As The GOP Was Calling Obama A Weak Leader, He Got The Rest Of The World To Halt Climate Change

[babylonsister]

http://www.ifyouonlynews.com/environment/as-the-gop-was-calling-obama-a-weak-leader-he-got-the-rest-of-the-world-to-halt-climate-change/


By Christian Drake
Environment, Politics, News, World
December 13, 2015
As The GOP Was Calling Obama A Weak Leader, He Got The Rest Of The World To Halt Climate Change


I want to know exactly how much President Obama is going to change the meaning of “lame duck” during what’s left of his second term. The guy just got the entire planet to unanimously agree to something. Contrast that to any two random Republicans. You couldn’t get them to agree on the color of poo. I can hear it already: Republicans will call this accomplishment another “failure of leadership.”
President Obama just got approximately 200 nations to agree to cooperate together on a plan that addresses climate change on a global scale, and we didn’t even have to invade a country to do it.

The entire free, industrialized world agreed unanimously under our president’s leadership, to enact deeper cuts in emissions to a level that would not only halt further rising of global average temperature – but also allow for a slow reduction in it as well.

In short, the agreement sets to limit the average temperature to 2 degrees celsius, with an eventual goal of 1.5 degrees. Along with the limitation curve, there was an agreement that the majority of the world’s fossil fuel reserves will be left to remain in the ground.

According to Think Progress:

‘1.5°C is a critical threshold for all ecosystems,’ Samantha Smith, leader of the Global Climate and Energy Initiative at WWF International, said in a press conference. ‘It’s the Arctic, it’s coral reefs, it’s tropical forests, but not the least, it’s every person who is living in the Pacific islands and a coastal area.’

CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions have leveled off and are projected to stay level into approximately 2030. This shows that raised awareness of climate change, coupled with new green and renewable technology has had a real impact before the agreement was even made. The purpose of the agreement is to ratchet up standards more incrementally over time, to meet a low enough level to sustain 2 degrees celsius or lower, and give humanity a secure future.

I am so proud of my president this day. Thank you, Mr. Obama, for leading the rest of the world into the territory where Republicans fear to tread.

[Turbineguy]

1. Well, yes, but....

not wishing to destroy the planet is a sign of weakness to the GOP.

As everybody knows, real men destroy their own planet. While they are on it.

[cantbeserious]

2. The Question Is How - Which Countries Will Voluntarily Reduce Their Use Of Fossil Fuels

eom

[progree]

13. India says Paris climate deal won't affect plans to double coal output, Reuters 12/14/15

India says Paris climate deal won't affect plans to double coal output, Reuters 12/14/15

India still plans to double coal output by 2020 and rely on the resource for decades afterwards, a senior official said on Monday,

... "The environment is non-negotiable and we are extremely careful about it," Anil Swarup, the top bureaucrat in the coal ministry, told Reuters. &quot But) our dependence on coal will continue. There are no other alternatives available."

While India has plans to add 30 times more solar-powered generation capacity by 2022, there were limitations to clean energy and coal would remain the most efficient energy source for decades, he said.

Minister for Power, Coal and Renewable Energy, Piyush Goyal, said India's contribution to global greenhouse gases emissions was just 2.5 percent with 17 percent of the world's population, while developed countries contributed a fifth of emissions with just 5 percent of the world's population.

"While contributing to (the) growth of renewable energy, energy conservation & efficiency, we'll make sure our development process (does) not get hampered," Goyal said in a post on Twitter.

More: http://news.yahoo.com/india-push-ahead-coal-plans-paris-climate-deal-110724335--finance.html

So just a mere doubling over the course of 4 long long years. Maybe that's a slowdown in the rate of doubling or somesuch

I wonder if China has improved on its agreement a year ago to stop growing emissions by 2030

[7962]

14. Thats the problem. The thing has so many holes in it. Just a lot of glad handing

China not being required to report actual numbers is a joke

[former9thward]

3. Obama?

This conference was one of a series which have been going on long before Obama was president or anything else. He did not lead the world to anything. Also this conference has absolutely no enforcement mechanisms and no real commitments by the major polluters, China and India. The developing world has not agreed to any limits and they never will.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

16. The enforcement mechanisms were in the streets of Paris Sat.

And i'm standing with them.

[former9thward]

18. They were hosed off the streets by the police.

You might of missed that.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

31. I can't find any mention of the Paris Police doing that on Saturday 12/12/2015

Amy Goodman covered the event live and said nothing about that, so yes I did miss that.
Care to send proof.

