Bush Boosts Clean Green Platform

President Bush asserted his commitment to fighting global warming today and proposed an "international clean technology fund" that would fund green initiatives in developing countries. But his attempt to address his administration's poor environmental reputation probably changed few minds, the Times reports, because of its lack of firm commitments on international emissions controls.

European delegates to the State Department-sponsored conference were quick to point out that Bush did not back off his insistence that climate change measures should be voluntary. They say any successful initiative must involve mandatory international controls toward specific emissions standards, a position the Bush administration rejects. "Smart technology does not just materialize by itself," said a UK expert. (More climate change stories.)