Bush to urge halting CO2 emission growth by 2025

U.S. President George W. Bush plans on Wednesday to call for halting the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, an administration official said, but he will offer few ideas on how to do so before his term ends early next year.

"He'll set a national economy wide goal of stopping the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2025," said a senior White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity ahead of Bush's remarks later in the day.

The United States is among the world's biggest emitters of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions but Bush has staunchly opposed setting mandatory caps, citing harm to the U.S. economy and inaction by other major emitters like China and India.

The official also confirmed that in his speech Bush would not detail specific proposals on how to reach that goal.

Bush does plan to say he would oppose raising taxes, abandoning nuclear or coal power and imposing trade barriers as ways to halt the growth of greenhouse gas emissions, the official said.

Instead, Bush would prefer eliminating trade barriers on clean energy technologies, the administration official said.

Anticipating a battle with the Democratic-controlled Congress, Bush also plans to warn lawmakers that he could not support any proposals already before them. The Senate is planning to debate climate change legislation in June.

His remarks would come just before U.S. representatives are scheduled to participate in international climate change negotiations in Paris.