Full feedPresident Obama will go to Copenhagen... a week too early
Hello, I'm Mike G., I'm a web editor for Greenpeace USA and I'll be blogging here on the Climate Rescue blog from the UN climate talks in Copenhagen. Just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and comment on a recent news story, that being the news that has just broken about how President Obama is once again going to be in the right city at the wrong time.
President Obama will be going to the UN climate talks in person — except he's going about a week too early. He’s stopping in Copenhagen on December 9th on his way to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on the 10th.
The Copenhagen climate summit is not a mere photo-opp, but unfortunately that seems to be how Obama is treating it. The talks are aimed at getting a fair, ambitious, and binding global agreement to stop global warming. President Obama needs to be there at the same time as all the other wold leaders, on December 18. This is the last day of the negotiations, when all the heads of state show up, are presented with the agreements achieved so far by their delegates, and do the high-level negotiations that lead to a final agreement.
On October 2nd, 2009, when President Obama was in Copenhagen to lobby for Chicago to host the Olympics, Greenpeace activists let him know that he'd shown up in the right city on the wrong date. © Greenpeace/Juan Hein
Obama needs to be there on December 18 to ensure we get the right agreement. But once again, Obama is going to be in the right city on the wrong date. Given the shamefully weak emissions targets Obama’s administration is going to announce ahead of the climate change talks, it almost seems like he's just not even taking this issue seriously.
If you haven't already, you can sign this petition calling on world leaders to go to the Copenhagen climate summit. Many heads of state, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, have already committed to going. But there are a few stragglers named in the petition, including Obama, who have yet to commit to really attending the talks in person in order to ensure an ambitious deal gets signed.
The conference starts on December 7th. Make sure you keep checking this blog for updates on how the climate talks are going in Copenhagen!
Comments
Although I agree the emission targets set by President Obama are shamefully low, he is still by far and away our best hope amongst world leaders. He seems to be a person of integrity and he says that he has to go slowly at first otherwise he won't get anywhere at all. There are many other factors that could be highlighted to do with global warming, for instance the number of factory farms in the US. If statistics are to be believed, one factory farm gives out as much carbon emissions as a city the size of Houston. Not only that if people could be encouraged to stop factory farming, eat less meat or no meat at all, cut down on dairy and all processed food, that would make a far bigger contribution to cutting emissions. Not only that I watched a programme about Pres Obama last night and even the small steps he is trying to make are likely to be stonewalled by coal miners in Virginia (I think it was) because that's their livelihood. We all need to take a more global viewpoint and change our ways of living for the greater good otherwise nothing will get off the ground. In the meantime, I wish you would not be negative about the President - it's not helpful and we would be far worse off if he were not president. I am a UK citizen by the way but I do support his administration.
Posted by: Jill Gordon | November 26, 2009 12:00 PM
Does our leader have any clothes? Maybe we are just the carcinogenic species of this planet heading for the precipice an Obama feels there is no way out so he will do what he thinks he can to ease his conscious. If humans die out does that mean that the God we created dies as well?
Posted by: Apuch | November 26, 2009 12:03 PM
" THE PLANET HEART IST IN STANBY "
Posted by: SANTIAGO VILLALBA COBAS | November 26, 2009 3:41 PM
as they , voted for you , doing the right thing , you have to do the right things !!!!now
Posted by: miguel Cabrera | November 26, 2009 4:27 PM
Im sure that president Obama does really want to fight against climate change. But he is not god, he is the president of a country ride by big enterprises, so if these changes involves to be against bussiness profits, they wont be done.
Posted by: Martin | November 26, 2009 7:21 PM
Thanks Mike for your point of view. Great work, greenpeace-guys.
Posted by: Berton | November 26, 2009 10:43 PM
No, he can't! Obama has other "important" things on his agenda. Why talking about saving the planet when you can get a Nobel "Peace" Prize. Politicians are all the s(h)ame....
Posted by: Felipe | November 27, 2009 2:46 PM
Obama,pliz follow our mission to keep our plantet safe for our successors.Dont alow to blame their predecessors forsightness.so follow gp activists.
Posted by: durjoy ghosh | November 30, 2009 5:49 PM
Pardon me, but how is accepting a Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Obama for doing absolutely nothing more important than him attending this conference???
It seems that even this new President is just as arrogant and unconcerned about real matters. Shame!
Posted by: Peta | December 2, 2009 1:08 AM
Peta!
Was Obama awarded the Nobel Prize by himself or was there some others to give him the prize?
Posted by: Zenon | December 3, 2009 7:18 AM
Hi there
The slogan should be: "Don't ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
I think Obama is very clever. Why do you think he visited China an India just before the Copenhagen Summit? He discussed with them what is possible POLITICALLY. We all know it is not a technical problem. All the solutions exist - see our example.
We 2 persons in a 770sft condo in Massachusetts saved 40% on our energy usage since last year and we buy 100% green electricity. The investment was $2000 and a lot of weatherizing sweat and behavior changes. www.energystar.gov will show you how to do it, or hire an energy auditor.
The result: only 5345kWh electricity usage per year including heating. Before we used 9000kWh. Savings $645 a year.
In 2010 we will install a new heat pump water heater and a heat pump air heater. Then we will save 67%. We then will only use 2700kWh per year including heating! Thanks to Obama we get a lot of support from the state. These things changed a lot.
Imagine everyone doing the same! The United States could retire all coal plants. And imaging the savings for the country.
At the end put a 4kW solar PV system on your roof and buy an electric car in 2010. You will never again pay a $ at the pump. And all the American soldiers will be happy that they can return to their homes.
SO ASK YOURSELF AGAIN:
---------------------------------------
WHAT CAN I DO FOR MY WORLD.
AND BEGIN TODAY.
I hope you will join us to shape the new future.
Diego & Sibyll, Worcester, MA
PS @ Greenpeace
----------------------
First: We love your work.
And second: We donated $20 for your projects. And what do we get for our money?
- A call, 10 minutes long that cost you at least $20, to donate more.
- 5 letters in 3 months about projects and donating more. Isn't there the Internet do spread information instead of killing trees?
So dear Greenpeace crew - please reconsider your business practices.
Posted by: Diego Matter | December 3, 2009 7:42 PM