Kerry Unveils Foreign Relations' Contribution to Senate Climate Bill

[ProSense]

Kerry Unveils Foreign Relations' Contribution to Senate Climate Bill

By DARREN SAMUELSOHN of ClimateWire
Published: December 4, 2009

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) introduced global warming legislation yesterday that he said will serve as the "foundation" of the U.S. financial package headed into U.N.-sponsored negotiations next week in Copenhagen.

The 81-page bill (pdf) would authorize programs associated with the U.S. contribution to a new global climate change agreement, including adaptation, deployment of clean energy technologies and reducing deforestation and forest degradation.

The bill represents the Foreign Relations Committee's entry to the broader climate proposal being crafted by Kerry and Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). Five other committees are also expected to contribute ideas to the overall package, including Agriculture, Commerce, Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works, and Finance.

Kerry's bill steers funding and technical assistance to help developing countries keep their forests standing and participate in global carbon markets. Through the forestry programs, the bill sets a goal for reducing emissions by at least 720 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020 -- with a cumulative target of 6 billion tons by 2025.

more

[karynnj]

1. This bill is important to the international effort to get a treaty next year

There is no way that a viable treaty can be had without pulling in some cooperation from the third world. They will bear the brunt of the consequences of AGW, though they are the least responsible for it. It is our interest that the developed world provide them with technology transfers and aid.

Kerry also made a contribution to this effort by speaking to the Word Bank and making the case that in their assistance to third world countries they need to help them fund clean energy, rather than dirty coal plants.

As Prosense posted:

John Kerry gave a barn-burner of a speech at the World Bank on Wednesday, laying into development banks for pouring massive sums into dirty energy projects in poor countries. "Reducing energy poverty and combating climate change cannot be mutually exclusive challenges," said Kerry. "We won't solve climate change unless we also seriously tackle energy poverty, and we haven't really solved energy poverty if we ravage our planet in the process."

<...>

Kerry was unusually agressive in his critcism of development banks. "There is no excuse," he said, for the Inter-American Development Bank's decision to back two new coal-fired power plants in Brazil. And the World Bank, he argued, should take the lead by including emissions as a key criteria when deciding which energy projects to finance. Kerry called on the Bank to weigh not only estimates of construction and operation costs when funding new projects, but also projected emissions. The Bank should also work harder to present low-carbon alternatives to its aid recipients, and fund clean energy projects whenever possible.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/11/kerry-calls-world-bank-stop-funding-dirty-energy

[beachmom]

2. Nice article by Kate Sheppard. Thanks for posting. ;)

[karynnj]

3. I hadn't noticed the author, but it is a very good article on the speech

(point taken)

[Cha]

4. Excellent! Obviously one of the most important

issues of the time:bounce: