October, 23 2009, 01:34pm EDT
Greenpeace Reaction to Obama Energy Speech
President Obama gave an energy-themed speech
today at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ahead of hearings on
the climate and energy legislation scheduled to be taken up by the
Senate next week.
Statement of Damon Moglen, Greenpeace's Global Warming Campaign
Director: "President Obama's speech comes at a
critical moment in the national conversation about how our country must
respond to the global warming crisis, and we welcome his renewed
engagement in this critical debate.
WASHINGTON
President Obama gave an energy-themed speech
today at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ahead of hearings on
the climate and energy legislation scheduled to be taken up by the
Senate next week.
Statement of Damon Moglen, Greenpeace's Global Warming Campaign
Director: "President Obama's speech comes at a
critical moment in the national conversation about how our country must
respond to the global warming crisis, and we welcome his renewed
engagement in this critical debate.
"However, with negotiations stalled just six weeks before international
climate talks in Copenhagen, the world needs President Obama to go
beyond political speeches and make firm commitments based on science.
"The climate and energy legislation passed in the House and now the
similar Senate bill have been a source of international disappointment.
The bills' weak targets for reducing emissions, and billions in wasted
giveaways to the coal industry, handicaps America's ability to build a
clean energy future at home and to provide global leadership on this
life and death matter.
"It is clear that Congress will not pass legislation this year that
goes far enough and fast enough in addressing the demands of climate
change. The President must get out of the back seat and take the wheel
of America's climate policy. At a domestic level, the President needs
to assert executive authority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
stimulate decisive growth in the clean energy economy.
"At the international level, Mr Obama should be articulating ambitious
vision and commitments for Copenhagen which are in-scale with the
global need to address climate change.
"Tomorrow, the most widespread day of global political action the
planet has ever seen will demand that world leaders secure a fair,
ambitious, and binding treaty at Copenhagen capable of preventing the
worst impacts of global warming. We hope President Obama will be
listening because today the American plan to address the crisis falls
short of this imperative."
Greenpeace is a global, independent campaigning organization that uses peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future.
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