Obama Steals the Show

news-obama2-140x140.jpgIt was one of those rare occasions when a video gets a standing ovation.

But President-elect Barack Obama’s video greeting to 800-plus attendees at the Governors’ Climate Summit in LA had quite a few of them on their feet.

Obama lauded the conference and promised that once he takes office, “Any Governor who works toward clean energy will have a partner in the White House.” So, he said, would any company working to develop clean energy, projecting that five million new “green jobs” will be created in the process.

While he did not say anything he hasn’t said before, Obama bundled most of his previously articulated thoughts on climate response into his brief video comments. He restated his commitment to a federal cap-and-trade program that would help return U.S.-based greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, with an 80% reduction by 2050.

Obama again left the door open to an expansion of nuclear power, saying that the nation would “tap” it, “while making sure it’s safe.”

Referring to the ongoing UN climate talks, the President-elect got one of his biggest ovations when he said “You can be sure that the United States will once again engage vigorously in these negotiations, and help lead the world toward a new era of global cooperation on climate change.”

“Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response,” he said.

The first panel discussion of the two-day summit involved the problem of tallying and reporting greenhouse gas emissions. Representatives of Mexico and China pledged renewed efforts on that front.

Watch the video greeting below.

Obama Steals the Show 18 November,2008Craig Miller

Author

Craig Miller

Craig is a former KQED Science editor, specializing in weather, climate, water & energy issues, with a little seismology thrown in just to shake things up. Prior to that, he launched and led the station's award-winning multimedia project, Climate Watch. Craig is also an accomplished writer/producer of television documentaries, with a focus on natural resource issues.

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