..and then takes a U-Turn the very next day!

In a reported letter to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, the Indian Environment Minister proposed a radical shift in India’s stand on climate change–away from its national position on climate negotiations–which India has backed since 1990 and which was defended robustly even in UN talks in Bangkok earlier this month.

Minutes after the news spread, political parties sitting in the opposition were quick to respond. Within the next few hours, the Environment Minister issued a clarifying statement for national media and the entire Nation!

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Are the developing countries struggling to stay together on a unified stand to oppose mandatory emission reduction targets? Recent developments indicate that they are.

Developed and developing countries have been at loggerheads for quite sometime on the issue of reducing carbon emissions. The developing countries urge the developed countries to heed to the recommendations of the International Panel on Climate Change and cut their carbon emissions by at least 25 percent by 2020. The developed countries on the other hand want the developing countries to make small but significant contributions in reducing the global production of carbon emissions.

Developed countries have failed to commit to bold emission reduction targets and have been struggling to pass legislations to initiate even modest steps towards reducing their carbon footprints. Developed countries presented weak emission targets as part of preliminary round of talks before the Copenhagen round of talks. Neither the developed countries nor the developing countries to want to put extra economic burden on their people as use of clean but expensive technologies will mean new taxes and bigger energy bills.

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In her hour-long appearance on Meet The Press last weekend, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made much of the threat that North Korea poses not only as a potentially unpredictable nuclear weapons deployment state, but also as a proliferation agent. Similarly, the question of possible repurposing of civil nuclear technology has been a talking point in US policy on Iran, and that question specifically has been a bone of contention in the triangular posturing between the US, Iran and Russia.

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India’s environment minster has announced that his government plans to invest $200 million in the conservation of forests in the country. His ministry will also measure and report the amount of carbon the forests capture.

While announcing the scheme, the minister reiterated his government’s stance that conservation and protection of forests is one of the most important aspects in the global fight against climate change. In addition, stopping deforestation and reforestation are the simplest and one of the most cost efficient methods of offsetting carbon emissions.

The Indian government carefully timed the announcement of such plan given the increasing pressure from developed countries to commit of some kind of emission reduction goals. China is already in talks with the United States for a potential deal on reduction of sectoral carbon emissions and India, being the other major developing country, is feeling the mounting pressure.

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During Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to China an agreement to boost cooperation in the fields of energy efficiency and renewable energy was signed. The climate change agreement will also ensure that two of the world’s largest polluters continue engage in dialogue and finally reach an agreement on reducing carbon emissions.

Secretary Clinton emphasized on the importance of the deal by pointing out that any positive decisions and policy agreements made during the subsequent talks between the two countries could significantly influence the pace of international climate deal negotiations.

The deal holds great significance since the developing countries are looking at the United States to take some bold measures in order to reduce its carbon emissions and promise climate aid to poor and developing countries at the December scheduled Copenhagen Talks. Developed countries, including the United States, maintains that China being the largest greenhouse gas emitter should agree to some emissions reductions too.

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We know a bit about the current situation on climate change. We know which countries are emitting the most global warming emissions. We know that the EU is actively implementing policies to get their emissions down and are serious about keeping climate change at the top of the priority list, even in one of the biggest economic struggles in history. We know that little nations like Tuvalu are working to address climate change. We know that ambitious and engaged countries are running into unseen problems and are unsure where to go in the future. We know that the US is looking to pass a climate bill for the first time and could change history in the process, and the USDA supports it but climate change groups, consumer advocate groups, and social equity groups are quite concerned about some of the changes made by the House of Representatives at the last minute. We know that China, India, and Brazil’s growth in greenhouse gas emissions have skyrocketed (several times faster than developed countries’ still growing emissions) in the past two decades.

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During Secretary Clinton’s visit, India once again made it clear that it will not agree to mandatory emission reduction targets since in doing so it could potentially jeopardize its endeavor to eliminate poverty. However, the Indian government reiterated its previous stance that it will pursue expansion of renewable energy infrastructure.

India’s minister for environment and forests, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, disappointed Secretary Clinton by saying that climate change and poverty alleviation are linked to each other and that his government was not willing to pass on the burden economic burden of the mitigation measures on to its poor and middle class which form more than 50 percent of the population.

