World Summit on Sustainable Development Department of Public Information - News and Media Services Division - New York
	Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August-4 September 2002	29 August 2002

PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED STATES CONGRESSMEN   Three United States Congressmen and the mayor of Oakland, California told correspondents this morning they were at the world summit to provide an alternative presence for their country, believing the current United States administration was not meeting its responsibilities, and one referred to the United States partnerships being announced today as "a recycled idea and recycled money." Congressmen Dennis Kucinich (Ohio), Earl Blumenaur (Oregon) and George Miller (California), as well Mayor Jerry Brown, met with journalists at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. In a brief opening statement, Mr. Kucinich called on the administration of President George Bush to reconsider its position and affirm participation with the global community to meet the challenge of global climate change. He was at the Summit to express support for the principles of sustainability being established through the setting of goals and measurable targets for compliance, as well as support for the intent of the Kyoto Protocol, in particular the reduction of carbon emissions by 5.2 per cent by 2012. More than 70 nations have signed on and " it was imperative that our nation -- which has 25 per cent of the consumption and 5 per cent of the population -- participate in this very important Protocol," he said. He also supported the call for 10 per cent renewable energy by 2010, a timetable to eliminate energy subsidies and creation of a solar energy venture fund. The United States must recognize the interdependence of all people on the globe, he said, as "we have a common heritage to preserve and a common responsibility to protect the welfare of our global habitat." Mr. Blumenaur said that under the best of circumstances, it would take a great deal of time and effort to produce progress on the Summit issues, but the process of the Summit was one of "soft policy" -- setting important directions for the next decade for all the world's nations. In that effort, the United States, as the richest nation and the biggest polluter, had a special obligation and opportunity. There was no question in his mind that the American people were ahead of their Government on these issues. They are waiting for an opportunity to respond to leadership -- and there were those in the Congress who could do that -- to deal with a regime to control carbon emission, to establish standards and to deal with the disastrous consequences of United States foreign policy. Events of the last year had underscored the need to be more engaged with the world community and there was no place better to do that than here at the Summit. Mr. Miller said he was deeply concerned that the administration was becoming something of an obstructionist in meeting the goals of sustainable development. They had made a decision to be concerned only with those things they are interested in, and not to be interested in the concerns of others. They had decided that they will handle clean water and clear air with "partnerships and projects". There was nothing new in that -- that has been done for 50 years. What was needed now was a framework of goals. All last year he had worked on education with the President and he had been insistent on the idea of measurable standards and goals. Yet, when the issue was pollution, improvement of human health or corporate accountability, all of the sudden he had no interest in timetables or standards. The idea of addressing these issues through voluntary projects and partnerships is "a recycled idea and recycled money," as well as a failure to understand the global nature of the problems, he said. At a time when it was asking the world to line up behind it on terrorism, the administration was not willing to cooperate on Summit agenda issues that to many of the world's people were matters of life and death. Mr. Brown said there were two Americas -- the America of George Bush, an America of isolation, retreating from cooperation on poverty and other issues -- and the America of cities and states who were aggressively pursuing their responsibilities. California, for example, passed a law that mandates a decrease in greenhouse gases produced by automobiles -- the first state in the nation to do so, and he believed many states would follow. "This America stands with the majority of the people of the United States and the people at the Summit" in efforts to reduce poverty, while protecting the environment, he said. Asked if they were embarrassed by the fact that President Bush was not here, Mr. Kucinich said the absence had been noted by the world community. Yet, the world community should also recognize that members of Congress were here and there were many people in the United States who wanted to make a statement on behalf of economic and social justice. "Other voices exist," he said. Mr. Brown added that the United States is represented in force by non-governmental organizations and members of Congress. In response to another question, Mr. Miller said there was no question that the American people supported the issues of the Summit. In his own state of California, an emissions law was passed with the support of the people. California led the nation in energy conservation and was the nation's economic leader. The Summit's agenda was a good agenda for the American people. The President's father had come to Rio, after some delay, because he believed in the international process. Mr. Brown added that since Rio there had been thousands of initiatives passed locally in the United States to protect the environment -- quantifiable evidence that local government was ahead of the national government. A correspondent asked if any thought had been given to possible United States legal liability if it did not join the Kyoto Protocol. Mr. Kucinich said "we are here to talk about a moral responsibility." Mr. Brown added that it would be difficult to win such a case, but, as with tobacco and torture, courts were increasingly becoming open to cases of social consequences. When other processes fail, people will increasingly turn to the courts. To another question, Mr. Brown said it was not the American people who were the problem, it was the problem of money distorting the political process. Millions of dollars were spent to stop the law on emissions in California. Despite that, it passed and that victory would be replicated across the country.   Press Conferences Summit News