http://bit.ly/Obama2CPH

December this year will see the Eye of the Hurricane over Copenhagen, not Oslo.

While US President Barak Hussein Obama has said he will travel to Norway to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, neighboring Denmark will host the biggest and most important Climate Change Conference ever from December 7 to 18.

Obama has declared he will NOT go to Copenhagen to take part in these most important talks. Can you imagine that?!

As I’ve already pointed out very thorughly, all the motivations given from the Nobel Committee for awarding Mr Obama the Peace Prize are 100% invalid. While we can argue and discuss whether his presidency thus far has been a peaceful one or not, it CANNOT BE ARGUED that it took place in 2008. And the Statutes for the Prize are very clear: The work that qualifies for the Peace Prize MUST be done by December 31, 2008. It says so in the very first paragraph – §1 – and its very first sentence. So there is absolutely no doubt that Alfred Nobel considered this crucial point to be an important one.

The good work had to be DONE, it was not to be a wishy-washy vision of something one MIGHT have done if one had the time and resources, somewhere in the future.

So dear Mr Obama, you do not deserve this prize. Not at all. Not because your presidency is not a peaceful one – that remains to be seen – but simply because it did not take place in 2008 or any past years that could qualify for such a golden prize.

And even though you may end up going to Oslo anyhow, not to upset those Norwegians who gave you this honor, you should at least make a day-trip down south to Copenhagen, to show the world that you actually care enough about the Climate Crises and Our Common Future on this planet to actually be present.

If only for a snappy photo op with leaders from the rest of the world.

This Blog takes part in the Blog Action Day 2009.

Good Morning Vidd. What time in the early morning is it in Viking Land? It's 9 am in the Land of Oz (well it's eastern seaboard).

I think Obama cares deeply about the climate issue. If he has elected not to attend the opening sessions of the Copenhagen conference there is a reason to do with perhaps it not being the appropriate time for him / the leader of USA to be there if they want the Conference to have a maximum chance of delivering a successful outcome?

During your debate several days ago in the original topic, I wonder whether you got time to watch this from MNBC. The piece directly makes reference to your arguments so please give it a go. I would love to read your further comment afterwards?!

Vidd - It's not Obama's fault he got the prize.... they decided to give it to him no?

Why get mad at Obama?

Obama fights back!!   (couldnt embed it but you can see here !! )

Well answered

I wish he spoke like that when giving his speeches.

OMG, I am not mad at Obama! Read my lips. Why not go to CPH?

what up?

Morning Vidd. You do make a valid point of why can't Obama attend the Copenhagen important climate change conference while he's going to be so close geographically in Oslo at the same time anway. Your point is practical, however Alex then makes a further valid point that politically it may not be the right time for Obama to wade knee high into the conference amid a fest of global media. The U.S. is becoming significantly more environmentally friendly/green under Obama, but the power of the non-environmentalist big industry lobby should not be underestimated. Also a lot of jobs on the line in old more polluting industries... jobs on the line at time of significant economic uncertainty globally. Obama has a political tight rope to walk here. The U.S. simply can not become a 100% green economy overnight, that would be a) political suicide for Obama in which event he'd get nothing done anyway as he'd be out of a job   b) simply not practical for a country the size of the U.S. that has been so anti-environment for so long.

This sounds like things will not change quick enough and all talk I hear you say Vidd? But No. The biggest single carbon footprint most people leave is driving their highly inefficient old petrol cars (especially with oversized engines like in the U.S.). Well in the process of restructuring General Motors and Ford, 2 of the biggest anti-environmentalist beasts on the planet historically, Obama took on the massive U.S. automotive lobby and PUSHED them to COMMIT on a dramatically more pro-environmentalist agenda. In the coming years you will see General Motors especially going the same way as the big German and Japanese benchmark car makers in the way they all push ever more in a greener direction. You know there is now a BMW hybrid drive car that can do 150mph....CLEAN! The technology is out there for clean and fast cars to keep everyone happy and provide a business model to make the economics work. Obama knows this. Obama is driving this in the U.S. Cleaner cars globally is a massive step forwards!

beats  a kodak moment i guess

haha

AP, I saw it. Maddow's very smart, but I saw it as too much of a football mach, too much either wou are with us, or you are with them (the republicans).

