by Jim Tankersley
President Barack Obama will attend the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen next month, according to a senior administration official, a sign of the president's increasing confidence that the talks will yield a meaningful agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The White House will also announce today that the United States will commit, in the talks, to reduce its emissions of the heat-trapping gases scientists blame for global warming "in the range of" 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the official said. That's the target set out in the climate bill the House passed in June.
The president will address negotiators on Dec. 9, just after the opening of the two-week summit, on his way to pick up the Nobel Peace Prize in nearby Sweden. His speech will come ahead of planned visits by prominent heads of state from Europe and around the world, and before the talks are expected to reach their most frenzied pitch.
White House officials said the decision to attend came after productive climate discussions between Obama and the heads of China and India, two developing nations whose participation is seen as critical to any successful effort to avert catastrophic climate change.
Those discussions left the president optimistic that his presence in Copenhagen could seal a meaningful - though not legally binding - climate deal, meeting the standard that Obama previously set for his attendance at the summit, the officials said.
Environmentalists have pushed for Obama's attendance to add heft to the Copenhagen meeting, which was originally intended to produce a new climate deal to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
Several nations key to the talks, including the United States and China, have conceded in recent weeks that negotiations have proceeded too slowly to produce a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen. Instead, those nations are now aiming for a sort of executive summary of a future treaty to be completed next year; that summary would nevertheless include critical issues such as emissions reduction pledges for individual nations.
Obama has stressed the importance of the talks. In public speeches and private meetings with world leaders, he has repeatedly pledged U.S. action to curb global warming, in contrast to eight years of reluctance under the Bush Administration.
But he wavered on whether to attend in person, even as leaders such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown committed to go.
Obama's attendance carries political risks at home, where his energy and climate bill has bogged down in the Senate behind health care, and where critics figure to pounce if he fails to lead the world to a climate agreement. Republicans in particular are mindful of Obama's trip to Copenhagen earlier this year, when he lobbied unsuccessfully for Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
His absence at the talks could have brought serious repercussions abroad, where many nations are already blaming the dim prospects for a legally binding treaty in Copenhagen on the United States' failure to adopt emissions limits.





Comments
And the Climategate liberal media blackout continues, all the while the liberal msm talking heads are still pushing the white house talking points. This is probably the BIGGEST story this year Silva, yet you and you liberal cohorts continue to ignore it. Don't want to mess up Obama's Cap$Tax scheme do we?
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/nov/24/hiding-evidence-of-global-cooling/
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2188feb3-802a-23ad-4de4-3fbc0a92e126&Issue_id
Posted by: Dave | November 25, 2009 10:13 AM
But AGW is a hoax. Surely he's heard the news that there is now evidence to prove all the hysterics are bogus.
Right?
Posted by: Kathy | November 25, 2009 10:32 AM
This kinda reminds me of that scene in the Godfather where Tessio says to Hagen "I hope he can get us a good deal."
Posted by: Chris | November 25, 2009 11:27 AM
Total waste of tax payers money, but he has to show off and spend big, no wonder Obama is 49% in the polls.
Posted by: Inky | November 25, 2009 11:45 AM
The lid has been lifted off of the hoax. Can't get this toothpaste back in the tube . . .
*
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/three-things-you-absolutely-must-know-about-climategate/
*
For a comprehensive look:
http://climatedepot.com/
Posted by: Bobbie Mobbie | November 25, 2009 11:48 AM
Anyone care to ask Obama if his belief in the need for this non-legally binding treaty is based, at least in part, on data promulgated by climatologists at the University of East Anglia? Just ask the question, please.
Posted by: JB | November 25, 2009 12:00 PM
Can't Obama just make up some "climate change" numbers--just as he did with "jobs saved" due to the stimulus--and spare us all the billions in costs?
Posted by: Bruce | November 25, 2009 12:11 PM
Good news for the environment !! Where better, should President Obama, the leader of the world, be than leading by example and showing the world the way to cleaning up the environment. Devastated climate patterns that may well lead to a very harsh reality, here on earth. Now is the time to make the necessary changes that will result in a healthier environment, thus, life on our planet. We don't need any more scare tactics by the anti-evironmentalists, that want things to go on, business as usual. That will not work, any more. Like our broken healthcare system, our planet's environment needs serious attention and help !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.
Posted by: Don Fitzgerald, IL | November 25, 2009 12:18 PM
I think this parody of the old Tommy James and the Shondells' song "Draggin' the Line" pretty much sums up ClimateGate.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/012722.html
Posted by: Terry | November 25, 2009 12:24 PM
Doesn't Obama know he's supposed to spend at least 40% of his presidency on personal retreat. He needs to buy a ranch with lots of brush and start attending to it. The last thing this country needs is a chief executive that is actually engaged is conversation with world leaders reagrding world topics.
If he waited a month or so he could pick up his medal that he doesn't deserve and meet with the leaders at the same time. He's wasting jet fuel. But since the burning of carbon based fuels doesn't actually cause and detrimental damage to the world's climate, I guess it doesn't matter that much.
Posted by: kg123 | November 25, 2009 12:27 PM
Terry,
You're wrong about G.W., just like you were always wrong about trickle-down. And consider this:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/environment/2009-11-25-global-warming-disease_N.htm
.
As for your so-called smoking gun, it's not:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/nov/23/climate-denial-strategy
Posted by: @wounded animal | November 25, 2009 1:08 PM
BobMob,
Nice link to Climatedepot, a subsidiary of CFACT, founded by two ExxonMobile paid quacks.
Bruce, why weren't you on top of this obvious slight of hand?
Posted by: Bubba ✔ | November 25, 2009 1:16 PM
Toss all garbage and litter on the front lawns of Republicans. Urinate, deficate and dump motor oil in Republicans drinking water supply. After all pollution is a hoax according to Republicans. Climategate means that every scientist was wrong and we have nothing to worry about. FOX told me, so it's true!
Posted by: Pollute Republicans Now | November 25, 2009 1:25 PM
Obama will go now that he has succeeded in lowering expectations, e.g., no binding treaty will be signed. It will be right up his alley. All rhetoric and no substance. He can prattle on about how serious global warming is.....which begs the question - if Obama really believes everything he says he does about global warming, and that the planet is in danger, and we have to act now, wouldn't that have to be his No. 1 priority? I mean, what good are stimulus plans and health care if the planet is dying? But has it been his top priority? Not even close. We've all seen what a motivated BO can do. He scours the country giving speeches, mobilizes his base, goes on talk shows, etc. We saw this with the stimulus plan and now with health care. Has he done so with global warming? No. Not even close. This makes one wonder how much of this he really believes.
Posted by: Herbie H. | November 25, 2009 2:44 PM
Ah, the Bush comparisons never end do they? I wonder when the current president will actually lead something other than he guys who position his teleprompters but then that's Rham's job I guess - a little to the left so the president can turn his head exactly 37 degrees every other line!
***********************************
Doesn't Obama know he's supposed to spend at least 40% of his presidency on personal retreat. He needs to buy a ranch with lots of brush and start attending to it. The last thing this country needs is a chief executive that is actually engaged is conversation with world leaders reagrding world topics.
If he waited a month or so he could pick up his medal that he doesn't deserve and meet with the leaders at the same time. He's wasting jet fuel. But since the burning of carbon based fuels doesn't actually cause and detrimental damage to the world's climate, I guess it doesn't matter that much.
Posted by: kg123 | November 25, 2009 12:27 PM
***********************************
In other words kg123, all the hoopla over "climate change" has been debunked without "Fact Check" being used by 47 Obama staffers.
Constant references to Bush by both his sharp as marbles supporters and his dragon slaying staffers will show just how ineffective and undecisive he is.
But then again, everyone knows it's all Bush's fault!
When it comes to burning carbon based fuels? Al "Make me a Millionaire" Gore and Joe "where's my bathroom keys" Biden lead the pack
Posted by: springfield | November 25, 2009 3:15 PM
Keep spreading the Obama love! I'm sure this was the latest Obama Youth Squad text message?
***********************************
Toss all garbage and litter on the front lawns of Republicans. Urinate, deficate and dump motor oil in Republicans drinking water supply. After all pollution is a hoax according to Republicans. Climategate means that every scientist was wrong and we have nothing to worry about. FOX told me, so it's true!
Posted by: Pollute Republicans Now | November 25, 2009 1:25 PM
***********************************
You friendship is appreciated and the kind thoughts about other Americans will go down in the history books as you have desired.
Posted by: springfield | November 25, 2009 3:27 PM
Posted by: Pollute Republicans Now | November 25, 2009 1:25 PM
Hey genius, the point is not about pollution. It's about the hoax formerly known as global warming.
I typed slow for you, hopefully, you'll get it.
