Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, April 16, 1990 TAG: 9004160334
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A/4 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The White House's cautious approach in developing responses to global warming is expected to unleash renewed criticism from some European countries that the United States is failing to provide leadership in dealing with the so-called "greenhouse" effect.
The Bush administration has maintained that while there is widespread agreement that man-made pollutants are causing the earth to become warmer, there remain too many unanswered questions to warrant pollution controls that could have widespread economic implications.
The president is hosting a White House conference on the greenhouse effect on Tuesday, just days before next Sunday's Earth Day observance. During his 1988 campaign, Bush said such a conference was a top priority and would be held in his first year as president.
Senior advisers on economics, science and the environment from 17 nations plan to attend, making it the first gathering on the subject with government officials representing such a broad spectrum of interest.
Senior Bush advisers said they hoped the conference would for the first time give equal weight to economic as well as environmental issues related to global warming.
"We hope it will raise the level of debate . . . on the science and economics of global change," said Michael Boskin, chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, who will be one of the three conference co-chairmen.
Administration officials cautioned in briefings with reporters that the gathering is not intended to produce any blueprint for dealing with global warming. Instead, the officials said the administration will emphasize the need for further scientific studies and incorporating the economic issues involved.
Last week, the president's chief science adviser, Allen Bromley, criticized those who advocate "slam-dunk solutions" to global warming. He said too many scientific and economic uncertainties remain to map out specific measures.
"We cannot sail blindly into the future," he declared. Bromley will serve as a conference co-chairman along with Boskin and Michael Deland, chairman of the president's Council on Environmental Quality.
But even before many conference delegates arrived, officials from several European countries complained about the Bush administration's emphasis on further research and its refusal to discuss specific action plans to deal with the greenhouse issue.
"Some delegates will advocate more than just research," said an official from one European country, asking that he not be identified further. "We want to stress that research should not be a substitute for action."
Some of the Europeans plan "to push the Americans pretty hard," said another European, also speaking anonymously.
A number of European countries have called for the industrial nations to commit themselves to a stabilization of carbon dioxide emissions by the year 2000.
Carbon dioxide, primarily from the burning of fossil fuels, accounts for more than half the "greenhouse" pollutants. Such curbs would require significant increases in energy efficiency or cuts in energy use.
William Reilly, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said Sunday the president is committed to an international treaty on global warming, but he too cautioned that more scientific evidence is needed.
by CNB