Obama gives another $500 million to Green Climate Fund

[Right_in_Virginia]

Obama gives another $500 million to Green Climate Fund
Washington Examiner, Jan. 17, 2017, JOHN SICILIANO

The Obama administration approved another $500 million contribution for a United Nations' climate fund on Tuesday, a move that is expected to infuriate Republicans who have sought to stop the payments.

The payment to the U.N. Green Climate Fund was approved for the second year in a row. The payments are part of the U.S.'s obligation under the Paris climate change agreement.
 
Environmental groups applauded the contribution and warned the incoming Trump administration not to reverse the U.S.'s obligations to support the fund.

"The incoming Trump administration and Congress must not play politics with the moral and legal obligation of the U.S. to provide assistance through the Green Climate Fund for those whose lives and livelihoods are today being devastated by climate change," said Friends of the Earth.

More:  http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/obama-gives-another-500-million-to-green-climate-fund/article/2612077

[Right_in_Virginia]

Environmental groups ..... warned the incoming Trump administration not to reverse the U.S.'s obligations to support the fund.

[truth_seeker]

Somebody ought to ask Speaker Ryan about how this gets delegated to Obama, instead of the House.

Was this expenditure approved for this budget year?

[IsailedawayfromFR]

There is no budget this year.

The federal government is acting under a 'Continuing Resolution'.

See http://crfb.org/blogs/appropriations-watch-fy-2017

The continuing resolution must be approved by Congress and funds each of the various federal agencies as the currrent.

Its whole purpose is to be a temporary way to keep the government operating until such time as a proper budget is debated and approved.

It demonstrates the ineptness of our legislators as this country has had continuing resolutions each and every year of the Obama Presidency.

Basically, it gives a check from Congress that the agencies can spend what they spent before, without review.  Congress is not doing its job.

[Smokin Joe]

There is no budget this year.

The federal government is acting under a 'Continuing Resolution'.

See http://crfb.org/blogs/appropriations-watch-fy-2017

The continuing resolution must be approved by Congress and funds each of the various federal agencies as the currrent.

Its whole purpose is to be a temporary way to keep the government operating until such time as a proper budget is debated and approved.

It demonstrates the ineptness of our legislators as this country has had continuing resolutions each and every year of the Obama Presidency.

Basically, it gives a check from Congress that the agencies can spend what they spent before, without review.  Congress is not doing its job.

Likewise, Congress has abdicated many of its duties, including legislating--the agencies make their own rules.

We have a wonderful Constitution. Now, if we can only get our employees to operate by the rules.

[rangerrebew]

In Final Days, Obama Sends Another $500 Million to UN Climate Fund; Trump Has Vowed to Cancel ‘Global Warming Payments’

(CNSNews.com) –  The State Department on Tuesday announced it has transferred a further $500 million to a U.N.-affiliated global climate change fund whose congressional critics have derided as a ‘slush fund” and “handout to foreign bureaucrats.”

The move comes three days before the inauguration of a president who pledged days before his election victory to “cancel billions in global warming payments [1] to the United Nations” and devote funds instead to “environmental infrastructure” at home.

The $500 million is the second transfer to the Green Climate Fund, whose aim is to help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to occurrences blamed on climate change such as rising sea-levels and drought.

 

Source URL: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/final-days-obama-sends-another-500-million-un-climate-fund-trump-has

[Hondo69]

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

http://www.climatedepot.com/2017/01/17/danish-statistician-un-climate-treaty-will-cost-100-trillion-to-postpone-global-warming-by-less-than-four-year-by-2100/

Statistician: UN climate treaty will cost $100 trillion – To Have No Impact – Postpone warming by less than four years by 2100

Danish statistician Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, the President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center: 'We will spend at least one hundred trillion dollars in order to reduce the temperature by the end of the century by a grand total of three tenths of one degree...the equivalent of postponing warming by less than four years...Again, that is using the UN's own climate prediction model.'

'If the U.S. delivers for the whole century on the President Obama's very ambitious rhetoric, it would postpone global warming by about eight months at the end of the century.'

'But here is the biggest problem: These miniscule benefits do not come free -- quite the contrary. The cost of the UN Paris climate pact is likely to run 1 to 2 trillion dollars every year.'


http://usdebtclock.org/


So, when do we devalue the currency?

When do the food riots start?

[SZonian]

On Tuesday, the Obama administration announced that it had made a $500 million payment to the United Nation’s Green Climate Fund, which helps developing nations lower carbon emissions and adapt to climate change.

