President George W. Bush planned on Wednesday to call for a halt in the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, a first for a White House often accused of dragging its feet on climate change. But he was not expected to enunciate a specific plan or any mandatory steps to achieve the goal.
Bush's cautious approach appeared unlikely to appease European leaders, who want more decisive action; Democrats in Congress, who soon will consider more-ambitious targets; or environmentalists. Senior administration officials who briefed reporters before a Bush speech on the subject said the president would not support any plan that would raise taxes, curb trade or abandon coal or nuclear power.
Even before the speech, critics said Bush would not be going far enough.
"If all he does is lay out a series of goals and doesn't say how to get there and doesn't have mandatory caps on carbon to avoid the ravages of global warming, then he's part of the problem, not part of the solution," said Senator Barbara Boxer of California, chief Democratic sponsor of a climate-change bill that the White House opposes.
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