The world is looking ahead on the issue of climate change. Participants in an international conference in Montreal must watch their backs for attacks by the Bush administration.

A U.N. gathering in Canada this week will start looking at how to reduce emissions after the year 2012, the year the Kyoto agreements expire. Since the United States has failed to join the Kyoto rules, it has no formal voice on changes but will likely be a big factor.

Any worthwhile new agreement must be flexible and innovative, as President Bush wants, and mandatory. The administration's idea of making huge changes voluntarily flies in the face of economic good sense, political reality and international experience in reducing other forms of air pollution.

Americans are concerned about global warming. This year's devastating hurricane season and the increasingly clear scientific consensus on the threat of warming have raised public awareness. Led by Seattle's Greg Nickels, many U.S. mayors are committing their cities to lowering greenhouse-gas emissions. Washington state has joined California and Oregon in a West Coast climate initiative that follows similar Northeastern efforts.

There would be ample public support if the Bush administration were to use the Montreal conference to begin exploring more constructive ways to join in the fight against global warming. That would be positive, but surprising.

© 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

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