Global Warming High on Senate Foreign Relations Agenda

[ProSense]

Climate Change

Global Warming High on Senate Foreign Relations Agenda

By Juliet Eilperin

Climate change policy will get a boost next year from the fact that some of the most senior members of the Obama administration have focused on the issue during their careers, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) told reporters today.

Kerry, who will chair the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next Congress, said he expected Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton -- who is expected to be named secretary of state -- will both use their new roles to promote a global pact curbing greenhouse gases.

"Both will be exceedingly helpful and important in this effort," Kerry said during the telephone news conference.

Kerry will lead the Senate delegation headed to Poznan, Poland, next month in order to participate in U.N. climate talks that will lay the groundwork for a final international agreement on greenhouse gases in December 2009. He noted that since the Senate must ratify any climate treaty arising from the 2009 negotiations, "We intend to be a full partner with the administration in defining the parameters of a global agreement."

Global warming, he said, is "going to be front and center" on the Foreign Relations Committee's agenda.

"It's going to be one of the top priorities of the committee," Kerry said. "I know this playing field and I know this issue."

[ProSense]

1. Kerry promises action on global warming

Kerry promises action on global warming

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor November 25, 2008 12:54 PM

On the eve of going to a major conference on global climate change, Senator John F. Kerry said today that he will make the issue a priority as the incoming chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.

And that, he said, is a sea change from the Bush administration.

"It's a moment we've been waiting for, many of us, for some period of time -- for eight years, to be blunt," Kerry said. "And we intend to pick up the baton and really run with it here."

"I have both the chairmanship of the committee as well as a president to work with," he added in a conference call with reporters. "And I'm very excited about where the United States is going to be. I think President-elect Obama, in his remarks to the climate change summit that Governor Schwarzenegger held least week, made it very, very clear that after eight years of obstruction and delay and denial, the United States is going to rejoin the world community in tackling this global challenge."

Kerry acknowledged that some leaders are skittish about aggressive action on climate change as most of the world heads into recession.

But, he said, "you can't back off what the science tells us must be done as a matter of global survival. And so you have to turn this challenge into the economic resurgence -- into the economic rebound. And I think that President Obama is poised to show America how a green economy and a transformational economy away from this dependency on fossil fuel is, in fact, part of the plan of restoring our economy and strengthening our economy."

Obama is not attending the gathering, which starts Monday in Poland, but he has said he expects detailed briefings from Kerry and other members of Congress who do attend.

"You can't be half pregnant on this issue," the Massachusetts Democrat and 2004 presidential nominee said. "You can't accept the science and say yes global climate change is manmade and yes global climate change is happening faster than the scientists, in fact, thought it was going to and then not accept the same scientific conclusions with respect to what that impact is and what we're already witnessing; i.e., the melting of the ice cap, the rising of the ocean levels, the change in weather patterns, the change and migration of forests, the change in agriculture, the droughts. All of the impacts that are going to have a profound impact on people which could create larger numbers of refugees, other food crises, other kinds of dislocations all of which lend themselves to -- to -- you know, increased conflict in various parts of the world. The bottom line is that we have a huge responsibility here."

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[Johonny]

5. apparently realclearpolitics has heard the news

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/11/global_warming_legislation.html

Jack Kelly apparently is living in about 1875 understanding of global warming, but it makes for a funny read.

[beachmom]

2. The path to getting a global climate treaty done is through the Senate.

Good for Kerry on taking the lead on this.

[karynnj]

3. Exactly

Kerry did a great job as the "Congressional Delegation" to Bali last year. Though the media gave little attention to this - Kerry was praised in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by the Bush administration for the work he did there. The President’s chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality, James Connaughton, spoke before the SFRC hearing chaired by Senator Menendez. Mr. Connaughton was part of the President’s delegation who attended the second week of the Bali Conference. Because of the Senate schedule, Senator Kerry flew 40 hours round trip to spend 36 hours as the sole US Congressional representative to the conference. At a SFRC hearing earlier this year, Mr. Connaughton, who represented President Bush said:
“I would particularly also want to call out thanks to Senator Kerry for coming to Bali. I would note that the remarks he gave in Bali were very constructive in helping to educate the international community on the needs, what it would take for America to move forward together in a bi-partisan way. I thought those remarks were very well received. Senator Kerry, thank you for that.”
Listening to the hearing, the Senator is praised for his leadership on this issue by both Republicans and Democrats.
http://www.senate.gov/~foreign/hearings/2008/hrg080124p.html

Here was even stronger praise from an earth day SFRC hearing: Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat (around 4 minutes in) said:

"The fact that we had a treaty was significantly due to the fact that Senator Kerry was there. He was a virtual part of our negotiating team, without his day and night support and lobbying of the EU. we would not have gotten a treaty.
http://www.kerryvision.net/2008/04/in_defense_of_treehuggers.html

It will be nice that for the next 4 years, the administration will be working with the Congress to pass real legislation on this. It is good that Kerry's work last year before and at the summit did help in having the US on board. That put us in a better position now.

[AtomicKitten]

4. Finally. It seems almost too good to be true.

[ProSense]

6. Senate weather report: Kerry to make climate a top priority for Foreign Relations panel

Senate weather report

Kerry to make climate a top priority for Foreign Relations panel

Posted by Kate Sheppard at 5:01 PM on 25 Nov 2008

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) wasn't on the Democratic ticket this year, but he's set to gain some additional influence in Washington thanks to the Obama-Biden victory. With Biden leaving the Senate for the vice presidency, Kerry will become the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and today he told reporters that climate change will be an issue that is "front and center" for the panel next year.

Kerry is heading to Poznan, Poland, next week for the United Nations climate talks, and he said today that he will carry with him the message that Congress and the new president are serious about action on climate change.

"It's a moment we've been waiting for, many of us, for some period of time. For eight years, to be blunt," Kerry told reporters. "And we intend to pick up the baton and really run with it here."

"I have both the chairmanship of the committee as well as a president to work with," he continued. "The President-elect made it very clear that after eight years of denial and delay, the United States is going to confront this global challenge."

Kerry, who traveled to last year's international climate talks in Indonesia, will be accompanied to Poland by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Rep. George Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) may also make the trip.

While Obama is not attending the talking or sending an official delegation (because, as he said last week, there is "only one president at at time"), the president-elect has said he has directed the members of Congress attending to report back to him on what they learn.

Kerry's committee would be the first to debate any treaty that comes out of the United Nations process next year. "It's important we play a hand in what those negotiations will be," said Kerry. "We cannot repeat the mistakes of the Kyoto protocol ... where president signed a treaty that the senate would never ratify ... I'm really looking forward to participating in those initial discussions in Poznan in the next days."

The talks in Poznan won't be actual negotiations for a new treaty -- that will take place in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 -- but it is intended to lay the groundwork by fleshing out more of the challenges to reaching an agreement. It's about "trying to find the best framework for all of us," said Kerry, who added that he hopes that the baseline from which to start their emissions cuts could be one of the elements worked out at this year's meeting.

Kerry also noted that he has been meeting with a range of interest groups, including oil company executives and the members of (US-CAP), to begin addressing their ideas and concerns about a new climate pact. "Obviously, there are going to be economic challenges, we all understand that, but you can't back off what sciences tells us is going to be a global disaster. And so you have to turn this challenge into the economic resurgence ... I think President Obama is poised to show America how a green economy, a transformational economy ... is a way to save the economy."

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[iamthebandfanman]

7. im glad atleast environmental issues seem in our favor n/t

[ProSense]

8. Definitely. n/t

[AtomicKitten]

9. I know it's a dream, but I'm hoping Gore will have some input.

kicked