Obama to Attend Copenhagen and Commit the U.S. to Emissions Reduction Targets

Congressional Republicans will be traveling to Copenhagen next week along with Congressional Democrats.

But the Republicans will be promoting a very different agenda:

Sounds like the Republicans are off to make sure the Copenhagen crowd understands the rest of the story. President Obama cannot commit the U.S. to anything without the approval of Congress.

 

With regards to matters of war, sure. But with regards to this anthropogenic global warming alarmism nonsense, not a chance.

 

Perhaps President Obama will not be attending the Copenhagen Climate 'Summit' after all:

[RQUOTER]Copenhagen Climate Summit Negotiations 'Suspended'

Negotiations at the UN climate summit have been suspended after developing countries withdrew their co-operation. Delegations were angry at what they saw as moves by the Danish host government to sideline talks on more emission cuts under the Kyoto Protocol.

As news spread around the conference centre, activists chanted "We stand with Africa - Kyoto targets now". But talks between the parties were expected to resume in the afternoon and informal discussions continue. The countries that have suspended co-operation are those which make up the G77-China bloc of 130 nations. These range from wealthy countries such as South Korea, to some of the poorest states in the world.

Blocs representing poor countries vulnerable to climate change have been adamant that rich nations must commit to emission cuts beyond 2012 under the Kyoto Protocol. But the EU and the developed world in general has promoted the idea of an entirely new agreement, replacing the protocol. Developing countries fear they would lose many of the gains they made when the Kyoto agreement was signed in 1997. They point out that the Kyoto Protocol is the only international legally binding instrument that has curbed carbon emissions, and also that it contains functioning mechanisms for bringing development benefits to poor countries such as money for investment in clean energy projects.

Previously during this meeting - formally called the Conference of the Parties (COP) 15 - developing countries have accused the Danish chairs of ignoring their concerns. G77-China chief negotiator Lumumba Di-Aping explained why the bloc had taken the decision to withdraw its co-operation. "It has become clear that the Danish presidency - in the most undemocratic fashion - is advancing the interests of the developed countries at the expense of the balance of obligations between developed and developing countries," he told BBC Radio 4's The World at One programme. "The mistake they are doing now has reached levels that cannot be acceptable from a president who is supposed to be acting and shepherding the process on behalf of all parties."

Last week, the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu forced a suspension after insisting that proposals to amend the UN climate convention and Kyoto Protocol be debated in full. [/RQUOTER]

It appears that things are not going well in Copenhagen. Of course, no one who has been following this expected anything of substance to come out of it. But this is starting to look like it might turn in to a full meltdown.

A meltdown at the global warming talks. Pretty funny. Hahahaha.

In any case, if Obama decides not to attend, as former Governor Palin had wisely advised him beforehand, that would definitely be a desirable turn of events. Presumably that would deter him from making the ridiculous commitment to reduce emissions that he has suggested he will make in Copenhagen that he knows we will not be affirmed by Congress.

These are all very encouraging developments.

 

More hyperbole at the Copenhagen Climate Conference from former Vice President Al Gore, who is clearly one of the most the most high profile leaders of AGW alarmist movement.

I would have thought that everyone would be on their best behavior at Copenhagen in the aftermath of Climategate. Then again, maybe this is his best behavior.

[RQUOTER]Inconvenient Truth for Al Gore as his North Pole Sums Don't Add Up

There are many kinds of truth. Al Gore was poleaxed by an inconvenient one yesterday. The former US Vice-President, who became an unlikely figurehead for the green movement after narrating the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, became entangled in a new climate change “spin” row.

Mr Gore, speaking at the Copenhagen climate change summit, stated the latest research showed that the Arctic could be completely ice-free in five years. In his speech, Mr Gore told the conference: “These figures are fresh. Some of the models suggest to Dr [Wieslav] Maslowski that there is a 75 per cent chance that the entire north polar ice cap, during the summer months, could be completely ice-free within five to seven years.”

However, the climatologist whose work Mr Gore was relying upon dropped the former Vice-President in the water with an icy blast. “It’s unclear to me how this figure was arrived at,” Dr Maslowski said. “I would never try to estimate likelihood at anything as exact as this.” Mr Gore’s office later admitted that the 75 per cent figure was one used by Dr Maslowksi as a “ballpark figure” several years ago in a conversation with Mr Gore.

The embarrassing error cast another shadow over the conference after the controversy over the hacked e-mails from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, which appeared to suggest that scientists had manipulated data to strengthen their argument that human activities were causing global warming.

Mr Gore is not the only titan of the world stage finding Copenhagen to be a tricky deal. World leaders — with Gordon Brown arriving tonight in the vanguard — are facing the humiliating prospect of having little of substance to sign on Friday, when they are supposed to be clinching an historic deal.

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Now we see the other shoe drop. After this shocking proposal from Copenhagen to allow the US to buy its way out of making emissions cuts, who can still claim that this exercise is not largely about the redistribution of wealth.

If reducing emissions was as urgent and as essential as the AGW alarmists have continuously insisted, the failure to do so being a dire threat to the future of the planet no less, then allowing the US to buy its way out of these reductions would not be an option.

Clearly, that is not the case.

[RQUOTER]US to be Allowed to Buy its Way Out of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Cuts

The United States will be allowed to buy its way out of adopting a more stringent target on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in a compromise being brokered by Britain.

President Obama is unlikely to increase his previous weak offer on emissions when he joins the Copenhagen climate change summit on Friday. He will instead be expected to make a significant financial commitment to a global climate protection fund.

Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, endorsed the deal yesterday and suggested that it was the best outcome that could be expected given the difficulties that Mr Obama faced in persuading Congress to accept climate change legislation.

Mr Miliband said: “Countries have to do what they are able to. I think we have to judge what everyone has to offer in the round. For developed countries, both the [carbon reduction] and the finance they provide is crucial.”

However, the compromise will anger many because it will allow the US, which is responsible for more of the carbon in the atmosphere than any other country, to avoid the swift and painful transition to a low-carbon economy being proposed by the EU.

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The president of the Copenhagen Climate Conference has resigned.

[RQUOTER]Climate Talks Deadlocked as Clashes Erupt Outside

COPENHAGEN -- Danish police fired pepper spray and beat protesters with batons outside the U.N. climate conference on Wednesday, as disputes inside left major issues unresolved just two days before world leaders hope to sign a historic agreement to fight global warming.

With the talks so clearly deadlocked, Connie Hedegaard, former Danish climate minister, resigned from the conference presidency to allow her boss, Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen to preside as world leaders from 115 nations streamed into Copenhagen. She was to continue overseeing the closed-door negotiations.

Hundreds of protesters were trying to disrupt the 193-nation conference, the latest action in days of demonstrations to demand "climate justice" - firm action to combat global warming. Police said 230 protesters were detained.

Inside the cavernous Bella Center convention hall, negotiators dealing with core issues debated until just before dawn without setting new goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions or for financing poorer countries' efforts to cope with coming climate change, key elements of any deal.

"I regret to report we have been unable to reach agreement," John Ashe of Antigua, chairman of one negotiating group, reported to the full 193-nation conference later Wednesday morning.

In those overnight talks, the American delegation apparently objected to a proposed text it felt might bind the United States prematurely to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, before the U.S. Congress acts on the required legislation. U.S. envoys insisted, for example, on replacing the word "shall" with the conditional "should." [/RQUOTER]

Her resignation was a surprise move, as discussed in the article linked below:

Hedegaard Resigns Post as President of Copenhagen Talks

What a mess.

 

The U.S. cannot be locked into these targets without the approval of congress.

However, Obama's intention to commit the U.S. to these targets was previously announced by the White House. As far as I am aware, President Obama still intends to make that commitment. I believe his speech is scheduled for Friday.

Congress is not likely to approve either Obama's commitment to reduce emissions or the proposed payment plan offered as an alternative by the Copenhagen crowd. So, Obama's commitment to either one is without substance and therefore ill-advised.

The best advice he has received on this topic was Governor Palin's advice to stay away from the conference. If he wanted to be smart about this, that is what he would do.