Despite the Chinese consistently hacking into U.S. government systems, stealing ideas and products from American companies and violating the human dignity of those living in their country, President Obama is celebrating today after reportedly making a "deal" with the communist country on climate change.
“This is a major milestone,” President Obama said at a joint press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “This is an ambitious goal, but this is an achievable goal.”
“We have a special responsibility to lead the world effort to combat global climate change,” Obama added. “We hope to encourage all major economies to be ambitious.”
Not surprisingly, the United States will make the most concessions, with China making very few.
President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that the U.S. has set a new goal to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by between 26 percent and 28 percent over the next 11 years as part of a climate change agreement with China.
The new target is a drastic increase from earlier in Obama's presidency, when he pledged to cut emissions by 17 percent by 2020. By contrast, Obama's counterpart, Xi Jinping, did not pledge any reductions by a specific date, but rather set a target for China's emissions to peak by 2030, or earlier if possible. Xi also pledged to increase the share of energy that China will derive from sources other than fossil fuels. China's emissions have grown in recent years due to the building of new coal plants.
"This is a major milestone in the U.S.-China relationship," Obama told a news conference in Beijing, with Xi at his side. "It shows what's possible when we work together on an urgent global challenge."
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I'm not convinced this "deal" is going end well and doubt that trusting China to hold up their end of the deal is a wise move. President Obama's war on coal and drastic EPA regulations in the United States have had a devastating effect on job growth and the economy with little results to show for actually reducing so-called "climate change."
Republicans who will take control of the Senate in January are skeptical of the deal and are worried about the negative impact a one-way deal with China will have on Americans working in the energy industry here at home.
"This unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs," said incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, in a statement.
Trusting the Chinese...forward.
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