| November 24, 2009 |  |
Obama Should Secure an Interim Climate Deal at Copenhagen
Commentary by Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists
Union of Concerned Scientists' president Kevin Knobloch recently wrote a commentary arguing for an interim deal at Copenhagen in response to a question about the Senate delaying action on climate change on the National Journal's Energy and Environment Experts blog:
We were frustrated and dismayed when we heard the Senate may not consider an energy and climate bill until spring -- or even later. One senator suggested a vote might not happen until next July. That's akin to saying the Senate won't address the legislation until after the 2010 election, because everyone knows full well that by July, campaign season will be well underway and it's highly unlikely that the Senate would schedule any significant votes.
Congress has waited too long to act. We are compounding the global warming problem with every ton of heat-trapping gas we emit. We have so overloaded our atmosphere with carbon that the world's oceans are reaching their limit for absorbing it. We're already seeing the effects: Oceans are becoming more acidic and coral reefs are dying. On top of that are the changes on land that we've locked in: changing rainfall patterns, an increase in the number of extremely hot days, and reduced snow cover, which threatens drinking water availability.
Delaying action will not only force us to adapt to worse conditions, it means it will cost more to address the problem. According to the International Energy Administration, every year the world delays taking action will add another $500 billion to what we will have to ultimately spend to cut carbon emissions.
Other countries are jockeying to take advantage. They know that it's not a question of "if" the world shifts to clean energy, but "when." They are positioning themselves to be at the forefront of exploding markets for clean energy technologies. In the meantime, Congress dithers.
But this is not just a question of missing an economic opportunity. To save our planet's ability to sustain life as we know it, all countries must act. That's why at the international treaty talks, leading up to the climate summit in Copenhagen next month, developed and developing countries have been shaking their heads at the United States, wondering why we are not prepared to work with them.
It's now clear that a final treaty cannot be reached in Copenhagen because the U.S. Senate has not acted. But the Senate can work with the administration to get the next best thing in Copenhagen: an interim deal. To do that, the administration must commit the United States to significant reductions in its global warming emissions, subject to final congressional action. I'm pleased to see that the administration recently announced that it will put an emissions reduction target on the table in Copenhagen. It hasn't specified what the number or range will be, but officials said the number would take into account the current Senate bill, which calls for a 20 percent reduction below 2005 levels by 2020, and the bill passed by the House, which calls for a 17 percent cut.
I also was encouraged to hear that U.S. negotiators in Copenhagen will offer short-term financial assistance to help poor nations contend with the effects of global warming. The administration and leaders of other developed countries must also develop a framework to provide substantial long-term assistance to help developing countries adapt to climate change, as well as to reduce their emissions from deforestation, and leapfrog over dirty, fossil-fuel technology to clean, renewable energy sources.
The administration's announcement is an encouraging sign that should motivate the Senate to get the job done. Once the Senate has passed legislation and the president has signed the final bill into law, a final agreement can be reached on a treaty. This process must take no more than six months. If the Senate insists on delay, we will have fumbled away a tremendous and rapidly diminishing opportunity to stabilize our climate and to restore U.S. leadership as the world's export engine of clean energy technologies.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
