Bush vows to tackle global warming

America must do more to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and combat global warming, President George W Bush will say in the State of the Union address early tomorrow.
Though he will stop short of calling for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, his speech is a watershed for an administration that has been sceptical about climate change. The annual speech assumes greater importance than some of Mr Bush's previous addresses since he has few remaining opportunities to set the national agenda before he becomes a lame duck president.
Though he will not leave office until January 2009, next year - including his last State of the Union address - will be eclipsed by the battle to find his successor.
Although Mr Bush will talk about Iraq, repeating his determination to put down the insurgency, for once his domestic policy proposals are more keenly awaited than his foreign policy vision.
"I'm going to talk about a bold initiative that really encourages America to become less dependent on oil," Mr Bush said in an interview with USA Today.
Mr Bush is expected to call for higher fuel-economy standards for new cars as well as for greater investment in alternative and renewable fuel supplies, such as ethanol-based alternatives to petrol.
White House aides previewing the speech also suggested that the president will urge Congress to pass measures that would reduce emissions from power stations. "The new technologies I'll be outlining will help us deal with the issue of 'greenhouse gases'," he said.
Though environmental campaigners have pressed the president to commit to a specific target for emissions reduction, Mr Bush maintains that "the way to solve the problem is to promote new technology".
The Bush administration believes that market forces will prove more efficient than government regulation.
The White House spokesman, Tony Snow, said: "Carrots work better than sticks."
Mr Bush is responding to Democratic pledges that Congress will act on global warming issues even if the White House does not make the matter a priority.
The Department of Energy's £600 million annual budget for renewable fuel and efficiency programmes has not increased in real terms since Mr Bush took office.
"The science of global warming and its impact is overwhelming," said Nancy Pelosi, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. "We want to work with President Bush. But we cannot afford to wait."
The administration has opened new areas of US territory to oil exploration, granting new licenses for oil prospecting in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska to increase domestic oil production. But imports still account for 60 per cent of US oil consumption - up from 53 per cent at the start of Mr Bush's presidency.
According to a new poll released by ABC News, 65 per cent of Americans disapprove of Mr Bush's performance - a figure second only to Richard Nixon among presidents since the Second World War.