In a move clearly designed to dampen criticism, Mr Bush will propose an effort to study global warming and bolster coordination among research institutions throughout the world. He will also call for a separate initiative that would fund research for the development of new technologies to cut greenhouse gases. But the Bush administration remains firmly opposed to the more rigorous Kyoto approach that required industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gases by specified amounts. Even before Mr Bush unveiled his initiatives, there was renewed criticism of his approach. The Environmental Defense Fund, the American environmental pressure group, said any proposal without mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions would be inadequate.
Scientists attribute global warming to heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
The gases result in part from human activities, such as burning fossil fuels. A report by the prestigious National Academy of Sciences presented to the White House last week concluded that the earth's temperature is rising, mainly because of human activities, and said dire climate changes could occur this century. In announcing his global warming plans, Mr Bush rejected a stronger approach advocated by several cabinet members, including secretary of state, Colin Powell, and his top environmental adviser, Christine Whitman. They urged the administration to consult US companies on a mandatory reduction effort. That in turn, Mr Cheney argued, would expose the country to power shortages that have dogged California.