Reactions to Obama’s So-Called Copenhagen Accord
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
I’m not going to call this a UNFCCC deal or a COP15 deal. This was a Heads of State deal. At least at now that’s all it is. Anyway, reactions as they come:
Bill McKibben, American environmentalist and founder of 350.org, responds to Obama’s press conference this evening:
“This is a declaration that small and poor countries [...]
“Meaningful Agreement” Says White House Official
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
Says the NYTimes:
The United States, China, India and South Africa have reached a “meaningful agreement” at the Copenhagen climate change conference, an Obama administration official said.
“It’s not sufficient to combat the threat of climate change, but it’s an important first step,” the official said. “No country is entirely satisfied with each element, but this is [...]
A View from Tracker Central
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in Adopt a Negotiator, bits
Where we work when we can’t work in the Bella.
More US-China Bilaterals
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
We know Obama met with Wen Jinbao earlier. Apparently there was another with Vice Minister He. The U.S. supposedly pressed hard for a global emissions reduction goal for 2050. China, predictably, wasn’t too keen.
Now Obama is supposed to speak w/ Chinese President Hu Jintao who’s in Beijing (on the phone, I assume), and then going [...]
Updated: Reactions to Obama Speech
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
Kassie Siegel, director of the Climate Law Institute of the Center for Biological Diversity, had the following response to President Obama’s speech:
“Obama offered only ultimatums to those countries most impacted by global warming; accept our terms or we will block funding to help you survive the crisis we caused but for which we still refuse [...]
Report on US-China Bilateral
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
From the White House pool reports:
President Obama and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met for 55 minutes in a room at the Bella Center, and “made progress,” a White House official said. That meeting broke up a little after 1:35 p.m. Copenhagen time.
The official called the discussion “constructive,” and said that the two men touched on [...]
Obama Meeting with Wen
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
China Daily reports “Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is holding a meeting with US president Barack Obama on the sidelines of the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. The talk will last for about an hour.”
Obama Speech Text Changes
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
From prepared to delivered, there were some telling changes:
He changed the word “agreement” from his prepared speech to “framework I just outlined,” possibly because of lack of progress in the talks?
Also-this was in the script, but an interesting change from common language: he said “common but differentiated responses” not “responsibilities”? Possibly an effort to allay [...]
Obama’s Speech in Copenhagen
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
Not his A-game, I’d say. Here it is:
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________
_________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2009
Remarks of President Barack Obama—As Prepared for Delivery
Copenhagen Summit
Copenhagen, Denmark
December 18, 2009
Good morning. It’s an honor to for me to join this distinguished group of leaders from nations around the world. We come together here in Copenhagen because [...]
BREAKING: Obama meeting with 18 leaders to “save” deal
Posted on 18. Dec, 2009 by Ben Jervey in U.S.A., bits
The summit (let’s call it what it is now) is on hold, waiting for this closed-door meeting with Obama and 18 other heads of state. Countries involved: USA, Australia, UK, France, Denmark, Germany, Japan, China, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, Mexico, Spain, South Korea, Norway, Colombia.
And now an informal high [...]
The Adopter - Ben Jervey
Ben Jervey comes from New York City. He works to better communicate climate, energy, and environmental issues to mainstream audiences. His reporting and work on climate change and clean energy have brought him from the streets of New York to the glaciers of eastern Greenland, to the mountain villages of Vietnam. read more»
The Adopted - Meet the US Delegation
The US delegation from Bonn through Copenhagen is being lead by Jonathan Pershing, longtime veteran of climate negotiations with 30 years under his belt working on climate and energy issues on the domestic and international levels. read more»