Posted by: Bobbie Mobbie | November 25, 2009 4:40 PM
Speaking of hoaxes, here's Stossel's take on "health care reform":
*
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/11/25/we_pay_them_to_lie_to_us__99286.html
Posted by: Bobbie Mobbie | November 25, 2009 5:12 PM
No coments today- All have a nice safe Thanksgivng--
Posted by: Inky | November 25, 2009 5:30 PM
Brain Wounded Mutt,
Supply-side economics has been proven to work as an economic growth machine. Three of the largest five economic expansions in this country's history occurred after supply-side economics were put in place.
Back to global warming. the USA Tooday article should have been entitled "Fighting carbon dioxide emissions reduces diseases ". As those e-mails show, the data linking carbon dioxide and global warming has been manipulated by Michael Mann, Phil Jones, and the rest of the grant seeking bunch of "scientists".
Your UK article is short on facts and long on opinion. However, this article from the UK hasa facts, that is, actual quotes from the e-mails that describe the doctering of the data.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100017393/climategate-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-anthropogenic-global-warming/
Have fun sitting at the kids table this Thanksgiving.
Posted by: Terry | November 25, 2009 5:47 PM
Terry the Trickle,
The problem with the modern supply-siders is they distort the theory to abolish the "no free lunch" maxim of Milton Freeman. Dick Cheney, he of the infamous quote, "Reagan proved deficits don't matter", was told by none other then Paul O'Neil and Alan Greenspan that Cheney's and others' claims that tax cuts pay for themselves was less than half true: lower rates did spur economic growth, but not nearly enough to make up for all the lost revenue.
And then there's the problem of the trickle--it doesn't. Bush tax cuts favored the rich, the rich benefited from the last "expansion" which was all a house of cards anyway and left us with the worst economic disaster in 75 years. And to think you're still bragging about that.
.
Re: GW and James Dinglehead. Leave it to the flat earthers to attempt to debunk decades of science over the emails, taken out of context, of a handful of scientist.
http://greenenergyreporter.com/2009/11/global-warming-skeptics-find-proof-of-climate-change-lies-in-stolen-climate-research-emails/
You guys are pretty pathetic, really. I hope the whole thing is explored thoroughly, to put your narrow mind to rest. The evidence that man-made global warming is real is overwhelming and your hacked emails prove nothing, other than you're seriously deluded,
Enjoy the Turkey and Timbits, Terry.
Posted by: @wounded animal | November 25, 2009 7:54 PM
Now that the world knows the entire "global warming" so-called "data" has been exposed as fake, made-up, phoney-baloney, politically correct, utter nonsense, and that the pseudo-scientists who hid all this for some 25 years have been exposed for the posers and scam artists they are, WHAT IS THE POINT OF SENDING THE POTUS TO DENMARK? Unless, of course, the politically correct PR nonsense being used to gain CONTROL over Americans (and everybody else) is the one and the only real goal . Anti-Americans like Boxer, Kerry, Feinstein, Reid, and Obama among others are pushing to completely take over Healthcare, Insurance, Banking, Autos, and everything that makes life worth living, e.g. freedom ! All are ( expetives deleted).
Posted by: Tucano Fulano | November 25, 2009 8:39 PM
Brain Wounded Mutt,
Go look at the tax revenues generated during the Reagan years - they nearly doubled from $500 billion to $900 billion. Economies grows, incomes grow, tax revenues grow. Not a hard concept.
Bush tax cuts went to all income tax payers, yes the tax cuts went to those that pay the most taxes.
http://www.ntu.org/main/page.php?PageID=6
As far as Global Warming, "decades of research" - 35 years ago, it was global cooling. Since you want believe in GW, don't you want it to based on actual data? From the e-mails, it clearly indicates, even you s/b able to understand this, that the data was manipulated. The manipulated data just shows that earth has warmed. The theory/conclusion is that GW is caused by greenhouse gases. The data does not show what the cause of GW is. A class in Statistics 101 would do you well.
Enjoy the turkey, assuming you meat (who can tell with flatliners)
Posted by: Terry | November 25, 2009 9:23 PM
The US and China have finally announced real numbers for their targets to reduce carbon emissions. Unfortunately these numbers, especially from the US, are far too weak. We need a strong agreement at Copenhagen, but this won't get us there. In many ways, a weak agreement at Copenhagen could be even worse than no agreement, as it would lock in targets too small to make a significant difference.
http://www.selfdestructivebastards.com/2009/11/emissions-targets.html
Posted by: Canada Guy | November 26, 2009 11:09 AM
Did I miss it, or have the major media
ignored the 3,000 e-mails from the
"global-warming" so-called scientists revealing the depth of the global warming hoax? Even with members of Congress calling for an investigation?
