Berlin  - German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel launched a scathing attack Thursday on US President George Bush's policies to combat climate change, calling them "losership instead of leadership."

"The president has made a disappointing speech that does not match up to the global challenge," Gabriel said in reference to Bush's announcement on Wednesday on US emissions policy.

The US president's words marked a backward step from the United Nations climate conference held in Bali in December, where the US delegation made a last-minute decision to support a final summit document after previously opposing it, Gabriel said.

The German environment minister criticized Bush's refusal to back legislation to cap greenhouse-gas emissions.

"Without binding upper limits and reductions targets for the industrialized countries, climate change will not be stopped. Europe and the US must take the lead if others are to follow," Gabriel said.

"Instead, with his proposals, the president is limping hopelessly behind ... We are glad that there are other voices in the US," he added.

The environment minister noted that the third meeting of the 16 so-called Major Economies (MEM) (formerly Major Emitters Meeting) was taking place in Paris Thursday and Friday, and said Bush's speech ran the risk of undermining a process initiated by the US itself.

MEM aims to draw together the Group of Eight (G8) countries with major developing economies, such as China, India and Brazil, to combat climate change. Together, the
16 countries account for some 80 per cent of world greenhouse-gas emissions.

Bush proposed the initiative ahead of the G8 summit in Heiligendamm in June last year as a counterproposal to the Kyoto Protocol and MEM was launched in September. (dpa)