A version of the same editorial calling for action in Copenhagen ran in 56 newspapers in 45 countries today. Many on the front page. This unprecedented effort was spearheaded by the Guardian. Good for it.
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.
The White House announced that President Obama has changed his travel plans for Copenhagen. Rather than stoping by Copenhagen en route to picking up his Nobel Prize on December 9th, the President will attend the very last day of the conference, December 18th. This is good news. As one close observor writes via email,
"By switching his visit from Dec. 9 to Dec. 18, Obama appears to be betting that his presence can - as he has expressed hope for several times in the past - push the negotiations "over the top" toward an agreement."
Having scaled back their ambitions for next month's Copenhagen climate conference, world leaders are working to salvage the effort, and some are optimistic about the prospects for a meaningful step toward a legally binding international climate treaty.
Part of the reason that progress leading toward a binding international climate change agreement has been so halting is that President Obama has said that he will not commit the United States to emission reduction goals unless congress gives him a path by which those goals can be met.
Well, today, a new group launched that could be a big step toward helping the United States meet its international responsibilies on climate.
By Josh Nelson
Bearish on the prospects for a legally binding comprehensive climate deal in Copenhagen next month, world leaders have decided to put off a full treaty until at least next year and instead aim for a less sweeping, "politically binding" agreement in Copenhagen.
Bad bad news. Scientists in the journal Science are now reporting that the contraction of Greenland's ice sheet is accelerating.
As the clock ticks down to next month's Copenhagen climate conference, environmental activists have their eyes on key world leaders whose decisions on whether to attend the conference could make or break the prospects for a binding international treaty. This week, two of those leaders have provided insights into their intentions.
