In his book “The Audacity of Hope,” Barack Obama at one point writes: “I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different stripes project their own views. As such, I am bound to disappoint some, if not all, of them.”

Ten months into his presidency and the terrible truthfulness of this statement is becoming clearer by the minute. The latest howl of disappointment is from Europe, and Der Spiegel magazine: Obama Has Failed the World on Climate Change.

US President Barack Obama came to office promising hope and change. But on climate change, he has followed in the footsteps of his predecessor George W. Bush. Now, should the climate summit in Copenhagen fail, the blame will lie squarely with Obama.

[...]

Only if the US manages to reduce its excessive energy consumption, commit itself to mandatory CO2 emission reduction targets and help finance the move away from oil for poorer countries, is there still a chance that countries like China and India will do the same and that a dangerous warming of the Earth can be stopped. On the weekend, Obama announced that there would be no agreement on binding rules in Copenhagen. It was the admission of a massive failing — and the prelude to a truly dramatic phase of international climate policy.

Obama Lied to the Europeans

Barack Obama cast himself as a “citizen of the world” when he delivered his well-received campaign speech in Berlin in the summer of 2008. But the US president has now betrayed this claim. In his Berlin speech, he was dishonest with Europe. Since then, Obama has neglected the single most important issue for an American president who likes to imagine himself as a world citizen, namely his country’s addiction to fossil fuels and the risks of unchecked climate change.

I have to wonder: for calling President Obama a liar, does Der Spiegel qualify for the same accusations of racism that were leveled against Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)?

Would only that it were true that President Obama was jumping off of the anti-human climate change train-wreck, permanently. Clearly Copenhagen is out the window, and that’s a good thing, but I see this as merely a tactical pause by Obama, reluctantly facing the fact that with unemployment surging well past ten percent in the United States, signing up for economy-killing anti-global-warming measures is a non-starter with the U.S. Congress.

And speaking of global warming, President Obama is visiting China, where he’s been “braving freezing temperatures” while touring the Forbidden City. Indeed, many areas of China have been experiencing unusually cold weather for this time of year.

As China has been hit with severe cold weather and heavy snow over the last week, the country is making all-out efforts to prepare against continuing low temperatures.

The majority of northern China has been experiencing low temperatures and strong winds.

Meanwhile, the National Meteorological Administration is forecasting that almost all of southern China will soon be covered by snow or rain, with some provinces expecting storms.

Traffic authorities in these regions have launched various emergency plans to ensure smooth and safe transportation. Roads will not be closed unless visibility drops below 50 meters or ice on the road affects safety.

The cold weather has also frozen a good number of travel plans. Travel agencies say November should have been a hot month, but heavy snow has discouraged some people from traveling to the northern regions. This has led to a price drop in some of these areas.

Heavy snow has also stricken China’s agricultural production. Vegetable prices have seen a rise in some regions. In light of this, many residents are busy ensuring they have enough food supplies.

You may recall — we covered it in this space — that China had a very rough winter in 2008 as well. Millions of people lost electricity and ran short of food and water; in addition to the human cost, billions of dollars in damage occurred.

Let’s refer back to Der Spiegel above. They tell us that only with Obama’s intervention, and only by the U.S.A. committing to slash energy use and carbon dioxide emissions “is there still a chance that countries like China and India will do the same and that a dangerous warming of the Earth can be stopped.”

How likely is it, really, that the shivering Chinese will be willing to pay the enormous economic price of slashing their own carbon dioxide emissions, with their developing economy, in the name of allaying the fear of the idle and decadent western elites that the world is getting too hot?

It’s a joke. A tragic and a costly one — even without the Copenhagen madness — but one we shouldn’t forget to sometimes have a good laugh about.

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(“Age of Light” updates are in reference to words spoken on this occasion.)

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