OMG, I cant believe a Swedish girl downtown bought my MI8 story.

Partly true Vidd, but you must remember partisan politics is the way of the U.S.>>> in recent years especially driven more and more aggressively by the Republican side... a strategy that had been working successfully keeping them in power UNTIL the ground breaking 2008 U.S. election. To get more people onside with the Obama driven huge reform agenda, the Democrats have to play some partisan political cards of their own cleverly, otherwise they risk getting blown away by the angry Republican backlash.

U.S. politics... love it or hate it... one thing's for sure: it ain't pretty.

Shouldnt other countries stand up and be counted more...

Good point Sir! I often think so too... but many countries are so much more conservative than the U.S. However, the global younger generation (many closely watching Obama) I have a feeling are in the process of changing that trend. New leaders of the 21st Century over the coming years I think may become more balanced and interested in getting things done. About time!

Historically Obama may yet prove to be a global game changer here.

It's the one world first that Australia did not want to win - the title of world's biggest polluter.

A report by British risk analysis company Maplecroft has found that Australia has overtaken the United States as the world's largest polluter and is now leading the world in per capita emissions of CO₂, topping a list of 185 countries.

The report said Australia's reliance on coal creates an average output of 20.58 tonnes of CO₂ per person, ahead of the United States which comes in at 19.78 tonnes.

China is still ranked as the world's worst overall polluter but even then, it has a per capita average of about 4.5 tonnes. In other words, Australia produces nearly five times as much CO₂ per head of population as the world's largest nation.

Interesting fact. Come on the Aussies... what's up? I thought you guys loved your great outdoors?

Those stats just blew my mind.

is rudd going to copenhagen?

 good point

Don't know, but I wouldn't expect him to miss it.

and not to forget Vidd

Air pollution in a remote Arctic community in Norway approaches levels seen in larger European towns due to the springtime use of snowmobiles. The pollution – specifically, chemicals called aromatic hydrocarbons – is 100 times higher during the spring snowmobile season than during the summer when only cars and large coal trucks are used in the remote area. Older snowmobiles with outdated, 2-stroke engines contribute the most to the excessive levels in the spring

were all guilty...   not just Obama

ultimately we can talk politics as much as we want but if the people changed their habits to the better it would be the most powerful solution...and the marketers would have to listen

And the best bit is that simple small changes in personal habit will have big results.

No, it won't. You'd have to use state powers as well. Which isn't that hard when you ARE the state. Why doesn't anyone smoke in the local supermarket or café? Because of the F-word. The F-word that ends with -bidden. It's a very effective word.

Anyway, a girl downtown last night actually thought I was working for MI8 - the (very) secret (tip-top) British military intelligence agency.

Figured you would like this Vidd. From a blog by the editors of Foreign Policy/

Obama: Go to Copenhagen!

Wed, 11/11/2009 - 12:57pm

For the past two years, 192 countries have participated in talks on the pressing issue of climate change, which will culminate in the Copenhagen summit next month. So far, more than 40 heads of state have agreed to attend, to act as negotiators and more importantly to demonstrate a firm commitment to ambitious targets. The growing list includes Angela Merkel, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

But the RSVPs seem lost in the mail for the leaders of the countries considered to be the lynchpins of the deal -- China, the United States, and India. Hu Jintao, Barack Obama, and Manmohan Singh haven't committed yet -- and they should. This summer, Obama indicated he would not attend because Congress has not yet passed climate change legislation. He's since waffled a bit, saying he would if his appearance would close the deal. It's weak tea, and those calling for him to attend include Al Gore and Brazil's da Silva, who used his weekly radio address to implore Obama and Hu to make the trip.

It is less likely that Hu or Singh will attend. Their developing countries have been good negotiators, but reticent to commit to ambitious targets. (China recently called for keeping the Kyoto protocol instead.) If Obama commits, though, they would be a lot more willing -- and that should be reason for the U.S. leader to consider heading across the pond."

Well, Øbama-Schmøbama... I don't believe, I must say. Too much of a whiteman.

Vidd. Do you want to me contact with us in the usual manner?

Haha! -)

Good 1

It's probably sensible for you to move underground at this stage.