The Copenhagen Accord has been released. The conclusions drawn were less than satisfying. We need a very strong action plan to combat global warming. While this agreement is a good start, we must continue to work towards a solid solution.
The Accord has a few main points:
-Global emissions must be reduced to a point that will eliminate any human interference to the climate system.
-An increase in temperature must not exceed 2 degrees Celsius.
-Developing countries need aide in building resilience to the effects of climate change, and that developed countries will help financially.
-Countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol will meet their targets by January 31st, 2010 and will continue their efforts thereafter.
-Establishment of REDD+, to enhance the removal of emissions by forests, therefore reducing the rate of deforestation and forest degradation.
There is more to the agreement than what I have stated here, but these are the first few points that were agreed upon. As you can see, these are great starting points. However, they leave no incentive to further reduce emissions from the targets set by the Kyoto Protocol. In order for governments to act, there has to be a target to work towards. By signing this accord, countries are essentially saying that they understand the consequences of global warming, yet have no reason for actually reducing emissions. We need something more than this. We can accomplish much more than this!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Conclusion: Sylvain Perron
La poussière est maintenant retombée et Copenhague n’est plus l’otage de 45 000 étrangers voulant changer le monde.
Après l’échec, parce que oui on peut qualifier cette dernière d’échec, de la 15e conférence sur les changements climatiques à quoi peut s’attendre la communauté internationale? Il est clair que cette inaction ne fera que reporter l’inévitable : nous devrons réduire nos émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Et chaque année de retard ne fait qu’aggraver la situation.
Cependant, il est vrai qu’un accord a été signé par la communauté internationale et cet accord renferme quand même plusieurs éléments importants :
· Il faut couper dans les émissions globales pour rester en bas de la barre des deux degrés Celsius et prendre des actions sur une base équitable.
· La coopération est nécessaire dans le but d’atteindre le « peak » d’émission globale et nationale le plus tôt possible, et il faut s’attendre que ce « peak » sera plus long pour les pays en développement. Il faut également prendre en considération que le développement social et économique et l’éradication de la pauvreté est la première priorité pour les pays en développement
· À partir de 2020, 100 milliards par année sera donné pour les pays en développement
Comme plusieurs l’ont mentionné, mise à part le montant d’argent pour les pays en développement, il ne s’agit que d’un accord d’intention démontrant un résultat mais aucun moyen d’ici arriver : pas de bourse sur le carbone, pas d’obligation, pas de conséquence. Le Canada peut effet signer l’accord sans jamais rien faire.
Cependant, je suis satisfait que la communauté internationale reconnaisse le fait que les pays pauvres ont eux aussi droit au développement économique et social. Les pays développés en ont d’ailleurs profités pendant plusieurs décennies et maintenant c’est surtout eux qui doivent payer la facture et non les pays en développement.
Mais pour le reste, on peut dire que Copenhague a été un total fiasco.
Fait attention Mexico, la prochaine conférence risque d’être assez intense…
Sunday, December 20, 2009
I Can't Get No Satisfaction, By Hillary Buchan-Terrell
As I headed home from Copenhagen yesterday afternoon, I left with a feeling of dissatisfaction and exhaustion, not much unlike many of my IFLRY colleagues and NGOs. I've been feeling rather muted and paralyzed since my arrival in Denmark and it's not only because of my little to no internet access (I must apologize to all of those who were following me on my voyage as I feel like I may have let them down). I've been extremely frustrated and upset with the little voice I've had thus far, but I will promise that this will not set a precedent as there is still much work to do.
I arrived last Sunday afternoon filled with enthusiasm and hope, ready to jump right into the thick of COP15. Arriving on Sunday was both a blessing and a curse. The Conference was not open for business, which meant that I could settle into my accommodation and catch up after my flight. That evening, we enjoyed a conversation with the Right Honourable Paul Martin to discuss our role at COP15, how climate change is affecting Aboriginals around the world and his work in the Congo-basin as part of a developing country NGO (see previous posts for more detail).
The curse of arriving Sunday meant that I could not register at the Bella Centre until Monday morning - the start of the second week of negotiations and arguably, the most important week of the Conference with the arrivals of heads of state and the ramping up of talks. I was ready to wake up early and wait in line, but little did I know that I would have so much difficulty. I got lucky (which speaks volumes of how disorganized the Conference was), after arriving with my YLC co-delegates who had previously registered, I was told I needed to move into another line as I did not have my accreditation yet. This line was outside the gates and was at a standstill. Many of the registered delegates were flowing right through, while I got stuck at the front of the line for registration. We waited for nearly an hour there, before joining a larger and slower line into the Bella Centre. We waited there for nearly 3 and a half hours before security, at which point my toes felt like they were going to fall off. The disorganization of the UN was already apparent here, but I was relieved to be inside. I registered myself, received my badge, checked my coat and found a place to sit and charge my laptop so that I could contact my delegation to meet with them. It took me a couple hours to settle in, recoup my energy, dethaw my limbs and buy a cell phone. The next thing I knew, it was time to leave and go to an IFLRY networking event. What should have been an early warning sign of total disorganization on behalf of the United nations, was overlooked. That afternoon, word broke that the UN would now require secondary badges for at least Tuesday and Thursday to limit the amount of people into the Centre. It was later revealed that this limit actually discounted about two-thirds of NGOs from COP15.
The bad news continued as the hours passed and we found out that these secondary badges would be required for nearly the rest of the week, with the exception of Thursday and Friday, which would have extremely limited access to 1000 and 90 delegates, respectively. Tuesday, I was slated to have a badge from early afternoon onwards. I received my badge just after 1, too late to get tickets to an event with some Ministers and politicians from the US and Canada, but still optimistic about going to some cool events. On our way in, Will and I were given tickets to an debate hosted by CNN and YouTube. Miranda, Will and myself attended and enjoyed the debate with former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, journalist Thomas Friedman, U.N. Executive Secretary Yves de Boer and author Bjorn Lomborg (blog post to follow on this event). That would be my first and last event I attended at the Conference, as I looked through the schedule and got my bearings around the Bella Centre, time crept away from me. I spent the next hours checking out the countries' delegation offices and waiting to watch the Opening Ceremonies (which didn't end up being screened there, so we ended up watching them at the EU Pavillion). At this point in the day, I was exhausted and thought that it would be best to check out for the day and recuperate for Wednesday. I really felt that Tuesday was my one day to warm up to the Bella Centre and get the feel of the Conference. Unfortunately, I spent the next 3 days of COP15 outside the Bella Centre, with almost no internet access to stay tuned to the going-ons inside and around the world. Needless to say, while I was on the ground and supposed to be part of the NGO delegations to the UN Conference, I felt ironically out-of-touch (and still do).
I will try to have a couple more posts on my experience in Copenhagen and thoughts on the outcome in the coming days before Christmas. Additionally, there will still be news filtering out post-COP15 so there is still much commentary to come. I hope as well that climate change will remain at the forefront of people's minds leading into the New Year and COP16 . Let's try to keep the focus and enthusiasm everyone! This is not the end, merely a tipping point for the climate crisis.
I arrived last Sunday afternoon filled with enthusiasm and hope, ready to jump right into the thick of COP15. Arriving on Sunday was both a blessing and a curse. The Conference was not open for business, which meant that I could settle into my accommodation and catch up after my flight. That evening, we enjoyed a conversation with the Right Honourable Paul Martin to discuss our role at COP15, how climate change is affecting Aboriginals around the world and his work in the Congo-basin as part of a developing country NGO (see previous posts for more detail).
