The UN Secretary General has criticised US climate policy. Kofi Annan was speaking at a University in Massachusetts. He said that action to limit climate change was the only way to ensure economic growth. He also rejected the energy policies of Mr Bush. He said that the US was the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases and, therefore, must be part of cuts agreed upon in the Kyoto protocol.
Mr Annan's comments came within days of the United States issuing its National Energy Plan, based on more oil exploration and production. Charlie Coon of the Heritage Foundation defended Mr Bush's energy policies. He said that the President was ensuring that the rest of the United States did not experience energy shortages on the scale of those in California.
