Tan Copsey

Kentucky's Republican senator Mitch McConnell has come out strongly against proposed climate change legislation at a time when real progress on the issue in Congress seems probable. In a piece written for The Hill he argues that:

Now is the time to be considering, and approving, legislation that would allow Americans to increase energy production within our own borders, and to accelerate the process of moving to clean nuclear energy. Now is the time to do something about $4.00 a gallon gasoline, not something that would cost us $6.00 a gallon gas down the road.

McConnell’s objections are interesting not only because they appeal to populist resentment about gas prices and job-losses, but because as an Appalachian Republican senator up for re-election, McConnell must grapple with the many new challenges facing American lawmakers as they seek to act on this issue.

 Read the rest of this post...

Tan Copsey

John McCain, it seems, can’t stay out of trouble. After enraging most of the Republican blogosphere with his radical (for a Republican) proposals to fight climate change, he has now succeeded in also angering China.

chinadialogue.net last week translated and published McCain’s remarks and have since had to deal with an upset response. Readers have suggested that these policies are indicative of "anti-Chinese sentiment coming from the West" and that China and other developing countries are far from the "chief culprits" when it comes to climate change.

Tan Copsey

John McCain today set out his plan for tackling climate change, proposing to cut US greenhouse gas emissions 60% by 2050. McCain asserted his independence from the President Bush’s legacy of inaction and suggested that he would reclaim a position of leadership for the United States.

Most strikingly, he stated that:

"If the efforts to negotiate an international solution that includes China and India do not succeed, we still have an obligation to act."

This is a bold move by a Republican presidential candidate – Bush has for the last eight years made US participation in international efforts to reduce emissions contingent on the involvement of these countries. Obama and Clinton both propose larger cuts, as do Senators Warner and Lieberman, but it is striking that there is a firming cross-party consensus on the importance of acting on climate change.

 Read the rest of this post...

Tan Copsey

Forget Kentucky, Oregon and West Virginia. Say goodbye to primaries in Puerto Rico. A new poll has revealed that 47 per cent of New Zealand wants Obama! OK, the support of my countrymen and women is unlikely to shift those last few super-delegates Barack’s way. Still, it is oddly indicative of how popular he is around the world. He easily won the Democrats abroad caucus and his candidacy has inspired global excitement – from hard-steppin’ reggae to my quiet street in sunny north-London, where a number of houses are decorated with Obama 08 posters.

Of course, were global popularity to mean anything, I have a funny feeling that the US would have a different President right now. Doesn’t stop us singing though - altogether now – "we need Barack…".
 Read the rest of this post...

Tan Copsey

The race for the democratic nomination continued today after Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton seemingly stumbled to yet another bloody draw. However, upon closer inspection the result significantly favoured Obama. A much greater margin of victory in North Carolina means that his lead over Clinton increases. With the finish line fast approaching and the candidates likely to halve the six states that are yet to go to the polls, Clinton needs something approaching a miracle, or at least an Obama slip-up that dwarfs the controversy provoked by the comments of his former pastor Jeremiah Wright.

Clinton is still likely to notch up massive wins in Kentucky, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. But Obama should be able to minimise the damage by gaining slightly smaller victories in Oregon, Montana and South Dakota. Clinton will likely need to win more than 80% of the delegates still in play to regain the lead. In the meantime, Obama will continue to unleash newly pledged super-delegates, demonstrating he has momentum within the party as well as the electorate.

From a faux Moorish castle in Indianapolis, Clinton still declared victory and referenced her one remaining real hope for the nomination - that delegations from Michigan and Florida be seated at the Democratic convention. Elections in these states have been declared void and Obama did not contest them, so such an outcome would seem more than a little undemocratic. Gaining the nomination like this would also damage the chances of Clinton actually being elected president.

So, advantage Obama, but this never-ending election will continue.  Read the rest of this post...

Tan Copsey

The world wakes today to exciting news: US President George W. Bush has set a new national climate target. While others seek to reduce emissions, the US will now look to at least stop increasing them. By 2025.

As the clock winds down on the Bush era, it is worth considering the consequences of his decision to stand still on climate change. America is now at least eight years behind the rest of the world. It will take a long time and a lot of work to catch up and there is, as yet, little evidence to suggest that the next president can do enough.

 Read the rest of this post...