The curse of arriving Sunday meant that I could not register at the Bella Centre until Monday morning - the start of the second week of negotiations and arguably, the most important week of the Conference with the arrivals of heads of state and the ramping up of talks. I was ready to wake up early and wait in line, but little did I know that I would have so much difficulty. I got lucky (which speaks volumes of how disorganized the Conference was), after arriving with my YLC co-delegates who had previously registered, I was told I needed to move into another line as I did not have my accreditation yet. This line was outside the gates and was at a standstill. Many of the registered delegates were flowing right through, while I got stuck at the front of the line for registration. We waited for nearly an hour there, before joining a larger and slower line into the Bella Centre. We waited there for nearly 3 and a half hours before security, at which point my toes felt like they were going to fall off. The disorganization of the UN was already apparent here, but I was relieved to be inside. I registered myself, received my badge, checked my coat and found a place to sit and charge my laptop so that I could contact my delegation to meet with them. It took me a couple hours to settle in, recoup my energy, dethaw my limbs and buy a cell phone. The next thing I knew, it was time to leave and go to an IFLRY networking event. What should have been an early warning sign of total disorganization on behalf of the United nations, was overlooked. That afternoon, word broke that the UN would now require secondary badges for at least Tuesday and Thursday to limit the amount of people into the Centre. It was later revealed that this limit actually discounted about two-thirds of NGOs from COP15.
The bad news continued as the hours passed and we found out that these secondary badges would be required for nearly the rest of the week, with the exception of Thursday and Friday, which would have extremely limited access to 1000 and 90 delegates, respectively. Tuesday, I was slated to have a badge from early afternoon onwards. I received my badge just after 1, too late to get tickets to an event with some Ministers and politicians from the US and Canada, but still optimistic about going to some cool events. On our way in, Will and I were given tickets to an debate hosted by CNN and YouTube. Miranda, Will and myself attended and enjoyed the debate with former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, journalist Thomas Friedman, U.N. Executive Secretary Yves de Boer and author Bjorn Lomborg (blog post to follow on this event). That would be my first and last event I attended at the Conference, as I looked through the schedule and got my bearings around the Bella Centre, time crept away from me. I spent the next hours checking out the countries' delegation offices and waiting to watch the Opening Ceremonies (which didn't end up being screened there, so we ended up watching them at the EU Pavillion). At this point in the day, I was exhausted and thought that it would be best to check out for the day and recuperate for Wednesday. I really felt that Tuesday was my one day to warm up to the Bella Centre and get the feel of the Conference. Unfortunately, I spent the next 3 days of COP15 outside the Bella Centre, with almost no internet access to stay tuned to the going-ons inside and around the world. Needless to say, while I was on the ground and supposed to be part of the NGO delegations to the UN Conference, I felt ironically out-of-touch (and still do).
I will try to have a couple more posts on my experience in Copenhagen and thoughts on the outcome in the coming days before Christmas. Additionally, there will still be news filtering out post-COP15 so there is still much commentary to come. I hope as well that climate change will remain at the forefront of people's minds leading into the New Year and COP16 . Let's try to keep the focus and enthusiasm everyone! This is not the end, merely a tipping point for the climate crisis.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Déception
L'accord accepté par la communauté internationale voulant que la température mondiale n'augmente pas plus que 2 degrés démontre très bien l'absence de moyen contraignant pour restreindre la communauté internationalle.
Cependant, Bernard Bigras, député de Rosemont--Petite-Patrie pour le
Cela étant dit, les pays en développement, bien que soulagé d'enfin obtenir une quelconque part du gâteau (100 milliards par année à partir de 2020), semblent bien peu satisfait de l'entente non contraignante des pays développés.
En effet, les pays, comme la Chine, en plein boum économique ne veulent pas nécessairement réduire leur développement puisque les pays développés, eux, n'ont jamais eu de barrière environnementale.
Cependant, tous devront comprendre que le développement peut aussi être d'une manière environnementale. Les pays développés eux, devraient faire un tournant vert, simplement pour montrer l'exemple aux pays en développement. Car nous avons sur les épaules la responsabilité des changements climatiques et les conséquences se feront sentir sur nos voisins en développement bien assez vite, notamment les pays côtiers.
Bref, cet accord n'imposent aucune barrière économique et est la preuve d'une inaction planétaire en matière de changements climatiques. La preuve? Le Canada à signé l'accord...
Friday, December 18, 2009
Opposition unite to say ‘Wake up Mr. Harper’
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
With news of a 5 country deal that does not include Canada, we wait to hear if Canada will be included in any deal at all – either in addition to the current one or in a secondary deal of some kind. Neither of us are particularly surprised at seeing the government come up empty handed. We’ve run into a number of interesting Canadians at this conference, the vast majority of whom are unhappy with Canada’s position. Among them are prominent members of Canada’s two main opposition parties – the Liberals and the New Democrats. These parties have extremely different views on a number of issues, but on the government’s record on this climate file they both believe it has been an enormous failure.
The Liberal Party critic for Environment and Energy, Mr. David McGuinty sat down with us and discussed how little Canada was bringing to the table. We arrived in Copenhagen with very little of substance. We have vague targets that we aren’t even really committed to meeting and we have absolutely no plan for making it. We plan to follow the United States but don’t have even an outline of how pricing carbon might work to present and negotiate with the United States. Our presence at this conference really was little more than a photo opp, and this is extremely disappointing. Mr. McGuinty gave us a brief message of optimism about the talks that was recorded before he left home on Thursday morning. His optimism seems to have been correct for some of the world, but we still await any news on an agreement from Canada. Mr. Harper, the world is watching and waiting.
We ran into Jack Layton and Olivia Chow at a meeting of mayors from around the world run by ICLEI (Local Governments for Sustainability). Mr. Layton was kind enough to talk with us and echoed Mr.McGuinty’s concerns – that our government seems to be involved in intentional foot-dragging. He notes that our government ‘really has its foot on the brake when it comes to the issue of climate change’. Note from Matt that he apologizes about the stumbling and bumbling at the beginning of this video – we bumped into Mr.Layton mere moments before a presentation was to begin and had little to no time to prepare for the interview.
A common theme seems to be that we need to be leaders and not followers on this file and that the government has failed significantly at this. The fact remains that climate change is a scientific issue and not a political one and it is a shame that the government has made it an issue of partisanship.
Many voices, many positions from COP-15
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
As the talks begin to wind down here at COP-15 and we hear news breaking of a 5-country deal to at least bring some substance out of this event, we are beginning to reflect on our two weeks here. We will blog extensively with our thoughts on the agreement and more to come once we have time to digest it. In the meantime, one of the things that helped push towards a climate deal on the inside were the demonstrations going on in the Bella Center.
No doubt many of you have heard about the ugly protests that went on outside the Bella Center, but there was an enormous amount of smaller scale demonstrations taking place inside as hundreds of NGOs with various interests strategized about how best to get their point across and their voices heard.
Two of particular interest to us were a sit in that took place on the final day that NGOs were allowed inside the building. While the UNFCCC never told any NGOs in advance that they would be removed from the Bella Centre as the world leaders congregated, many NGOs decided to make the most of their final moments in the Bella Center. They took seats with signs stating that they would not leave until a meaningful, legally binding agreement was reached. These types of protests leave us with mixed feelings – awareness of issues often requires extreme measures, and peaceful protest has its place in any function. However, much of these types of demonstrations just seemed to slow down progress of the conference. The mass protest on Wednesday essentially temporarily shut down the conference – with transit being halted, pepper spray in the air, and mass amounts of chaos and confusion. It is difficult to imagine a less effective way to push for progress in a conference than to halt the conference altogether. Still, this sit in is an excellent example of the ways in which voices of dissent were heard on a daily basis in the Bella Center.
The other side of the demonstration coin came from approved demonstrations where particular groups got permission from the UNFCCC to participate in organized and creative acts to get their message across. We would come across these many times daily at the conference and they often drew us in with their peaceful but hard hitting messages. For example, one group used the slogan “Africa: One Voice, One Position” to illustrate the unity in Africa in calling for a fair deal for the developing world. A large crowd gathered around and called out names of African nations followed by a chorus response of “One Voice, One Position”. It hit home the point of how unified the continent is and how determined they are not to be taken advantage of. In the videos that follow you can see a clip of the protest, followed by a short interview with one of the organizers who details some of what Africa is looking to achieve through climate negotiations.
