Deborah Zabarenko

While the world gets ready for December's climate meeting in Copenhagen, a group of native Arctic women traveled to Washington this week to talk about what climate change is doing right now in places like Arctic Village, Alaska, and Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon.

Five of the women talked emotionally about how much harder it is to hunt for traditional game animals like caribou in a time of global warming, and how important these traditional foods are to their culture and health. They also took aim at some of Sarah Palin's statements, especially her push for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic.

Watch below as Norma Kassi, a member of the Gwich'in nation -- sometimes translated as "People of the Caribou" -- talks about her practices as a hunter, and her take on Palin and her "drill baby drill" strategy. (It's a fairly long video; her comments on Palin start about halfway through):

Now watch Sarah James, of Arctic Village, talk about the plain fact that "Western" fare like pizza, meatloaf and fast food simply can't satisfy her son like a soothing caribou soup:

Kassi, James and other members of the Arctic delegation are telling their story on Capitol Hill and to members of the Obama administration. Some are planning to attend the Copenhagen conference, despite dampening hopes of a major agreement from that gathering.

They have an invitation for President Barack Obama: they'd like him to visit the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge next year, the 50th anniversary of this far-north protected area where caribou herds have their calves and where some energy companies have hoped to drill.

Video credits: REUTERS/Deborah Zabarenko (Washington, November 11, 2009)

Photo credit: REUTERS/Nathaniel Wilder (Sarah Palin outside the Mocha Moose Espresso after voting in Wasilla, Alaska, November 4, 2008)

Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the "green patriarch" who leads 300 million Orthodox Christians, spoke with President Barack Obama on Tuesday about the fight against climate change.

"We view with alarm the dangerous consequences of disregard for the survival of God's creation," His All Holiness told a gathering at Georgetown University after his White House meeting.

(Photo: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the White House,3 Nov 2009/Larry Downing)

Given the name "green patriarch" by former vice president and environmental crusader Al Gore, Bartholomew also will meet this week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

His meeting with Obama was private, but the White House noted afterwards that the president reaffirmed "the U.S. commitment to confronting global climate change." It took place as the debate over climate-warming carbon emissions bubbled at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Read the whole story here.

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Papa Hemingway probably didn't see this coming.

When he wrote "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in the 1930s, Ernest Hemingway described the summit of that African mountain as "wide as all the world, great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun."

It's still wide, but may not be white much longer, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that says the remaining ice fields atop Kilimanjaro in Tanzania could be gone in 20 years or less, a casualty of climate change. Changes in clouds and precipitation play a minor role but the scientists say it's mostly due to global warming.

Here's the trail of data released by the National Science Foundation, which helped fund the research:

-- 85 percent of the ice that covered the mountain in 1912 had been lost by 2007, and 26 percent of the ice there in 2000 is now gone.

-- A radioactive signal marking the 1951-52 "Ivy" atomic tests that was detected in 2000 some 1.6 meters (5.25 feet) below the surface of the Kilimanjaro ice is now lost, with an estimated 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) missing from the tops of the current ice fields.

-- Elongated bubbles trapped in the frozen ice at the top of one ice core show surface ice melted and refroze, apparently the only time there's been sustained melting in this core in the last 11,700 years.

-- Even a 300-year-old drought some 4,200 years ago didn't melt the ice, though it did leave an inch-thick layer of dust.

These observations confirm that the current climate conditions at Mount Kilimanjaro are unique over the last 11 millennia. The same changes are happening on Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains in Africa, in the South American Andes and in the Himalayas.

Read more about it here.

Might be something for climate negotiators in Barcelona and on Capitol Hill to think about.

Photo credit: Lonnie Thompson, Ohio State University (Ice fields atop Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro glow golden in the last of the afternoon sun.)

The latest violence in Afghanistan may raise the drumbeat in Washington for a decision from President Barack Obama on whether to send more U.S. forces.

He'll make remarks today at a Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony, and could address the matter there. Plenty of other topics are on the front burner, though, including healthcare reform and overhauling financial regulation, to name just two.

Senator John McCain, Obama's Republican presidential rival in 2008, said the decision on sending more troops to Afghanistan should come soon. McCain told CBS television's "Early Show": "Overwhelmingly the military establishment and those who have had the experience of our success in Iraq know that the people there don't want the Taliban back ... and they want an environment of security. And we watch this situation continue to deteriorate while this long protracted process of decision-making goes on. We're not operating in a vacuum. The president of the United States needs to make this decision and soon. Our allies are nervous and our military leadership is becoming frustrated."

Afghanistan is clearly not the only focus of U.S. foreign policy concern. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Pakistan, pledging a fresh start in U.S.-Pakistani relations. Clinton's visit came as a car bomb killed over 80 people in a crowded market.

Back in Washington, the struggle continues to get doses of swine flu vaccine to those most at risk. One top U.S. health official says the government may end up throwing away unused doses of the vaccine if people can't get it fast enough.

And it's raining. Again. Still.

One bright note: U.S. consumer confidence is on the rise for the first time since 2007.

Click here for more Reuters political coverage.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Ahmad Masood (Security forces around an international guest-house in Kabul after an attack by Taliban militants, October 28, 2009)

As a drippy day dawns in Washington, Team Obama is suiting up for a full-court press on climate change. Three cabinet secretaries -- from Energy, Transportation and Interior departments -- the head of the EPA and the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Five -- are headed for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on the first of three full days of hearings.

As those hearings go forward, President Barack Obama is announcing a $3.4 billion program to build a "smart" electric grid, which would among other things carry solar and wind power, which are free of carbon emissions.

It's all meant to convince international climate negotiators that Washington is serious about tackling climate change. A global gathering set for Copenhagen in December aims to set up a system to curb climate-warming carbon emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. For months, environmental activists have looked to the Copenhagen meeting as a deadline for action. But now, the deadline is looking a bit blurry.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appeared to acknowledge this when he told business leaders in Seattle on Monday, "We will do our best and try to have a substantive agreement (in Copenhagen) ... After Copenhagen we may not expect ... to agree on all elements. But we should have a broad agreement."

Ban's climate adviser made clear the secretary-general was planning for "post-Copenhagen" talks.

The international environmental community has said repeatedly that the United States needs to take the lead in forging a global climate agreement. But what would show U.S. leadership? Does a climate change bill have to come to a vote in the Senate? Does it just have to get out to committee? Does it need to land on the president's desk before the Copenhagen meeting? Is it enough that legislation seems to be moving forward?

And an even more basic question: do you agree that the United States needs to lead on this? If so, would it make a difference if Obama attends the Copenhagen meeting? (He's going to be in the neighborhood anyway to pick up his Nobel Peace Prize.)

Let us know what you think.

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed (President Barack Obama looks at a model of a wind turbine at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 23, 2009)

REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine (University of Pittsburgh Panthers guard Antonio Graves fights a full-court press by Louisville Cardinals guard Andre McGee in Big East Tournament game in New York's Madison Square Garden, March 8, 2006)

President Barack Obama heads to Florida today to thank members of the military for their service -- but given the deadly violence in Afghanistan, the commander-in-chief might use the opportunity to reflect on strategy in the region.

Before Obama takes off, he'll meet with his foreign policy and national security team to discuss the situation and troops on the ground.

Afghanistan will also be on the agenda at the State Department, where Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew will talk about progress made in hiring civilians there. The topic could come up at the Council on Foreign Relations too; Sen. John Kerry's speaking there around midday.

But domestic matters could take the top spot, with Senate Democrats reportedly close to securing enough votes to move a national healthcare plan forward. A proposed bill could be sent to the Congressional Budget Office for an official cost estimate. A Thomson Reuters report indicates the U.S. healthcare system is just as wasteful as Obama says it is, but reforms could be paid for by fixing inefficiencies, preventing mistakes and fighting fraud.

In Washington, it's the day after the Marine Corps Marathon, a massive road race that this year drew more than 20,000 finishers.

Click here for more Reuters political coverage

Photo credit: REUTERS/stringer (U.S. military personnel watch as a U.S. helicopter flies over a military base in Ghazni province, October 26, 2009)

He unplugged the extra refrigerator in the basement. He got a tankless water heater and reduced the heat setting. He turned down the air conditioning last summer and used fans to keep cool.

Yes, Energy Secretary Steven Chu acknowledged, "I'm an energy efficiency nut."

The Nobel physics laureate said he's slowly weatherizing his home in the Washington DC area, but "weatherizing" isn't a word he likes. "I'm decreasing its energy consumption and making money," was how he put it at a Reuters Washington Summit. Chu figures his energy bills are about half what the home's previous owners paid.

But he said that he, and most people, could still do more.

"In terms of energy efficiency, it's what the economists would say is a market failure ... Most people don't have the knowledge or inclination, there's inertia, they just can't be bothered, they let some things slip," Chu said. And he himself is not immune: "We've been living in the house for five months and it's still a work in progress -- and I'm an energy efficiency nut."

"Going to the hardware store, getting the foam and putting it around your hot water pipe, that doesn't take that long for a homeowner to do it themselves," he said. "It's a no-brainer, but people don't do it."

Time for some stepped-up public education about energy efficiency? "We're trying, we're trying!"

Chu bikes around Washington when he can, but said that is mostly to keep fit rather than save on fuel. Still, he's working on whittling down the time it takes to ride his bicycle from his home to the city center.

