Ive been asked if I still had hope going into this last day of the Copenhagen International Climate Negotiations. Definitely. Yes. I did.
President Obama and all the other heads of state would not be attending these negotiations if it were not to decide on something big. Rumor was that Obama would have some new updates on US commitments and surely, his presence alone has the potential to move nations just as it did last November when the global community celebrated his election.
The Presidents 10-speech this morning, however, left me severely disappointed in his lack of leadership.
In the speech, Obama still only commits the US to a lousy 4% emissions reduction from 1990 levels by 2020 (the science calls for 25-40% below 1990 levels by 2020). I was hoping President Obama would bring news today that he is pushing the U.S. commitment to higher levels. Why isnt he showing leadership on this issue?
If I were President Obama, I would be extremely ashamed to bring such a low level of ambition to these negotiations. We need to be communicating our disappointment now.
One thing I know for sure is that we, as activists in the environmental movement, are doing our part. If world leaders come out of Copenhagen with a poor deal, they need to know it is because they have failed us.
If you havent called President Obamas administration yet, PLEASE DO! We must create even more pressure today and hold these talks accountable to the demands of our movement!
The action is not over. We need an escalation. In the US, you still have the voiceand we need to be loudest today.
