President Obama used the podium of the Three Amigos summit on Wednesday to push Prime Minister Stephen Harper to work with him on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, saying the science that supports climate change can't be denied. Obama gave Harper a primer on reducing greenhouse gases as he answered a question about why he has not approved the Keystone XL pipeline.
"Stephen and I, during a break after lunch, discussed a shared interest in working together around dealing with greenhouse gas emissions. And this is something that we have to deal with," Obama said as he shared the stage with Harper and the Mexican prime minister at a joint news conference.A readout on the 30-minute meeting from the Prime Minister's Office made no mention of that conversation.
"I said previously that how Keystone impacted greenhouse gas emissions would affect our decision. But frankly, it has to affect all of our decisions at this stage because the science is irrefutable," Obama said.
He said increasing "severe weather patterns" has "consequences for our businesses, for our jobs, for our families, for safety and security."
"It has the potential of displacing people in ways that we cannot currently fully anticipate and will be extraordinarily costly. So I welcome the work that we can do together with Canada," Obama added.
Obama said he wants to promote economic growth, but that has to be balanced against eventually transitioning away from the use of fossil fuels.
"We only have one planet," he said, adding "we do have to point to the future" to influence other big emitters such as China and India, and "have leverage" over them.
Harper replied that Canada and the U.S. have a "shared concern" about climate change. He also appeared to make a subtle dig at the long approval process Keystone has faced. The prime minister also pointed out that the most recent State Department report gave the Alberta oil sands a good grade on environmental impact.
"As you know, a couple of years ago we moved to reform our system so that we have a single (environmental) review wherever possible — a single review, a multidimensional review that happens over a fixed timeline," Harper said.
"And I think that is a process that is tremendously useful in giving investors greater certainty in terms of the kind of plans they may have in the Canadian economy."
Earlier on Wednesday, the two leaders projected a bit of genuine warmth after arriving at the summit in this Mexican city.
It may have been the sunny, high-altitude climes in the scenic Spanish colonial corner of Toluca, the hometown of their host, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto. Or it may have been the fact that both Harper and Obama had staked out their positions in advance on the divisive Keystone XL pipeline project: the prime minister wants approval, the president wants to respect the approval process.
The president then had affectionate words for Canadians and for Harper, calling him "Stephen" at one point during his remarks after the two leaders strolled through the Cosmo Vital Jardin Botanico, an enormous Toluca greenhouse renowned for its spectacular stained glass windows.
"My brother-in-law is Canadian, so you know I have to like Canadians," Obama said to laughter.
But he added that the fact that Canadian and American men's and women's hockey teams are soon facing off in the ongoing Winter Games could cause him to "not feel as warm toward Canadians until the Olympic matches are over."
Harper echoed Obama's light-hearted tone during his own brief comments.
"Barack, it's always great to see you, and I like my brother-in-law too," Harper said.
Keystone wasn't mentioned at all publicly, in fact, until the final news conference during which the Canadian media contingent raised it with both Harper and Obama. The president, as expected, noted that the pipeline was at the mercy of an approval process that he acknowledged Harper might find "a little too laborious."
"But this is how we make these decisions," he said.
Earlier, Obama told a business forum that the United States, Canada and Mexico will always have "parochial interests." Obama said that the trade between the three countries is part of an integrated supply chain that allows them to sell their products and services around the world.
"We have every incentive to make this work," Obama said, urging the business audience at the summit to help push for progress.
"If in fact we're going to continue to build and strengthen ... then you can't just leave it to politicians alone," he said. "When people understand what this means in terms of job creation … when they hear that from you, it's that much more persuasive."
During their meeting, Harper and Obama discussed and strongly condemned the violence taking place on the streets of Ukraine, and discussed issues of shared concern, including the ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations, the global economy, and border infrastructure and security.
The two leaders held their bilateral meeting a few hours after Harper sat down with TransCanada officials in nearby Mexico City — and just as a judge struck down a Nebraska law that allowed the pipeline to proceed through the state. That ruling that will undoubtedly lead to even further delays for the controversial project.
