Emissions // Current TV

Tell President Obama: It's Time To Lead On Climate

This is why activism matters. Six months ago, the Obama Administration was set to... more

JanforGore
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Leading scientist says agroecology is the only way to feed the world

Hans Herren, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized scientist specializing in sustainable agriculture. He is president of the Millennium Institute, a non-profit development research and service organization dedicated to sustainable development. Dr. Herren co-chaired the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science & Technology (IAASTD), an initiative sponsored by the World Bank and United Nations in partnership with the World Health Organization that assessed global agriculture and recommended agroecological solutions to world hunger.

Dr. Herren has earned numerous awards that recognize his research achievements. These include the 2002 Brandenberger Preis for improving the living standards of Africa's rural population, the 2003 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement, and the 1995 World Food Prize for his work developing a successful biological control program that saved the African cassava crop, and averted Africa’s worst-ever food crisis.

Dr. Herren’s work in agroecology in Africa has been credited with saving millions of lives by enabling African people to produce the food they need. He developed the “push-pull” system that uses simple but powerful bio-control strategies to effectively manage corn pests, resulting in large increases in yields.

There is much discussion today about the need to “feed the world” because of the growing global population. What do you think needs to be done in order to ensure there is adequate food for everyone in the world?

HH: The issue is less on how to feed the world than how to nourish the poor and hungry. Today we produce 4600 calories per person per day, so there is enough food to feed twice the present population. The problem is that we produce mostly cheap commodities rather than quality food. These cheap products, in addition to being of low nutritional value, are based on a few crops that carry a large ecological, social, and economic footprint. What is needed is to support farmers in developing countries to grow their own healthy food by providing information, know-how, financial support for inputs, and support for them to access markets, among others.

Food security is achieved when availability, access, stability, and utilization are assured equally for all. There is also a need for new and participatory research into sustainable agricultural practices, based on the principles of agroecology and organic farming, which would free farmers from dependence on external inputs such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

Some agricultural “experts” are calling for another Green Revolution. What are your thoughts on this?

HH: What we need least is another Green Revolution. What is needed now is to move forward with the lessons learned from the Green Revolution, taking forward what has worked and leave behind most of it, since the Green Revolution has left agriculture dependent on external inputs that are non-sustainable and becoming more and more expensive since they are based on oil, a finite resource, and also synthetic fertilizers, also based on finite natural resources.

The way forward is to understand and work with the system in a holistic and integrated manner. Silver bullets, reductionism as often promoted by the agri-chemical industry are not solutions.

More at the linkHans Herren, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized scientist specializing in... more

JanforGore
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Scientists say Durban deal won't avert catastrophic climate change

Scientists and environmental groups warned that urgent action was still needed to rescue the world from climate change, despite the deal sealed on Sunday morning in Durban after two weeks of talks.

Andy Atkins, executive director of Friends of the Earth, said: "This empty shell of a plan leaves the planet hurtling towards catastrophic climate change. If Durban is to be a historic stepping stone towards success the world must urgently agree ambitious targets to slash emissions." Although governments managed to find a last-minute deal that should lead to the first legally binding global agreement on climate change covering developed and developing countries, they did not discuss whether their pledges to cut emissions would prevent dangerous levels of global warming.

Under the Durban agreement, governments will now spend four years negotiating how far and how fast each country should cut carbon emissions.

Atkins said the science was clear – the current emissions targets set by developed and developing countries were inadequate, and if they were not strengthened, the poorest would be hurt most. "Millions of the poorest people around the globe are already facing the impacts of climate change – countries like the US who have done most to create this crisis must now take the lead in tackling it," he said.

Other environmental groups and scientists agreed.

"What is positive in Durban is that governments have reopened the door to a legally binding global agreement involving the world's major emitters, a door which many thought had been shut at the Copenhagen conference in 2009," said Bill Hare, director at Climate Action Tracker.

"What remains to be done is to take more ambitious actions to reduce emissions, and until this is done we are still headed to over 3C warming. There are still no new pledges on the table and the process agreed in Durban towards raising the ambition and increasing emission reductions is uncertain in its outcome."

Bob Ward of the Grantham Institute at the London School of Economics said the current pledges from countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions were not enough to hold global temperatures to 2C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which scientists say climate change becomes catastrophic and irreversible.

He said that, according to the United Nations environment programme, countries' current emissions pledges would collectively mean that global annual emissions of greenhouse gases would be about 50bn tonnes in 2020, similar to the total in 2011.

