Obama praised for climate change policy

BRUSSELS, March 28 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has drawn praise from his European counterparts for his commitment to fight global climate change.

Czech Environment Minister Martin Bursik, whose country holds the European Union's rotating presidency, said Europe "has gained a strong partner" in fighting global warming.

"Barack Obama is quickly implementing what he has promised. He acts efficiently," Bursik was quoted Saturday by Deutsche Welle as saying.

On Monday, the Obama administration reversed some of the global warming-related policies of former President George W. Bush, a move that drew applause from environmentalists. The Obama administration has already moved to allow states to enact tougher vehicle emissions rules, something the Bush White House opposed.

"To protect our climate and our collective security, we must call together a truly global coalition," Obama said, taking a political swipe at his predecessor for not leading global efforts to fight climate change."We will make it clear to the world that America is ready to lead."

Obama has named Todd Stern as the first-ever U.S. climate-change envoy.

For its part, the European Commission on Wednesday will unveil a strategy to increase investments aimed at tackling climate change to $231 billion.