[former9thward]

32. LOL

I see you mentioned a very specific date even though these protests have been going on for many days now. So no, I can't provide a link to YOUR specific date as you try and make people think their were protests only on one day.

French Police Fire Tear Gas At Climate Protesters In Paris



http://wnpr.org/post/french-police-fire-tear-gas-climate-protesters-paris#stream/0

[totodeinhere]

4. He hasn't got them to do it yet. They may have agreed to do it and that is a good first

step. But now comes the hard part, actually doing it rather than just talking about it.

[msongs]

6. would we like some TPP on those burgers? hmm nt

[hatrack]

21. Cutting down from five to four after a five-year review period, at which point . . . .

. . . new alternatives to burgers (fish sandwiches, fried chicken, biscuits & gravy) would be considered, with weight loss scheduled to begin sometime 35 years from now . . .

[thesquanderer]

7. The rest of the world is more cooperative with Obama...

...then our own Republican congress is. And we're supposed to be on the same side, relatively speaking.

[Hekate]

8. Thanks, Babylonsister. The reaction from our own side (so to speak) is just nuts.

I understand that when there were breakout sessions, leaders/representatives of major countries went to listen to smaller countries, and that Obama sat with representatives from Pacific Island nations. When has anyone from the US ever done that before? Those countries will be completely extinct if the seas keep rising, and I can't even get DUers to give a damn.

[DaveT]

9. The President deserves praise

For this effort.

The headline absurdly overstates what Obama personally contributed and what the conference accomplished.

Obama did not get the world to do this by himself. He played a significant role.

Nor will this halt climate change. It is a good step toward it.

Obama has been a major disappointment in too many ways, but he has some very good pluses on his record in office.

This was one -- it could wind up being his biggest.

Good on Barack for this major diplomatic performance.

[Maedhros]

10. This is an accurate assessment. [n/t]

[nomorenomore08]

19. +2

[pampango]

11. Leadership in dealing with a problem that republicans deny even exists is not going to change their

minds. But who cares?

[maggies farm]

12. The devil is in the details

And all there is will be smoke and mirrors.

[progree]

15. "He Got The Rest Of The World To Halt Climate Change" Umm, uhh, no he did not

[Yorktown]

17. Can you quote one single major foreign newspaper cerditing the COP21 to Obama?

It's a long haul teamwork.

If any credit is to be given, it's to the UN IPCC (and French diplomacy as facilitators)

But with Obama at least, there won't be presidential foot dragging.

[karynnj]

27. agree completely, but Obama worked hard to keep the US from being the reason it failed

It is sad reality that the US blocking the international effort - even - under a supportive president is where we were at least since Kyoto. Credit should be given that he found a path that could lead to something better than most thought possible - even as it was less than many wanted.

[Yorktown]

35. True

[progree]

20. India, China, Saudi Arabia 'happy' with climate pact, AFP, 12/12/15

http://news.yahoo.com/india-china-saudi-arabia-happy-climate-pact-153738758.html

I wonder why?

[Surya Gayatri]

22. Thank you, Mr. Obama, for leading the rest of the world.

[madville]

23. Glad that's over

Now we can move on to other things.

[Facility Inspector]

24. Climate change is over now?

wow!

[babylonsister]

25. No. But thanks for the kick as

measures to halt climate change are important.

[Thinkingabout]

26. K & R

This is going in the right direction, getting countries to the table to admit there is a climate problem is a big start. Not to admit this isn't a good start is following the GOP denial.

[TransitJohn]

28. Hahaha

Anthropogenic climate change has been halted?
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt
Try again.

[Orsino]

29. His ability to lead on the international stage was never in question.

Well, yes it was, but only by the wing nuts who oppose him in everything he does.

They were just powerless to prevent this deal from being reached.

[onecaliberal]

30. Fuck the GOP and their Nazi memes.

[NickB79]

33. Halt climate change? HAHAHAHAHA

I'm sorry the author of this piece is so naive when it comes to the science of climate change and what was agreed to at Paris.

Short answer: the accords in Paris gives the world's goverments DECADES to PEAK their carbon emissions. China and India are still committed to INCREASING emissions until 2030. A detailed reading of the commitments made by the nations in Paris shows we have almost no chance of keeping global temps below the danger zone of 2C with their most recent pledges.

The work in Paris didn't halt climate change. Paris tapped the breaks a little bit on a car speeding 100 MPH down the highway, heading towards a brick wall.

A true climate accord that could realistically halt climate change would require a hard cap on carbon emissions within the next few years at most, and a hefty tax on carbon. But we will never get this, because economic growth trumps the climate every time.

[melman]

34. Halt climate change might be a bit of an overstatement

lol