Spiegel: "US Disappoints at Doha Climate Talks!" The INCONVENIENT TRUTH is we were all warned!

[Democrats Ramshield]

by Democrats Ramshield

Written by an American Expat and reluctant Obama voter living in the E.U.
(Updated and republished)

Should America and the World be disappointed on the Administration stance on Climate change? Or should we be happy with it. Has Obama betrayed his base right after being re-elected on climate just as Der Spiegle predicted it would in the aftermath of Sandy leaving millions without power? Or as the administrations defenders tell us Obama didn't promise a lot on climate so we have no right to express disappointment here. Who is right? Who wins and who loses?
----------------------------

Spiegel: "11/05/2012 Destroyed by Total Capitalism America Has Already Lost Tuesday's Election A Commentary" by Jakob Augstein
----------------------------

[img src="" align=left]Spiegel quote: The US is refusing to budge, and other counries are hiding behind its inaction, said Samatha Smith of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). David Waskow, from Oxfam, accused Obama of saying one thing and doing another. Greenpeace head Kumi Naidoo says that Obama has come down with a "severe case of cognitive dissonance."

Comments coming from the US delegation, he went on, show a "fundamental ignorance of public opinion in the US and the rest of the world."

(End of quote)

(To continue reading the rest of my Daily Kos article, please click on the link below. Thank you.)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/06/1167630/-Spiegel-US-Disappoints-at-Doha-Climate-Talks-The-INCONVENIENT-TRUTH-is-we-were-all-warned

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. "Written by an American Expat and reluctant Obama voter living in the E.U. "

Good job! Now pull the other one!

[Democrats Ramshield]

10. To Tarheel_Dem - a Rebuttal

Yes I am quite ashamed to admit that I fell into the trap of 'vote for Obama' or vote for no one. Though I accept that such an idea maybe difficult for someone with your obvious maturity level in discourse to be able to accept. Particularly as the ranks of the climate change deniers are swelled by those of the factitious persuasion who suffer from not only scientific illiteracy, as well as a complete lack of common sense and civility.

As Al Gore taught us, climate change maybe an inconvenient truth and that climate change illiteracy is never an option that an Al Gore administration would have engaged in. Clearly Al Gore's position is completely at variance with the position of the Obama administration. You can try if you like to entertain yourself further by trying to laugh that difference off, but then again the truth is a very stubborn thing.

[Tarheel_Dem]

14. I'm sorry, but demagoguery/zealotry is unattractive to me. Nothing's ever enough. C' Ya!

[Sunlei]

2. I think you missed everything this Admin has done re 'climate change'

The info is out there and President Obama seems like a president who pays attention to scientists and experts. We have to elect people in Congress who care more about Americans than their coal stock.

Climate Change Adaptation Task Force
Across the United States and the world, climate change is already affecting communities, livelihoods, and the environment. In 2009, the Obama Administration convened the Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force, co-chaired by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and including representatives from more than 20 Federal agencies. On October 5, 2009, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing the Task Force to develop a report with recommendations for how the Federal Government can strengthen policies and programs to better prepare the Nation to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Task Force Progress Reports

On October 28, 2011 the Task Force released the 2011 Interagency Climate Change Adaptation Task Force Progress Report outlining........... continued at link

http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation

The Obama Administration has taken a series of important steps to reduce the harmful emissions that contribute to climate change and pollute our water and air.

International LeadershipUnder President Obama’s leadership, the United States has engaged the international community to promote sustainable economic growth and to meet the climate change challenge through a number of important venues, including:............. continued at link



http://www.whitehouse.gov/energy/climate-change


White House Climate Change Report Issues Dire Warning On Worsening Situation (Bush started report Obama finished soon as he got in office 2009)

WASHINGTON — Rising sea levels, sweltering temperatures, deeper droughts, and heavier downpours _ global warming's serious effects are already here and getting worse, the Obama administration warned on Tuesday in the grimmest, most urgent language on climate change ever to come out of any White House...... continued at link



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/16/white-house-climate-chang_n_216534.html

[Tarheel_Dem]

3. You'll have to forgive him. He was too busy being "disappointed", and writing screeds about it....

on the internet. Being chronically outraged is a hard job, but someone has to do it. Hats off to the "reluctant" Obama voter and EU expat.

