RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And that summit is the annual meeting of leaders from seven Western nations, plus Russia. A major item on the agenda is also on our agenda this morning: different ways to fight global warming. President Bush has said he'll take a proposal to his fellow world leaders. He wants a meeting of the nations that produce the most greenhouse gases ranging from the United States to China.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: President GEORGE W. BUSH: Under my proposal, by the end of next year, America and other nations will set a long-term global goal for reducing greenhouse gases. And to meet this goal, we must help developing countries harness the power of technology.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: That's the president's proposal. Even some of his critics praised President Bush for joining the debate over what to do about climate change, but the Europeans at that meeting have been pushing for something more. They want a commitment to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases in half over 40 years. And in the U.S., Democratic representative Ed Markey sees the president's plan as a delaying tactic.</s>Representative ED MARKEY (Democrat, Massachusetts): His new plan is to discuss voluntary goals for another 18 months, guaranteeing that he will end his eight-year term with the United States' contribution to global warming pollution considerably worse than when he took office.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Again, Democratic Congressman Ed Markey.
President Bush's upcoming meeting with leading industrial nations is marked by the contentious issue of global warming. He is proposing the U.S. and other nations set a long-term goal for lowering greenhouse gases. But European leaders want a commitment that emissions of heat-trapping gases be cut in half over 40 years.