Progress Made Sets Stage for Fair, Ambitious, and Binding Deal in 2010
Copenhagen, Denmark--After two weeks of fraught, stalled negotiations, President Obama arrived in Copenhagen, built on the progress made yesterday by Secretary of State Clinton, personally negotiated with world leaders for hours, and tonight announced the elements of an international climate accord. The Sierra Club offered the following comments in response.
Statement of Carl Pope, Sierra Club Executive Director"The world's nations have come together and concluded a historic--if incomplete--agreement to begin tackling global warming. Tonight's announcement is but a first step and much work remains to be done in the days and months ahead in order to seal a final international climate deal that is fair, binding, and ambitious. It is imperative that negotiations resume as soon as possible.
"President Obama and the rest of the world paid a steep price here in Copenhagen because of obstructionism in the United States Senate. That a deal was reached at all is testament to President Obama's leadership--all the more remarkable because of the very weak hand he was dealt because of the Senate's failure to pass domestic clean energy and climate legislation. Now that the rest of the world--including countries like China and India--has made clear that it is willing to take action, the Senate must pass domestic legislation as soon as possible. America and the world can no longer be held hostage to petty politics and obstructionism.
"What was clear over the past two weeks is that there is no argument over the science of global warming or the urgency with which we must act. A parade of developed and developing counties alike made crystal clear that they would implement their national plans to tackle global warming and build the clean energy economy not because they were required to do so, but because it was simply in their own national interest to do so.
"The agreement reached here has all the ingredients necessary to construct a final treaty--a mitigation target of 2 degrees Celsius, nationally appropriate action plans, a mechanism for international climate finance, and transparency with regard to national commitments. President Obama has made much progress in past 11 months and it now appears that the U.S.--and the world--is ready to do the hard work necessary to finish what was started here in Copenhagen.
"A chilly two weeks in Copenhagen has given humanity its best chance of preventing the ravages of a warming world. Today's deal is neither perfect nor complete, but we must not this chance slip away."
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (December 18, 2009) -- In response to the deal reached in Copenhagen by the United States and leaders from a number of other countries, Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, issued the following statement:
“The world has said enough is enough. We have taken a vital first step toward curbing climate change for the sake of our planet, our country and our children.
“For the first time in history, the United States is joining with other major emitters to take real action against global warming. Real cuts in carbon pollution. Real American jobs at home. Real measures to make clear which countries make good on their vows. And real help for the world's most vulnerable people exposed to droughts, floods, famine and storms made worse by climate change.
“This agreement is not all we had hoped for. There's still more work to be done. But it strikes a credible blow against the single greatest environmental ill of our time. It gathers all nations around the common goal of ending this scourge that imperils us all. And it sets the stage for further action in the months ahead.
“Now the Senate can take up clean energy and climate legislation in the certain knowledge that Americans won't act alone. A hopeful nation watches and waits for the Senate to pass a bill that will put Americans back to work, reduce our reliance on foreign oil and ensure a safer future for us all.”
Statement of LCV President Gene Karpinski on Copenhagen Climate Deal:
"While there is still much work to be done, the deal reached in Copenhagen is a breakthrough for international climate cooperation and provides a path forward towards a binding global treaty in 2010. Significantly, the United States and China will -- for the first time -- both be at the table, working to tackle the historic challenge of global climate change.
"Moving forward, it is absolutely critical that the U.S. lead by example and work swiftly to enact comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation next year. We applaud President Obama for his leadership in helping to reach this important step toward a meaningful agreement."
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