Obama in Copenhagen: 'I come here today not to talk, but to act'

[wpsedgwick]

Source: Green Technology Daily

President Barack Obama addressed the Copenhagen Climate Summitt Friday, promising participation by the U.S. in a global climate accord and outlining three key pieces of a comprehensive global climate agreement.

Obama stressed that the U.S. is pushing ahead to tackle climate change whatever happens in Copenhagen and he urged leaders gathered there to “embrace” a climate agreement even if it has flaws.

Declaring "mitigation, transparency, and financing" as the rhetorical backbone to a successful treaty, Obama reaffirmed these three key points in the U.S. negotiating position: All major economies must tackle greenhouse-gas emissions; they must do so in a transparent manner; and the rich must help the poor adapt.

Obama spoke to the international audience to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. to establishing a global climate accord, but he also meant to strongly urge other nations to act at a time when posturing has far overshadowed any real progress toward an actionable agreement.

Read more: http://www.greentechnologydaily.com/climate-change/554-obama-in-copenhagen-i-come-here-today-not-to-talk-but-to-act

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His complete remarks are included in the full article.

[WriteDown]

1. Maybe he should have sent the teleprompter....

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/obamas_home_teleprompter

[Turborama]

2. Obama: Imperfect Climate Deal Better Than None

By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP White House Correspondent

COPENHAGEN – A clearly frustrated President Barack Obama displayed impatience Friday with world leaders' failure to reach a new climate accord, urging them to accept a less-than-perfect pact while offering no new U.S. concessions.

Obama said the United States has acted boldly by vowing to reduce heat-trapping gasses and help other nations pay for similar efforts.
But he indirectly acknowledged that some countries feel the United States is not doing enough, and he said an imperfect accord is better than an impasse.

"No country will get everything that it wants," Obama said in a brief address to the 193 nations gathered here to cap a climate summit stalemated after two weeks of talks.

Without mentioning China specifically, he addressed Beijing's resistance to making its emissions-reduction pledges subject to international review.

"I don't know how you have an international agreement where we all are not sharing information and making sure we are meeting our commitments," Obama said. "That doesn't make sense. It would be a hollow victory. We are running short on time," he said. "We are ready to get this done today. But there has to be movement on all sides."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091218/ap_on_bi_ge/climate_obama

[dipsydoodle]

3. As has been mentioned elsewhere -

presumably he'd be happy if China simply matched the USA's target of reducing the 1990 level by 4% :sarcasm:

[wpsedgwick]

5. Love the sarcasm icon...

Great comment!

[Ghost Dog]

18. Aye, there's the rub. And: who, after all, is going to get to INSPECT THE USA?

(Same applies in international criminal law, too).

[madrchsod]

8. the corporations control the senate,the house,and the whitehouse.

they will allow reductions in emissions if it benefits them. the usa will never name china and india because most of our corporations operate in these countries or trade with them.

[Mari333]

12. Obama, Wen offer no new emissions cuts at summit

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9TuMrvrknh-ZXwqmZ2N-48kff3wD9CLPD3O0

[doc03]

4. You know a President is in trouble at home

when he spends most of his time out of country.

[Bitwit1234]

6. Well if he acts''''''it'll be the first time. He

usually gets those speeches down pat. But after that he runs home to Rahm and asks permission to do something.

[optimator]

7. stick to talking, barack

any time you act it is either to enrich wall street criminals or perpetuate war.

[quark219]

9. "I have come here today to make pretty speeches..."

"... and do little of substance, particularly if I can find one single billionaire American CEO who will find action inconvenient."

I'm sorry: At this point, that's about the only message I'm hearing when our president talks.

And mind you, I used to wake up excited on Saturday mornings at the thought of listening to his weekly video addresses.

[raystorm7]

11. 1 year in and I'm also tired of the speeches, his team and he end up doing nothing or worse =(

[izquierdista]

10. That's a good one!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
All he does is talk a good line.

[MannyGoldstein]

13. Who wants to make a bet?

Obama's will push hard for some scheme run by bankers.

Any takers?

[quark219]

14. I'd never bet against that scenario.

It would be like flushing money down the toilet. Kind of like what I did with my vote in 2008.

[EFerrari]

16. That's basically what our government is doing..

The temp increase limit they're pushing for is about twice what it should be. That's what he's calling "imperfect".

[Marthian]

21. Is it time to ignore the polits.

and just get about our own private reductions? The polits. are not leading, they are the followers here. We should all work with zeal to reduce our levels. Polits. are always "acting", as if they were anything other than bit players...

[Ghost Dog]

19. "Bankers"? That's too dignified a term

for those who continue to abuse the very concept of "Banking" (for the future).

Until we overthrow the deep (psychotic) psychology that motivates these people there will be no recognisably human future, anywhere on Earth, much less, in Heaven.

[dipsydoodle]

15. Now on his way to Hawaii

No comment.

[wpsedgwick]

17. Video of the speech now posted on the article page.

Just an FYI.

[Romulox]

20. Dimes to doughnuts: the net result of whatever Obama signs will be more jobs sent to China

(where there will be no enforceable environmental regulations at all.)