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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



Climate summit over before it begins?

Posted: Sunday, November 15, 2009 1:43 AM by Chuck Todd

From NBC's Chuck Todd
SINGAPORE -- It's rare that anything unannounced happens at one of these summits. That's why so many folks are buzzing about the unplanned Sunday morning breakfast meeting on the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Summit between 19 of the 21 world leaders attending this weekend's APEC conference.

The leaders of Australia and Mexico, both members of APEC, hastily organized the breakfast and encouraged Denmark's Prime Minister, Lars Rasmussen, to fly to Singapore to give the APEC leaders a briefing on the progress (or lack thereof) being made in advance of the December climate summit in Copenhagen.

In short, it appears expectations for something concrete have been dramatically ratcheted back.

According to deputy Nat'l Security advisor Mike Froman, Rasmussen told the leaders that in Copenhagen, there would be "one agreement, two steps," where "Copenhagen would be the first step in a process towards a internationally legally binding agreement; that in Copenhagen he would seek to achieve a politically binding agreement that covered all the major elements of the negotiations, including mitigation, adaptation, technology, and finance."

Translation: Copenhagen will be an agreement to form an agreement. (And you thought the health care was difficult to follow... but I digress.)

Froman went on to say that the expectation now is that something more concrete in terms of an int'l binding agreement on capping carbon emissions and cutting emissions etc. would happen NEXT YEAR at a conference that's expected to be in Mexico City.

Froman said Pres. Obama endorsed the "two step" strategy laid out by Rasmussen but did NOT make a pledge to attend the December Copenhagen conference.

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Comments

Preapproval of any American citizen's comments is literally "sick".
This agreement is a bad idea.
Unbelievable! It is beginning to look like the world is waiting for an ecolgical disaster before anyone will commit to changing the unsustainable use of finite natural resources in pursuit of selfish individual national interests.
I agree that is is almost over before it begins. President Lula for instance, has already said how much Brazil will cut in emissions and I think It should have bee taken to the very summit, anyway. Also we know already that the US and China are not so willing to cooperate with the climate change gas-emissions reduction.
For finance, I presume that the owner of the world assets and commoddities will bew the leader in implementing  our humanitarian economi marshall programmes. The world  bank , international monetary  fund and the united nations should  follow what was been in the treaty of treaties of agreement because the divine law of nature and value can not be change or alter by any human being  in this world, we should lead because we are the owners of the world assets and commo9dties and that we have our divine responsibility  to accomplish and responsibility that we are accounted from our supreme being. Our family have given a 50 years loan to our assets and comodities  for supporting the lives of all  the people of the world ,and why the internaitonal monetary funds is violating the rule of law. IS he greater that the creator himself , No body  should sell the gold without  my permission because that is mine and that is mine until the end of the earth  , Only people  who have the same genes  that I have will live  at anytime when it will be struck   by natural disaster. we are holding the scepter and that we can shake this world at anytime . I have a very hardtime already implemeting wha tis exactly in the torah of life. have you not notice that only one is the heir , owner and sole signatory of this assetsbecause my father in heaven is the one who have given me the power and authority  to implement  what is exactly the purpose and reason of this assets. why are you violating my divine  and human rights as a perpetual love from my fathe rin heaven ? Do you have the rights to withold this assets which I am the owner . No matter what you wanted to do , you will not succeed until the doomsday will come at anytime this time. Not even one of you will know when I will come to destroy the creation of my father. So please, give to the owner of the world assets and comodities because they are only two living in this world , one is the man and his half sister . who is rockefeller who is presuming that he is the owner, can he show evidence in his hands ?  TIME IS THE ESSENCE  AND YOU DONT KNOW WHEN I WILL COME , FOLLOW WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU , I AM THAT I AM  
It's sad that the expectations for the Copenhagen conference appear to be being"diluted". I want the President to attend and declare bold initiatives that the US will take. The importance of the US leading this international effort can't be understated. If we squander this opportunity to lead,it's only a matter of time before our voices won't be listened to in he rest of the world. Aah, but we must wait on the Senate...
The President should be tried for treason if he signs any binding climate change agreement.  When are we Americans going to stand up and actually speak the truth that this administration is purposely destroying America. Look at what he has done in less then one year: bankrupting the country, destroying the dollar, treating terrorists like common criminals, and on the verge of signing away our independence by signing some hoax of a climate change bill.  When are regular Americans and the media going to call a spade a spade?
Ho Hum.  More of the same.  Ahh, the arrogance of man, believing that he can control everything.  Wonder if aL gORE will be there?  
People in the US should stand up an refuse to allow Obama to sign this agreement in Copenhagen.  It will end our sovernity over our own country giving third world countries payment for what Obama feels is our fault -the pollution of the World atmosphere.  Anyone with half a brain knows China with it's massive industries is polluting the entire contenients of Europe & Asis and there have been huge brown clouds over those continents.  The US has cut its pollution by more than half over the last decade and continues to make progress doing so.  We do not need to pay anyone or have them control us.  Obama has been bankrupting this country and this would end our freedom and rights totally
People really need to look at this bill and see what it's all about
This is about the formation of a world government
And a huge tax on the western nations
Check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMe5dOgbu40
Why is this a surprise?

