President Barack Obama will stop by the conference on Wednesday, December 9, to emphasise the increased emphasis his administration is placing on climate change as opposed to his predecessor. “It is true that for too many years, mankind has been slow to respond or even recognize the magnitude of the climate threat,” he said at a speech at the United Nations’ headquarters in New York.
“It is true of my own country, as well. We recognize that. But this is a new day. It is a new era. Each of us must do what we can when we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet — and we must all do it together.
“We must seize the opportunity to make Copenhagen a significant step forward in the global fight against climate change. We also cannot allow the old divisions that have characterized the climate debate for so many years to block our progress.”
Obama’s outspoken support for international cooperation and promise his country would pull its full weight in a renewed Kyoto Protocol is indeed a drastic change from George W. Bush, who effectively withdrew the United States from the Protocol in 2001: a huge setback in international efforts.
Still, Obama has not gone so far as to bring Kyoto back to ratification, so far American involvement remains one full of symbolism and promises, for the next few days at least.
