Senator Kerry asks global leaders to stop pointing fingers and start finding solutions

This is a guest post by American Progress’s Tina Ramos, Special Assistant for Energy Policy.

Today Senator John Kerry (D-MA) delivered a major address at COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, calling on global leaders to stop pointing fingers and acknowledge that  “no country individually, and none of us collectively, are doing enough” to combat catastrophic global climate change.  This is the third consecutive UN climate meeting in which Senator Kerry has publicly urged global leaders to work together toward a global climate agreement, proving him to be a crucial and influential facilitator of the negotiation process.  “That’s why we’re gathered here again: Because we know that, in one day, with one agreement, we can put the world on a safer path,” Senator Kerry said.  “And in the coming hours and days, the world expects us to get the job done.”

Joining Senator Kerry in the push for climate action on the domestic front are Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).  The newest climate proposal, the Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal, sets an emissions reduction target within the range of 17% percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the level included in the House bill passed in June. President Obama will bring the 17% target as the United States’ starting point for negotiation when he arrives at COP15 on Friday.

In his address earlier today, Senator Kerry acknowledged that the United States, along with other major polluting countries, failed to lead “in the manner this challenge demands” post-1992 climate talks in Rio de Janeiro.  However he remained confident of the United States’ ability to step up and lead and set the stage for President Obama to “promise a new beginning and to re-commit the United States to being part of a global solution.”  Although President Obama will commit the United States to being a leader in the on-going negotiation effort, Senator Kerry argued that it simply cannot happen without global cooperation.  The main barrier to “bold American leadership is the knowledge that even if we take tough steps forward, our efforts can be totally eclipsed by rising emissions from others,” Senator Kerry said.  “You may not know it, but when the US Senate talks about climate policy, fundamentally, all of you are in the room—because our debate always comes back to the need for a global effort.”

This level of global cooperation can only be achieved if the discussion remains focused on climate solutions, rather than on the, at this point, ridiculous debate about the science of global warming, which countless renowned scientists have proven repeatedly to be un-debatable.  Senator Kerry proclaimed that in Copenhagen, “amateur hour is over. It’s time for science fact to trump science fiction.”  In contrast to Senator Kerry’s efforts, leading climate denier Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) is determined to use science fiction as ammunition against the necessity and urgency of global action on climate change.  Senator Inhofe is scheduled to arrive in Copenhagen tomorrow and will no doubt prove once again that he chooses to spit against the tide of history rather than work to shape it.  Despite opposition from people like Inhofe, Senator Kerry remains confident: “by reaching agreement on finance, emission targets, and a transparent system for global action, we will be recognizing globally that the stewardship of the planet and our appetite for resources will be managed in a new way in a new era.”