India may have agreed to limit the rise in global temperatures to 2°C but like the developed nations it too failed to come up with plans on how to achieve that goal. The Indian government maintains that given its low per capita emissions it would be unfair if it is asked to adopt carbon emission reduction goals; developed countries, some which have per capita emissions almost 20 times that of India’s, should take far greater responsibility in cutting carbon emissions. Calling for an equitable deal on cutting carbon emissions, India frequently reminds the developed nations of their historical responsibility.

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First, this meeting will provide the US and China a chance to meet behind the scenes, for the first time since Hillary Clinton visited China last month to initiate a discussion on robust bilateral coordination on energy and climate issues. Both Clinton and her Chinese counterparts suggested in February that the G20 meeting would give the two nations’ leaders a chance to move ahead with the compact. The next step may well be a US-China leader summit, which a recent policy think tank “roadmap” for collaboration, given to Clinton in advance of her trip, identified as a crucial building block in the process.

Secondly, this meeting will give other countries some signposts as to what they can expect from China in December. G20 participants have already expressed their expectation that China will ante up in this time of global economic need. Gauging the tone of China’s reaction to G20 participants’ financial demands will provide participating OECD countries – particularly those expecting China to make serious commitments on emissions reductions in the “Green New Deal” – some hint as to what a distressed China can be expected to deliver in environmental negotiation terms. The last two weeks’ NPC legislative session in Beijing definitively demonstrated that China’s first priority is repairing the economy, not the environment. Thus, China’s reaction to the key role G20 participants expect her to play in the summit may serve as an accurate litmus test for anticipated outcomes in Copenhagen.

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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a group of young Europeans at the European Parliament in Brussels today that the global economic downturn provided a fresh new opportunity. “Never waste a good crisis,” Secretary Clinton suggested. “Don’t waste it when it can have a very positive impact on climate change and energy security,” she said.

Clinton also said she was encouraged during her recent trip to Asia by China’s evolving position on forging a new climate policy. A policy that is inextricably linked with economic and energy security.

“There is no doubt in my mind the energy security and climate change crises, which I view as being together, not separate, must be dealt with,” Clinton added.

Europe has already agreed to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels in the next decade and President Obama has proposed to cut carbon dioxide emissions 80 percent by 2050.

But with a struggling global economy, including a tanking European carbon market, some European states have already shown trepidation towards aggressive climate policy.

AP Photo courtesy of US Department of State

Hopefully the US economy will be strengthened from the increased government spending included in the Economic Stimulus Bill, but it is important to look beyond our borders whenever debt is incurred.

Anyone responsible for their personal finances knows the burden of debt, and world leaders are cautioning Obama on borrowing more money to fund the Economic Stimulus Bill. Italy’s finance minister Giulio Tremont (Italy is one of the most indebted countries in Europe) warned, “If the problem is an excess of debt, the cure is not adding more debt, whether that debt is public or private.”  So what country will benefit from the increase of US debt incurred by the Economic Stimulus Bill?

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Throughout his presidency, a time in which China entered the WTO, and subsequent philanthropic involvement in China, Clinton has enjoyed a popularity that, by my completely unscientific measure, exceeds just about any other American or American leader since Nixon.

This may explain, in part, how Hillary earned a favorable reputation in China a while back. I have encountered countless cabbies whose thumbs up for “xi-la-li” (Hillary) came after their thumbs up for “ke-lun-dun” (Bill Clinton). [Full disclosure: not directly after; that spot is usually reserved for "Le-wen-si-ji", another American who enjoys tongue-in-cheek popularity in China.] At the beginning of the primaries, it seemed that China might be pulling for a Clinton victory; but warm feelings turned sour when Clinton’s stance on China became increasingly critical.

We will soon find out how China will receive Clinton in her new position as Secretary of State, since she has just announced her first trip to Asia, with China scheduled to be a critical stopoff. What’s more, Clinton aides have identified energy and climate change as two issues that will be at the top of her agenda.

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More recently Mr. Stern has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress where he also worked on climate policy issues. He has also taught at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was a law firm partner.

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And, just as some are saying about the presidential race, the Scavenger Hunt is tightening up: we’ve seen big growth in participation. Some of the more interesting finds since our last post:

• There’s an active discussion about a post at Osmosus claiming that affordable fossil fuels are thwarting the development of renewable technologies.
• Another good discussion is happening at CandidAnswers.org, a site that provides an “online voter guide that enables voters to directly ask candidates questions on the environment.”
• And there are some thought-provoking comments surrounding Hillary Clinton’s claim that “America will once again rise from the ashes of the Bushes.”

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1. Introduction
It’s obvious why Sarah Palin got the VP nod. And Saturday Night Live makes this point most brilliantly: Hillary Clinton.

