John Prescott - UK Deputy PM - Links Katrina, Global Warming - Guardian

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John Prescott sparked controversy yesterday by linking America's refusal to tackle climate change to the devastation of the New Orleans hurricane. The Deputy Prime Minister caused potential embarrassment for Britain by drawing a parallel between the US city destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and island states that scientists believe are under threat of being swamped.

In a speech in Berlin, he also criticised the US for failing to sign the Kyoto protocol on climate change, which is aimed at slowing global warming by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. A debate has raged in the US over whether global warming is responsible for the recent series of storms. So far this year there have been 15 named storms, significantly more than average.

President George Bush says he does not believe that human activity causes global warming, but some experts say excessive carbon emissions lead to higher sea temperatures and stronger storms. With the death toll from Katrina expected to be in the thousands, however, comments like these from a senior politician will be seen by some as insensitive.

A spokesman for Prescott said Downing Street had seen the speech beforehand, but the Prime Minister's office later refused to comment. Tony Blair will meet Bush in New York this week at the United Nations world summit, at which global warming will be a key issue. A White House spokesman said the two leaders' warm relationship would not be affected by the comments.

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http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1567318,00.html