I am a patriotic Canadian but I am also an environmentalist like my dear friend Witchy and I think I speak for both of us when I say that we cannot support the construction of a new pipeline because it perpetuates the concept of dependence on fossil fuels. Shouldn't those billions of dollars be directed toward researching safer alternatives? Our planet is rapidly dying from the diseases we have inflicted upon it. As president Obama says," the science is irrefutable".
Thanx to Yahoo for the material
Howdy PIC ,
ReplyDeleteYou said a mouth full .
I know and understand the pipeline will bring more jobs , but only for a few years what happens after that time , as you said there has to be a better way ???
I know first hand what a disaster can do to people , how soon do we forget the Gult oil explosion , people are still getting sick from from the fallout , their way of living is gone and BP and the government just put a bandage on the wound and said it's not as bad as it looks .
We should think about the people that woud have to be misplaced for the pipeline to come through their states ... if an accident happens , the fumes are air-borne and people will be like the ones along the Gulf coast , no money is worth that . There has to be another way and this ain't it .
Once again Obama is side-stepping the issues since he took his second term , what in hell is he thinking ... oh, I know , just coast his way through these last few years HUH ???.
Another thing Mr. Obama , one statement made me cling to know you are so silly and I use the word 'SILLY; lightly .
Your brother-in-law is an American , not a Canadian , he only lives in Canada and remember there is a lot of Canadians / Americans that is enviromentalists and we are uniting and keep an open ear so you can hear us 'Roar.'
Remember , Obama you have kids also that need this planet . So please don't be a weak knee President , put a rod up your ass and stand 'Tall.'
Just sayin'
B-Witchy and that's the way I roll.
Very , very good post .
Luv PIC
hahahaha! Girl, I really love you.You said all the right things and you said them in your own wonderful style. Obama needs you to give him some backbone.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right, just one accident along that pipeline or some fanatic blowing the damn thing up and look at the environmental disaster it would cause. You have seen one first-hand in your own state. Mr Obama should come back to Louisiana and see how the effects of such a disaster linger for years and years.
Luc PIC
PS: Thankyou very much for the compliment PIC.
ReplyDeleteLuv ya
Jeannie,
ReplyDeleteThe biggest problem I see with this summit is that Harper gets to go back to Canada.
Considering that he was elected to a majority government with only a minority of potential voters actually casting ballots most up there don't believe that he represents the majority of people in their country.
Many that I have spoken to in Canada think of him as their political Justin Beiber. An embarrassment on the world stage that they ' REALLY' don't want to come home.
It appears that President Obama misunderstands some basic protocols. He was in Toluca, Mexico, for a few hours and his attention should have been focused on the meetings and some extremely serious problems.
Yet, this "Head of State" took time to deal with small concerns and political pandering.
(the "Gap" tweet, Ukraine interference) Canadians are far more politically astute than President Obama realizes.
And Mexican nationals feel that Obama is not a friend of their country.
Three amigos ? Hardly.
Jeannie : A little humor for you and Baby (smiling)
Obama is like a lab rat with food at all four corners of the cage .
He runs from corner to corner, eating a little bit of food in each, never finishing in any corner.
This is how he governs . He sticks his finger in the pie and then runs off to another pie without even cutting a piece.
Obama can't finish anything he starts . All he does is skim the surface and achieves nothing
Lots of voter remorse.
Just my humble opinion .
Hi Humble,
ReplyDeleteDamn straight Stephen doesn't represent us and he is an embarrassment as a diplomat; not to mention, he doesn't give a rat's ass about the environment.
It's not the first time BamBam has underestimated us. He speaks to Harper like he would a somewhat backward eight year old with little grasp of the English language. Not that I blame him, but he includes all of us in that description.
I enjoyed your analogy of Obama..HA! It fits him like a glove. It seems we have voter remorse in both countries. I think Obama will keep delaying on the pipeline and let the next president deal with it.
Mexico can keep Harper. You can keep Beiber and there is a tub of lard in Toronto I would like to roll straight into Lake Ontario ( It's a bottomless Lake).
Stay humble,
Your Intellectually Challenged Canadian pal