tagged w/ Climate Talks
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On November 29 representatives from 190 countries will be in Cancun, Mexico for the 16th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Late last week, following a two-day Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate in Washington, the Obama administration’s chief climate negotiator told reporters not to expect too much.
More than 125,000 demonstrators convened in the streets of Copenhagen last year, hoping their cheers and compelling testimonies would encourage swifter, more comprehensive action from negotiators.“I would describe myself right now as neither an optimist nor a pessimist,” said Todd Stern, the State Department’s special envoy on climate, adding that there won’t be any “enormous leaps forward” in Cancun but “real and concrete steps” can be made.
Exactly what those could be has not come into focus, though Stern and other negotiators also noted that unless something tangible occurs at the Cancun meeting, the credibility of the UN process will weaken. “The process can’t continually stalemate and remain the locus of activity,” Stern said.
A year ago, of course, global anticipation of a diplomatic breakthrough was high enough to attract the American president, the Chinese premier, and over 100 other heads of state to the Copenhagen climate summit. More than 125,000 people from all over the world marched for climate action on a cold and sunny Saturday afternoon. Thousands of journalists and producers filed reports from a crowded media room at the Bella Center, itself so full that security forces limited access.
Yet what was clear in Copenhagen, just as it was plain in the two other international climate conferences I’ve attended — in Barcelona in 2009 and in Tianjin last month — is this: The very same governments that produced a near stalemate on a climate treaty are simultaneously supporting global alliances of powerful energy companies to develop and consume the planet’s remaining reserves of fossil fuels.
Let’s just put it this way. The executives of those companies are perfectly content with the grudging pace of climate negotiations. Nobody else should be. The equatorial regions of east Africa are drying up as fast as the tinderbox hills and water-scarce fields of Australia’s Murray Darling Basin. Both poles are melting along with the glaciers of Greenland and the Himalayas. South Dakota this year experienced floods and hail and fierce storms that formed the most erratic and dangerous weather in its recorded history.
The damage to freshwater supplies is the most personal consequence of climate change around the world. Climate change, in fact, is producing an emergency, except in the front offices of the world’s major fossil fuel companies and the legions of elected and appointed officials they’ve helped to install in public office. And as Circle of Blue reports in its Choke Point: U.S. series this year, and in its other projects, there is no more visible evidence than the effect climate change is having on the planet’s reserves of fresh water. In the U.S., persistent drought on the Colorado Plateau has so significantly lowered water levels in the Colorado River and Lake Mead that Hoover Dam is fast approaching the day when it will no longer produce any power. In Myanmar and Bangladesh, record floods this year displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
The damage to freshwater supplies is the most personal consequence of climate change around the world. It’s true that a number of nations have initiated important industrial programs to lower carbon emissions by fostering the switch to cleaner energy sources. China, for instance, has gained international renown for the speed at which it’s developed an alternative fuels manufacturing and power-generating sector.
It’s not nearly enough, though, to slow the planet’s warming. That’s because the bigger money in the industrialized world involves producing and consuming carbon-emitting coal, oil, and natural gas.
cont.On November 29 representatives from 190 countries will be in Cancun, Mexico for the... more
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The final round of climate talks in Barcelona began today, and the activism has begun.
The TckTckTck campaign woke up negotiators in Barcelona with alarms clocks this morning, while Greenpeace climbers dropped yet another banner, this time from Barcelona’s famous cathedral, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, calling on world leaders to
step up their political action on climate change.
From Greenpeace:
The 26 activists are currently in the process of hanging a 600 sq m banner saying “World
leaders: make the climate call.”
Barcelona is host this week to the final round of climate talks before
December’s Copenhagen UN climate summit – this week the stage must be
set for the world to agree a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal.
“A good deal for the climate is still possible. All that is missing is
political will, not least from the US, which under President Obama has
fallen far behind the rest of the world, and is threatening to undermine
a planet-saving agreement in Copenhagen,” said Damon Moglen of
Greenpeace US.
“Negotiators at these talks can only get so far without strong direction
from their heads of state. This is the week for global leaders to make
the climate call.”
