"There is a way forward that will enable us to grow our economies and protect the environment, and that's called technology," President George W. Bush today told the representatives of 17 world leaders plus the United Nations in the first in a series of meetings with "major economies" on energy security and climate change.

"Global free trade in energy technology" coupled with reliance on nuclear power and clean coal generation form the core of the "new approach on greenhouse gas emissions" President Bush outlined in his speech to the delegates today at the U.S. State Department.

Both developed and developing nations "will set a long-term goal for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions," Bush said. "By setting this goal, we acknowledge there is a problem. And by setting this goal, we commit ourselves to doing something about it."

Bush said this process will contribute to the United Nations efforts to craft a successor agreement by 2009 to the Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.