Global Warming in the Spotlight at G-8 Summit

<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., June 6, 2007—This week, leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations meet in Germany to discuss a wide range of international development issues, with a particular focus on global warming.

Several nations, including Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, have announced their hopes of bringing U.S. climate policy closer to that of the European Union. The Competitive Enterprise Institute urges the President and his advisors to resist this pressure and reject the limits on energy use embodied in international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol.

“Despite continuous diplomatic and activist pressure, the United States has maintained a principled and sensible position on global warming policy,” said Competitive Enterprise Institute Director of Global Warming Policy Myron Ebell. “U.S. negotiators have opposed mandatory greenhouse gas limits which would ration energy and cripple economic growth and encouraged the development of new energy technologies. We look forward to the President continuing to advance that message.”

The White House has previously withstood furious diplomatic lobbying from fellow G-8 members, notably in 2005 at the summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. Despite pressure from summit host Tony Blair, the U.S. maintained its position that energy poverty is not an answer to any of the world’s problems, and that economic growth and technological adaptation are humanity’s best strategy for dealing with any environmental challenges.

CEI is a non-profit, non-partisan public policy group dedicated to the principles of free enterprise and limited government.