Thanksgiving weekend brought a historic turning point for human civilization when President Obama was able to get the Chinese to offer 40% cuts in carbon "intensity" at least, prior to the climate summit at Copenhagen. The leaders of the two nations jointly responsible for almost half of the world's carbon emissions were able to announce that they would be joining the rest of the world in agreeing to cuts in carbon emissions. That in turn led to India jumping aboard ship, too, with a 20% offer. None of the three had agreed to the original Kyoto Accord.

Policy & Politics

3 Reasons for Hope for Hopenhagen

Thanksgiving weekend brought a historic turning point for human civilization when President Obama was able to get the Chinese to offer 40% cuts in carbon “intensity” at least, prior to the climate summit at Copenhagen.

The leaders of the two nations jointly responsible for almost half of the world’s carbon emissions were able to announce that they would be joining the rest of the world in agreeing to cuts in carbon emissions. That in turn led to India jumping aboard ship, too, with a 20% offer. None of the three had agreed to the original Kyoto Accord.

Susan Kraemer

Published

December 5, 2009

3. Even beginning local legislation has national effects

One or two Republicans have consistently voted for renewable energy legislation over the past two decades: Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe – – both from America’s equivalent of Sweden: 55% renewably powered Maine.

This indicates that it is possible to turn Fossil Party Senators into Future Party votes, once a tipping point is reached in their state. Legislation like the Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires that an increasing percent of utility energy must come from renewables, increases the chances.

Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa might be next. Iowa now gets 15% of its energy from wind, because of local renewable energy legislation. It doesn’t have to be a high trigger. Thirteen percent renewably powered California’s Republican Governor is another example.

This effect of local change is why funding the development of a world-class wind center in South Carolina was good strategery on the part of the Obama administration. Republican Lindsay Graham is a key climate vote and will only solidify once wind energy takes hold in his state.

Image: Cianbro

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In this article:Carbon Emissions, China, climate agreement, COP15, Copenhagen, India, usa

Written By Susan Kraemer

writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today and Renewable Energy World. She has also been published at Wind Energy Update, Solar Plaza, Earthtechling PV-Insider , and GreenProphet, Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times. Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.