U.S. President George W. Bush Thursday will unveil his plan to combat global warming. The proposal is Mr. Bush's alternative to the Kyoto global warming treaty backed by the United Nations, but which the U.S. has rejected. The Bush administration has said the Kyoto agreement will hurt the U.S. economy.

While the Kyoto pact includes mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, the Bush plan favors setting reduction targets and giving companies tax incentives to meet them.

Mr. Bush's plan would tie limits on greenhouse gas emissions to economic growth. Over time, if the economy grows, ceilings on emissions would rise too, but at a slower pace.

The proposal also calls for limits on power plant emissions of three of the worst pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and mercury. The plan would set up mandatory pollution limits only on industries as a whole, letting companies earn and trade performance credits among themselves.

The White House has said Mr. Bush's budget for fiscal 2003 would dedicate $4.5 billion to global warming programs, up from $700 million this year.

Critics of the Bush plan say it favors industry over environment and ensures that emission levels will grow as long as the economy does.

Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

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