Last day in Copenhagen
Our delegation has spent most of the day monitoring negotiations at the Bella Centre through live-feeds and secondary reports. At this point, a substantive agreement appears unlikely. Earlier this afternoon, Juan Carlos Soriano, a young delegate from Latin America addressed the plenary on behalf of all the world's youth. He gave an impassioned speech which called on world leaders to pull together and consider their obligations to future generations (available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07HSJMtd1Uc).
We will keep you updated on developments as they occur
We will keep you updated on developments as they occur
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Les sables bitumineux
Une conférence très intéressante a eu lieu aujourd'hui au Klimaforum (en parallèle au COP-15). Le titre: Tar sands oils is blood oil.
Plusieurs panélistes, dont Élizabeth May, cheffe du Parti vert du Canada, ont entrepris une croisade contre les sables bitumineux canadiens. Cependant, ce que j'ai pu comprendre, c'est que le Canada est loin d'être le seul responsable de la chose.
En effet, le Royaume-Uni est, et de loin, le plus grand investisseur dans les sables bitumineux canadiens. Et ceux-ci se sentent responsables et font d'énorme efforts afin de combattre les sables bitumineux.
Mais Mme May a soulevé un excellent point, les sables représentent un réel danger pour l'économie canadienne. En plus de rendre les relations internationales plus difficile avec les pays plus environnementaux, les manufacturiers canadiens souffrent de plus en plus de la force du dollar que donne les sables bitumineux.
Évidemment, la conférence a surtout parlé de la manière dont sont traités les peuples d'autochtones et la méthode de "consultation" qui est utilisé qui n'ont évidemment aucun sens...
Plusieurs panélistes, dont Élizabeth May, cheffe du Parti vert du Canada, ont entrepris une croisade contre les sables bitumineux canadiens. Cependant, ce que j'ai pu comprendre, c'est que le Canada est loin d'être le seul responsable de la chose.
En effet, le Royaume-Uni est, et de loin, le plus grand investisseur dans les sables bitumineux canadiens. Et ceux-ci se sentent responsables et font d'énorme efforts afin de combattre les sables bitumineux.
Mais Mme May a soulevé un excellent point, les sables représentent un réel danger pour l'économie canadienne. En plus de rendre les relations internationales plus difficile avec les pays plus environnementaux, les manufacturiers canadiens souffrent de plus en plus de la force du dollar que donne les sables bitumineux.
Évidemment, la conférence a surtout parlé de la manière dont sont traités les peuples d'autochtones et la méthode de "consultation" qui est utilisé qui n'ont évidemment aucun sens...
Team MHF at COP-15 (From Blog by MHF and Team)
First posted to "Blog by Martha Hall Findlay and Team"
Hello All,
For those of you who don’t know me my name is Elizabeth Dubois and I am an assistant to MHF. I am also an active Young Liberal as the Chair of the YLC Issues Working Group, former University of Ottawa Young Liberals Vice President and current lead for the YLC delegation to COP-15 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference).
In fact I am writing to you now from the Bella Center in Copenhagen where negotiations are underway. I, along with 22 other Young Liberals of Canada have spent the past two weeks in Copenhagen as members of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) delegation. We have had the opportunity to attend seminars and lectures, engage in discussion and debate with other dedicated citizens and meet with numerous leaders and experts. We have detailed our experience online, check out our blog and youtube. (More information can be found at the YLC website.)
I hope to get more photos up soon but for now here is a quick snap of me as I blog,
Elizabeth
twitter: @lizdubois
Hello All,
For those of you who don’t know me my name is Elizabeth Dubois and I am an assistant to MHF. I am also an active Young Liberal as the Chair of the YLC Issues Working Group, former University of Ottawa Young Liberals Vice President and current lead for the YLC delegation to COP-15 (the United Nations Climate Change Conference).
In fact I am writing to you now from the Bella Center in Copenhagen where negotiations are underway. I, along with 22 other Young Liberals of Canada have spent the past two weeks in Copenhagen as members of the International Federation of Liberal Youth (IFLRY) delegation. We have had the opportunity to attend seminars and lectures, engage in discussion and debate with other dedicated citizens and meet with numerous leaders and experts. We have detailed our experience online, check out our blog and youtube. (More information can be found at the YLC website.)
I hope to get more photos up soon but for now here is a quick snap of me as I blog,
Elizabeth
twitter: @lizdubois
Clean Energy and Climate Action: A North American Collaboration
(cross-posted from A View From The Left)
This panel is hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the Pembina Institute.
Guest Speaker are:
Jean Charest
Greg Selinger
Shalini Vajjhala (Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of International Affairs, US Environment Protection Agency)
Gabriel Quadri (Director, EcoSecurities, Mexico and Central America)
6:26 - Charest starts off talking about how the sub-national governments are the one's that will be responsible for a lot of the implementation and how the municipalities and provinces are already moving and if we wait for higher levels of government to act very little will happen.
6:30 - Quebec has adopted the California emissions standards for vehicles, he is glad to see the change in the US administration on this issue
6:34 – Charest wraps up his remarks, now it’s Gabriel Quadri’s turn. Who starts off with the 3 most concerning sectors in Mexico.
6:37 – In Mexico the most important sector, and fastest growing sector is transportation, by 2020 it should make up about a third of our emissions if it continues at the current rate of growth
6:40 – The second largest concern is electricity, and energy use and the third issue is deforestation, which is different then US and Canada
6:42 – Unfortunately in Mexico there is a gas and oil subsidy, an obscene subsidy because of its size in his words
6:46 – Greg Selinger starts off by stating that 60% of Manitoba’s hydro electricity is sold to the US, and that is something that they need to examine as it’s clearly a huge issue.
6:48 – We’re currently under a lot of pressure to start changing things before we pass the tipping point.
6:49 – Pursuing UNESCO world heritage designation for some of the Boreal forest to help preserve them
6:51 – We need a smart grid for keeping track of energy, to allow for energy savings and to allow access for green energies such as wind and solar
6:54 – Also need to be pursing cap and trade
6:56 – Now it’s Shalini Vajjhala’s turn. Federal US government was taken to the Supreme Court by the States for action on climate change. The Supreme Court ruled that CO2 was an endangerment to the public. The endangerment label is good because it has allowed them to start pushing for change.
6:59 – Moving towards creating a GHG emission registry, which makes public the emission that come from different facilities
7: 02 – a number of things that state and local government can bring to these negotiation. 1) helps bring specificity to international negotiations, the negotiated documents are as broad as possible 2) transparency, not required but fundamental so that people see that it is working and that their money is spent well 3) coordination, depends on working together because we are depending on our networks, electricity systems, water systems, etc.
7:08 - we've now wrapped up and moved on to Q&A
7:12 - first question is on federal governments role vs. sub-national governments role, are the federal governments needed? Charest takes the question and starts talking about all the deals Hydro Quebec has been making, and all the stuff Quebec in general has been doing (it's a long list and I would probably miss things) then says the federal government has nothing to do with it. However he ads that the federal government are the best ones to implement things like a carbon tax.
7:14 - Vajjhala says role for both, depends on the specific project
7:15 - Selinger: role for federal government to facilitate things like moving energy east-west, right now it's easier for them to move energy south. Basically feds need to provide enabling legislation/resources and provinces and municipalities are the one's who actually implement things.
7:20 - Question on water conservation and water protocol that is way to long and complicated to reproduce, it's basically on aquifers.
7:24 - Charest: Quebec uses watersheds, they're better. Water sharing is a long-standing issue between Canada and US, and there is a real anxiety in Canada who are worried about the Americans putting in a pipe and taking all our water.
