It’s official Obama is coming to Copenhagen. He will attend the UN Climate negotiations happening 2 weeks from now. However, this announcement reads like Obama coming to a pot-luck party early before anyone else is there, and forgetting to bringing a dish. His timing is well… not exceptional, and even more disturbing is officially seeing the carbon reduction numbers he will be touting as “leadership” in Copenhagen.

First the date, 12/9:

It’s looking like Obama is going to swing into Copenhagen for the UN climate negotiations on December 9^th on his away to Oslo to retrieve his Nobel prize. What’s the first thing I thought when I saw the date of Obama’s visit?

I was glad he could squeeze the most important meetings since WWII into his schedule. Unfortunately it seems likely that we are to get nothing more than a rally speech from Obama, as he is swinging in on the third day of a two-week process. Most head’s of state are committing to attending the last couple days of the conference to spur along the final hours of the negotiations.

I’m happy to see Obama commit to coming to Copenhagen (maybe he’ll bring Oprah again), and I do feel it has the potential to be productive; hell it has to be productive. Yet, I fear that all we’re going to get is a great rally-cry speech and the  potential to two days of negotiations right at the beginning of the conference due to of all the incredible security, sweeps, and hoopla that comes to town when the big O comes around.

I’m happy the US President is coming; I just question the intention and the timing. It doesn’t take a genius (I’m a perfect example) to see attending the end on the UNFCCC negotiation would be much more effective.

Second the numbers 17% by 2020:

We were all expecting emission reduction numbers from the US of around 17% of 2005 levels, so it’s no surprise to see those numbers coming from the White House (using 1990 terms like most all other countries this equates to a 4% reduction, just a hair shy of the 40% we [the world] need.)

These numbers are the ones being thrown around in Congress all year. Other countries such as Brazil, Maldives, France, you name it, have announced bigger cuts than the US. Now to be clear, that’s not saying a lot, as many of these country’s commitments are far from what science deems necessary. What this does comparatively say is the Obama and his administration have now changed their mandate from hope and possibility, to hype and procrastination.

Prove me wrong Obama. The world’s at stake it’s time you act like it, because if you don’t you have to answer to my generation and every other one that follows.

Posted in global warming