Major Climate Deal With China Just Weakened The GOP's Favorite Argument Against Reducing Emissions

[kpete]

Republicans have so far been largely silent on President Barack Obama's surprise announcement of a climate deal between the United States and China.

In the past, many in the GOP have used China's apparent unwillingness to agree to such a deal as an excuse for America to stand pat as well. One clip posted on YouTube by Climate Desk shows Republican lawmakers repeatedly saying the U.S. can't act until other major emitters such as China do so.

Now that China has agreed to a deal, will anything change? Probably not: It's worth noting that these same lawmakers also name other major emitters such as India and Mexico as obstacles to changing emissions standards in the U.S.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/12/climate-deal-republicans_n_6143460.html

Awkward: Watch a Supercut of Republicans Using China as an Excuse to Do Nothing About Climate Change

http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/11/awkward-supercut-republicans-using-china-excuse-climate-inaction?utm_source=huffingtonpost.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=pubexchange_article

[lonestarnot]

1. 15 years from now, they are going to do something?

I still do not see the big deal other than the agreement is an admission from China that they have a problem and they are making earth's problem greater. They cleared the air in Beijing, well sorta. They know they are part of the problem.

[pinboy3niner]

2. And so it begins: Top Senate Republicans slam U.S.-China climate deal

Top Senate Republicans slam U.S.-China climate deal
By Jeremy Diamond, CNN
November 12, 2014 -- Updated 1322 GMT (2122 HKT)

Washington (CNN) -- Top Senate Republican leaders quickly criticized the U.S.-China climate change pact to cut carbon emissions that President Barack Obama announced while traveling in Asia.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Jim Inhofe, who is expected to chair the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, slammed the agreement in statements released shortly after the deal was announced Wednesday.

"Our economy can't take the President's ideological War on Coal that will increase the squeeze on middle-class families and struggling miners," McConnell, who hails from the coal state of Kentucky, said. "This unrealistic plan, that the President would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs."

...


Inhofe criticized the deal as unfair and knocked the Chinese pledge to produce 20% of its energy from zero-emission sources as "hollow and not believeable."

"The United States will be required to more steeply reduce our carbon emissions while China won't have to reduce anything," Inhofe said.

...


http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/12/politics/senate-republicans-slam-us-china-climate-deal/index.html