. Earth Science News .
Obama vows to engage world on climate change

by Staff Writers
Beverly Hills, California (AFP) Nov 18, 2008
US president-elect Barack Obama on Tuesday vowed he would "engage vigorously" in global climate change talks and that denial was no longer an acceptable response to global warming.

Obama said in a surprise video message to an international conference on climate change hosted by five US state governors here that he would show new leadership on the issue as soon as he takes office in January.

The president-elect also addressed his message directly to delegates at United Nations climate change talks in Poland next month.

"While I won't be president at the time of your meeting and while the United States has only one president at a time, I've asked members of Congress who are attending the conference as observers to report back to me on what they learn there," Obama said.

"And once I take office, you can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change.

"Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high. The consequences, too serious."

Obama said his administration would establish annual targets that would aim to reduce emission levels to 1990 levels by 2020, an ambitious goal that has already been adopted by California.

Obama's comments came at the opening of a two-day conference hosted by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss and develop strategies aimed at combating climate change.

Republican Schwarzenegger, who has repeatedly clashed with the outgoing administration of President George W. Bush over climate change and environmental issues, welcomed Obama's remarks.

"I'm very, very happy," Schwarzenegger told delegates, many of whom had cheered during Obama's taped speech.

"It's very important for our country, because we have been the biggest polluters in the world, it's about time that we as a country recognize that and work together with other nations to fight global warming."

Schwarzenegger also praised Obama's pledge to follow California's lead on cutting emissions levels. "This administration will adopt our regulations, and our laws. This is fantastic because we want to lead the way," he said.

Schwarzenegger is among five US governors co-hosting the event, along with the governors of Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin and Florida.

The conference also featured some 800 officials from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom.

Schwarzenegger has made the environment a key issue of his second term in California and signed a historic bill in 2006 that saw California become the first in the nation to impose limits on global warming gases.

Under the plan, California will aim to slash the state's carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020, a figure that Schwarzenegger has said is equivalent to removing 6.5 million vehicles from the road.

On Monday, Schwarzenegger set a new target for California of securing 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

The state had already set a goal of acquiring 20 percent of its electricity from sources such as wind and solar by 2010.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Climate Science News - Modeling, Mitigation Adaptation



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Carbon Dioxide Levels Already In Danger Zone
New Haven CT (SPX) Nov 12, 2008
If climate disasters are to be averted, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) must be reduced below the levels that already exist today, according to a study published in Open Atmospheric Science Journal by a group of 10 scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom and France.







  • Thousands displaced in Indonesia as quake toll hits six
  • Quake threat to Karachi exposes cracks in system
  • Death toll from China subway collapse rises to seven: state press
  • California gets glimpse of 'Big One'

  • Obama vows to engage world on climate change
  • Somalians face famine on massive scale: Red Cross
  • Carbon Dioxide Levels Already In Danger Zone
  • World Needs Climate Emergency Backup Plan

  • Firefly CubeSat To Study Link Between Lightning And Terrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes
  • Measuring Water From Space
  • Orbital Ships NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory Satellite To Launch Site
  • Arctic Sea Ice Decline Shakes Up Ocean Ecosystems

  • Largest permanent CO2 storage in Wyoming
  • China defends investments in DR Congo
  • Russia says pipeline talks with China to resume
  • China's oil demand falls sharply amid global crisis: top producer

  • TB strains more drug-resistant, WHO says
  • Purdue Researcher Invents Molecule That Stops SARS
  • Airport Malaria Causing Concern In The US
  • AIDS vaccines: New hope for problem-plagued path

  • Africa in biggest ever crackdown on wildlife crime
  • Botswana wildlife threatened by human encroachment
  • Fiddler Crabs Reveal Honesty Is Not Always The Best Policy
  • Giant clams make come back in Philippines thanks to science

  • Pollution Of Freshwater Costs The USA At Least $4.3 Billion Annually
  • Italian police find massive illegal waste dump near Naples
  • Smelly effluent mars affluent Dubai's beaches
  • White House defends last-minute deregulation push

  • Parents clasp hands of children in ancient graves
  • Firms scan brain waves to improve ads in Japan
  • Surprising Effects Of Climate Patterns In Ancient China
  • China's media workers not in good physical shape: report

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement