Bush, global warming, and energy

In an interview on public radio today, Juan Williams asked President Bush:

Now, also in the State of the Union, you talked about the – quote here – "the serious challenge of global climate change." Were you talking about global warming there?

Bush responded that

...we're meeting certain standards that I set for the country.

without specifying what those standards might be. He's got some big ideas, however, about how to promote interest in global warming and climate change--the government will promote new technologies:

And what kind of technologies? Well, if you're really interested in global warming and climate change, then it seems like to me that we ought to promote technologies to advance the development of safe nuclear power. It's a renewable source of energy, and at the same time has no emissions to it. But also, we're advancing clean-coal technologies. The goal is to have a zero-emission coal-fired plant.

Hmmm...I doubt he really means breeder reactors, but what other kind of nuclear power is renewable? And does he really think a coal-fired plant can be zero-emission? Perhaps he has in mind some re-defining of terms. Or maybe he thinks he can build these plants next to a brass mine. It's clear he hasn't really thought much about these matters, and can't say any more about them than could a typical high school student. His record of denying the results of scientific research over the years, his statement about favoring teaching intelligent design creationism in schools, and his inability to discuss in depth realistic responses to the challenges of energy and the environment suggest he isn't serious about initiatives to address these problems.