More at the linkScientists and environmental groups warned that urgent action was still needed to... more

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Tar sands pushers welcomed to UN climate negotiations

Durban, South Africa (6/12/11)–Members of the Canadian Youth Delegation and the... more

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Barack Obama urged to change U.S. stance at climate summit in Durban

Barack Obama may be more focused on avoiding potential damage to his re-election prospects than on moving towards a deal in South Africa. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Environmental groups and elected officials have warned Barack Obama that America was emerging as the spoiler of the UN climate summit in Durban, unless there is a big shift in its negotiating stance.

In two separate, but strongly worded rebukes, Obama heard from some of his closest allies that his administration was not living up to his election promises on climate action.

Both appeals on Wednesday reflect the frustration among environmental groups that Obama will be more focused on avoiding any potential damage to his re-election prospects, than on moving towards a global climate deal in South Africa.

The letter to the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, from the leaders of 16 aid and environmental groups, said American negotiators were blocking progress on key elements of the Durban summit, including the creation of a fund, worth up to $100bn a year, to help poor countries cope with climate change.

The organisations, including the Sierra Club, the largest mass-based environmental organisation in the US and the Union of Concerned Scientists, said Obama had generated enormous hope when he was elected in 2008, promising US action on climate change.

"Three years later, America risks being viewed not as a global leader on climate change, but as a major obstacle to progress," the letter says. "US positions on two major issues – the mandate for future negotiations and climate finance – threaten to impede in Durban the global co-operation so desperately needed to address the threat of climate change."

It accuses US negotiators of being unwilling to work with EU and Chinese negotiators to come up with an arrangement for global emissions cuts as well as clinging to its position even as other countries make compromises.

"We urge you to instruct US negotiators to show much greater flexibility," the letter says.

A second appeal, from the Climate Ethics Campaign (CEC), argued America had a moral obligation as the world's largest historic emitter to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The appeal was endorsed by around 1,200 elected officials, business leaders and activists, and formally launched on Wednesday afternoon by the head of the Senate environment committee, the California Democrat, Barbara Boxer.

"People from all walks of life across the US are extremely concerned about global warming. But progress has stalled because our government keeps debating whether addressing the issue makes economic sense and whether the science is settled," Bob Doppelt, co-ordinater of CEC, said in a statement.

More at the linkBarack Obama may be more focused on avoiding potential damage to his re-election... more

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2 months ago
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Occupy movement comes to COP 17

Inspired by the Occupy Wall St. movement, protesters calling for “climate... more

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3 months ago
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Alaska village alleges climate change cover up by Exxon and other energy companies

The battle between some of the world's most powerful energy companies and an... more

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3 months ago
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The military: unlikely advocate for green?

Keith Menconi: "So long as the military's short-term considerations... more

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5 months ago
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The Dark Side: Volkswagen Is Environmental Death Star In Greenpeace's "The Force" Spoof Advert

Greenpeace UK has launched a new campaign against Volkswagen, parodying its famous... more

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8 months ago
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'Broken' system needs heavy investment

CARBON pricing is a "broken" scheme and the world must instead invest... more

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12 months ago
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Treason: Obama Shuts Down Power Plants Coast to Coast

Fury is building over rolling nationwide blackouts triggered by the Obama... more

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1 year ago
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Synthetic Gasoline For $1.50/Gallon and No Emissions

Administrations dating back to the Nixon years have touted a "get off foreign... more

GoldenHeart
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1 year ago
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ExxonMobil: Carbon Emissions Will Rise 25% In 20 Years

ExxonMobil, the world’s largest oil company, expects global carbon emissions to... more

suzane
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1 year ago
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Weekly Mulch: With D.C. in GOP Hands, Environmentalists Must ‘Fight Harder’

by Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger For the environmental community, this... more

MediaConsortium
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1 year ago
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Joe Mohrs Cartoon Zero Emissions

Joe is quickly becoming one of my favorite cartoonists!

AnitaQ
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1 year ago
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Shipping to steer cleaner carbon course

Ships could be charged different fees to dock depending on how much carbon they emit,... more

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1 year ago
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Global Carbon Dioxide Emissions May Reach Record Levels in 2010

Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions -- the main contributor to global warming --... more

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1 year ago
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2009 carbon emissions fall smaller than expected

Carbon emissions fell in 2009 due to the recession - but not by as much as predicted,... more

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1 year ago
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Play by Play of the G20

Toronto - world leaders are gathering today to discuss several topics, including how... more

captainplanet71
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1 year ago
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Whale poop fights climate change: study

Southern Ocean sperm whales are an unexpected ally in the fight against global... more

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1 year ago
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