[Sunlei]

4. lol, happy others notice. at least 'they' create a couple 'jobs' for internet shills.

[Democrats Ramshield]

8. Climate change denial isn't a form of entertainment but rather mental poverty

The willful ignorance shown by climate change deniers is such that I find it isn't a good use of time to engage them. Although most of them are in the Tea Party, I see that climate change denial has also infected the ranks of Democrats for whom truth likewise just doesn't matter.

[Tarheel_Dem]

15. Ahhh, the old "Tea Party" canard. Nice try. However, there was a Green option on the ballot, but..

guess what? People didn't vote for her. Better luck next time?

[Democrats Ramshield]

9. Climate change denial isn't an option

Again, climate change deniers show a level of invincible willful ignorance that is completely at variance with all scientific data and indeed reality itself. The simple truth is many of us who voted for Obama bought into the idea that post-Hurricane Sandy wake up call that helped shift the election for Obama signaled hope that America would no longer be the second largest greenhouse gas contributor. Those hopes were dashed in Doha by a recalcitrant Obama administration, who showed a callous disregard for public opinion and world opinion regarding climate change concerns.

[Democrats Ramshield]

11. To Sunlei - Do you have any of your own thoughts on this issue?

I see that you're rather good at producing copy-and-paste block quotes, but as our readers maybe interested, I just wanted to ask you on their behalf if you actually have any thoughts of your own on this issue.

Is this an issue that you've studied and written about? If so, could you please give us links to any articles that you may have written on this subject. Thanks.

[Sunlei]

13. is that you Hibby? I agree with the President and science. better buy high ground.

[Mojorabbit]

5. Maybe so but I have been very disappointed

myself. Picking industry leaders to head some of the most important posts is continuing. Same old Same old.

[Democrats Ramshield]

12. Mojorabbit, polls share your opinion around the world

Mojorabbit, thank you. You're quite right. Many of us are substantially disappointed with the Obama administration's stance on climate change. Particularly in the post-Hurricane Sandy America, where we're still the world's second largest greenhouse contributor. Please know the opinion of most Americans (and people around the world) as reflected in polling share your disappointment.

[locks]

6. The US at Doha

If you had watched Amy Goodman tonight on Democracy Now ask the US Rep to Doha if Obama still supports Kyoto and climate change action you would be disappointed too. He was disdainful and declined to answer her questions. She interviewed Naidoo of Greenpeace and Samantha Smith of WWF and they were disappointed and also frustrated at the US delegation (and also Canada' delegation) which have not kept their pledges to support the decrease of greenhouse gases around the world. How can we expect the developing countries to do anything if the US drags its feet on action to meet what I believe to be the greatest challenge of our time? As Naidoo said "We are not trying to save the planet; it will go on but how will our children be able to live on it?" Democracy Now will be broadcasting tomorrow night from Doha. Incidentally, they feel Doha Qatar was chosen because its government does not allow any protests as we have seen at the other world conferences.

[Democrats Ramshield]

7. To locks - That was an outstanding post.

What you have said is very true. In fact I couldn't agree more. Thank you for your thoughtful post which has certainly added value to our discussion here. To that end, I hope when your time permits that you'll post again. Clearly climate change denial isn't an option.

PS: Also thanks for informing us of the good work that Amy Goodman is doing. This is particularly helpful for those of us living outside of the United States.

[Sunlei]

17. perhaps the President needs to be asked to change the Leadership in our Federal departments?

what I mean is leadership connected with the industries that add to climate change. A lot of them have been around for decades, appointed by the Bush times and earlier when we didn't understand as much about climate change.

It may be best to boot out old school people like Salazar or shuffle the positions so they lose their ties to industry lobbyists.

I agree, the changes noted by the Presidents' reports from 2009 are to slow comin..the USA does "drag its feet".

I think part of the problem is the hold lobbyists have on our Federal leadership. Obama doesn't have to fire people like Salazar but totally change the Federal department he 'leads'.

[geek tragedy]

16. Congressional action is needed for any kind of international agreement, so

Obama is wasting his time even paying attention to such conferences.

Congress is a denialist institution, and will never acknowledge climate change, let alone do something about it.