Homework.... In Response to Christine's Discussion Question 1

On Sept. 22, 2009, Obama delivered a speech on global warming and climate change before the United Nations Summit on Climate Change. I think that Christine is right in thinking that it would be impossible to trace Friedman’s influence on Obama’s thinking, but the similarities in their approaches to the issue, at least based on this particular speech of Obama’s, are undeniable. Both appeal to the needs of future generations. Both insist that climate change is a serious issue—perhaps the most serious of our time. Both insist that it is not something any nation can do alone. (Friedman seems much more willing to rally behind the make-America-number-one (again)! cause; he was, after all, writing to galvanize an American public, not necessarily to appeal to world leaders.) Both believe that the climate change era is a new era (although Obama is characterizing this era based on his insistence that we are turning around and making new commitments to renewable energy, whereas Friedman’s energy-climate era isn’t marked so much by human action as it is by the necessity for human action in the face of current inaction). Both insist that there are economic solutions to the crisis. Both Friedman and Obama appeal to the need to change the trajectories of developing countries so that their growth doesn’t overwhelm the positive changes occurring in developed countries. Both see climate change and renewable energy as matters of security. Both are aware that the challenge is not easy, can’t be easy, won’t be simple, will, in fact, be difficult. Both further insist that not only will it be hard, but it will be too late if we don’t act now. Here are some gems from Obama’s speech that illustrate these parallels:

• That so many of us are here today is a recognition that the threat from climate change is serious, it is urgent, and it is growing. Our generation's response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it -- boldly, swiftly, and together -- we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe.
• The security and stability of each nation and all peoples -- our prosperity, our health, our safety -- are in jeopardy. And the time we have to reverse this tide is running out.
• But this is a new day. It is a new era. And I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history.
• We've proposed the very first national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks -- a standard that will also save consumers money and our nation oil. We're moving forward with our nation's first offshore wind energy projects. We're investing billions to capture carbon pollution so that we can clean up our coal plants.
• We've worked through the World Bank to promote renewable energy projects and technologies in the developing world. And we have put climate at the top of our diplomatic agenda when it comes to our relationships with countries from China to Brazil; India to Mexico; Africa to Europe.
• It is work that will not be easy. As we head towards Copenhagen, there should be no illusions that the hardest part of our journey is in front of us. We seek sweeping but necessary change in the midst of a global recession, where every nation's most immediate priority is reviving their economy and putting their people back to work. And so all of us will face doubts and difficulties in our own capitals as we try to reach a lasting solution to the climate challenge.
• But difficulty is no excuse for complacency. Unease is no excuse for inaction. And we must not allow the perfect to become the enemy of progress.
• Yes, the developed nations that caused much of the damage to our climate over the last century still have a responsibility to lead.
• What we are seeking, after all, is not simply an agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. We seek an agreement that will allow all nations to grow and raise living standards without endangering the planet. By developing and disseminating clean technology and sharing our know-how, we can help developing nations leap-frog dirty energy technologies and reduce dangerous emissions.
• But the journey is long. The journey is hard. And we don't have much time left to make it. It is a journey that will require each of us to persevere through setback, and fight for every inch of progress, even when it comes in fits and starts. So let us begin. For if we are flexible and pragmatic; if we can resolve to work tirelessly in common effort, then we will achieve our common purpose: a world that is safer, cleaner, and healthier than the one we found; and a future that is worthy of our children.

The full text is available at the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/09/22/obama-un-climate-change-s_n_294628.html