Click here for more Reuters Washington Summit news.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Chu at Reuters Washington Summit, October 20, 2009)

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Original Post Text:
He unplugged the extra refrigerator in the basement. He got a tankless water heater and reduced the heat setting. He turned down the air conditioning last summer and used fans to keep cool.

Yes, Energy Secretary Steven Chu acknowledged, "I'm an energy efficiency nut."

The Nobel physics laureate said he's slowly weatherizing his home in the Washington DC area, but "weatherizing" isn't a word he likes. "I'm decreasing its energy consumption and making money," was how he put it at a Reuters Washington Summit. Chu figures his energy bills are about half what the home's previous owners paid.

But he said that he, and most people, could still do more.

"In terms of energy efficiency, it's what the economists would say is a market failure ... Most people don't have the knowledge or inclination, there's inertia, they just can't be bothered, they let some things slip," Chu said. And he himself is not immune: "We've been living in the house for five months and it's still a work in progress -- and I'm an energy efficiency nut."

"Going to the hardware store, getting the foam and putting it around your hot water pipe, that doesn't take that long for a homeowner to do it themselves," he said. "It's a no-brainer, but people don't do it."

Time for some stepped-up public education about energy efficiency? "We're trying, we're trying!"

Chu bikes around Washington when he can, but said that is mostly to keep fit rather than save on fuel. Still, he's working on whittling down the time it takes to ride his bicycle from his home to the city center.

Click here for more Reuters Washington Summit news.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Chu at Reuters Washington Summit, October 20, 2009)

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spent the weekend in Switzerland and Ireland, but landed on the morning talk shows on Monday, fending off questions about whether she has been marginalized in the Obama administration. It's not considered a good sign when people start asking this question in Washington, because the implication is that the answer is "yes."

Clinton had no comment when newscaster Ann Curry on  NBC's "Today" program asked whether she should be more visible on such hot-button issues as Iran and Afghanistan. But she responded fully when asked about concerns that the "highest-ranking woman in the United States needs to fight against being marginalized."

"I find it absurd, I find it beyond any realistic assessment of what I'm doing every day," Clinton said. "I believe in delegating power. I'm not one of those people who feels like I have to have my face in the front of the newspaper or on the TV every moment of the day. It would be irresponsible and negligent were I to say, 'Oh no, everything must come to me!'"

She had a theory about why she's comfortable working this way. "Maybe this is a woman's thing. Maybe I'm totally secure in that I feel absolutely no need to go running around in order for people to see what I'm doing. It's just the way I am."

But aren't there moments, she was asked, having campaigned so hard for president against Barack Obama, that you just want to make a decision yourself?

No. "I am part of the team that makes the decision."

On another front, Clinton said flatly she would not run for president again. She said she's looking forward to retirement "at some point."

For more Reuters political news, click here.

Photo credit: REUTERS/Cathal McNaughton (Hillary Clinton in Dublin, October 11, 2009)

Even before sunrise in Washington, tongues were wagging over the Norwegian Nobel Committee's choice of President Barack Obama to receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize. And the big question -- aside from whether a first-term president in his ninth month in office has done enough to deserve the award -- was, what was the committee thinking?

We know what they say they were thinking. Geir Lundestad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, told ABC's "Good Morning America": "When we have a person whose ideals are so close to the ideals of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, we wanted to give whatever support we could to continued action in these fields."

But if you read the official announcement, it sure sounds like it translates to: Obama isn't George W. Bush.

There could be other considerations, of course. Perhaps the committee was still irked on Obama's behalf about the public snub from Arizona State University, which invited the president to speak at commencement but didn't give him an honorary degree because "his body of work is yet to come." Obama joked about it when he gave the speech and the university eventually named a scholarship after him.

Or maybe they wanted to steal the thunder from NASA's moon bomb project, which was ballyhooed by U.S. TV networks and shown live on the morning talk shows. If that's the case, they needn't have bothered. The NASA event was a bit of a damp squib, at least visually. If they find water at some point, that would be a different matter and the Nobel folks may have to consider the rocket scientists for a physics prize.

Was it a super-duper consolation prize for Obama, after his trip to Copenhagen last week failed to net the 2016 Olympic games for Chicago?

Possibly another factor was in play. If Obama goes to Oslo to collect his prize in December, it would be only a quick hop to Denmark, where international climate change talks are scheduled. The committee mentioned climate change in its citation. Were they hinting that he ought to go and put his stamp on these negotiations?

CORRECTS: Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is in Oslo not Stockholm.

No way to know at this point. But we can definitely ask: what do you think?

Click here for more Reuters political coverage

Photo credits: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (Obama at Arizona State University commencement, May 13, 2009)

REUTERS/Bob Strong (Nobel award ceremony in Stockholm, December 10, 2008)