This is a guest post by American Progress’s Tina Ramos, Special Assistant for Energy Policy.
Today Senator John Kerry (D-MA) delivered a major address at COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, calling on global leaders to stop pointing fingers and acknowledge that “no country individually, and none of us collectively, are doing enough” to combat catastrophic global climate change. This is the third consecutive UN climate meeting in which Senator Kerry has publicly urged global leaders to work together toward a global climate agreement, proving him to be a crucial and influential facilitator of the negotiation process. “That’s why we’re gathered here again: Because we know that, in one day, with one agreement, we can put the world on a safer path,” Senator Kerry said. “And in the coming hours and days, the world expects us to get the job done.”
Joining Senator Kerry in the push for climate action on the domestic front are Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). The newest climate proposal, the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal, sets an emissions reduction target within the range of 17% percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the level included in the House bill passed in June. President Obama will bring the 17% target as the United States’ starting point for negotiation when he arrives at COP15 on Friday.
In his address earlier today, Senator Kerry acknowledged that the United States, along with other major polluting countries, failed to lead “in the manner this challenge demands” post-1992 climate talks in Rio de Janeiro. However he remained confident of the United States’ ability to step up and lead and set the stage for President Obama to “promise a new beginning and to re-commit the United States to being part of a global solution.” Although President Obama will commit the United States to being a leader in the on-going negotiation effort, Senator Kerry argued that it simply cannot happen without global cooperation. The main barrier to “bold American leadership is the knowledge that even if we take tough steps forward, our efforts can be totally eclipsed by rising emissions from others,” Senator Kerry said. “You may not know it, but when the US Senate talks about climate policy, fundamentally, all of you are in the room—because our debate always comes back to the need for a global effort.”
This level of global cooperation can only be achieved if the discussion remains focused on climate solutions, rather than on the, at this point, ridiculous debate about the science of global warming, which countless renowned scientists have proven repeatedly to be un-debatable. Senator Kerry proclaimed that in Copenhagen, “amateur hour is over. It’s time for science fact to trump science fiction.” In contrast to Senator Kerry’s efforts, leading climate denier Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) is determined to use science fiction as ammunition against the necessity and urgency of global action on climate change. Senator Inhofe is scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen tomorrow and will no doubt prove once again that he chooses to spit against the tide of history rather than work to shape it. Despite opposition from people like Inhofe, Senator Kerry remains confident: “by reaching agreement on finance, emission targets, and a transparent system for global action, we will be recognizing globally that the stewardship of the planet and our appetite for resources will be managed in a new way in a new era.”
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This is a beautiful speech… very, very inspiring! I will copy part of it (much too long to copy all of it!) and send it out along with my Xmas cards!!
Inhofe is going to be the laughing stock of Copenhagen. People in Europe “get it.” Copenhagen used to see some snowy days in the winter, but no more. Instead, the rain pelts down with extra force, flooding streets with out-dated drainage.
Let’s hope Inhofe suddenly has an epiphany when he approaches the Bella Center and sees the flashing screen recounting the climate refugees now and in the future. Let’s hope he takes a side trip to the harbor to view the “Little Mermaid” statue, and is moved by the newly-created climate statue “Survival of the Fattest”, depicting a starving African man, carrying an obese lady, who holds the scales of justice, out of the water.
OK, I should have read the next post before I posted the above, to see that it snowed in Cope! However, my information was provided by a native from Copenhagen, who stated that he could play in the snow there as a child, but that his daughter, aged nine, had not had this “snow play.”
As a global community, better yet, as a species, we must make some tough choices. The time for debate has long since passed. As we play the science vrs science-fiction game, the Earth races towards a tipping-point, after which “I told you so” will too late.
There is so much that can be done to mandate change that will have lasting environmental benefite for the human race, and that’s what this is all about; saving our species, beginning with our children and grandchildren.
In the same way we reclaimed the Great Lakes and ended CFC’s in aerosol sprays. There will be industries that will call foul if we outlaw incandescent light bulbs and mandate alternative fuels use… but so what. Adapt or die, because that is the extreme nature of the problem we face.
Frankly I think that “negotiating” for 17% reduction by 2020 is rediculous. Change the laws, mandate immediate change and shoot for 50% in the next 10 years. There is so much low hanging fruit out there that can be picked almost immediately that all it takes is a commitment to act NOW and be willing to live with the consequences of our commitment.
There was some silly discussions about banning black cars due to their heat absorbing color. Why not paint every roof on every house and building on the planet with white reflective paint? Makes more sense to me. Why not create mandatory Green building standards? Why not require 50% of all new vehicles to be dedicated alternative fuel? Why not mandate the use of natural gas in the US as a transportation fuel instead of oil? We have huge reserves and the technology to implement its use has been around for 50 years. Hell, the OPEC countries are doing just that and leaving us in their dust!
Look at countries that are sucessfully implementing an oil free scociety and make it the blueprint for the world instead of haggling over who wants to do how much of what? Globally ban coal fired powerplants, starting in China!
Let’s collectively take a stand as a species committed to it’s survival rather than individual countries trying to find a common theme.