Posted by: Derrick | November 26, 2009 12:00 PM
I believe this is a total waste of time.That said I'm all for conservation at all levels. But the problem with global warming it has not been proven to even exist. While cutting our emissions would be a good thing one would have to ask the question what about the rest of the world?. We could cut our emissions hypothetically to zero, if India, and China and the rest of the world does not go along with the program, then I would have to say there would be better ways to spend our treasure.
Posted by: Paul | November 26, 2009 12:13 PM
Derrick,
You didn't miss it, the MSM has not covered this story. Only one news network has (the same one that covered the ACORN corruption) covered this story.
Here's a little parody that will brighten your day (turn the speakers up)
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/012722.html
Posted by: Terry | November 26, 2009 4:01 PM
Thanks Paul at 12:13 p.m. for recognizing the total futility of this exercise in GW Stupidity.
What these GW pot smokers are talking about doing is like spitting into a 1399 F steel forging furnace in the badly mistaken belief that their spittle will somehow keep the temperature under 1400 F.
We could cut our emissions to 0.0000, China could cut their emissions to 0.0000,
India could cut their emissions to 0.0000, and it would not make one damn bit of difference in the temperature of a 196,000,000 square mile planet, 73% water surface area that constantly evolves CH4, CO2, and O2 into an atmosphere under some complex temperature dependent conditions of vapor-liquid equlibria that are always in play, with a whole mass of dissimilar physical states with dissimilar heat capacities defining the system that is being lighted and heated by a damn sun whose temperature within its’ photosphere is 10,000 – 12,000 degrees F, and with a core temperature of 15,000,000 to 20,000,000 degrees. The brightest MIT student could foul this up by factors of 10.
I am supposed to be worried over a mis-calculated temperature increase of 0.8 C? I am supposed to believe that AlGore somehow has the genius to sort all of this out and buy into his crap?
A lot of damn technical factors and variables, Liberals. Don’t worry about it. You will never get any of it. Some of this may have been discussed while you were doodling on your desk, looking out the window at the lovely clouds in the sky, studying your shoelaces, or maybe you were in the bathroom smoking pot during science class.
What an incredibly long-running scam this has been, and the brain-dead people of the donkey party still lap it up. No dog is this dumb. The European science hoax-sters were at least smart enough to have gotten something of value for their grand scam ~ money, job security, a picture of AlGore, something. The donkey people are just profoundly dumb and gullible. I fear that it is a lifetime condition.
Posted by: Django - N Exile In/Around the 30th Parallel | November 26, 2009 5:16 PM
The only reason to go now is to ask for all that grant money back.....
http://www.mailfriends.com/node/690796
Posted by: FLZapped | November 29, 2009 4:55 PM
Climategate, Part One
In normal times, i.e., pre-politically correct, pre-Obama times, the slowly evolving truth about global warming/cooling/climate change would be blockbuster news and the whole sleazy story would already be in development as a movie.
Granted, Oliver Stone wouldn’t be falling all over himself trying to get the tale of Climategate onto the silver screen and into a theater near you but more reputable writers, directors, and producers–whoever they are–would just love to film an expose’ of the global warming charade to acquaint the American people with the fact they have been had for decades.
That wishful-thinking scenario of reputable Hollywoodians exposing the truth about the baloney-science climate farce is as probable as Adam Lambert going hetero or Patrick Kennedy going Catholic.
Regardless of Hollywood and related charlatans, thanks to computer hackers, the truth is finally slithering out about climate change and, God willing, Americans may soon be free of the meticulously-designed guilt for our reprehensible and willful destruction of Planet Earth.
If and when that happens, we hapless human Americans may finally rest easy content in the knowledge that we didn’t cause it and whether it even exists outside the venal minds of greedy publicity hounds in academia and self-serving politicos is very suspect.
The MSM, not unexpectedly, has chosen to either downplay or totally ignore the story out of Britain that has been tagged “Climategate” thereby linking it with the Nixonian political scandal of Watergate.
Such linkage does a disservice to the scope of this scandal which far surpasses in gravity Watergate and even surpasses the papal rebuke of Nicolaus Copernicus and his cockamamie cosmological theory of a heliocentric universe.
In the sixteenth century, only maniacs believed the Earth was not the center of the universe. In the twenty first century, only muckraking, semi-retarded conservatives rejected anthropomorphic/anthropogenic climate change.
Those sixteenth century maniacs were proven less maniacal than seers. The twenty first century idiots are now in the slow progress of being proven prophets.
Thank you very much! . . .
(Read the rest at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1350)
Posted by: Berlet98 | December 1, 2009 1:19 PM