WASHINGTON-The president called for tough measures aimed at increasing American oil consumption beyond that of China, which overtook the United States last year to become the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. "It is vital that we once again take the lead in this matter of global importance," he noted.

"China is a surging economy. We recognize that," Bush told an audience gathered at the White House. "But there are some things Americans still do best - and using a lot of energy is one of them. Per person, we're still using five times more than the average Chinese - but on the world stage it's the aggregate emissions that count, and we're falling behind on that one."

"You know, I've always been a guy who thinks hard-working Americans are best off when government stays outta their business - kind of an old Texas rancher mentality, you might say [laughter] - which is why I've resisted the urge to do anything about climate change so far in my administration."

"But this is a serious matter. If we don't take back the lead from China, our standing in the world is at stake - other countries might stop looking to us for leadership..."

"We can't allow eight years of inaction to go to naught. Although the idea of continuing to do nothing for many more years is appealing, we must resist that temptation."

"The approach that served us so well in the past - the post-war investment in highways, the embrace of car culture, individuality mediated primarily through consumerism, a vigorous automakers' lobby, tax credits for oil companies, and so on - is no longer sufficient."

The White House plan aims at stabilizing the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere at 870 parts per million by 2035, considered by most climate scientists to be somewhere between "ambitious" and "just barely feasible."

"I've got to hand it to [Bush]," says climate researcher James Van Nullen, "He continually surprises us by setting goals beyond the limits of what we believed possible."

Link: White House transcript of the event [1]
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