The United States pledged a total contribution of $3 billion to the fund at the 2014 Paris Climate Accords, and had already paid $500 million prior to Tuesday’s contribution, which came from an uncommitted portion of $4.3 billion set aside for economic support funds, the Associated Press reports.

State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the contribution was “long planned” and denied “any nefarious desire or intent to do it just two days before” President-elect Donald Trump, an outspoken critic of the Paris Climate accords, takes office.

[excerpted]

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2017/0118/State-Department-sends-another-500-million-to-UN-Green-Climate-Fund

[XenaLee]

The US State Department is a nest of vipers, traitors and enemies of America.  It should be thoroughly cleaned out and fumigated afterwards.  Just hope Trump is up for it and into it.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

The US State Department is a nest of vipers, traitors and enemies of America.  It should be thoroughly cleaned out and fumigated afterwards.  Just hope Trump is up for it and into it.

The real problem is that Congress is not passing a budget that specifies where taxpayer dollars must go.

A continuing resolution such as we are operating under until April is a blank check, without accountability to spend money.

Paul Ryan is enthusiastically the backer of this madness.

[Smokin Joe]

http://www.climatedepot.com/2017/01/17/danish-statistician-un-climate-treaty-will-cost-100-trillion-to-postpone-global-warming-by-less-than-four-year-by-2100/

Statistician: UN climate treaty will cost $100 trillion – To Have No Impact – Postpone warming by less than four years by 2100

Danish statistician Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, the President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center: 'We will spend at least one hundred trillion dollars in order to reduce the temperature by the end of the century by a grand total of three tenths of one degree...the equivalent of postponing warming by less than four years...Again, that is using the UN's own climate prediction model.'

'If the U.S. delivers for the whole century on the President Obama's very ambitious rhetoric, it would postpone global warming by about eight months at the end of the century.'

'But here is the biggest problem: These miniscule benefits do not come free -- quite the contrary. The cost of the UN Paris climate pact is likely to run 1 to 2 trillion dollars every year.'


http://usdebtclock.org/


So, when do we devalue the currency?

When do the food riots start?

For that money, they could air condition the developing world--if they could keep the locals from hauling stuff off for scrap.

[Smokin Joe]

The US State Department is a nest of vipers, traitors and enemies of America.  It should be thoroughly cleaned out and fumigated afterwards.  Just hope Trump is up for it and into it.

Yep!

[Hondo69]

We should demand our money back.

Sure the idea sounds facetious but there's a method to my madness.  Forget for a moment that government money vanishes like a fart in the wind once spent.  And also forget that government spending is a one way street - no entity ever returns taxpayer dollars saying, "no thanks, we've got plenty already".  You and I know these are the cold hard facts of reality but who says arguments have to be based in reality these days?

Whether or not the money is ever returned is not the underlying point.  Just the act of making the demand will send out its own shock waves and also serves several important purposes as well.  First, it plants the seed of the idea that the $ 500 million was illegitimate in the first place.  And such and idea brings with it the implied connotation that the money was stolen from the hard working American taxpayer - and by God we want it back.  For good measure we'll have a few politicians get in front of a microphone and put on their angry faces shouting, "I'm outraged" and "save the children".  That's always a nice touch.

Secondly, it forces the United Nations to respond.  It doesn't matter that they'll offer up a canned response of some sort of babble or another, what does matters is that they must respond.  Remember this is an entity that enjoys operating in the shadows and when you flip on the light they scatter like cockroaches.  The last thing in the world they want is attention of any kind.

And once they do respond you set the hook.  The device is known as the MacGuffin to fans of Hitchcock and its only purpose is to create an air of suspense and mystery.  Examples are on display each an every day, especially these days where seemingly tough, interrogating Senators intensely "investigate" Trump cabinet appointees.  "Are you saying Mr. Jones that this million dollar line item expenditure is not right here on this piece of paper I'm looking at right now?"  It's just a ruse that makes for a dandy sound bite for those viewing at home.

Same thing with the $ 500 million payment to the United Nations.  Demand our money back, wait for them to respond, then set the hook.

[DB]

It's the UN. Stop making any payments and let it die.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

The US State Department is a nest of vipers, traitors and enemies of America.  It should be thoroughly cleaned out and fumigated afterwards.  Just hope Trump is up for it and into it.

George Shultze as Reagan's Sec State kept a globe on his desk. When his Ambassadors returned state side to meet with him he'd point to the globe and ask them to point out which country they represented.

They pointed to the country they were assigned to.

Shultze spun the globe and pointed to the U.S. correcting them.

They Represented the United States and it's interests. Not the foreign locals they spent time with.


And If memory serves me, I believe George W Bush had the Oval Office carpets changed and the place steam cleaned before he moved in after Bubba.