[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[June 11, 1992]
[Pages 920-921]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 920]]

Remarks on Departure for the United Nations Conference on Environment 
and Development

June 11, 1992
    Well, today I travel to Rio de Janeiro to join over 100 heads of 
state at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. 
Informally, the Rio meeting has been called the Earth summit. But I want 
to focus for just a minute on the official name. I think it's critical 
that we take both those words, environment and development, equally 
seriously. And we do.
    On the environment, America's record is second to none. No other 
nation has done more, more rapidly to clean up the water, the air, or 
preserve public land. No other nation has done more to advance the state 
of technology that promises cleaner growth. We are proposing to double 
forest assistance. No other nation has put in place stricter standards 
to curb pollution in the future. We've done a great deal, and we are 
determined to do more.
    But let me say up front: I am determined to protect the environment, 
and I'm also determined to protect the American taxpayer. The day of the 
open checkbook is over. I will go to Rio with a series of sound 
proposals designed to foster both environmental protection and economic 
growth. I'll sign a climate convention that calls for sound action, like 
increased energy efficiency and cleaner air. I'll offer technology 
cooperation because I believe American technology can help clean up the 
world's environment. I'll propose to share U.S. science, the most 
advanced in the world, to increase understanding of these complex 
issues. And I'll bring my Forests for the Future initiative, the most 
concrete and effective plan for dealing with the pressing problems of 
deforestation of all those that have been proposed at Rio.
    Finally, I go to Rio with a firm conviction: Environmental 
protection and a growing economy are inseparable. No matter what some 
people may want to pretend, they are inseparable. It is 
counterproductive to promote one at the expense of the other.
    For the past half-century, the United States has been a great engine 
of global economic growth, and it's going to stay that way. Every 
American knows what that means for us. What many may not know is that 
the world also has a stake in a strong American economy. Right now, one-
half of the developing countries' exports of manufactured goods to all 
industrialized nations are sold, yes, in the United States of America. A 
weak economy in this country would harm workers in other nations and cut 
their export earnings to a trickle. Nations struggling to meet the most 
elemental needs of their people can spare little to protect the 
environment.
    Many governments and many individuals from the U.S. and other 
nations have pressed us to sign a treaty on what's called biodiversity. 
I don't expect that pressure to let up when I reach Rio. The treaty's 
intent is noble, to ensure protection of natural habitat for the world's 
plants and animal life. The U.S. has better protections for species and 
habitat than any nation on Earth. No one disagrees with the goal of the 
treaty. But the truth is, it contains provisions that have nothing to do 
with biodiversity.
    Take just one example: The private sector is proving it can help 
generate solutions to our environmental problems. The treaty includes 
provisions that discourage technological innovations, treat them as 
common property though they are developed at great cost by private 
companies and American workers. We know what will happen. Remove 
incentives, and we'll see fewer of the technological advances that help 
us protect our planet.
    My Forests for the Future initiative will offer real assistance to 
protect habitats, a downpayment of $150 million in new U.S. assistance 
toward the goal of doubling worldwide funding for forests. It invites 
developing countries to propose their best plans for forest 
conservation, and it encourages innovation, like biotechnology, that 
will help us protect biodiversity worldwide.
    I cannot speak for actions other nations

[[Page 921]]

may take. But this I promise: I will stand up for American interests and 
the interests of a cleaner environment. And if the United States has to 
be the only nation to stand against the biodiversity treaty as now 
drawn, so be it.
    I believe deeply in protecting our common environment, and I will 
proudly present in Rio the U.S. record that is second to none anywhere 
in the world.

                    Note: The President spoke at 7:50 a.m. at Andrews 
                        Air Force Base in Camp Springs, MD.