Awesome news! Obama on climate change!

[inna]

this is really a giant leap forward! (especially considering the utterly dismal record of the previous administration, **cough**)

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/08

Published on Sunday, February 8, 2009 by The Independent/UK

United on Climate Change? Obama's Chinese Revolution

by Geoffrey Lean

Barack Obama is to invite China to join the United States in an effort by the world's two biggest polluters to stop global warming running out of control.

Metal fatigue Capital Iron and Steel on the outskirts of Beijing is one of the country's biggest polluters. (EPA)
Hillary Clinton, his Secretary of State, is to raise the prospect of a "strong, constructive partnership" to combat climate change on a visit to Beijing next week, and the President is seriously considering a proposal from many of his most senior advisers to hold a summit with the Chinese leadership to launch the plan.

Last week, China's ambassador to the US, Zhou Wenzhong, made it clear that his government would welcome "co-operation on energy and climate change" with the US. Such unprecedented teamwork would transform the world's prospects for agreeing radical measures to combat global warming, and - senior Obama administration officials believe - lay the foundation of a new relationship between the two most powerful countries in the world.

For years, progress towards negotiating a new international climate change treaty has been bedevilled by the two superpowers, each refusing to commit itself to action unless the other goes first, and mutual suspicion has been growing. Between them, the US and China produce over 40 per cent of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide. About two years ago, China overtook the world's largest economy as the planet's biggest polluter. But Americans still emit more than four times as much of the gas per person as their Chinese counterparts.

read more at: http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/02/08

[tabatha]

1. Outstanding!!!

Hooray!

[tom_paine]

2. K & R for some good news!

[amborin]

3. hopefully a step toward ending all those coal fired plants

both on line and coming on line

there is simply no such thing as 'clean' coal

[tilsammans]

4. Excellent news!

Another kick!

:kick:

[inna]

5. Compare and Contrast.... :)

anyone remembers Bush's moronic frat boy's antics?.... for comic relief:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-'Goodbye-from-the-world's-biggest-polluter'.html
President George Bush: 'Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter'
George Bush surprised world leaders with a joke about his poor record on the environment as he left the G8 summit in Japan.

Last Updated: 7:52AM BST 10 Jul 2008

The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: "Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter."

He then punched the air while grinning widely, as the rest of those present including Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy looked on in shock.

Mr Bush, whose second and final term as President ends at the end of the year, then left the meeting at the Windsor Hotel in Hokkaido where the leaders of the world's richest nations had been discussing new targets to cut carbon emissions.

One official who witnessed the extraordinary scene said afterwards: "Everyone was very surprised that he was making a joke about America's record on pollution."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-'Goodbye-from-the-world's-biggest-polluter'.html


thank god that era is over! :)

[blues90]

6. Smoke stacks billowing for over 100 years and now

It suddenly dawns on people that this might not be so very good. Jesus . let me out of here.

[karynnj]

7. Senator Kerry suggested a joint project with China

to demonstrate the seriousness of the two countries that are the two biggest polluters, together accounting for 40% of the carbon at the hearing he had with Gore on climate change.

Here's a link to that hearing - http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2009/hrg090128p.html

Kerry spoke in December 2007, after returning from Bali, about the fact that the Chinese were - for the first time - very willing to be part of the effort. Kerry also met with them in Poznan.