[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[May 12, 1992]
[Page 753]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 753]]

Statement on Attending the United Nations Conference on Environment and 
Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

May 12, 1992
    I have just informed President Collor of Brazil, U.N. Secretary-
General Boutros-Ghali, and Maurice Strong, Secretary General of the U.N. 
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), that I will attend 
the Rio Conference in early June. Today's environmental problems are 
global, and every nation must help in solving them.
    As the U.S. has demonstrated over more than two decades, protecting 
the environment and encouraging economic growth can go hand in hand. In 
fact, it is our conviction that they must go hand in hand. In the early 
1980's, we phased out leaded gasoline. Other countries are now looking 
to follow suit. We phased out aerosol propellants as early as 1978, and 
this year we announced that we will phase out all CFC's by the end of 
1995. In the last 3 years, we have worked to extend that record, signing 
a new Clean Air Act and an Oil Pollution Act, placing a moratorium on 
oil and gas drilling in areas off our coasts, investing in our national 
parks, launching a program to plant a billion trees a year, and 
enforcing our environmental laws to make the polluter pay.
    Abroad, the U.S. has worked hard to promote responsible 
environmental policies through our bilateral aid programs and through 
the World Bank and the U.N. system. I believe our decades-long 
experience in developing and implementing economically sound policies 
can help others in improving the environment.
    In Rio, world leaders will have before them a number of documents. 
One of those documents will be a framework convention on climate change 
which was concluded successfully this past weekend. We are pleased with 
the outcome, and I congratulate the negotiators for joining together in 
taking this historic step. This framework convention would not impede 
economic growth and our ability to create new jobs.
    Climate change is only one subject to be addressed at Rio. It is 
vitally important that progress be made as well in protecting our oceans 
and living marine resources, in promoting openness and public 
participation in environmental decision-making, in promoting sound 
management and protection of the world's forests and biodiversity, and 
many other areas.
    I look forward to discussing how all nations, working together, can 
ensure that we hand over to our children and grandchildren a healthy and 
safe planet.