"It is a crisis by any possible measure," he said. The 2004 vice-presidential nominee also praised former Vice President Al Gore, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last week for his work on global warming.
"It's not as hard today to be an advocate on this issue because of his leadership," Edwards said of Gore.
Friends of the Earth Action also noted that unlike rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Edwards opposes building new nuclear power plants. The final factor was Edwards' courage to stand up to corporate lobbyists and special interests that have driven environmental policy in the Bush administration, he said.
Thursday, September 6
RFK JR in Iowa City Next Week
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday, Sept. 12 at 7:30 p.m. (arrive early, seating often is limited) in the Iowa Memorial Union Main Lounge. Free and open to the public. Kennedy's speech "Our Environmental Destiny," is the centerpiece of a month of environmentally focused programming on the UI campus and in the Iowa City community. Kennedy, an environmental attorney and president of Waterkeeper Alliance, has defended several of the environmental causes by initiating a series of successful legal actions. He is the author of the bestseller "Crimes Against Nature," published in 2004. |
Monday, August 27
North Liberty Sewage Everyone's Concern
From the Daily Iowan
An undisclosed amount of sewage bypassed the North Liberty treatment plant on the morning of Aug. 25 and entered the Iowa River, said Josh Sobaski, an environmental specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The news came from North Liberty wastewater-superintendent Dave Ramsey, who reported the discharge occurred at 9:17 a.m. Aug. 25, Sobaski said, adding that he had not received any indication that the spill had been stopped as of 5 p.m. Sunday.
North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm said he was also unaware of whether the discharge had been stopped as of 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Alan Foster, a Natural Resources information specialist, attributed the spill to the heavy rain in the area, though Sobaski said that North Liberty is known "to have had challenges with bypass issues in the past."
"[Bypasses] are a necessary evil," Foster said.
Though bypassing sewage into the water supply is not a desirable option, it beats the alternative of having sewage backups in the basements of North Liberty homes, he said.
Foster said even the best sewage-treatment plants must allow bypasses when rainfall gets especially heavy, although they are expected to have a plan in place to minimize the ill effects of the release.
Sobaski said the sewage was somewhat diluted, though he did not say to what extent the discharge had been sanitized.
Salm said that the sewage was probably diluted more than halfway before it spilled into the river, although he couldn't give an exact percentage. The treatment facility has been operating at 120 percent capacity over the last several weeks, he said.
Ralph Wilmoth, the director of the Johnson County Public Health Department, said the presence of sewage in drinking water supply increases potential for "fecal oral route transmission diseases," including salmonella and E. coli.
An undisclosed amount of sewage bypassed the North Liberty treatment plant on the morning of Aug. 25 and entered the Iowa River, said Josh Sobaski, an environmental specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The news came from North Liberty wastewater-superintendent Dave Ramsey, who reported the discharge occurred at 9:17 a.m. Aug. 25, Sobaski said, adding that he had not received any indication that the spill had been stopped as of 5 p.m. Sunday.
North Liberty Mayor Tom Salm said he was also unaware of whether the discharge had been stopped as of 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Alan Foster, a Natural Resources information specialist, attributed the spill to the heavy rain in the area, though Sobaski said that North Liberty is known "to have had challenges with bypass issues in the past."
"[Bypasses] are a necessary evil," Foster said.
Though bypassing sewage into the water supply is not a desirable option, it beats the alternative of having sewage backups in the basements of North Liberty homes, he said.
Foster said even the best sewage-treatment plants must allow bypasses when rainfall gets especially heavy, although they are expected to have a plan in place to minimize the ill effects of the release.
Sobaski said the sewage was somewhat diluted, though he did not say to what extent the discharge had been sanitized.
Salm said that the sewage was probably diluted more than halfway before it spilled into the river, although he couldn't give an exact percentage. The treatment facility has been operating at 120 percent capacity over the last several weeks, he said.
Ralph Wilmoth, the director of the Johnson County Public Health Department, said the presence of sewage in drinking water supply increases potential for "fecal oral route transmission diseases," including salmonella and E. coli.
Sunday, May 13
US Not Warming to G8 Proposal for Environmental Protection Direction
From the BBC
The US is trying to block sections of a draft agreement on climate change prepared for next month's G8 summit, according to documents seen by the BBC. Japanese news organisations recently reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government was also planning to push fellow G8 members for tough targets.
Washington objects to the draft's targets to keep the global temperature rise below 2C this century and halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The draft, prepared by the German G8 presidency, said action was imperative.
With UN talks struggling to extend the current Kyoto targets, the G8 summit is seen as a vital way to regain momentum.
Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel has made climate a priority for the organisation, with backing from other leaders including Tony Blair.
The US administration has made no official comment concerning the G8 draft.
But the US's proposed revisions, obtained by BBC News, mark a fundamentally different stance.
A clause saying "climate change is speeding up and will seriously damage our common natural environment and severely weaken (the) global economy... resolute action is urgently needed in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions" is struck out.
So are a statement that "we are deeply concerned about the latest findings confirmed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)", and a commitment to send a "clear message" on international efforts to combat global warming at the next round of UN climate talks in December.
US negotiators also want to remove from the draft firm targets for improving energy efficiency in buildings and transport, and a call for the establishment of a global carbon market.
Many observers believe that such a market can only be effective if there are binding caps on emissions.
Different directions
The European Union, which includes half of the G8 members, has already adopted commitments to aim for a global temperature rise of less than 2C, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from 1990 levels by 2020.
President Bush's administration has long championed voluntary agreements as an alternative to global pacts such as the Kyoto Protocol which seek binding emissions caps.
The US is a key player in the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, a six-nation pact which promises greenhouse gas mitigation without targets.
"I think the real objective (of the US negotiators) is not just to keep the lid on and have nothing happen while President Bush is in office, but they are trying to lay landmines under a post-Kyoto agreement after they leave office," commented Philip Clapp, president of the Washington-based National Environmental Trust, who has seen the US's proposed amendments.
"It lies in the hands of Prime Minister Blair and Chancellor Merkel, whether it's all sweetness and light or whether they are prepared to stand up and say 'I'm sorry, but the rest of the world is moving in a different direction from you'," he said.
Preparations for the 2005 G8 summit in the Scottish resort of Gleneagles also began with a climate change draft which grew weaker as discussions continued.
Leaders decided then to agree a weak document rather than leave with no agreement at all.
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