Carbon isn't the problem.  It is the byproduct of problems of systems.

Systems that could not have be fixed through the "carbon" intensive discussions of COP15

.. and I think they finally figured that out.

r
www.cleanergreenerchina.com
climate change is a joke the earth has cooled the last 10 years. Why would any country want to change to a higher cost energy system. Drill everything we got and build the next generation of nukes that produce zero waste.
The science behind global warming in definitely not settled. There's not mainstream science, science in not democratic and is not about consensus. No sensible nation should make major policy decisions based on a tower of assumptions as shaky as the anthropogenic theory. Temperatures on earth have always been changing and the human cause of climate change has yet to be scientifically demonstrated. CO2 is not a pollutant, but the food for our trees and our crops. CO2 is life-friendly.There are other areas (poverty, famine, terrorism, ect) more worthy of our attention and our dollars/euros that will ultimately lead to an easier adaptation to climate change. Use this money to combat those problems as well as the real pollution. Anti pollution technology is available and commercialy viable. No need to cut CO2.
Thankyou
another step towards the new world order!!!  
Hopefully, this wealth redistribution scheme will get nowhere,fast.
Its another attempt at a global socialist society engineered by the abamination and world socialists to deny the people their right to liberty and freedom!
This climate change is a joke. Even the so called experts cannot agree

1. If climate change is happening?
2. Are WE causing it?
3. If we are causing it, can we stop it?
4. And is climate change bad for us?

If any one of those questions cannot be 100% without a doubt answered yes.

Then there is nothing to be done so keep your hands out of my wallet with your cap and trade tax schemes.
This just another "spread the wealth" deal.  We don't need other countries telling us what to do and taking our money, which we are out of.  The Obama administration needs to do something about un-employment and stop with all the health care, cap and tax, world order BS.
What a disappointment on the part of the Obama administration.  Between his "all in" approach on an epically awful health reform bill and lack of dedication to addressing climate change we have the beginnings of what is known as a failed presidency.  I'm a liberal democrat and I do not approve of the Obama approach.
If Obuma signs ANYTHING like this he should be impeached.  NO ONE has the right to sign away U.S. sovereignty.  
Obama is probably is hesitant because Lord Monckton is out telling American's how he will be signing away our sovereignty over the big scam of climate change.

30,000 scientist are suing Al Gore over it and the movie he made is also banned from British schools so this big lie is going to cost us.  I'm a little miffed that this treaty would obligate us to pay 3rd world countries and we would not be able to get out of it later....plus we would be under the United Nations thumb and most of the members hate our guts.
"Copenhagen will be an agreement to form an agreement."

I can see why this appeals to Obama.  All rhetoric and no action.
That is horse crap. Get something done!! They are all to beholden to the big companies that produce all the pollution. THAT is the problem.
Closer to to losing our constitutional rights.  Closer to (a)merica going down the drain.

Thomas Adair
holygrailtoinvesting@hotmail.com
More nonsense from the whacko greenies!

Jump on your private jet and fly around the world complaining about pollution.

Meanwhile global temperatures continue to fall.
When the world is in a catastrophic economic meltdown, the only people really gaining out of "Cap and Trade" are the biggest creditors (China) and scam artists (Gore), can't really expect to get much sympathy from the industrialized nations trying to recover.  Another huge tax on business and sure enough, we can turn this severe correction into a dpression just like FDR did.  Of course crises help large governments reduce freedoms at will.
I'm struggling to find examples of leadership in our worlds' leaders.  I'm 100% behind Obama, and I appreciate all he's done to help redirect this country's priorities.  We're now at least thinking about education, social wellness, environmental sustainability and personal responsibility.  But thinkin' ain't doin', as they say...

When do we (humans) finally take the long view and start doing things right?!?!?
It is very difficult to understand why the Danish Prime Minister insists on is continuing his very unhelpful push for lowering the ambitions for a strong and legally binding outcome of Copenhagen.
This is exactly the moment, where the Danish COP presidency could have chosen to show ambition and courage by proposing a way to a strong and legally binding outcome of Copenhagen.

It seems the polluting countries fail to realize that many nations do not have time for leaders to drag the time line for  a legally binding deal...survival is the issue here. Without legal agreement all promises are false hope for the climate impacted islands in the Pacific.

The world needs a legally binding climate agreement out of Copenhagen, and we still have the chance to get that.
GoreBull Warming will help lower your heating bill this winter. Good news for the 27 million unemployed and underemployed who can't make ends meet.
Politically, "Global Warming" is not doing as well as "Adding to the Deficit". It's funny how these things "catch on" during a Democratic Adminsitration, and are totally overlooked while Republicans are in office.
Interesting.  I posted a comment on the ludicrous notion that during an economic catastrophe, exacerbated by the same socialistic concepts espoused by FDR, anyone might expect results from the APEC conference.  I mentioned that only China and Al Gore will profit from Cap and Trade concepts.  I did call Gore a scam artist and China a non-particpant in anything that would benefit the world, but it is interesting that Michelle Malkin's favorite news agency would decline to print the comment. It is MSNBC, isn't it, Michelle?  Oh yeah, this isn't intended to be a news article since it is put out by the National Bureau of Communists Political Director.


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