AP: U.N. climate talks end with pivotal deal

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/13378839.htm

MONTREAL - A U.N. conference on global warming ended Saturday with a watershed agreement by more than 150 nations - an unwilling United States not among them - to open talks on mandatory post-2012 reductions in greenhouse gases.

The Bush administration, which rejects the emissions cutbacks of the current Kyoto Protocol, accepted a second, weaker conference decision, agreeing to join an exploratory global "dialogue" on future steps to combat climate change. However, that agreement specifically ruled out "negotiations leading to new commitments."

How embarrassing for the United States. Does Joe Lunchbucket in the USA appreciate the onslaught of climate change? I realize people here do, but I'm curious about the average person in the street.

Seeing 150 nations agree to something that the USA is left out of has got to resonate with average Americans. I hope.

Lunchbucket much, much more likely to believe something weird is happening to the climate.

I don't think the issue is as isolated as it used to be - but that doesn't mean Joe and Jane will vote based on that issue alone.

We need to tie it together with energy independence as it relates to foreign policy as well.

Plus creating a huge scientific and engineering push for new clean, non-imported energies can also be a big industry. The American Auto-Industry didn't focus on innovation in the area and now they are getting their ass kicked by the Japanese because of it.

It is an area where the Democrats can show that "vision" thing, with optimism and goals for the future (reach for the moon) - people always like that (perhaps need it?) and this is our area to seize that ground.

It also can magnify the difference between us as a science, reality based party as compared to the Intelligent Design, science-phobic Republican Party

global warming . . . under BushCo, we're merely irrelevant obstructionists . . .

about these meetings, nothing has changed in years

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