CE Week #6: ” US must seize climate-change opportunity” Oct. 7th
By Chris Jordan
October 7, 2009
Prepare yourself for the shocker of the century…
I am not a fan of George W. Bush.
I know what you’re thinking: Oh, how original. But first, let me explain.
One of the things I remember most vividly about the Bush years was feeling like the United States’ global influence was fading rapidly. We were becoming the hated bully of the world.
Instead of building partnerships and working with our allies, we were essentially alone. Instead of displaying leadership on pressing global issues like climate change, we were constantly at odds with the world.
So far, President Obama has put us on a good path towards progress. He has re-engaged with allies, reached out to Muslims around the world, and made real progress on nuclear arms control.
But the greatest challenge is yet to come. Forging a new global framework for climate-change mitigation will be the goal of the upcoming U.N. Climate Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Kyoto Protocol is the existing treaty aimed at global greenhouse gas reductions, and it was signed and ratified by every nation on Earth with the exceptions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, the United States and a tiny handful of others. It is set to expire in 2012. This Copenhagen Conference, set to occur in December, is the next step for humanity in dealing with climate change.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently warned that, “the [Copenhagen] negotiations are proceeding so slowly that a deal is in grave danger.”
Part of the reason behind this stall is the political situation in Washington, D.C.
While world leaders had planned to build on the framework of Kyoto for the new agreement, the United States wants to weaken and change the treaty so it might have a shot at ratification in the U.S. Senate.
According to The Guardian, European leaders worry, “it could take several years to negotiate a replacement framework.”
So why is the Obama administration so uncomfortable with the old Kyoto Protocol?
First of all, in 1997 the Senate passed a bill 95-0 that stated that the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing nations. Democratic climate change legislation passed in the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this year, but only by a tiny margin of 219-212. On the Senate side, where it takes 60 votes to break a filibuster and pass any bill these days, the odds of a bill passing are in serious doubt.
What happens in the United States over the next several months will directly affect the success or failure of world leaders at Copenhagen, and the United States’ global role for years to come.
Without the passage of a climate-change bill in Congress, the United States will never credibly lead the world on this issue, and we will never be able to reduce our national greenhouse gas emissions. Without significant public support at home, the new Copenhagen treaty, if it emerges at all, will never be ratified in the Senate.
The United States has a golden opportunity to restore our global leadership on the most important issue of our time. We cannot let partisanship and division in Washington stand in the way of that opportunity.
So consider this column a call to action. If you’ve ever cared about the environment, now is the most critical time to make your voice heard. Talk to your friends. Tell your representatives to support climate change legislation.
The opportunity presented by climate change is about more than just saving the trees and polar bears. It’s about restoring our economy by creating new green industries. It’s about securing the future for coming generations. And to me, it’s fundamentally about the ability of our country to accomplish great things and be a leader in the world once again.
Reach columnist Chris Jordan at opinion@dailyuw.com.
A. I learned a lot in this article. I didn’t know that the United States was one of the few to not sign the Kyoto Protocol. Also, I didn’t know that there will be a meeting in Denmark in the near future to discuss furthering the betterment of the environment.
B. I definitely think that the Denmark conference is a perfect opportunity for the United States to get involved in environmental control. With the way that American society is being run right now, we are actively destroying the environment we know. The current actions of America show how truly lazy we are. We cannot just keep putting the issue off for further generations to deal with because those further generations might not exist if the environment continues to get worse. I believe that climate control is only a small portion of things we need to pay attention to. Over population, forest destruction, and extinction are all things that could change the environment. Although the climate control conference is a step, it is hardly enough to secure an environmentally safe future.
C. I would like to know who honestly is going to contact our representatives and senates about this issue. And, are there any bills being presented that would significantly help our society to be more green?
A. I already knew the government wanted to change something about climate change, but I didn’t know anything about the conference in Denmark.
B. I’m not sure what to think. Obviously the author is bias on the presidential topic, but i agree with him that Bush didn’t reach out to our allies like Obama is. Obama is creating positive change, such as wanting to change climate change.
C. How will the government pass a protocal that will change all the business routines and try to stop global warming or climate change?
NO CREDIT: WORD COUNT
Response to JJ’s question: “are there any bills being presented that would significantly help our society to be more green?”
On April 22nd, (Earth Day) North Carolina’s legistlature had 150 “green” bills being considered. Also this year, there was a bill (bill H.R. 2454) to reduce Gobal Warming and have clean energy.
A. I already knew the government wanted to change something about the climate change, but I didn’t know anything about the conference in Denmark. Everyone in the country and even around the world keep talking about global warming and whether or not it is real. In my opinion, global warming is whatever someone believes to be true. However, if the U.S. and eventually the world all comes together to help the climate change, it will make a huge impact. The conference will interesting to find out what will happen and what will be the out come of the climate change.
B. I’m not sure what to think. Obviously the author is bias on the presidential topic, but I agree with him that Bush didn’t reach out to our allies like Obama is. Our president is creating positive change, such as wanting to change climate change, recreating friendships with foreign countries, and the topic the whole country is buzzing about, health care.
C. How will the government pass a protocol that will change all the business routines and try to stop global warming or climate change? That is a lot of people, billions. Not everyone will want to change their way of life and ‘go green’.