In late February, 2001, Paul O'Neill sent a memo to the President explaining how he thought the administration should proceed on the sensitive issue of global warming. While many of the president's supporters opposed the Kyoto treaty on principal -- believing that global warming concerns were either overstated or a hoax -- O'Neill opposed Kyoto because he felt it was poorly negotiated and too weak. Its impact, he wrote to President Bush, would be "trivial." A more effective global response to the threat of climate change was needed. O'Neill recommended that the president convene an ecumenical panel of experts to devise a better way to tackle the issue of climate change.