Lawmakers From 20 Countries Meet With Senate Panel, Press For Climate Action - IHT

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WASHINGTON: A panel of U.S. senators told lawmakers from about 20 countries meeting to discuss global warming Wednesday that political pressure is building in Washington to commit to mandatory cuts in carbon emissions, despite opposition from President George W. Bush.

German Chancellor Merkel, who addressed the forum by video, said that she has also sensed a political shift in Washington. She cited recent proposals from Bush on global warming that have stopped short of embracing mandatory carbon caps.

"Here in Washington you can help make sure that the new thinking is followed by decisive action," Merkel said.

Bush's energy proposals, made in his State of the Union address last month, include ramping up the production of alternative fuels such as ethanol made from new, non-corn feedstocks. Many Europeans would like the United States to agree to caps on carbon emissions such as those dictated by the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Bush rejected the pact, under which 35 other industrial nations agreed to cut their global-warming gases by 5 percent on average below 1990 levels by 2012.

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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/14/america/NA-GEN-US-Global-Warming.php