Obama, a Hope for Copenhagen

Barack Obama is finally taking the Copenhagen conference seriously. The president has decided to attend the final stage of the large conference on climate instead of ending his trip with a quick visit to the capital of Norway, Oslo, where he will receive his Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday.

His initial decision was a serious mistake that has been rectified. After his absence during the 20th anniversary celebration of the fall of Berlin Wall, we could have wrongly believed that Obama only hurries to Europe in order to receive honors, but neglects to work seriously on protecting the planet.

However, the announcement of Obama’s plan to attend the final stage of the Copenhagen conference renews the hope surrounding the conference that had been declining during the past weeks. It is necessary that every powerful country invest itself completely in order to prevent failure.

Furthermore, it would be impossible to maintain enthusiasm for fighting for the climate while the economic crisis obligates us to solve more immediate problems.

In fact, the new administration has led the U.S. to take a tremendous step. Climate warming is no longer a taboo subject, despite the fact that many things must be done in order to catch up with the accumulated underdevelopment in Europe. The House of Representatives voted for legislation that aims at reducing carbon emissions, but the Senate is still blocking it. Obama’s gesture towards Copenhagen is also a message addressed to U.S. senators.

It is worth mentioning that his presence in the conference does not by itself guarantee success. On the other hand, both the U.S. and China, the two greatest polluters in the world, now seem to be making an alliance to reduce attempts for a successful conference in Copenhagen.

In Singapore, in November 15th, Barack Obama and Hu Jintao declared at first that they did not want an “obligatory” agreement. Later, the Americans and the Chinese announced in turn, in a move that seemed coordinated, numerical, but less ambitious, objectives.

It is as though the G-2, the Chinese-American directorate of world affairs that were often afraid of the Europeans [due to their stance on climate change], have begun to fix the international agenda.

It is noteworthy that Nicolas Sarkozy was a strong advocate for Copenhagen. Therefore, Obama’s about-face gives him reason to prepare for a confrontation that one must hope will lead to the success of the conference.