George Bush was castigated by European diplomats and found himself isolated yesterday after a special conference on climate change ended without any progress. European ministers, diplomats and officials attending the Washington conference were scathing, particularly in private, over Mr Bush’s failure once again to commit to binding action on climate change. A senior European diplomat attending the conference, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the meeting confirmed European suspicions that it had been intended by Mr Bush as a spoiler for a major UN conference on climate change in Bali in December. In contrast with the early years of his presidency when he expressed scepticism about climate change and whether humans were responsible, Mr Bush acknowledged yesterday “energy security and climate change are two of the great challenges of our time. The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, yesterday defended President George Bush’s climate change conference in Washington against accusations that it was a spoiler intended to undermine UN efforts to secure a global compromise. read more

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