Community | November 23, 2009 | 6 comments

U.S. to Propose Emissions Cuts Before Copenhagen

source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/science/earth/24climate.html?hp

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WASHINGTON — The United States will propose a near-term target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions before the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen next month, a senior administration official said Monday. President Obama, the official said, will announce the specific target “in coming days.”

The announcement of a target will take the current legislative stalemate over a climate bill into account, the senior official said, and thus might present a range of possible reductions rather than a single figure.

The lack of consensus in Congress puts Mr. Obama in a tricky domestic and diplomatic bind. He cannot promise more than Congress may eventually deliver when it takes up climate change legislation next year. But if he does not offer some concrete pledge, the United States will bear the brunt of the blame for the lack of an international agreement.

The official also said the president would decide shortly whether and for how long he might attend the December climate meeting, which runs from Dec. 7 to Dec. 18. He repeated the president’s assertion that he would consider attending if his presence could be a useful impetus to a deal.

Paul Bledsoe of the bipartisan National Commission on Energy Policy said the president’s hands were tied by Congressional inaction. “The U.S. cannot negotiate at Copenhagen above the targets in domestic legislation without risking support for that legislation in the Senate,” Mr. Bledsoe said. “If European demands continue above the U.S. domestic targets, they set up an impossible dynamic for the administration.”

Senator John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, said Mr. Obama could credibly tell delegates to the climate conference that the United States intended to reduce its emissions by 17 percent to 20 percent, based on the legislation that has been approved by the House and the Senate environment committee.

“It’s important for the president to exert that leadership with consultation with Congress,” Mr. Kerry said in an interview late last week.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/science/earth/24climate.html?hp
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green,   US Politics,   World Politics,   1 more
  2. tags:
    Barack Obama,  Climate Change,  Copenhagen,  CO2 Emissions,  1 more
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6 comments // U.S. to Propose Emissions Cuts Before Copenhagen

  • courage
  • robidog
    • 0
      robidog [removed]  

    • The core issue here is totalitarianism

      DDT was the spearhead of the WHO campaign to eradicate Malaria. Violet Carsons book "Silent Spring" , triggering the Environmentalist movement, lead to
      DDT being banned. The first big "Green" victory. Malaria remains endemic throughout much of the world. Since DDT was banned it has killed at least 100 million people. Ergo, Environmentalism has been responsible for more deaths than Hitler and Stalin together. Truly, it deserves a place alongside the worst totalitarian dogmas in Human history.

    • 2 years ago
  • Brazil617MA
    • 0
      Brazil617MA  

    • He had better be ! Brazil is really working together in a few things to make sure the forrest devastation stops! However we are going to let people know that we'are not going be the only one making commiments if the USA and China the two big poluted do not do their part. We are not the fools anymore, don't come to tell me to do something for the planet if you are going to continue to dump your trash in our backyards.

    • 2 years ago
  • ibrake4rappers13
  • JanforGore
  • ibrake4rappers13
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