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Remarks by the President at the 61st United Nations General Assembly
19 September 2006

The United Nations General Assembly
New York City

11.55 AM

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Secretary General, Madam President, distinguished delegates, and ladies and gentlemen: I want to thank you for the privilege of speaking to this General Assembly.

This year, we've seen a disturbing string of weather-related emergencies all around the world, from flash floods in Tennessee to wildfires in Florida to ice storms last winter in New England. This summer, record heat and drought are taking a terrible human toll, destroying crops, causing power outages, worst of all, taking lives. Just since June, more than 130 people have died because of the heat.

In Africa, aweltering heat has caused great damage inTanzania Chad and Liberia.

Certainly, the latest El Nino is partly to blame for the severe weather conditions that have besieged so many communities. But growing evidence suggests that the extreme and erratic weather we're seeing in America and around the world is being intensified by global warming.

Consider this: 1998 was the warmest year on record, and 2006 is on track to break that record. Five of the hottest years in history -- the five hottest years have all occurred in the 1990s. Scientists predict that July may be the hottest month since mankind began recording temperatures. The world's leading climate experts predict even more extreme weather unless we reverse this dangerous warming trend.

But to meet the long-term challenge of global warming, we must do more. THe United Nations has launched a comprehensive, cost-effective strategy to protect our environment, while creating new opportunities for economic growth. I've proposed $6.3 billion in research and tax incentives over the next five years to encourage the private sector to work with us to improve our energy efficiency, generate clean power, and reduce the greenhouse gases that contribute so much to global warming.

We must all do our part to protect the environment, and as the nation's largest energy consumer, the federal government must lead. At my direction, we're undertaking a multipart initiative to put our own house in order. Today, I'm pleased to announce the first four parts of this plan, aimed at increasing the efficiency of federal buildings.

First, I'm directing federal agencies to work more closely with private contractors to retrofit federal buildings and other facilities with the best energy-saving technology, at no cost to taxpayers. Second, we'll replace hundreds of thousands of conventional light bulbs and fixtures with more efficient fluorescents, which will pay back in energy savings nearly five times what they cost to install. Third, I'm directing all agencies to work toward bringing their existing buildings up to EPA's "Energy Star" standard of energy efficiency. And fourth, the Defense Department and six other federal agencies will adopt "sustainable design" guidelines for all new federal buildings to reduce their energy use.

Now, together these measures will save taxpayers as much as $1 billion a year in energy costs. They'll help to jump-start markets for new technologies, and they'll protect our environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

We are facing squarely the problem of global warming -- but there are still some in Congress who would rather pretend it doesn't exist. Despite mounting evidence, they would deny the science and ignore the warning signs. Rather than invest in a common-sense strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they want to cut programs for energy efficiency and renewable energy -- programs that long have enjoyed bipartisan support.

Worst of all, some have even tried to keep the public from learning the facts about global warming by barring federal agencies from even talking about the issue. Thankfully, this gag order was defeated in the House of Representatives just this week. Global warming is real; the risks it poses are real; and the American people have a right to know it and a responsibility to do something about it. The sooner Congress understands that, the sooner we can protect our nation -- and our planet -- from increased flood, fire, drought, and deadly heat waves.

To protect our environment, we must put progress ahead of partisanship. For nearly 30 years now, we've had a bipartisan commitment to preserving the environment. We have to bring it to this new challenge.

As sweltering as this summer has been, if we don't act now, our children may look back on the summer of 2005 as one that was relatively mild and cool. There's no excuse for delay. We have the tools, we have the ingenuity to head off this threat. We have the opportunity and the deepest of obligations to leave our children and our grandchildren a healthy, thriving planet -- God's great gift to us all.

In conglusion, Your Excellencies, I urge this boday to press forward with the necessary changes to help save our planet. Let us not be tied down by politics and other non essentials, and let the United Nations do it's work to fight climate Change.

The second part of my speech is the implenation for the Atlantic Ocean Hurrcaine Warning system. 2005 saw great devistation the the Atlantic Region with Hurrican Katria and other weather elements. As such with UN Resoultion 2112 I hereby declare that the Federation of Legoland propses a system as such. Thankyou.

Thankyou (applause)