Obama Retreats on Climate Change

president_official_portrait_lowresBy Jennifer Loven, AP

President Barack Obama and other world leaders agreed today that next month’s much-anticipated climate change summit will be merely a way station, not the once hoped-for end point, in the search for a worldwide global warming treaty.

The 192-nation climate conference beginning in three weeks in Copenhagen had originally been intended to produce a new global climate-change treaty. Hopes for that have dimmed lately. But comments by Obama and fellow leaders at a hastily arranged breakfast meeting here on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit served to put the final nail in any remaining expectations for the December summit.

“There was an assessment by the leaders that it is unrealistic to expect a full internationally, legally binding agreement could be negotiated between now and Copenhagen which starts in 22 days,” said Michael Froman, Obama’s deputy national security adviser for international economic matters.

The prime minister of Denmark, Lars Loekke Rasmussen, the U.N.-sponsored climate conference’s chairman, flew overnight to Singapore to present a proposal to the leaders to instead make the Copenhagen goal a matter of crafting a “politically binding” agreement, in hopes of rescuing some future for the struggling process.

A fully binding legal agreement would be left to a second meeting next year in Mexico City, Froman said.

Obama backed the approach, cautioning the group not to let the “perfect be the enemy of the good,” Froman said. Addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum later, Obama talked of the need to limit greenhouse-gas emissions “in Copenhagen and beyond.”

Froman said the Danish proposal would call for Copenhagen to produce “operational impact,” but he did not explain how that would work or to what it would apply.

Despite the cooperative-sounding words, the two-year process of crafting a landmark treaty has been stymied by deep distrust between rich, developed nations and poorer developing nations such as India, Brazil and China.

The developed nations hold that all countries must agree to legally binding targets to reduce heat-trapping gases. Developing countries say they can make reductions a goal but not a requirement, and they want more money from wealthy nations to help them make the transition.

A major bill dealing with energy and climate in the U.S., a domestic priority of Obama’s, is bogged down in the U.S. Senate with scant hope it would be completed by next month, giving the American president little to show in Copenhagen.

Between that and the developments in Singapore, there may be little reason for Obama to travel there. White House aides had been saying privately that the outcome of talks during Obama’s weeklong Asia trip, including a three-day visit to China that starts Sunday night, would help determine whether Obama might go to Copenhagen.

Obama arrived late Saturday night in Singapore for the annual 21-nation APEC summit that had begun without him early that morning. In remarks to the group today, Obama reached out by announcing that he would host the 2011 gathering in his native Hawaii.

Read the rest of this story at Denver Post.

Once again, take this story with a grain of salt. They may well press ahead with a full-blown treaty and a politically binding” agreement can cause all kinds of havoc as well. – GCS Editior

10 Responses to Obama Retreats on Climate Change

  1. Dan Pangburn November 16, 2009 at 7:23 pm #

    What if it could be shown that temperature history is explained by nature? It can be. All of the average global temperatures for the entire 20th century and on into the 21st century are readily and accurately calculated with no consideration whatsoever needed of changes to the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide or any other greenhouse gas.

    Data sources, an eye-opening graph that overlays the measured and calculated temperatures from 1880 to 2008 and a detailed description of the method are in a new paper at http://climaterealists.com/index.php?tid=145&linkbox=true .

    This research shows that there is no significant Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) (and therefore no human caused climate change) from added atmospheric carbon dioxide or any other added greenhouse gas.

    • Neil F. AGWD/BSD November 17, 2009 at 7:33 am #

      Very good! Good luck convincing the AGW true believers though. They don’t want to hear it. Facts are irrelevent to them, because they believe that they are going to save the planet. This is what gives them power. It makes their lives meaningful. This creates a sheild around them that is fact repellant. The psychology of the true believers is a powerful thing indeed. You think this factual data is going to make a difference? It’s not. It’s sad, but that’s what we are up against.

  2. Mess Momma November 16, 2009 at 8:13 pm #

    This is a sad thing. I knew that Obama was not what he says he is. I say let’s stop him NOW. I don’t want my grandchildren to live in a Socialist world.

  3. Paul Wenum November 16, 2009 at 10:32 pm #

    Dan, You will never see it in our Media as it is today. Remember, we are “deniers.” Climate change is natural.

  4. Rob N. Hood November 19, 2009 at 5:46 pm #

    What’s worse than a “Socilaist” world? Well a capitalistic/fascistic one of course (that is redundant actually since fascism can only come from capitlism, i.e. a partnering of corporations and government). This is aready occurring and is what you are negatively experiencing and yet too ignorant to recognize. Now THAT is sad!

  5. paul wenum November 19, 2009 at 11:38 pm #

    Saul’s readings are coming through Robby Boy. Yes, “Boy”.

  6. Rob N. Hood November 27, 2009 at 2:30 am #

    Paul, you are wrong, again. Of course you can see it in our MSM media- just turn on Fox… duh! And I like how you keep trying to insult me in a PC kind of way. How clever, not.

    BTW- modern socialism includes more capitalism than socialism, in case you cared to notice. And note I didn’t even say communism, because that is so long dead as to be inconsequential, world-wide, and not to be feared, except of course if you swallow all the right-wing propaganda.

  7. paul wenum December 2, 2009 at 11:59 pm #

    Move to France. They would love you there. Been there. It is a nightmare! That said, The food is excellent!

  8. Weiss - Devin March 20, 2010 at 8:26 am #

    Barack Obama’s book, “The Audacity of Hope,” shows a catchy title. It has an idea of bravery mixed confidently. You’ll find nothing Pollyanna regarding this. I might not exactly support every little thing he says, but he’s our president, and for me, he creates belief. That may do more for any nation than any volume of backroom deals. Hope gives us energy, and energy sustains us through trying times. Boy, we’ve had them. I’m from West Texas, and I did not vote for Bush. When McCain ran against Obama, I was a citizen of Arizona, but I gave audacious hope a chance. The fight for progress and laying the foundations of prosperity isn’t over. I have seen the quips of those that don’t believe Obama is capable of it. But step back a second. Would anyone have most of us fail simply to tarnish the star of an incumbent for whom they did not vote? Keeping our priorities straight, let’s work together with our president and build our future.

    • Dan March 20, 2010 at 10:01 pm #

      So, I guess Organizing for America found our blog – probably with some kind of web bot. Does this seem automated to you?

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