WASHINGTON - November 18 - President-elect Barack Obama spoke via video to the bipartisan "Governors' Climate Summit" in California today, announcing a climate change agenda consistent with the one he outlined during his campaign.
Friends of the Earth President Brent Blackwelder had the following response:
"After eight years of failed leadership from an administration that did all it could to stand in the way of progress, Barack Obama's commitment to tackle global warming head-on is a welcome change. As his address today indicates, Obama understands the gravity of the threat, knows that combating global warming will strengthen our economy, and supports needed solutions, including investments in clean energy and putting a price on carbon emissions. But Obama must go further. His current timeline for reducing emissions must be strengthened-scientists say the U.S. must reduce emissions at least 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 (and probably much more than that) if we are to have a decent shot at avoiding catastrophic warming. In addition, we must not waste precious resources by spending them on expensive and inefficient dead-end or nonexistent technologies including nuclear power or so-called 'clean coal.' Obama is demonstrating leadership on global warming from the get-go. But the enormity of the task at hand requires him to be even more aggressive."