A recent Greenpeace analysis of the pending US climate legislation (1)
shows that the bills have been compromised by loopholes and handouts to
the fossil fuel industry and undermine President Obama’s pledge to lead
the world in a solution to the climate crisis.
“Frankly, it’s an embarrassment that President Obama has allowed oil and
coal companies to set the terms of the US response to climate change. If
America is to kick its addiction to fossil fuels and join the
international community in averting a climate catastrophe, President
Obama must put forward commitments in line with climate science and not
bow to political expediency.”
There is now decisive movement from the developing world. Brazil,
China, India Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea are preparing
to announce strong quantifiable plans involving serious cuts in emissions.
“The time for finger-pointing is over,” said Ailun Yang of Greenpeace
China. “It is clear that right now developing countries are making a
much greater effort to solve this problem - while industrialised
countries seem to be spending more time in downplaying the possibilities
of a good deal than they are in trying to get one.”
“The lives of hundreds of millions are on the line, along with the fate
of countless species, if the climate crisis is not solved now. Knowing
who is to blame will be of little consolation to future generations.”The final round of climate talks in Barcelona began today, and the activism has begun.... more
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leahl
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added this
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2 years ago
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As part of our 350 degrees of Copenhagen series we bring you this interview with the Adopt a Negotiator team members who are reporting back from Bangkok.
If you can't keep up about what's going on behind the scenes in preparation for Copenhagen...you shouldn't feel alone. The information isn't easy to find. The proof is in the pudding, as Joshua Wiese and Ben Jervey explain to us why they are working with a crew of trackers who are representing 12 countries from throughout the developing and developed world. They are reporting in 8 different languages, opening up these meetings to people all over the world. They video skyped (is that a new verb?) in to our studio from the Bangkok climate talks (which explains the strange hotel room in the background).
These negotiations are, quite literally, determining the fate of our planet. It's easy to argue that they're the most important meetings in the history of the world. But no "typical citizen" has any idea what goes on at international negotiations. We're working to shine a light on the process--bring some transparency to a normally pretty opaque proceedings.
Adopt a Negotiator was launched at the Bonn intersessional talks in June, weʼll track the negotiations through Bangkok, then Barcelona, and on to Copenhagen, following the lead negotiators and delegates from 12 key countries, and sharing news and updates of their positions along the way.
You can follow them regularly on their blog at www.tcktcktck.org and www.adoptanegotiator.org. And of course, we'll have more updates from them on Current Green.
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Van Jones: The santa claus of the environmental movement?As part of our 350 degrees of Copenhagen series we bring you this interview with the... more
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leahl
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added this
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2 years ago
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After a long Metro ride past the Bella Center, followed by a trudge in the snow with thousands of other delegates, Bill Becker found himself shut out of the Bella Center when he finally arrived there with his NGO badge and secondary credentials issued just the day before by the UNFCCC along with promises of easy security with the secondary cards.
Bill is Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Action Project and was scheduled to speak on a panel at a side event inside the Bella Center. This did not mean anything to security, who threatened to have him and the rest of the NGO delegates removed if we did not go willingly. Bill Becker was kind enough to grant me what became our second COP15 interview just moments after being shut out of Bella, where incidentally, my badge and secondary card did not get me in either.
Evan Kopelson is president of Green Media Consulting Inc and founder of http://greenmedianews.com - He advises on sustainability, CSR reporting, corporate, and personal responsibility for climate change action.After a long Metro ride past the Bella Center, followed by a trudge in the snow with... more
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13 years of emails and this is the best they can do? A commentary by Peter Sinclair.
Peter Sinclair is an award winning graphic artist and writer. Mr. Sinclairs cartoons and illustrations have appeared in newspapers around the world, and his work has been profiled in numerous publications, including the New York Times, The Utne Reader, and HaAretz of Jerusalem. He has 30 years of writing and activism in the areas of energy and environment.13 years of emails and this is the best they can do? A commentary by Peter Sinclair.... more
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Wow, what has the world come to when young people standing up for a healthy planet are compared to Hitler Youth?
