TOPIC 'Environment' on Dec 01, 2008 (CET)
Obama Assures The World That His Commitment To The Environment Will Not Waiver
President-Elect Obama will not attend the G20 Washington summit in mid-November because he is respecting the completion of President George Bush’s term in office. Obama will not officially be President of the United States until January 20, 2009. However, he is sending clear signals to the worried masses that he will hold true to his words and change is surely coming.
President-Elect Obama selected Madeleine Albright, a former Secretary of State serving under the presidential administration, and Jim Leach, a former member of Congress who is also Republican, to meet with delegations attending the summit.
Another sign of change is that Obama also sent a key policy advisor, Jason Grumet, to attend an environmental conference held in Washington. Grumet provided assurances to others in attendance that new legislation on climate change will be swift in coming and that 2009 is shaping up to be a very busy year.
Some participants attending the conference do not hold out hope that 2009 will see the legislation complete as the path a piece of paper has to take in Washington to become a reality is long, winding, and can have many branches and diversions. Many think 2010 is a more realistic timeframe. Obama, however, has shown he is serious about instituting the “30-point” agenda on environmental awareness that he spoke of during his campaign. He wants to create a substantial number of “green” jobs, drastically reduce oil consumption by the United States, and move forward on a path toward renewable energy sources.
The environment, as well as the economy, remains a top priority for Obama. The current administration seems to be setting up several decisions that are meant to be road blocks or stumbling blocks to the environmental cause. Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected protection for dolphins, whales, and other marine life suffering the consequences of sonar training exercises held by the U.S. Navy. Environmentalists have argued that the extreme sound waves used by the Navy are threatening, and perhaps could be fatal, to some marine species, including blue whales and sea lions. The Bush Administration maintains national security could be threatened if sonar experiments are halted.
For many, January 20, 2009 cannot come soon enough.
Sherry Irvin
on behalf of the
BascoTec Internet Limited
Technologie Park 13
33100 Paderborn
Germany
