Climate Change

ABCNews:

Explaining that stand earlier in the week, U.S. delegation chief Paula
Dobriansky said the Americans "believe firmly that negotiations will not reap
progress, as indicated, because there are differing perspectives."
Instead,
the U.S. delegation said it favors voluntary efforts and bilateral and regional
arrangements to tackle climate change. It repeatedly pointed to U.S. government
spending on research and development of energy-saving technologies as a
demonstration of U.S. efforts on climate.

Why does the Bush administration think that the public sphere is the best place for these innovations and not the private market. I think its pretty clear why the market is a better place to pick technological advances than the government. You cannot shift to command and control when it comes to technology. The place of government should be set goals and provide incentives that offset the market externalities such as climate change.

Further, I'd like to find out what exactly these programs are and how much funding goes into them. I wouldn't be surprised if many of these funds are being handed-off to energy companies.