2. Sarah Palin On The Environment
Just one day before being picked as the GOP vice president, she wrote a letter to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging him to shoot down policy aimed at pollution.

3. Sarah Palin On Ethics
Palin’s record is already dirty enough to warrant a trip to the free clinic, and that’s just as Governor! What is she capable of if elected as VP?

4. Sarah Palin On Energy and Big Oil
Sarah Palin dismisses alternative energy in favor of a pipeline built by God.

5. Sarah Palin On Foreign Policy
Colin Powell is jumping party lines because of Palin - can we afford her on the job training?

Image Credit: bobster1985 via flickr

Video source: NPR

Though I wish the GOP was progressive enough to have a woman on the presidential ticket. That is, based on merit and not merely as a political pawn. Much in the same vein, I would also love for wars to be fought with hugs and Skittles. I really don’t see that one happening either.

Since the announcement of Palin joining the Republican ticket, a lot of buzz has been made about the Alaskan Governor. For example, her limp stance on Global Warming. Then there’s her support of the Bridge to Nowhere. Don’t forget the whole Troopergate fiasco. And sometimes it’s even hard to tell if she is with us or against us; mostly against, by the way.

And the media-machine that gnawed away for eighteen months on the Obama-Clinton flavored primary quickly shifted to the virtual unknown. Heck, I have done so myself! And while I’d like to continue waxing politically about her qualifications for the VP slot, I am stuck - somewhat reluctantly - with only one thing to say: MILF.

Thank you Saturday Night Live!

Yes, Palin was picked because of Clinton. Duh! It’s calculated, shameless and oh so very very smart. But why does it matter? Mostly because McCain is so very very old.

The GOP is no stranger to having a token VP - ahem…Dan Quayle! But with McCain having one foot in the grave, Palin’s political stance matters more than those prior. It matters that the energy-expert-wanna-be doesn’t think man’s had anything to do with the climate crisis. It matters that she backs an offshore drilling solution to our oil crisis. But don’t take my word for it, take hers.

In this series, I will be highlighting some of Sarah Palin’s comments on everything from the environment to foreign policy.

Up next - The Sarah Palin Chronicles: The Environment, Part Two

Image Credit: bobster1985 via flickr

What I’m getting at, is that I did not see Hillary Clinton on This Week with George Stephanopolous, on Sunday morning. But since we have a 24-hour media matrix covering every breath and every word in this presidential campaign, I was told all about it by all of my regular news outlets as soon as I got up. I was most struck by Senator Clinton’s reply to Stephanopolous’ question about the pushback her proposed summertime gas-tax holiday has received.

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The commercial denounces the proposed gas-tax cut, a proposal which Senators Clinton and McCain both support, as the type of quick-fix policy solution that is emblematic of Washington politics. Running time: 1 min.

This story contains additional media. Click here to view the media.

See Also:

“Can Hillary Clinton Take On Big Oil?”

“Video: Obama on Climate and Energy”

“Clinton Takes Jabs at Obama’s Energy Policy“

The federal excise tax on gasoline was first implemented in 1932, although the states began taxing fuel in 1919. It is estimated that suspending this tax, as proposed by Clinto and McCain, would result in a loss of revenue of nine billion dollars for the Highway Trust Fund, which is used for interstate maintenance. McCain says he would shift revenue from other sources, and Clinton proposes enacting windfall-profits tax on big oil companies to make up for the loss. Both candidates are making Obama look like the bad guy for not wanting to save consumers 18 cents per gallon, but would this temporary suspension of the federal excise tax on gasoline really be the catalyst to change our current oil dependency and the harm it causes to the environment?

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Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, has been leading a compaign to instill “creation care” as a religious imperative. He attended the forum and this was his exchange with Barack Obama:

REV. CIZIK: How do you relate your faith to science generally and science policy, and let’s take an issue like climate and flesh that out, or take stem cells, something like that. Just give us a little more indication of how you think.

OBAMA: Well, first of all…

CIZIK: Is that fair enough?

OBAMA: It is fair enough. And you guys have done some terrific work on this. So I want to congratulate you on that.

OBAMA: And should it be part of God’s plan to have me in the White House, I look forward to our collaboration. (LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: So, look, the — one of the things I draw from the Genesis story is the importance of us being good stewards of the land, of this incredible gift. And I think there have been times where we haven’t been and this is one of those times where we’ve got to take the warning seriously.

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