Obama hits Russia, China for "lack of urgency" on climate

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER, FRANK JORDANS and SETH BORENSTEIN

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Barack Obama expressed confidence at U.N. climate talks Monday that the Biden administration will ultimately get its $555 billion climate package through Congress, and faulted U.S. rivals China and Russia for what he called a “dangerous lack of urgency” in cutting their own climate-wrecking emissions.

“When it comes to climate, time really is running out,” Obama told climate advocates. Though there has been progress since the historic 2015 Paris climate agreement “we are nowhere near where we need to be.”

His comments came as conference leaders acknowledged Monday that many key sticking points exist after a week of talks. A trust gap between rich and poor nations on climate change issues emerged when the negotiations went through a check of what’s been accomplished and what’s left to be done. Developing countries used versions of the word “disappointing” five times when leaders talked Monday about the progress to date.

The U.N. climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president’s first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth’s warming below catastrophic levels of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).



Former U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland, Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. The U.N. climate summit in Glasgow is entering it's second week as leaders from around the world, are gathering in Scotland's biggest city, to lay out their vision for addressing the common challenge of global warming. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/climate-donald-trump-joe-biden-united-nations-barack-obama-33aacb939b5ee0b8aa1add7688cb267a

[lastlib]

1. Barack H. Obama is the greatest orator of the 21st century.

It's simply beyond dispute after watching this speech.

Effin' WOW!

"Cynicism is the recourse of cowards,"--Barack Obama.
Who else could write a thought like that?

[Magoo48]

4. We in the USA occupy 0 moral high ground to be lecture anybody about Climate Catastrophe.

President Obama kicked the green can down the road during his time in office.

That said, he is one hell of an orator..

[soryang]

2. Climate change is becoming less a battle of nations than rich vs poor

The fight to protect the planet is shifting in ways that could soon exacerbate conflicts within countries




https://www.ft.com/content/4788beae-9035-4449-b5cd-200dc7b6ea9d

[Mosby]

5. Per capita emissions is meaningless.

And the fact is, western countries produce vastly more goods and services with their emissions vs "developing" countries.

[paleotn]

7. Bingo.

[The Mouth]

3. One basic bit of reality that even the best President of my lifetime can't change:

The citizens of the United States are pretty much not going to have *any* more urgency than they perceive India and China showing. "Don't ask me to use less gasoline or natural gas when India is going to add 150 million new drivers in the next decade" as one person put it.

Anybody who wants can bloviate to their heart's content about our current status, why we should be doing more, why we should be financially helping other countries; that a a few bucks will get you a nice cuppa; but my perception is that you simply are not going to get much support for political initiatives to combat climate change as with China planning 50 new coal plants. America is tired of leading, and anything that results in the average citizen using *less* energy going forward is utterly doomed, as is the career of any politician who pushes same

[paleotn]

6. How about Malaysia?

Apparently they have "special CO2 absorbing trees" that neighboring Indonesia doesn't have. Seems Malaysia's greenhouse gas emissions data, presented to the UN, is a complete fantasy.

Malaysia’s latest catalogue of its greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations reads like a report from a parallel universe. The 285-page document suggests that Malaysia’s trees are absorbing carbon four times faster than similar forests in neighboring Indonesia.

The surprising claim has allowed the country to subtract over 243 million tons of carbon dioxide from its 2016 inventory — slashing 73 percent of emissions from its bottom line.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/interactive/2021/greenhouse-gas-emissions-pledges-data/?itid=hp_dontmiss

We are so fucking screwed.

[Shanti Shanti Shanti]

8. Despite Pledges to Cut Emissions, China Goes on a Coal Spree

Like they care...


China is building large numbers of coal-fired power plants to drive its post-pandemic economy. The government has promised a CO2 emissions peak by 2030, but the new coal binge jeopardizes both China’s decarbonization plans and global efforts to tackle climate change.

BY MICHAEL STANDAERT • MARCH 24, 2021

Coal remains at the heart of China’s flourishing economy. In 2019, 58 percent of the country’s total energy consumption came from coal, which helps explain why China accounts for 28 percent of all global CO2 emissions. And China continues to build coal-fired power plants at a rate that outpaces the rest of the world combined.

In 2020, China brought 38.4 gigawatts of new coal-fired power into operation, more than three times what was brought on line everywhere else.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/despite-pledges-to-cut-emissions-china-goes-on-a-coal-spree