Fifty young U.S. clean energy activists stormed the stage today in Copenhagen during a live webcast organized by Americans for Prosperity and featuring climate denier Lord Christopher Monckton.
When the youth group interrupted the webcast to deliver the message that real Americans want clean energy and a fair climate treaty, Monckton went ballistic, calling the students “crazed Hitler youth” and “Nazis.”
The incident was not likely the intended result Americans for Prosperity hoped for as it launched the COP15 version of its "Hot Air Tour" (a.k.a. denial-a-palooza). AFP sent its team to Copenhagen "to make sure that our side of the story is told." But their live event today – complete with the student protest - was webcast to over forty climate denier rallies taking place in cities across the United States.
SustainUS reports that “a paltry audience of five conference attendees” attended the event to hear Monckton’s (planned) speech, with the balance of the audience comprised of AFPers and the youth activists (who entered surreptitiously in small groups before taking the stage with their clean energy message).
The young activists, representing a number of youth action groups including SustainUS, the Sierra Student Coalition, the Cascade Climate Network, and other American youth NGOs, kicked off the protest by holding banners in front of the cameras reading "Climate Disaster Ahead" and "Clean Energy Now."
See full article:
http://www.desmogblog.com/monckton-calls-young-us-climate-activists-%E2%80%9Chitler-youth%E2%80%9D-protesting-americans-prosperity-eventWow, what has the world come to when young people standing up for a healthy planet are... more
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leahl
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2 years ago
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I don’t know about you: but the situation of Copenhagen blows my mind on a daily basis. The fact that it is very possibly one of the most significant decision making processes of this time re climate change policy, and the majority of people I know do not know it’s significance, or the impact of the decisions making process. It’s not their fault. It’s a failure of media makers.
So what are we doing? For starters we are working on a series called 360 Degrees of Copenhagen, to show the various perspectives in order to gain a better understanding of the relevance of the climate talks.
But for now, I am posing the question to you: can you explain Copenhagen in plain English? Do you have a blog post, a quick phrase that you use to tell your friends and family the relevance of the Copenhagen climate talks? And why people should care? Leave a comment, and we’ll compile share.
I like to tell my friends if they were going to pick one particular moment in history to engage their political leaders on climate change: THIS is that moment.
Meanwhile~tcktcktck is rocking my world by their dedication to communicating the urgency of the moment:
http://blogs.current.com/green/2009/11/03/finally-a-video-that-almost-explains-why-copenhagen-is-important-can-you/I don’t know about you: but the situation of Copenhagen blows my mind on a daily... more
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leahl
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2 years ago
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While livestock make up nearly one fifth of all CO2 greenhouse gases, it seems that the media barely ever, if at all, covers the role that livestock play in climate change. This is an interesting article that critiques how the media is playing a huge role in an uninformed public on this issue. With Copenhagen getting closer and closer, it's an interesting read. Makes you wonder what life would be like with lower consumptions of meat!While livestock make up nearly one fifth of all CO2 greenhouse gases, it seems that... more
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World climate negotiators will gather in Bonn next month to edit an "indigestible" set of proposals into a manageable document for international consideration, the head of a key U.N. panel said on Tuesday.
The August meeting is the first step in a timeline aimed at reaching a new worldwide agreement to combat climate change in Copenhagen in December, said Michael Zammit Cutajar, chairman of a working group of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate change.
Not previously planned or publicized, the Bonn meeting precedes already scheduled gatherings in Bangkok and Barcelona, in addition to forums in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and New York City to discussing the problem of climate change.
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My my, there sure is a lot of "discussion" going on. And how much carbon will be expended traveling to all of these cities and forums while doing nothing?World climate negotiators will gather in Bonn next month to edit an... more
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Well then, get ready for the protests.
From the article:
Domestic politics will not allow the United States to deepen it commitment for cutting carbon pollution over the next decade despite growing international pressure, Washington's top climate negotiator said Sunday.
"We are jumping as high as the political system will tolerate," Todd Stern said, rejecting China's call this week for rich nations to slash greenhouse gases by 40 percent before 2020, compared to 1990 levels.
