Barack Obama 'seriously considering' hosting climate summit

[limpyhobbler]

Barack Obama may intervene directly on climate change by hosting a summit at the White House early in his second term, environmental groups say.

They say the White House has given encouraging signals to a proposal for Obama to use the broad-based and bipartisan summit to launch a national climate action strategy.

"What we talked about with the White House is using it as catalyst not just for the development of a national strategy but for mobilising people all over the country at every level," said Bob Doppelt, executive director of the Resource Innovation Group, the Oregon-based thinktank that has been pushing for the high-level meeting. He said it would not be a one-off event.

"What I think has excited the White House is that it does put the president in a leadership role, but it is not aimed at what Congress can do, or what he can do per se, so much as it is aimed at apprising the American public about how they can act."
...

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jan/09/barack-obama-climate-summit

[kestrel91316]

1. What would be the point? Since we are determined to do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about climate change?

[pscot]

2. It's to sooth our nerves

The sound of screaming makes our betters uncomfortable.

[kestrel91316]

3. Apparently.

[NoOneMan]

5. To keep us working, and consuming

While they continue to skim wealth created during production

I think the upper class is too smart to not realize they need to start making their biospheres already with the cash they scheme from everyone else.

[roguevalley]

6. seriously considering. fuck that and everyone connected to it. IT IS FUCKING RAINING 1

HERE IN ALASKA ON MY FOUR FEET OF SNOW! FUCKING RAINING! I would like to bag a pile of this and shove it up every person in a position of influence's butt.

[hatrack]

4. Why "seriously consider"? Just fucking do it, Barack!

Not that I think having a meeting for the sake of having a meeting is going to make much more than a fleabite's worth of difference, but it's his White House and his administration.

Go ahead, nobody's going to stop you.

[Nihil]

7. Because he isn't? (and won't)

> Barack Obama may intervene directly (sic) on climate change by hosting a summit
> at the White House early in his second term, environmental groups say.
>
> They say the White House has given encouraging signals to a proposal for Obama
> to use the broad-based and bipartisan summit to launch a national climate action strategy.
>
> &quot Blah blah blah)" said Bob Doppelt, executive director of the Resource Innovation Group,
> the Oregon-based thinktank that has been pushing for the high-level meeting.

As I said in the original release of this (in LBN http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=362755)
all this puff-piece deserves is a big "Yeah, right ..." to the non-entity trying to boost the
publicity (hence income) of his own little project.

[limpyhobbler]

8. It's not necessarily a bad thing

for a small group to lobby the White House and then try to get free media by reporting the results to the press. Seems like smart politics to me. After all, the oil industry does the same thing constantly, and on a much larger scale.

Beyond that, it's not clear who's using who there. Maybe the White House chose to tell them that to "float" the idea as a way of seeming to do something without actually doing much.

It may also be true that talking about a "climate summit", is part of pushing for one, which hopefully is part of pushing for more serious action on the issue.

[NYC_SKP]

9. Cool!