Wednesday, December 16, 2009

2nd Wed: Senator Kerry on US Foreign Relations


We got seats to listen to Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the US Foreign Relations Committee. Yvo de Boaer was there, also the Chair of the IPCC.

Very inspiring, very straight forward. He's a great speaker - makes me feel like he's talking just to me, although maybe it's because I am directly in line with the transparent queue reader 8<)). He re-iterated that one can't be half pregnant - it's a binary situation. Either we HAVE climate change, or we don't - you can't sit on the fence. He challenged the non-believers to cite a single example of man-made climate change NOT happening, and wished them "good luck!".

Long a reliable and passionate supporter of the effort, Kerry was at Rio in 92, and Bali in '07, and most COPs in between. He pushed for a price on carbon, reducing emissions, send low emission signals, unleash the free market to address the problem. He says that the US is moving in the right direction - US$80BN, raise US vehicle fuel economy, $350Bn for Stephen Chu's programme, 33 States "on board", >1,000 Mayors are achieving Kyoto targets, WITHOUT Federal assistance. Even a national mandatory emissions target, as well as the EPA regulation threat.

Getting the legislation through the Senate is still a challenge, but it WILL happen. Carbon MUST be priced. International, legally binding solutions are the only way forward. Accepting that "we" made the GHG problem, and we need to get on with helping to clean up and develop without creating more pollution. Finance is not negotiable. The US is 5% of the world's population, and 20% of total energy used. A global solution must include ALL countries, including China, Brazil, India - all of which have committed to improved energy intensities, outside Kyoto implications. Let's support them, and encourage ALL to make progress.

We need to build on the Bali Action Plan, including REDD, and international finance, with technology transfer. Fast starts are OK, but we need long term finance for the developing world.

He pushed for a mid 2010 continuation of the Copenhagen political solution, to create a binding agreement. Although emotions ebb and flow, we can't walk away from today's - and tomorrow's - progress. He closed by saying that after 700 days of planning, scheming, discussing (since Bali) - we as a race of people MUST succeed this Friday - and he received a standing ovation. Truly inspiring.

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