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World Leaders Take on Climate Change
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World Leaders Take on Climate Change

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On his first day at the United Nations, Barack Obama addressed a multitude of issues, starting with climate change. Can he help set the stage for international action? Is it already too late to prevent life-changing developments all over the world? Also, Obama calls on Netanyahu and Abbas to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and the Obama FCC endorses net neutrality. How will service providers fight back?

Banner image: President Barack Obama addresses UN Climate Change Conference. Photo: Marco Castro/UN

Making News

Obama Calls on Netanyahu, Abbas to Restart Peace Negotiations ()

In New York today, President Obama sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Even before the meeting began, he sounded a note of frustration, calling on both leaders to "summon the will to break the deadlock that has trapped generations of Israelis and Palestinians in an endless cycle of conflict and suffering" He said that success "depends on all sides acting with a sense of urgency." Ben Smith is senior political writer at Politico.

Guests:
  • Ben Smith: Senior Political Reporter, Politico.com

Main Topic

Barack Obama, the United Nations and Global Warming ()

Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon wants this week's summit of 100 world leaders to set the stage for a conference on greenhouse gas emissions later this year. In today's speech to the General Assembly, President Obama called for action. Because of the worldwide recession, he said, they will all have trouble selling their own capitols on the need for difficult measures. He also conceded that the US has been too slow to recognize the growing danger. But that record, and continued foot-dragging on Capitol Hill, have led to skepticism that he can unite the rest of the world against climate change. We look at Obama's first day at the UN.

Guests:
  • Lisa Friedman: Deputy Editor, ClimateWire
  • Barbara Finamore: Director of the China Clean Energy Program, NRDC
  • Frank Loy: former Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs
  • Michael Levi: Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change, Council on Foreign Relations,

Reporter's Notebook

FCC Says It's Time to Set Net Neutrality Rules ()

The Internet has become as important to American life as the light bulb and running water. That's according to the latest chair of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski. Yesterday, he proposed new rules to guarantee "network neutrality." Consumer advocacy groups are happy, but will it cost more to get what they need? James McQuivey is media and technology analyst at Forrester Research.

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