It’s Getting Hot In Here

Although the Bush administration pledged to become a global leader in fighting climate change a few months ago, Mr. Bush is already failing to show the most basic skills (and manners) for global leadership. While most Heads of State of the world are gathering at the United Nations General Assembly this week to discuss how to combat climate change and create momentum for the upcoming meeting of the UNFCCC in Bali, Mr. Bush has decided not to attend. How does he plan to exercise global leadership when he refuses to engage in dialogue? That’s not clear to me. Refusing the invitation of the UN Secretary General is a sign of unwillingness to engage in constructive dialogue – but that’s not new to the administration. Instead, Mr. Bush has called 16 countries to a private meeting in Washington, DC to discuss his agenda on global warming. In order words, he has hand picked countries to come to the table, and said that the only way he will talk about global warming is if he sets the rules.

But to make things even worse, the little action on fighting climate change that Mr. Bush has available to is flawed. Last week, a report was published stressing the weaknesses and limited impact of the US Climate Change Science Program, particularly on informing decision-making (really? uninformed decision-making in the US?…nahhh). So, an uninformed president will try to show the 16 nations attending the private meeting how to solve the climate crisis. Perhaps it’s best to just let Mr. Bush play leader alone, and try to get the rest of the US to set the stage for real leadership in 2009. Hopefully, this ‘global leadership’ will not get on the way of the good spirit and willingness to speak of future action for stable climate uniting Heads of State in New York. The Heads of State gathered in New York should know that, regardless of what the Administration says, the emperor has no clothes.