Sen. Boxer calls on U.S. to hold energy summit of world's 12 largest polluters

UNITED NATIONS -- The head of the Senate's Environment Committee called on the White House Friday to hold a summit grouping the 12 largest greenhouse-gas emitting nations.

Sen. Barbara Boxer's comments came on the heels of a report released by a U.N.-sponsored panel of climate scientists which said there was little doubt the man-made emissions are to blame for global warming.

"I'm calling on the federal government of the United States of America to be a model of energy efficiency," said Boxer, who was at the United Nations for a briefing on the report and the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

"I'm calling on the president to convene a summit at the White House of the 12 largest global warming emitters. She added that she would bring over some of the scientists who issued the report to brief the Senate.

Boxer, whose Environment and Public Works Committee deals with climate legislation, said it was time for President Bush to show "real leadership" on the issue, a challenge that could put her on a collision course with an administration that has been criticized for its environmental record.

The Bush administration -- which rejected the 2001 of the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases -- quickly voiced its continued opposition to mandatory reductions in emissions, with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman warning against "unintended consequences," including job losses as companies shift operations abroad.

However, Boxer said cutting emissions was a question of political will, holding up her state as a model for the country. California has enacted a number of measures aimed at cutting emissions of heat-trapping gases.

The United States each year contributes about a quarter of the world's greenhouse gases, though the share from China, India and other developing countries is growing rapidly. China is expected to surpass the U.S. as the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the next decade.