mr president the hope generated by years of preparation descended into despondency and despair as it became increasingly clear that the deal we had come to agree in copenhagen was slipping from our grasp as each day passed
we must be concerned about how easy it was for the us china and others to circumvent the un structures sideline the eu and agree an arrangement which fell far short of global expectations
one thing is clear
the un climate talks system needs life-saving surgery before mexico at the end of this year
as it stands president obama is a prisoner of his political system for he needs sixty-seven votes in the senate
china refuses all measures which would be binding and open to international scrutiny
the irony of the situation is that the longer the us china and others frustrate delay and prevaricate on a deal the tougher the targets for reduction will of necessity become
let us look at solutions
the eu and this parliament need to examine honestly how it approaches such matters in the future
europe must be much more assertive in standing up for itself and in doing so should continue to set ambitious targets involving targets and emissions reductions of thirty
this is an economic race to lead the world into the twenty-first century based on green jobs and sustainable living
europe must win that race regardless of what our friends do or do not do
