Maybe he liked the city? Either way, President Barack Obama announced today that he will attend the climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December. The climate summit is held between 7-18 December and is the last chance we have to take action against “the greatest threat the world has ever faced”.
“U.S. President Barack Obama will go to Copenhagen for a U.N. climate change meeting on December 9, hoping to add momentum to an international process despite slow progress on a domestic bill to cut carbon emissions”, Reuters reports.
“Obama planned to make a visit at the beginning of the climate negotiations in Denmark, an administration official told Reuters on Wednesday, before picking up the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in neighboring Oslo.”
With him to the climate summit Obama has a pledge to cut emissions in the USA with 17% from 2005 levels by 2020, 30% by 2025, 42% by 2030 and 83% by 2050. But these numbers are much lower than those proposed by the EU and other industrialised countries such as Norway.
Obama will abandon complex policies on emissions, clean coal and refocus on achievable goals like applying deodorant daily, learning what to say when you burp.
“This is not what I voted for,” Bill Maher said on his HBO show Friday night, arguing that Barack Obama has maintained his personal popularity but failed to make real progress on climate change, the economy and health care in USA.
Well it seems Obama’s solution to man-made climate change is to stick with the Bush climate ruling and paint our cars and roofs white. Although painting our roofs white to reflect the sunlight is a cheap way to fight global warming (some claim white roofs is the equivalent to taking the world’s approximately 600 million cars off the road for 18 years) reversing his pro-coal stance somehow seems like a better and more direct solution to the climate crisis.
And just like Maher said, “this isn’t what I voted for”, or why we endorsed you.
Advocates for safety in cosmetics have long been hoping for some good news on the regulation of cosmetics by the U.S. government. With standards in the U.S. being very loose and under regulated as compared to those of the European Union, it is about time someone step up and take a stand against all of the harmful ingredients being thrown into our cosmetics and personal care products.
Well, it looks as if Barack Obama may do just that. Cosmetics giants are sweating through their aluminum-based antiperspirants at the news of possible reforms to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which gives the EPA authority to regulate certain chemicals. As of now, the cosmetics industry is excluded from the act, but changes in the law could require increased testing and reporting of chemicals used in personal care products. (more…)
Today Al Gore, Barack Obama and Joe Biden will meet privately to discuss “energy and climate change and how policies in this area can stimulate the economy and create jobs”.
Obama has earlier said that Gore is one of his advisors on climate change and there are rumours floating around that Obama want Gore to be his “energy czar”.
“Obama is reportedly considering creating an energy czar. Gore would be the logical pick. As czar he would be able to help oversee the Transportation department, the Interior department, and the Environmental Protection Agency. He would have a powerful voice over everything from mileage standards to conservation requirements. Even as the Bush administration continues to try to gut regulations such as restrictions on mining and drilling in Utah’s most pristine national parks, it must be awfully tempting for Gore to have the chance to put rhetoric into action.”
The global grassroots climate movement, 350, asks for your help to invite President-elect Barack Obama to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland this December.
The Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama has chosen Joe Biden as his running mate and Vice President. But how green is really Joe Biden? Well, it seems he is green enough for the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) to applaud Barack Obama’s choice and to hail Joe Biden in regards to his environmental records.
“With a lifetime LCV environmental score of 83%, Joe Biden recognizes that ending our addiction to oil is vital to our national security,” LCV President Gene Karpinski said. “Senator Biden is a long-time leader on key energy and environmental issues, and the members of LCV enthusiastically support Senator Obama’s choice.”
ScienceSays.net lists “Biden’s awesome environmental record” saying he is just as strong on the environment as Obama and that Biden “isn’t afraid to say it”:
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