"The 40 percent the Chinese have talked about is not realistic," the US Special Envoy for Climate Change told AFP on the eve of a two-day climate meeting of ministers from the world's most powerful economies.
A summit of Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF) members -- which together account for 80 percent of global CO2 emissions -- is scheduled for July in Italy, probably on the heels of a G8 summit there, Stern said.
US President Barack Obama proposes to cut US emissions by about six percent by 2020, and by at least 80 percent before mid-century.
Climate legislation wending its way through US Congress would meet both these goals, and perhaps more, if unchanged.
But in the run up to UN talks in Copenhagen in December charged with delivering a new global climate deal, developing countries such as China and India have said that this is not enough.
Their position has been echoed by many climate experts as well as the European Union, which has committed to a 20 percent reduction by 2020, 30 percent of others follow suit.
"It is clear that the United States is going to have to do more," France's environment minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, told journalists ahead of the MEF meeting.
Stern, however, cautioned that pushing for deeper cuts in the United States could backfire.
"We completely agree it is vital that developed countries get a path that is ambitious and consistent with what science is telling us to do," he told AFP in an interview.
"But perfect is the enemy of good -- you can insist on that, say you really need to have it, and you can end up with nothing."
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And don't you love this line: Perfect is the enemy of good... what bull. It isn't about being "perfect" it is about being RESPONSIBLE. And really, where is the GOOD in these pathetic cuts? Proof positive once again that politics is not the place to look for real progress, and politicians have absolutely no idea what we are dealing with.
And what's this?
"US President Barack Obama proposes to cut US emissions by about six percent by 2020"...
SIX percent now? Really?Well then, get ready for the protests.
From the article:
Domestic politics will... more
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Despite its contribution to climate change, agriculture has been relegated to the backseat in global warming negotiations, and farmers are not considered an important link in the fight against effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
US-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a global farm policy think-tank, says that unless this thinking changes, the war against greenhouse gas emissions is unlikely to be won.
Currently, countries are preparing for the conference of parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at Copenhagen, in December.
A policy brief issued by IFRI points out that with suitable technology and management, agriculture, which now contributes about 15 per cent to greenhouse gas emissions, can become an important sink for the carbon it produces and even that produced by other sectors.
Besides, agriculture will be adversely affected by climate change and millions of poor farmers will need help in adapting to the weather patterns.
IFRI therefore calls for the inclusion in the Copenhagen talks of mechanisms for funding research on climate adaptation and mitigation by the agricultural sector.
Apart from agriculture’s direct contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, land use -related changes such as forest loss account for an additional 19 per cent to harmful emissions.
“While reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation has been formally included in the current negotiations on climate change, agriculture has been left out. This should now be put on the agenda for the Copenhagen meet,” said IFPRI director general Joachim Braun.
The developing world accounts for 50 per cent of agricultural emissions and 80 per cent of land use change and forestry emissions.
“The ongoing negotiations to address climate change provide a unique opportunity to combine low-cost mitigation and essential adaptation outcomes with poverty reduction,” Mr Braun said.
Pointing to the dramatic consequences of climate change for agriculture, he noted that water sources will become more variable, droughts and floods will stress agricultural systems, some coastal food producing areas will be inundated by the seas and food production will fall in some places in the interior.
end of excerptDespite its contribution to climate change, agriculture has been relegated to the... more
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NUSA DUA, Indonesia Amid growing frustration with the United States in deadlocked negotiations at a United Nations conference on global warming, the European Union threatened Thursday to boycott separate talks proposed by the Bush administration in Hawaii next month.
Humberto Rosa, the chief delegate from Portugal, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said the talks to be hosted by the Bush Administration in Hawaii in January would be meaningless if there was no deal this week here at the conference on the resort island of Bali.
If we do not act now, climate change will increase the number of hungry people in the world, said Jacques Diouf, director general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, who is in Bali this week.
Gore on America:
Over the next two years the United States is going to be somewhere it is not now, Mr. Gore said to loud applause. You must anticipate that.NUSA DUA, Indonesia Amid growing frustration with the United States in deadlocked... more
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