Vice President Gore today will visit Glacier National Park, Montana to discuss the issue of global climate change. The Vice President will also hike to the Grinnell Glacier, which has receded fully 3,100 feet over the past century, to get a first hand look at the possible effects of global climate change on one of our nations natural treasures. By current estimates, the 10,000 year-old glacier will be entirely gone within 30 years. The disappearance of this glacier, and of others around the world, is strong evidence of global warming in this century.

Climate change is an issue of serious concern to President Clinton and Vice President Gore. The President will host a White House Conference on the subject this October to make the case to the American people that important steps are needed to address this problem and to gain insights from business leaders, environmentalists, economists, scientists, and others about how best to move forward.

President Clinton is also committed to developing a comprehensive policy, including legally binding targets and timetables for emissions reductions, in time for a major international climate change negotiation scheduled for this December in Kyoto, Japan. The President has emphasized the importance of flexible, market-based mechanisms for achieving reductions and has insisted that any agreement be truly global in scope, including substantial commitments from developing countries.