Obama to Copenhagen: Will Anything Change?
Posted November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm in Energy and Environment 
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Before Barack Obama accepts his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, the White House announced that the president will swing by the climate change summit in Copenhagen to outline the country’s climate goals. The AP reports:
The president will lay out his goals for reducing the United States’ carbon dioxide emissions, pledging to cut heat-trapping pollution by about 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020. That target reflects the still-unfinished climate legislation on Capitol Hill.”
This comes immediately after President Obama agreed to a green partnership with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a “Memorandum of Understanding to increase cooperation on energy security, clean energy, and climate change.”
Proposed to be the Conference that replaces the global emissions reduction targets of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Copenhagen may not live up to initial expectations. A large reason for this is the emphatic reluctance of developing countries, despite commitments to ‘go green’, they won’t agree to carbon cuts. Heritage Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman writes:
The Obama administration has also echoed its predecessor in recognizing that a post-Kyoto treaty that continues to exempt China, India, and other fast developing nations is futile. Those nations will account for most of the emissions growth in the years ahead. But the developing world insists on maintaining these exemptions, creating a rift unlikely to go away.”
President Obama’s trip may be nothing more than chance to cross something off his checklist and to say, ‘we’re making progress.” He may also be going to avoid criticism for not going. He won’t be joining the other heads of states during the final three days of the climate summit when all the major negotiations take place.
The reality is the economic consequences are too great and the environmental benefits are too small to sign onto an international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Kyoto demonstrated this and the U.S. wisely avoided it. President Obama shouldn’t put the U.S. economy or sovereignty at stake for the sake of “getting something done.”
For more, check out Heritage’s Copenhagen Consequences.
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5 Responses to “Obama to Copenhagen: Will Anything Change?”
Yakisotomoto on November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm said:
“President Obama shouldn’t put the U.S. economy or sovereignty at stake for the sake of “getting something done.”
laughing. Okay. He is currently doing this so it’s not ’shouldn’t’ because he already is. So now that we know he’s handing over our Economy and our Sovereignty, what do we the American people do about it. I’ll tell you what we have been doing, nothing. Tea Parties, Pink Slips, and town halls are a waste of time. If we can’t see the office as usurped and a current government (Both houses & Both parties) as working toward the same end that is not in the best interest of the American people, then we might as well quit whining and get used to living in Communist America.
Paul Rinderle on November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm said:
Obama continues to mock American common sense and the uncovered Scientific GW Hoax.
Roger S., Ma. on November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm said:
No change is good change!
At least the headlong stampede of “economic snarks” and “political boojums” might be slowed.
Nothing wrong with “a wee little photo op”, this time.
Anyway, it’s what he likes and does best.
Bless him, for once!
(But don’t trust!)
Gary J AZ on November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm said:
He is slick. Not going to the climate meeting to stem the fervor a few weeks ago then dropping it on us later. Redistribution of wealth, health and energy Nationally and now Globally. MAO-BAO is coming to a Nation near you sooner than you think!
Vince Rinchiuso,Texas on November 25th, 2009 at 1:50pm said:
SIGNING A TREATY TO GIVE UP OUR SOVEREIGHNTY REQUIRES A THREE QUARTERS VOTE BUT OBAMA WILL CIRCUMVENT THE CONSTITUTION LIKE HE ALWAYS HAS DONE AND SO WILL OUR SO CALLED REPRESENTATIVES,WE THE PEOPLE WILL BE WE THE SLAVES.THE EMERGENCY THAT WILL THEN OCCUR WILL HAVE OTHER COUNTRIES COMING IN AND GOING DOOR TO DOOR CONFISCATING ALL WEAPONS AS THEY ARE TRAINING NOW TO DO SO.WE WILL BE NO BETTER OFF THAN “MAD MAX IN THUNDERDOME”! OUR REPRESENTATIVES-DONT,OUR PRESIDENT-ISNT,OUR MILITARY- WONT (DO AS IN HONDURAS).GOD CAN ONLY SAVE US NOW