Sunday, September 27, 2009

[Obama's weekly address watch: After ten straight weeks without mentioning climate change in these addresses, he dedicates part of an entire sentence to the subject]
We also established American leadership in the global pursuit of the clean energy of the 21st century. I am proud that the G-20 nations agreed to phase out $300 billion worth of fossil fuel subsidies. This will increase our energy security, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, combat the threat of climate change, and help create the new jobs and industries of the future.
How the governor can finish strong - Roseville Press-Tribune
...here are five ideas that I believe the Governor [Schwarzenegger] should consider to save taxpayer dollars and leave a lasting legacy:

Suspend the implementation of AB 32 until businesses and consumers can afford it. AB 32 is the state’s burdensome global warming law that is making California’s hostile business climate even worse. The state should not enforce AB 32 until alternative energy options such as solar are as affordable for consumers as traditional energy sources. This would preserve jobs and save our economy several billions of dollars in the long-run.
Stabroek News - AFC meets Norwegian delegation on climate change action plan
Welcoming Norway’s willingness to contribute to funding Guyana’s climate change fight, the AFC held discussions on Thursday with a Norwegian delegation on crafting an action plan and the need to put transparent mechanisms in place when funds will be expended.
Small Island States At Risk From Climate Change Maldives can't be carbon neutral without killing tourism - eTurboNews.com
Yet there is a contradiction at the heart of the Maldives campaign, which is powered as much by chutzpah and an eye for a good story as it is by any long-term plan (indeed, some scientists cast doubt on whether the country is at risk at all).

Tourism directly and indirectly generates 70 per cent of its GDP, and although renewable energy and carbon capture are wise areas in which to diversify, the Maldives will never ask the tourists to stop coming — which means it will never ask the planes to stop flying. With new technology it may be possible to power a resort on renewable energy, but green aircraft are many years away.

To stop the planes would be to shut off the engines of development that have made the Maldives South Asia’s richest country. So its rhetoric and new schemes must be tempered with a large dose of exhaust fume-scented realism. And in this respect, Mohamed Nasheed is little different from Barack Obama or Hu Jintao.

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