7:27 - Vajjhala has no idea how to pick up after the comment on the US making a big pipe to take water "this is a concern that we've never heard before", she and Charest are having a laugh about it.
7:28 - Quadri "does this big pipe extend to Mexico?". The answer to the longest question ever is turning out to have very little to do with the question.
7:29 - Cooperation on water issues is very important, especially now climate change is becoming so important.
7:34 - And we're out of time so that's a wrap.
Climate Summit of Mayors
(cross-posted from A View From The Left)
3:00 - well this room is standing room only, the speakers are:
Ritt Rjerregaar (Lord Mayor of Copenhagen)
Amos Masondo (Johannesburg)
Rakesh Mehta (Delhi)
Robert Doyle (Melbourne)
Marcelo Ebrard (Mexico City)
Antoni Villaraigosa (LA)
Barbel Dieckmann (Chair of World Mayors)
Bertrand Delanoe (Paris)
I'm going to apologize in advance, I'm in the back corner so I can't see the name plates of whoever's speaking, so I wont always be able to attribute statements.
Update from after the fact: Big thanks to the lady who was sitting beside me who was able to keep track of the mayors and tell me who was talking, this was especially helpful as the list we were given at the beginning didn't exactly match up to who ended up speaking.
3:03 - Mayors are committing to a reduction of 30-40% by 2020 and they think if they can do it then countries can certainly do it
3:05 - If things continue how they are, then we will see cities that will be/have to be eliminated because of climate change
3:06 - A lot of the solutions for climate change is city oriented, recycling, public transit, infrastructure for electric cars, etc. It is also an easier environment to pull people together because they live close to one another and can work cohesively.
3:15 - "do you think that if we can bail out the auto companies the insurance companies and the banks we can find the 100 billion dollars per year we need to save the planet?"
3:18 - Mayor of Melbourne talking about the fires that raged through his state that got earlier this year and while that got world news coverage the week that proceeded it did not. The temperature was so hot for that week that building systems failed, public transport systems failed, etc.
3:21 - Don't worry about what they sign at the end of the week, because they will sign something, but we are already doing what they are talking about (Mayor of Melbourne)
3:23 - (Mayor of Johannesburg) More resources need to be available at the local level because action has to happen at the local level. This fight will be won or lost depending on what happens at the local level.
3:26 - (Mayor of Seattle - Greg Nicolas) Climate change is a local issue
3:27 - (Mayor of Seattle) Assumed that it was a federal issue and that someone was already dealing with it. Then in 2005 when there was no snow in the winter they had no water in the summer because they depend on the snow on the mountain for water. He realized that it was a problem because the US government hadn't signed onto Kyoto, that's why his city signed on. Now 1016 US cities are signed on Kyoto.
3:30 - "We made it safe for the current congress and president to take this issue up seriously" Mayor of Seattle on the 1016 cities that signed onto Kyoto
3:31 - (Mayor of Delhi) Cities create carbon footprints and therefore have to deal with that. Many cites have already taken up this challenge.
3:32 - (Mayor of Delhi) Challenge in front of us in in terms of transportation, air quality, etc.
3:35 - "The challenge in front of us is how do we sell this to communities, especially the poorer communities" Mayor of Delhi, mentions specifically the challenge of getting people to conserve energy and use public transportation
3: 39 - "Without local governments there will be no solution to climate change" Chair of World Mayors
3:41 - (Chair of World Mayors) Hopes that references to the importance of local governments in the current draft will remain in the final draft
3:48 - "We are not discussing the differences between boarders, counties, states, we are discussing the future of the global community" Mayor of Mexico City
3:49 - (Mayor of Mexico City) Local governments need to be involved in the negotiations because they are discussing things that cities are already doing
3:50 - (Mayor of Nantes) Cities are at the heart of the problem, but also at the heart of the solutions. We know that countries will not meet their climate change goals without the cities.
3:54 - "If cites are empowered and given the right resources then we deliver on our commitments" Mayor of Nantes
3:00 - well this room is standing room only, the speakers are:
Ritt Rjerregaar (Lord Mayor of Copenhagen)
Amos Masondo (Johannesburg)
Rakesh Mehta (Delhi)
Robert Doyle (Melbourne)
Marcelo Ebrard (Mexico City)
Antoni Villaraigosa (LA)
Barbel Dieckmann (Chair of World Mayors)
Bertrand Delanoe (Paris)
I'm going to apologize in advance, I'm in the back corner so I can't see the name plates of whoever's speaking, so I wont always be able to attribute statements.
Update from after the fact: Big thanks to the lady who was sitting beside me who was able to keep track of the mayors and tell me who was talking, this was especially helpful as the list we were given at the beginning didn't exactly match up to who ended up speaking.
3:03 - Mayors are committing to a reduction of 30-40% by 2020 and they think if they can do it then countries can certainly do it
3:05 - If things continue how they are, then we will see cities that will be/have to be eliminated because of climate change
3:06 - A lot of the solutions for climate change is city oriented, recycling, public transit, infrastructure for electric cars, etc. It is also an easier environment to pull people together because they live close to one another and can work cohesively.
3:15 - "do you think that if we can bail out the auto companies the insurance companies and the banks we can find the 100 billion dollars per year we need to save the planet?"
3:18 - Mayor of Melbourne talking about the fires that raged through his state that got earlier this year and while that got world news coverage the week that proceeded it did not. The temperature was so hot for that week that building systems failed, public transport systems failed, etc.
3:21 - Don't worry about what they sign at the end of the week, because they will sign something, but we are already doing what they are talking about (Mayor of Melbourne)
3:23 - (Mayor of Johannesburg) More resources need to be available at the local level because action has to happen at the local level. This fight will be won or lost depending on what happens at the local level.
3:26 - (Mayor of Seattle - Greg Nicolas) Climate change is a local issue
3:27 - (Mayor of Seattle) Assumed that it was a federal issue and that someone was already dealing with it. Then in 2005 when there was no snow in the winter they had no water in the summer because they depend on the snow on the mountain for water. He realized that it was a problem because the US government hadn't signed onto Kyoto, that's why his city signed on. Now 1016 US cities are signed on Kyoto.
3:30 - "We made it safe for the current congress and president to take this issue up seriously" Mayor of Seattle on the 1016 cities that signed onto Kyoto
3:31 - (Mayor of Delhi) Cities create carbon footprints and therefore have to deal with that. Many cites have already taken up this challenge.
3:32 - (Mayor of Delhi) Challenge in front of us in in terms of transportation, air quality, etc.
3:35 - "The challenge in front of us is how do we sell this to communities, especially the poorer communities" Mayor of Delhi, mentions specifically the challenge of getting people to conserve energy and use public transportation
3: 39 - "Without local governments there will be no solution to climate change" Chair of World Mayors
3:41 - (Chair of World Mayors) Hopes that references to the importance of local governments in the current draft will remain in the final draft
3:48 - "We are not discussing the differences between boarders, counties, states, we are discussing the future of the global community" Mayor of Mexico City
3:49 - (Mayor of Mexico City) Local governments need to be involved in the negotiations because they are discussing things that cities are already doing
3:50 - (Mayor of Nantes) Cities are at the heart of the problem, but also at the heart of the solutions. We know that countries will not meet their climate change goals without the cities.
3:54 - "If cites are empowered and given the right resources then we deliver on our commitments" Mayor of Nantes
Gender and Climate Change
(cross-posted from A View From The Left)
Early this afternoon Iceland hosted an interesting session on gender and climate change. The basic thesis of it is that women must be included at the group at the table at all levels because women have different experiences with climate change. Their argument is this is because women make up the largest section of the worlds poor, and climate change will effect things like agriculture and water among other things which are of pivotal importance to those women.
The first presenter is from Ghana, to explain their approach to including women in climate change discussions. In Ghana 70% of agriculture is produced by women and 53% of fish provided by women. Meaning any changes in these sectors has a huge impact on women aside from the obvious impact it has on the economy. They also have women's groups who have taken responsibility for restoring and conserving forests.
An interesting point the presenter made was that women are the one's in the best position to help with population control. One of the concerns here this week has been the impact of the worlds ever-growing population on climate change.
She concluded by saying that if these negotiations were being conducted by women that the deal would have been done already. It got a big laugh from the room, and goes back to the idea that the involvement of women in politics would make the whole process run more smoothly. I'm still not sure if I completely buy into that idea.
The second presenter was male and also from Ghana. He was a government official and went through the different committees they have on climate change, from communications to reforestation/forest restoration to agriculture, etc. and how they ensured that there was equal representation of men and women. Also, a number of committees have women as their president, and any with a male president have a women as a vice president (and visa-versa). Apparently a key member of their negotiating team is their female vice-president who has been at COP-15 since the kick off last week. He concluded by making the point that they are working to increase the number of women on their negotiation team for future COP meetings. It's very interesting to hear all the effort they are going into to get a 50/50 male/female split as much as possible when in Canada it's a big deal that the Liberals are only ensuring that 33% of their candidates are women.
The final presenter was from an organization that deals with gender equality and women in climate change with a really long name that I didn't entirely catch. She spent a while talking about how women are negatively effected by natural disaster, with examples, before stating that unfortunately women are often the ones with the solutions on climate change but are less likely to be involved in working on the solutions. She then touched on the same issue that the first presenter did regarding population control and women's role in that, also pushing the important tie between that issue and educating women.
At the moment gender equity has been included on the (very long) draft document that is currently being negotiated. It will be very interesting to see if that makes it into the final agreed-on document.
Before the Q&A session started the general conclusion was given that gender equality and women's involvement with climate change matters go hand-in-hand. It's certainly a very interesting point, and overall a very interesting session, though I think it is more applicable to African and other third-world nations than developed countries.
Early this afternoon Iceland hosted an interesting session on gender and climate change. The basic thesis of it is that women must be included at the group at the table at all levels because women have different experiences with climate change. Their argument is this is because women make up the largest section of the worlds poor, and climate change will effect things like agriculture and water among other things which are of pivotal importance to those women.
The first presenter is from Ghana, to explain their approach to including women in climate change discussions. In Ghana 70% of agriculture is produced by women and 53% of fish provided by women. Meaning any changes in these sectors has a huge impact on women aside from the obvious impact it has on the economy. They also have women's groups who have taken responsibility for restoring and conserving forests.
An interesting point the presenter made was that women are the one's in the best position to help with population control. One of the concerns here this week has been the impact of the worlds ever-growing population on climate change.
She concluded by saying that if these negotiations were being conducted by women that the deal would have been done already. It got a big laugh from the room, and goes back to the idea that the involvement of women in politics would make the whole process run more smoothly. I'm still not sure if I completely buy into that idea.
The second presenter was male and also from Ghana. He was a government official and went through the different committees they have on climate change, from communications to reforestation/forest restoration to agriculture, etc. and how they ensured that there was equal representation of men and women. Also, a number of committees have women as their president, and any with a male president have a women as a vice president (and visa-versa). Apparently a key member of their negotiating team is their female vice-president who has been at COP-15 since the kick off last week. He concluded by making the point that they are working to increase the number of women on their negotiation team for future COP meetings. It's very interesting to hear all the effort they are going into to get a 50/50 male/female split as much as possible when in Canada it's a big deal that the Liberals are only ensuring that 33% of their candidates are women.
The final presenter was from an organization that deals with gender equality and women in climate change with a really long name that I didn't entirely catch. She spent a while talking about how women are negatively effected by natural disaster, with examples, before stating that unfortunately women are often the ones with the solutions on climate change but are less likely to be involved in working on the solutions. She then touched on the same issue that the first presenter did regarding population control and women's role in that, also pushing the important tie between that issue and educating women.
At the moment gender equity has been included on the (very long) draft document that is currently being negotiated. It will be very interesting to see if that makes it into the final agreed-on document.
Before the Q&A session started the general conclusion was given that gender equality and women's involvement with climate change matters go hand-in-hand. It's certainly a very interesting point, and overall a very interesting session, though I think it is more applicable to African and other third-world nations than developed countries.
Youth Participation in UNFCCC Processes
The atmosphere has become somewhat tense around the Bella Centre as we wait on the arrival of state leaders. By all accounts, negotiations for a successor-treaty to the Kyoto Protocol have slowed down as parties dispute the breadth of necessary emission cuts and funding that should be transferred to help developing nations combat climate change. Unfortunately, security considerations have prompted the UN Secretariat to restrict NGO’s access to the conference center. This has coincided with several scuffles by groups assembled outside of its doors. While they make for dramatic television, these events should not be interpreted to broadly represent the conference’s participating civil society groups. Our delegation - like many other NGOs- has never endorsed nor participated in actions that are not sanctioned by the UN Secretariat. More significantly, however, these events should not distract us from the purpose of this summit.
Over the past two weeks, I have served as our delegation’s spokesperson in YOUNGO, which is a stakeholder constituency that facilitates the activities of accredited youth delegations. While differences between groups have inevitably arisen, YOUNGO’s spokes-council sessions have usually managed to operate along principles of consensus-based decision-making. Participants have consistently endeavoured to resolve disagreements before voting on proposals. They have also striven to ensure equitable gender and geographical representation in all council meetings. I am hopeful that state leaders will be able to demonstrate similar qualities and working habits over the conference’s remaining days and that youth groups will continue to play a constructive role in UNFCCC processes.
Kerry to deniers: Prove us wrong or stand down
Yesterday we had the privilege of attending a meeting with Senator John Kerry who you will remember as the Democratic Presidental candidate in 2004 that just barely lost to George W. Bush the second time. While that campaign certainly had its ups and downs, Senator Kerry is often an excellent speaker and this was no different. He came to give us an update of the U.S. climate change legislation that is sitting in the senate and what he expects to happen with it. His words were extremely encouraging – he strongly believes that strong climate change legislation will make it through the senate by the midpoint of 2010. He is also optimistic that the framework for a global deal can be set here.
Kerry stresses that ‘no country individually, and none of us collectively are doing enough’. In terms of insights for why the remaining days of the conference are so important, Kerry stresses that it is ‘crucial that we get started’. There has been enough talk – from Rio to Kyoto to Copenhagen and everything in between. The evidence is there, the talk is there, but it is time for action. Copenhagen will likely not result in a legally binding agreement, but it is important that the groundwork is put down and countries get to work. Outside of just legally binding targets, ‘Climate finance must be resolved in the negotiations this week’, insisted Kerry. He pushed for help with technology to the developing world so that their development will not follow the same model as that of the West (one based on burning of fossil fuels).
Perhaps one of the most hard hitting points of the speech was when Senator Kerry addressed the climate change deniers with a simple ultimatum: ‘Prove us wrong, or step down’. Not enough politicians are addressing the skeptics in this way and thus the messages continue to get muddled. The general public is not aware that there is not one single peer-reviewed study in the entire world that disproves the science of anthropogenic climate change, and it is time that these messages are spoken loud and clear from our politicians.
After the speech was complete, Senator Kerry took a couple questions on Senator Inhofe’s pessimism about the bill. Ashley was up there scrumming with the international media like a pro journalist and got some great coverage as a result. We are perhaps a bit pessimistic about the point that nobody has to change their lifestyle – we certainly think that there will have to be some belt-tightening. However we do agree that a climate change deal will actually allow less belt-tightening than if we continue to rely on increasingly expensive fossil fuels.We have the entire speech on video and highly encourage you to watch it on our blog. It totals about a half an hour in length but is rich with content and information. The United States government is perhaps the most important in the world to reaching a climate change solution. In addition, Canada is sitting back and waiting for U.S. legislation. Thus, this speech is of added importance to us.
The system that governs our world is sick
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
Yesterday we spoke to a couple of representatives of the developing world who echoed what we have been hearing all around the Bella Centre – that the global south is not going to be bullied into an unfair deal. Consideration of the developing world continues to be crucial for a global deal to happen and is something that is going to have to be addressed as world leaders begin to fly in for the final day(s) of the conference.
In this first video Wahu Kaara from Kenya (a rep for the Peoples Movement for Climate Change) has some strong words for Canada, not unlike what we are hearing all around the conference. Too many Canadians think we are flying under the radar on this issue, but people all around the world are aware of our foot-dragging.Wednesday, December 16, 2009
COP-15 Confusion Left Us Gone With the Wind
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
Yesterday while we waited for the situation to be sorted out at the Bella Center we decided to take advantage of our presence in Denmark to learn about the energy source that Denmark is famous for: Wind power. We got out to Middelgruden wind farm, completed in 2000. What is particularly interesting about this wind farm is that it is offshore – the turbines exist several kilometres offshore. For those who feel that wind is not a viable energy alternative – it already makes up more than 20% of Denmark`s energy currently and extremely ambitious goals (50% wind energy by 2025) are expected to be met.
The offshore aspect is an additional positive, as there is much concern over noise pollution in wind energy and its effect on the psychological wellbeing of those who live near wind farms (NIMBY Effect). While the actual effects of this noise is still up for debate, this eliminates the problem altogether. The turbines made very little noise even when we stood right below them and certainly could not be heard from the shore.
There are certain specifications that hinder this from being done just anywhere – the biodiversity in the water must be considered, the depth of the water must remain at a certain level for a distance out into the water, etc. We would be interested to see what kind of studies cities like Toronto have commissioned to see if this is viable. Denmark has an enormous amount of these under construction, so we fail to believe that it is impossible to happen in Lake Ontario. We are clearly falling behind in these initiatives and it is hurting our goals. Ontario`s Green Energy Act should aid in addressing the problem, but there is still much work to be done.
In these videos you will first see a brief introduction as we arrived at one of Denmark`s major energy hubs. You will see a coal burning plant on the right that now has a significant amount of biomass energy (Here waste is a valuable resource!) and then you will see the wind farm in the distance. In the second video you will get an up close and personal view of the farm.
Enjoy!For more information, check out www.dongenergy.com . Here you can find all the details from one of Denmark`s major energy companies and their goals for the future.
Green Growth and Green Jobs
(cross posted from A View From The Left)
While the media’s focus is on the negotiations, a lot of the conference here is about presentations from governments and NGOs on many different environmentally friendly things that have worked when they have been implemented.
While the media’s focus is on the negotiations, a lot of the conference here is about presentations from governments and NGOs on many different environmentally friendly things that have worked when they have been implemented.
This morning I attended a seminar put on by the Austrian government who have over the past 10 years been investing in the green technology sector.
The panellists were:
- Isabelle Pilmon (Austrian Chamber of Commerce)
- Mauel Graf (Global 2000, Austria)
- Gernot Wagner (EDF, New York)
The presentation started off with a brief overview from an Austrian government official; in 2008 there were 5% employed in the environmental technology sector. The growth rate in the green sector has grown 12% over the past couple of years, despite the recession. The plan right now is to have 20% working in green tech sector by 2020 and they are currently on track for that.
An example of the importance of the investments in the green tech sector can be seen in the town of Guessing, which has had a biomass power plant since 2001 and is now 100% energy-autonomous. This has lead to a substantial number of green jobs and also created eco tourism.
From Isabelle Pilmon’s presentation:
This sector has had increasing has linear growth in the demand for the environmental technology, and also in investment. The green tech sector currently makes up 4% of the Austrian GDP. This is expected to continue increasing rather rapidly as there is also an every emerging market for this technology. Especially as the more the world looks at reducing carbon emissions the bigger the demand for this market will become, and it will become a big part of the economy if countries do seriously address the issue of climate change.
From Mauel Graf’s presentation:
Since developed countries should be aiming to reduce GHG emissions 40% by 2020 that will create incredible growth in the green tech sector. By investing in the green tech sector not only will we meet our environmental targets but it will create 250,000 to 750,000 jobs by 2020. Also, the creation of the new jobs in renewable energy will be 7 time higher than the loss of jobs in the Coal and Nuclear Industry. However there needs to be subsidies to get the market started off, and we should be removing the subsidies from oil and gas companies and transferring them to the green tech sector.
From Gernot Wagner’s presentation:
We can’t sell the green tech sector by talking about climate change, we have to sell the sector by selling the idea of more jobs. This should be an easy sell given that we’re currently in a recession. For example, at the moment all the windmills are currently manufactured from steel in China instead of using already existing steel miss in North America that have being shut down during the recession. Also, businesses innovate all the time and we should be directing that innovation into the green tech sector, and maybe get fossil fuel companies to start thinking of themselves as energy companies. Finally it has been shown over and over in many different countries and in California that implementing a cap and trade program, or even starting the process of introducing the legislation for it has been shown to create an incredible jump in the number of green jobs.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Hey, Mr. President, Save Our Future - Take Action Right Now
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
It is sometimes the things you least expect to have impact that hit you the hardest. We were making our way across the Bella Center for a meeting this evening and met a pair of delegates from Mozambique, Africa. We struck up a conversation with them and heard many of the same hopes, concerns, and fears that have been the talk of the beginning of the conference regarding developing nations.
They were attending the conference as part of Academia de Sonhos - a group that aims to help individuals from Mozambique (particularly children) to participate in activities that many children are not able to and to use these to connect with other youth from around the world. The example we were given was through singing. The message is clear: the children of Mozambique and similar nations see their future at risk. Climate chnage is not a distant concept for them - it is a current reality. The country has already been crippled by natural disasters such as cyclones and floods - while other parts are ravaged by drought and disease.
Here is an interview with the representative from the organization in which he outlines the goals of the organization and how climate factors in to their presence at the conference:
Following our interview, we had the privledge of a private performance from one of the young delegates from the organization. She hopes to sing this song to President Obama upon his arrival in an effort to convince him to aid developing countries. While this girl is singing to President Obama, the message is more than appropriate for Prime Minister Harper - instead of following behind the United States with even less ambitious goals, we need to step up with leadership and tackle these issues. It was a very emotional moment for both of us as it really sunk in that this conference will shape the future for this little girl and millions more like her.
Hey Mr. President (& Mr. Prime Minister), we urge you to listen to this voice and the millions more like it in Copenhagen, calling for change.
Simply Beautiful.
Earth to Harper (from the Bella Center)
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen Blog Entry
A pair of interesting happenings from the Bella Center today:
This encounter (of the third kind?) has a special message to Canada: don`t let what happened to `Planet B`happen on earth:
On a more serious note, we walked past an excellent reminder of the divide between developing and developed nations on the issue of climate change
A pair of interesting happenings from the Bella Center today:
This encounter (of the third kind?) has a special message to Canada: don`t let what happened to `Planet B`happen on earth:
On a more serious note, we walked past an excellent reminder of the divide between developing and developed nations on the issue of climate change
The Green Laundromat
A HaltonDoesCopenhagen blog entry
We would also like to thank our Danish hosts for having this event - it was a pleasure to talk with other Liberals from around the world about what their countries are doing and how they are feeling as representatives during this conference.
Another day on top of the Fossil leaderboard putting Canada to shame
A Halton Does Copenhagen blog entry:
I'm sure many of you observers have heard that Canada has been the frontrunner in the 'Fossil of the Day' race since the conference began. Each day, three countries are chosen who are doing the least for climate change, have blocked progress in negotiations, or have failed to contribute to important initiaves (such as the fund for the developing world).
No surprise that today Canada was given another award after it seems that the government has no intention to meet its already weak targets - the only surprise is that we came second and not first (the U.S. received first).
Watch this video to see the shame our country is receiving at this conference as we spend another day on top of the leaderboard of shame.
CNN and You Tube Debate
(cross-posted from A View From The Left)
As one of the side events here at COP-15 CNN is hosting what they're calling a You Tube debate. It will be starting momentarily and I will be liveblogging it then.
Alright, massive problems with live blogging on the BB so here it is with edits all in one post.
2:00 - apparently these questions have been submitted on you tube over the past few month
2:03 - Now I shall butcher the spelling of the names of our panelists Evan Bur (UN environment working group) Darrel Hanna (actress, environmentalist) Thomas Friedman (new york times) Bion Lonburg (skeptic)
2:07 - are the world leaders serious about dealing with climate change?
EB- they're recognizing that its important given interest in it but still a question of how committed they actually are
2:09 - climategate question, should we actually do something if the issue doesn't actually exist?
TF acting on climate change is like buying insurance, acting in case anything happens
2:15 - will countries be punished if they don't meet their kyoto targets?
EV - moral policing, governments being held accountable by the ppl DH - should be legal mechansim TF - should treat it like a race
2:21 - Kofi Annan (sp?) via satellite to respond to a couple of videos
2:25 - does Africa have a loud enough voice on the climate change issue?
Short answer is no, suggests that all the poor countries need to band together on the climate change issue as they are all vulnerable.
Follow up from host: is Africa to do enough to help itself?
Some are, gives examples.
DH - everyone needs to do their part and be conscious of their own emissions
2:30 - irradiation and poverty seem to go hand in hand are ppl acting on both?
Political will is not yet there, need transfer of green technology. Aid money can't be replaced by climate change subsidies.
2:33 - Annan is now off and we're back to asking questions of the panel
2:37 - Is human selfishness stopping us from actually takling climate change and what do we do about that?
TF - give incentives for acting on climate change
DH - americans consumers need to learn to be producers to drive the issue
BL - people won't go for anything that involves paying more
EB - its a process, it won't happen over night
2:42 - why are taxes the answer, and why do we have to pay those?
TF - gas price driven by gas companies so would rather have tax that goes to thing we want to invest in
EB - tax will have too much backlash, poluters need to pay, cap and trade better
2:51 - what decision can we make in our everyday lives to protect the environment?
DH - get off fossil fuels if at all possible
2:54 - now we have a guy dressed as a pirate asking about why these conferences are restricted to leaders where ppl can't have their voices heard?
TF - people actually need to show they actually really care
BL - people have bigger concerns than the climate
Now we're talking over one another
3:04 - kid wanting to know what we're going to leave his generation?
EV - hopefully not a runaway problem out of control
3:05 - q from audience on population control
TF - need to make sure all people have access to family planning
3:07 - are you optimistic that it will actually happen?
EB- yes
LB- only if we tackle this in a different way than we have been
As one of the side events here at COP-15 CNN is hosting what they're calling a You Tube debate. It will be starting momentarily and I will be liveblogging it then.
Alright, massive problems with live blogging on the BB so here it is with edits all in one post.
2:00 - apparently these questions have been submitted on you tube over the past few month
2:03 - Now I shall butcher the spelling of the names of our panelists Evan Bur (UN environment working group) Darrel Hanna (actress, environmentalist) Thomas Friedman (new york times) Bion Lonburg (skeptic)
2:07 - are the world leaders serious about dealing with climate change?
EB- they're recognizing that its important given interest in it but still a question of how committed they actually are
2:09 - climategate question, should we actually do something if the issue doesn't actually exist?
TF acting on climate change is like buying insurance, acting in case anything happens
2:15 - will countries be punished if they don't meet their kyoto targets?
EV - moral policing, governments being held accountable by the ppl DH - should be legal mechansim TF - should treat it like a race
2:21 - Kofi Annan (sp?) via satellite to respond to a couple of videos
2:25 - does Africa have a loud enough voice on the climate change issue?
Short answer is no, suggests that all the poor countries need to band together on the climate change issue as they are all vulnerable.
Follow up from host: is Africa to do enough to help itself?
Some are, gives examples.
DH - everyone needs to do their part and be conscious of their own emissions
2:30 - irradiation and poverty seem to go hand in hand are ppl acting on both?
Political will is not yet there, need transfer of green technology. Aid money can't be replaced by climate change subsidies.
2:33 - Annan is now off and we're back to asking questions of the panel
2:37 - Is human selfishness stopping us from actually takling climate change and what do we do about that?
TF - give incentives for acting on climate change
DH - americans consumers need to learn to be producers to drive the issue
BL - people won't go for anything that involves paying more
EB - its a process, it won't happen over night
2:42 - why are taxes the answer, and why do we have to pay those?
TF - gas price driven by gas companies so would rather have tax that goes to thing we want to invest in
EB - tax will have too much backlash, poluters need to pay, cap and trade better
2:51 - what decision can we make in our everyday lives to protect the environment?
DH - get off fossil fuels if at all possible
2:54 - now we have a guy dressed as a pirate asking about why these conferences are restricted to leaders where ppl can't have their voices heard?
TF - people actually need to show they actually really care
BL - people have bigger concerns than the climate
Now we're talking over one another
3:04 - kid wanting to know what we're going to leave his generation?
EV - hopefully not a runaway problem out of control
3:05 - q from audience on population control
TF - need to make sure all people have access to family planning
3:07 - are you optimistic that it will actually happen?
EB- yes
LB- only if we tackle this in a different way than we have been
Wind Farm Tour by Corinna Taylor
As many of you may know, Denmark is the leading country when it comes to wind power technology. They have about 5,200 wind turbines! Imagine! And yet none of the citizens seem to complain about this, much like we would expect Canadians to. It is said that on a windy day, the wind turbines could meet all electricity requirements for all Danish households, even during the peak hours of 5 to 7pm. This is amazing!
Almost 75% of wind turbines within Europe are located in Germany, Spain, Great Britain, Portugal and Denmark. Of course, Denmark has a massive off coast wind farm called the Horns Rev 2. It contains 91 wind turbines, with an estimated annual production of 209 MW. The Horns Rev 1 has 80 turbines, with a total capacity of 160 MW. A few members of our delegation were lucky enough to book a tour to these turbines (Horns Rev 1), to get an up close and personal experience.
The boat ride took only 10 minutes, and then before we knew it we were right under a gigantic turbine. Pictures do not do it justice. It was huge!! And surprisingly quiet. On the boat, we were given sandwiches and drinks, just to complete the whole experience. It was a little cold out, but a great day nonetheless. Check out Ryan's video below.
On the bus ride back to the Bella Centre the host of the tour was explaining to us the company's success stories. This company aims at introducing other countries to wind power technology, and is very happy when someone follows by their example. Only a couple of years ago, a representative from Ontario was here to find out more about this wind farm. He promised the Danes that he would push to have wind power in his province, and sure enough, only a few months later, this proposal was adopted. The Danes within this company are very proud of this. And it made us look good for once during this trip, which we were very happy about.
Monday, December 14, 2009
More on the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin re: Climate Change (Ashley Bigda & Matt Juniper)
A Halton Does Copenhagen Blog Entry
While we wait for the mess to get sorted out at the Bella Centre, we wanted to talk about something a little more inspirational. Our former Prime Minister Paul Martin took some much appreciated time out of his schedule to sit down with the Young Liberals and Canada (and a few of our foreign colleagues) to discuss issues related to climate change.
Mr.Martin is an extremely intelligent and well-spoken individual and it was a treat to get time to talk with him in a more intimate environment. Mr.Martin had just returned from discussions with environmental ministers of the Congo-basin African countries regarding climate change. These are countries with both enormous resources and enormous poverty. An interseting point: Mr. Martin believes that if given a choice between the resources of the Congo and the resources of Canada – one would choose the Congo, yet there is an enormous gap between the two countries economically.
