Obama Says He’ll Be Represented at Poland Climate Talks

Cross-posted from WattHead – Energy News and Commentary

Props to 350.org, Greenpeace’s Project Hot Seat and all the others that worked to get this commitment:

UPDATE: Jamie Henn, an organizer at 350.org had this to say:

We’re still trying to confirm Obama’s commitment to attend these important meetings. But one thing is clear: the invitations are working.

Over 43,000 people from around the world have invited the Prez-elect to Poland for the UN Climate Meetings. We need to keep that pressure building and celebrate this election by getting our country back on the right track.

You can make your voice heard and invite President-elect Obama to the climate party in Poland by heading here: http://www.350.org/invite

3 Responses to “Obama Says He’ll Be Represented at Poland Climate Talks”

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1 jamiehenn Nov 5th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

This is Jamie over at 350.org. We’re still trying to confirm Obama’s commitment to attend these important meetings. But one thing is clear: the invitations are working.

Over 43,000 people from around the world have invited the Prez-elect to Poland for the UN Climate Meetings. We need to keep that pressure building and celebrate this election by getting our country back on the right track.

http://www.350.org/invite
2 danny Nov 22nd, 2008 at 10:25 pm

http://www.desmogblog.com/putting-global-warming-laggards-trial

we will be there too, this lawsuit that is. read the DESMOG blog

22 November 3008

Putting Global Warming Laggards on Trial

Ballsy

That is perhaps best word to describe a class action lawsuit filed this week in the International Criminal Court in The Hague in Holland against national governments refusing to act on reducing carbon emissions.

The suit was filed by climate activist Danny Bloom who is asking for “US$1 billion dollars in damages on behalf of future generations of human beings on Earth – if there are any”

No Joke

The lawsuit is specifically seeking damages from “all world leaders for intent to commit manslaughter against future generations of human beings by allowing murderous amounts of fossil fuels to be harvested, burned and sent into the atmosphere as CO2, causing possible apocalyptic harm to the Earth’s ecosystem and the very future of the human species.

The point of the suit of course is not to wring money out of carbon emitters, but to embarrass the legions of laggard governments in advance of upcoming international climate negotiations next month in Poland. According to Bloom, the legal action “is about trying to protect future generations of mankind, humankind, and a positive judgment in this case will help prod more people to take the issues of climate change and global warming more seriously. We fully intend to make all world leaders of today responsible for their actions in the present day and age.”

This case is a legal long shot no doubt, but Bloom’s team said “”it’s up to the court to decide whether this case has any merit. We fully expect the court to agree to at least hear the case and make a responsible and measured decision later.”

It would also be the first case of its kind to seek to act on behalf of future generations for the irresponsibility of their ancestors. The need to put world leaders on the hot seat is very real. International climate talks like the one happening next month in Poland have happening for over a decade yet global emissions just keep climbing. A recent report showed that in spite of international commitments, carbon emissions of 40 industrialized countries rose by 2.3 percent between 2000 and 2006.

That said, those countries that signed Kyoto saw their overall emissions fall by 17% below 1990. The disgraceful outlier among those nations is Canada, whose emissions ballooned by over 20% in spite of having ratifying Kyoto. Canada’s Prime Minister Harper has called Kyoto a “mistake” and he seems openly contemptuous of such international efforts to reduce greenhouse gases. Mr. Harper is of course not alone in the responsibility for Canada’ terrible climate change record. The Canadian public recently handed him another mandate in a general election.

Back to Mr. Bloom. His lawsuit seems directly targeted towards such irresponsible nations like Canada that have refused to take this issue seriously. If he wins, Bloom is planning to donate the $1 billion in damages to the Nobel winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Godspeed Mr. Bloom.

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1 We did it. Now What? « It’s Getting Hot In Here Trackback on Nov 5th, 2008 at 4:46 pm

About Jesse

Jesse Jenkins is an energy and climate policy analyst, advocate, and blogger. Jesse is currently the Director of Energy and Climate Policy at the Breakthrough Institute in Oakland, California, where he works to develop and advance new energy solutions to power America's future, secure our energy freedom, and halt global warming. He joined Breakthrough in June 2008 and previously directed the Breakthrough Generation fellowship program for young clean energy leaders. Jesse worked previously as a Research and Policy Associate at the Renewable Northwest Project in Portland, OR, helping to advance the development of the Pacific Northwest's abundant renewable energy potential. A prolific author and blogger on clean energy issues, Jesse is the founder and chief editor of WattHead - Energy News and Commentary, a member of the blogger board at the Energy Collective and policy editor at Its Getting Hot In Here. Jesse is a co-founder of the youth-led Cascade Climate Network, a board member of Focus the Nation and a graduate of the Robert D. Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon.