Obama, World Leaders Announce Climate Change Deal

By: Stephanie Condon
Topics: Domestic Issues

(AP Photo/Haraz Ghanbari)

President Obama and other world leaders at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate today announced international commitments to reducing polluting emissions worldwide -- but also acknowledged there is a long way to go in addressing the problem of global warming.

"We've made a good start, but I'm the first one to acknowledge progress on this issue will not be easy," Mr. Obama said from L'Aquila, Italy. "It is no small task for 17 leaders to bridge thier differences on climate change."

The countries represented at the forum agreed to recognize the scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels should not to exceed two degrees Celsius. With that objective in mind, the nations agreed to what President Obama called a "historic consensus on concrete goals for reducing carbon emissions," with developed nations agreeing to reduce them by 80 percent by 2050 -- a goal the climate change bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives aims for. Developing nations agreed between now and the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen to negotaitie concrete goals to reduce their own emissions by 2050.

"As I wrestle with these issues politically in my own country, I have come to see it is absolutely critical all of us go beyond what is expected of us if we are to achieve our goals," Mr. Obama said.

The nations in attendance also agreed to consider proposals for establishing international funding arrangements to assist developing countries.

World leaders will have to "fight the tempation towards cynicism," Mr. Obama said, even though he acknowledged that "it's even more difficult in the context of a global recession."

He said, though, "there is no contradiction between environmentally sustainable growth and robust economic growth."

Economic concerns, however, are already slowing down the progress of climate change legislation in the United States.

"Each of our nations comes to the table with different needs, different priorities, different levels of devlopment," Mr. Obama said. Developed nations like the United States, he said, "have a responsiblity to take the lead."

The leaders who participated in today's forum represented Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Watch a report from CBS News chief White House correspondent Chip Reid about the G8 conference below.

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Stephanie Condon
Stephanie Condon is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
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by erasmus111 July 10, 2009 3:14 PM EDT: by juwboy July 10, 2009 2:00 AM PDT
Which of the following two extreme climate situations causes more deaths?

(A) a hot summer
(B) a cold winter

The answer is (B) by a huge margin.

Are you sure?

I have always heard that people can tolerate cold more than heat.; Reply to this comment


by gregneubeck July 10, 2009 12:13 PM EDT: With the Nation in a deep recession, the Democrats in the House Of Representatives, without even knowing the content, blundered thru Obama's "Cap and Tax Bill". Legislation that could well topple our economy into a depression. Pure fiscal insanity. For the Kool-aid addicts who believed Obama when he said that he would give a tax break to 95% of Americans, hold on to you wallets and prepare for the largest single regressive tax increase in American history. This "Global Warming" fraud will prove to be the biggest jobs killer ever conceived; and, simply ship millions of America jobs overseas to countries such as China and India. The next time you hear the ranting of an Obamanite, ask them why there is "NO" statistical correlation between atmospheric CO2 levels and global temperatures (the latter which actually have slightly decreased over the last decade) -and- why the temperature variations on Mars tracks identically with that on earth. ((Hint: the Sun is the only common denominator.)) Now you know why the inventor of the internet, Albert Gore, refuses to debate the issue. The logic in this dilemma is exceedingly simple, our Dictatorial Marxist, Barack Obama, simply wants more control over your activities and lifestyle; and, the health of the American economy be dammed. It's essential that we clean house in the upcoming elections. Greg Neubeck; Reply to this comment


by nazdackster July 10, 2009 7:39 AM EDT: Here is another few climatologists recommending no action (new letter today)

http://www.tech-know.eu/uploads/Letter_UN_Sec_Gen_Ban_Ki-moon.pdf

Piers Corbyn is predicting 100 years of cooling... No doubt due to the current extended solar minimum (looking perilously like a Maunder or Dalton type event) I hope he's not right, cooling is always detrimental to human prosperity.; Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 July 10, 2009 2:23 AM EDT: by darthcheney345 July 9, 2009 8:33 PM PDT

by slownewsday_05 July 9, 2009 3:09 PM PDT
I don't know if global warming is man-made or not
---------

That's the whole point. Nobody does. Surely humans make some difference. But there is no scientific way to sort out how much is man-made and how much is natural.

The point is that if you don't know for sure, it's much better to do something than nothing. What if you are wrong? Do you want your children and grandchildren to suffer? If there is even the slightest doubt, how can you ignore it? If everyone just does what they can afford, that is better than nothing at all. Some things can be done, and it costs nothing.; Reply to this comment


by spudder8 July 10, 2009 2:05 AM EDT: Spudder writes: Perhaps the G-8 should have read this
Scientist letter to Congress
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: YOU ARE BEING DECEIVED ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING
You have recently received an Open Letter from the Woods Hole Research Center, exhorting you to act quickly to avoid global disaster. The letter purports to be from independent scientists, but that Center is the former den of the President's science advisor, John Holdren, and is far from independent. This is the same science advisor who has given us predictions of ?almost certain? thermonuclear war or eco-catastrophe by the year 2000, and many other forecasts of doom that somehow never seem to arrive on time.
The facts are:
The sky is not falling; the Earth has been cooling for ten years, without help. The present cooling was NOT predicted by the alarmists' computer models, and has come as an embarrassment to them.
The finest meteorologists in the world cannot predict the weather two weeks in advance, let alone the climate for the rest of the century. Can Al Gore? Can John Holdren? We are flooded with claims that the evidence is clear, that the debate is closed, that we must act immediately, etc, but in fact
THERE IS NO SUCH EVIDENCE; IT DOESN'T EXIST.
The proposed legislation would cripple the US economy, putting us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors. For such drastic action, it is only prudent to demand genuine proof that it is needed, not just computer projections, and not false claims about the state of the science.
SCIENCE IS GUIDED BY PROOF, NOT CONSENSUS
Finally, climate alarmism pays well. Alarmists are rolling in wealth from the billions of dollars floating around for the taking, and being taken. It is always instructive to follow the money.
Robert H. Austin
Professor of Physics
Princeton University
Fellow APS, AAAS
American Association of Arts and Science Member National Academy of Sciences; Reply to this comment


by darthcheney345 July 9, 2009 11:27 PM EDT: Obama is a total failure.

Obama is the worst president in 100 years.; Reply to this comment

by bwav July 9, 2009 10:00 PM EDT

obama sucks! my husband has worked 30 long years for the position he is in.. we have a nice life and we are going to be taxes to hell and back.. be aware... everyone is going to pay higher electric and gas bills......Is this Obama person (who wont show reveal his birth certificate) single handedly trying to ruin our nation. Get ready for the ride folks. There is no freaking global warming.. cap and trade sucks too!!!!!OBAMA U SUCK!

Reply to this comment


by ubrew12 July 9, 2009 10:23 PM EDT: I only hope you live near the ocean. You're going underwater, and deserve to drown.


by ubrew12 July 10, 2009 12:37 AM EDT: Thanks for that. But of course, I don't really want anyone to drown. I just get really upset about the denial going on in America.

Twenty years ago, I did a year at the PhD level in Atmospheric Science. Even though I was studying mesoscale meteorology, Global Warming was the talk, and it was clear to everyone in that department: AGW is a no-brainer. Clearly, this would have been of some concern, but you know, Americans would get it right, as they always had in the past. They would understand the danger, and LEAD (not follow) the world toward a solution. So, tired of the math, and the fact that the atmosphere is a system you can't actually DESIGN, I returned to engineering, and settled for a Masters. Its been like watching someone you love sink into QUICKSAND to watch this great nation deny itself into the quagmire that is Global Warming. What was obvious to the PhD's in atmospheric science 20 years ago has only slowly recommended itself to the general population, who seem completely unaware of the many positive reinforcement mechanisms by which EARTH can turn our minuscule 'forcing function' into a black-hole from which the human race might not return. THIS COULD VERY WELL HAPPEN. I'm simply ASTONISHED at the 'cowboy' cavalierness with which many Americans are trotting alongside this event horizon. They talk about how their grandchildren could be impacted negatively by the cost of remedial efforts, blissfully unaware of the potential impact to their grandchildren of DOING NOTHING. Hey, earth is just another planet. If you want to know what planets think about the conditions that lead to biology, including humankind, take a look at Venus or Mars. Hot enough to melt LEAD, and cold enough to freeze CO2. The anthropomorphic EGO displayed in these pages is disheartening, to say the least. We should display a BIT more humility, I think, toward God's creation. Which, by the way, includes A LOT OF EARTH-LIKE planets that would suck the life out of a man in a heartbeat.


by wmsshields July 9, 2009 9:31 PM EDT: Climate changes come and go, humans cannot stop them. Governments try all angles to put their hands into your pockets, citizens cannot stop them. June was a very cold month according to hundred year records. July here is averaging 8 degrees below average so far. So I should let BoBo put his hands in my pocket to stop global warming?; Reply to this comment

by kaylag04 July 9, 2009 9:07 PM EDT

Never has so much "Scientific Consensus" been built around so little actual science. In fact, until this issue, scientific thought had revolved around the idea of hypothesis testing - now the scientific method is focused on voting on a hypothesis, rather than testing it. That's change I can't believe in.

Reply to this comment


by ubrew12 July 9, 2009 10:19 PM EDT: News flash sparky. We can't build another earth to test our hypothesis. But the science has been vetted as well as it could be, and the conclusions are inescapable. EVERY ACADEMY OF SCIENCE ON PLANET EARTH HAS SIGNED THE IPCC CONCLUSIONS ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING: that it is REAL, its Human-caused, and is a Danger to both societies and nature.

Meanwhile, here in America we're still waiting for sh*t-for-brains gorilla's like yourself to FIGURE IT OUT. (the rest of the world figured it out a long time ago). Step past your considerable EGO, imagine a world in which you're just another part of it, and see the direction EVERYONE ELSE IS SAYING WE NEED TO TAKE. Fvck, you people are stupid!!!


by kaylag04 July 10, 2009 2:35 PM EDT: Sparky? Ouch. I'm gonna burn a collection peer reviewed research results from the last two-decades that may indicate little or no carbon based influence on climate...oh wait - that'll create some more CO2 (and H20!!)! Can I just file it? I'll put it with all the incorrect NOAA weather forcasts I collected. Honest though, I'll get in lock-step with what "everyone else" tells me to think. Just stop calling me Sparky.


by zonkzilla July 9, 2009 8:42 PM EDT: It is good to see that while many don't agree with global warming, they are not attacking President Obama for trying to deal with the issue along with our neighbors on the planet.
Of course there are some racist hypocrites who attack Obama but we know they are fools because McCain also said he would deal with global warming (McCain was the Republican golden boy if you remember.)
McCain is a good man, and I think he said it best when as presidential candidate he said " I don't know if global warming is real or not or manmade but reducing pollution in the air we breathe is always a good thing". I don't believe in global warming but McCain's statement is my policy on the issue. Reducing pollution is always a good thing.
So when Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck (fascists) attack Obama just remember they are attacking their ex Republican candidate also and spewing lies, but then again that is what hypocrites do isn't it?
Well said Senator.; Reply to this comment