Blair's Address to a Joint Session of Congress

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And that prosperity has to be environmentally sustainable, too. (Applause.) You know, I remember at one of our earliest international meetings a European prime minister telling President Bush that the solution was quite simple: just double the tax on American gasoline.

(Light laughter, applause.) Your president gave him a most eloquent look. (Laughter.)

It reminded me of the first leader of my party, Kier Hardie, in the early part of the 20th century. And he was a man who used to correspond with the Pankhursts, the great campaigners for women's votes. And shortly before the election in June 1913, one of the Pankhurst sisters wrote to Hardy, saying she'd been studying Britain carefully, and that there was a worrying rise in sexual immorality linked to heavy drinking. So she suggested he fight the election on the platform of votes for women, chastity for men, and prohibition for all. (Laughter, applause.) He replied, saying, "Thank you for your advice, the electoral benefits of which are not immediately discernible." (Laughter.) We all get that kind of advice, don't we? (Laughter.)

But frankly, we need to go beyond even Kyoto. And science and technology is the way. Climate change, deforestation, the voracious drain on natural resources cannot be ignore. Unchecked, these forces will hinder the economic development of the most vulnerable nations first, and ultimately all nations. So we must show the world that we are willing to step up to these challenges around the world and in our own backyards. (Sustained applause.)