Hillary and 4 other US Senators in arctic meeting

Apparently, right now and tomorrow Hillary Clinton and 4 other US Senators are having an important meeting in Svalbard, The Arctic island north of Norway.


Together with Hillary is John McCain, Lindsey Graham og John Sununu.
Who the fifth Senator is, I don�t know.
The agenda of the meeting is global warming and climate research.
I got very fragmented reports.
Anyone know anything more about this?
Could this indicate a change in future US politics on this matter?
I have no idea who these Senators are, since I�m not american.
But I guess you do...?
I know Hillary though...

EDIT: Got some more details. They are talking about a report that concludes that the global warming is 2� times faster than they originally thought...Whatever it means.


[edit on 2004/8/25 by Hellmutt]

Interesting. Sunnunu still has some political clout esp among hard core conservatives. McCain is a Goldwater like conservative Hillary is well hillary. i wonder if this is a meeting about 2008? While I cannot stand Hillary she is pragmatic and a shark in political matters. As crazy as it sounds maybe a Hillary / McCain Ticket?

On the face of it, this is so ominously Fortress of Solitudelike that it does sound like some clandestine meeting of opposed Mafia King pins or Illuminati disinfo agents to discuss strategy...

Or an environmental summit.

Why are U.S. Congress members meeting outside of the U.S. to discuss U.S. policy? Something about that doesn't sit well with me...

They are to be presented a report about escalated global warming.
This report have been made by Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) on behalf of 8 countries.
Maybe they start taking this climate-thing serious now?

Found a norwegian article about it, nothing in english.
It says that John Lieberman was not the fifth senator.
Norwegian article

Originally posted by RANT
On the face of it, this is so ominously Fortress of Solitudelike that it does sound like some clandestine meeting of opposed Mafia King pins or Illuminati disinfo agents to discuss strategy...

Or an environmental summit.

Nothing like an off-season rental of an �Evil Lair�, you just don�t know what a drag it is when the Illuminated Ones are off-planet. The woes of maintaining order, in this world, is nothing new to me.

Got an english link now.
english article

"McCain is leading the delegation, which will study effects of global warming on Svalbard and meet with top Norwegian government officials. He said the US "sooner or later" will be forced to take some decisive action on the environmental concerns.

The Bush Administration has rejected measures to limit carbon dioxide emissions like those included in the so-called Kyoto Agreement, which could slow global warming. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen was clear in his opinion that "the US should have ratified" the Kyoto pact."

Another more detailed english article:
Hillary falls in love on Svalbard


(He looks a little bit like Bill, doesn�t he... )


(EDIT: removed some details here so I don�t get in trouble...)






[edit on 2004/9/3 by Hellmutt]

Anyway,
This international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee that was mentioned, will be released in November.
That�s after the US election, isn�t it?
That�s a long time to wait.
Why won�t they release it now?

I wonder if this meeting have anything to do with the Bush administration�s U-turn on the global warming issue...


Bush administration reverses its global warming position

"In a dramatic reversal of its previous position, the White House this week conceded that emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases were the only likely explanation for global warming.

Citing the "best possible scientific information," an administration official, James Mahoney, delivered a report to Congress that essentially reversed the previous White House position set out by US President George Bush, who had refused to link carbon dioxide emissions to climate change.

Two years ago, when his administration last published a document claiming that global warming over the last few decades had been prompted by human behavior, Bush dismissed it as something "put out by the bureaucracy."

One of Bush's first acts on the international scene as president was to refuse to ratify the Kyoto treaty, which aimed to cut emissions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012 -- prompting outrage throughout the world."

I�ve heard that Russia have just ratified the Kyoto pact. Now what will US do?
Will they be the only obstacle to the Kyoto Agreement, which could slow global warming?

Actually, with Russia�s "yes", it doesn�t matter what the US does.
We don�t need US�s "yes" in order to get things done now.
Now they will just look bad with their "no"...
Another blow for Bush?

Russian OK clears way for Kyoto Protocol

"The Russian government has approved the Kyoto Protocol, giving decisive support to the long-delayed climate change treaty that should allow it to come into force worldwide.

The European Union hailed Moscow's decision and seized the moment to urge Washington, whose rejection of the pact in 2001 left it dependent on Russia's approval, to rethink its position.

"The fate of the Kyoto protocol depends on Russia. If we...rejected ratification, we would become the ones to blame (for its failure)," Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov told the cabinet meeting.

Russia, which accounts for 17 per cent of world emissions, has held the key to Kyoto's success since the US pullout.

Kyoto becomes binding once it has been ratified by 55 per cent of the signatories, which must altogether account for 55 per cent of developed countries' carbon dioxide emissions.

The pact, so far ratified by 122 nations, has met the first condition. But they account for only 44 per cent of emissions.

Russia initially prevaricated on ratification. But in May Putin backed it in exchange for EU agreement on the terms of Moscow's admission to the World Trade Organisation."

Originally posted by Hellmutt on 2004/8/26
This international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee that was mentioned, will be released in November. That�s after the US election, isn�t it? That�s a long time to wait. Why won�t they release it now?

I told you so... :

From Report shows Arctic nations must cut CO2 emissions immediately, says WWF

Arctic governments must cut emissions of carbon dioxide immediately or face the extinction of species, damaging storms and flooding, says the World Wildlife Fund.

A report to be released next week provides "incontrovertible proof" that climate change is happening in the Arctic and that it will rapidly get worse unless emissions of carbon dioxide are cut, the WWF said Monday in a release. The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was produced by more than 250 scientists for the Arctic Council, a group of Arctic governments.

A warmer Arctic could also put 17 million people at risk due to a rise in global sea levels, says the report, which is to be officially released Nov. 8.