There is tremendous opportunity to benefit from these resources in more ways than simple deforestation. Currently however, without a carbon market these trees are worth more dead than alive. Charcoal, wood, etc. are the primary resources these trees are currently used for through ’slash and burn’ methods. A carbon market can actually create opportunity both for developed and developing nations – credits purchased from developing nations give value to these forested areas. Carbon sequestration is just one of the many benfits a preserved and sustainability forest can bring to the Congo-basin.
Mr. Martin’s discussion helped put this climate issue into persepctive – that it is a truly global issue. The fact remains that climate change is a issue created by the developed world that is currently affecting the developing world in a disproporionate way. We recently travelled to Tanzania, Africa and witnessed first hand the fear that the melting of the glacial ice caps on Mount Kilimanjaro is causing over fresh water reserves. The people understand the importance of conserving their resources and are not oblivious to their changing environments that threaten their livelihood. However, the solution must be global – an already poverty stricten region can not do this without contributions from all who are benefitting from their resources. Africa’s forests provide value not just to the local people but to the rest of the world, which is something we do not recognize and is something the locals are unable to take advantage of at this point.
We keep on hammering away at our key point: that this agreement needs to be global. Not just focused on the developed nations.
Cop-15 Chaos - Matt Juniper & Ashley Bigda
A Halton Does Copenhagen Blog Entry
We have arrived in Copenhagen, and have already experienced a great deal but have had difficulty finding a stable internet connection. Today has been a chaotic and frustrating day for COP-15 on two fronts:
1. Organizationally. We have been to a great deal of conferences, meeting, concerts, sporting events, even busy airports in our lives in which a great deal of people needed to squeeze into a small area. But we have never seen anything like we did this morning. People were herded like sheep with no order, standing in front of the gates in the freezing cold. No messages were given about what was happening, and the line stretched as far as the eye could see. In four hours of waiting, a total of 6 people got into the conference that did not previously have badges or did not have special designation from the U.N. This includes media who were standing in line with camera equipment and had no special entrance. Think for a second about how this will reflect on the conference with the major sources of information to the outside world not able to enter the conference. If not for the second development of the day (talked about next), the entire day would have been dedicated to discussing this.
2. Development number two is just breaking now – we’ve heard whispers of it around the conference that the rift is growing larger between developing and developed nations. Today, developing nations reportedly walked out on discussions – temporarily halting them. This seems to be the major theme to this point in the conference and one that does not seem to be heading towards a solution. We will touch upon why we think a climate deal can actually help the developing world based on our discussion with Paul Martin in the following posting.
In the meantime we are still waiting for access to the Bella Centre – we are finding plenty to engage ourselves with in the meantime, but are hoping things get more organized soon. Over the next couple days we will be hearing from mayors of municipalities about their thoughts on Climate Change, examine some of Malmo’s waterfront redevelopment, and take a tour of some of Denmark’s offshore windfarms.
Stay Tuned!
McGuinty shows leadership in India on green technology - William Norman
This isn't happening in Copenhagen, but it certainly has gotten people talking here in a positive way. Canada unsuprisingly doesn't have the greatest reputation here, but McGuinty's actions have really got people saying "Hey, some Canadians do get it." The $1.1 billion in green tech deals McGuinty has gotten from India demonstrates the viability of a green market economy, creating the jobs of the 21st century for Ontario. This is a billion dollars Tim Hudak and Stephen Harper don't want Ontario to have, since it undermines Tory talking points on how a green economy is impossible. A green market economy is the only way Ontario's economy is going to move forward, and Canadians as a whole deserve strong Liberal leadership, both provincially and federally, creating the economy of tomorrow.
As a Canadian in Copenhagen, thank you Premier McGuinty, you're helping to change people's minds here by showing leadership on the climate change issue.
Photo Recap from Sunday Night with Rt. Hon. Paul Martin
On Sunday evening our delegation had the pleasure to have a change to talk with the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin. Here are some pictures from the evening.
A globe that we passed in one of the public squares on the way home, it is part of the many activities happening all over Copenhagen at the same time as COP 15
After he spoke briefly about the work he is doing we entered a discussion on issues facing Aboriginal people in Canada. Questions were also asked about his work in Africa.
Mr. Matin left us with words of encouragement to continue to get involved and continue the work we are doing at COP 15.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Day 4 ~ Ryan Sullivan
Today we toured Amagerforbaendings waste to energy plant where they transform waste into eco-friendly electricity and district heating. Their furnaces have a capacity of 440,000 tones of waste per year corresponding to around 10% of all incinerated waste in Denmark. The plant operates 24 hours a day every day of the year. The plant produces enough electricity to power 25% of the district heating used in Copenhagen.
First the garbage is put into a holding Silo where it waits to be taken into the process. In the silo due to a couple of factors it actually heats up to around 40-60 degrees Celsius. The garbage then goes into the furnace system where in about 2 hours at between 950-1050 degrees celcious as it is incinerated. From the furnace waste incineration flue gasses are led to a horizontal boiler consisting in of two radiation passes. The boiler super heaters, a convention process further heats the steam into high-pressure steam of 380 degrees Celcious and 45 bar by means of heat exchange with the flue gas. This process produces 53 tonnes of high pressure steam per hour. From this joint steam line the steam is distributed into two turbines of 20 MW and 8.5MW respectively. Any left over steam due to current needs of the city is then diverted for heating purposes and not just to power the turbine electric generator.
When I asked to is this not a poison filled process in regards to air pollutants from incinerating the garbage the plant officials said no. Since the garb age is burnt at a very precise temperature not higher or lower it gives minimal time to actually produce any toxic gasses or airborne by-product. Also the tall smoke stacks from the plant are lined with a special carbon fibre material to capture any remaining particles as well as to be used as a heat exchanger to heat large amounts of water to provide to the city. So this plant really thinks of every last micron of energy from start to stop. This is the type of technology we need along with many other long term sustainable energy projects in Canada. Fossil fuel is a dying breed and in a contractual stage, so lets get with the times and lead the way. Because the countries that do not act, will be left in the dark quite literally.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Interview with Mayor of Toronto re: Fossil of the day Award
Hi everyone,
Today was an interesting day at COP-15. Canada won the Fossil of the day award, AGAIN! This award is voted on by NGO's at the conference each day. It is presented to the country that has caused the most obstruction during the process towards the climate agreement.
So far, Canada has been on the top three list of ALL countries each day of the conferences. Today, not only did we win, but we won both first AND second place. This couldn't get more embarrassing! This is how the entire world sees our country. How do you feel about this?
Ryan was able to get a great interview with the Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, who was the lucky individual who recieved the award on behalf of our country. See the interview Until next time! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v207VsT-e9g
Corinna Taylor
China steps it up at Copenhagen- by William Norman
I got into Copenhagen this morning and got myself all registered as a delegate. Copenhagen is a wonderful city, but I have spent most of my time thus far at the Conference itself, and it is hard not to notice one thing in particular: Every time you turn around, China has some kind of presence. From having its own pavilion boasting of what China has either done or is planning on doing, to leading the group of 77 developing nations, it is impossible to ignore the voice of China at this conference. As both a developing nation and an economic giant, it is well positioned to emerge as a broker in any successful climate talks.
More importantly, China’s rise in the discussion of green development, which could give China a massive comparative advantage as we transition into a lower-carbon emitting economy in the 21st century are not simply imagined. China has invested in green tech to demonstrate an advantage to some While some are pointing to the “Climategate” affair as an excuse to dismiss the conference, a few sentences which are taken totally out of context do not an affair make. China is surely cheering on the climate skeptics who are attempting to cause the greatest market failure since the Depression. The new economic industrial order will be a green one, and the skeptics bring nothing to the depate.
More importantly, China’s rise in the discussion of green development, which could give China a massive comparative advantage as we transition into a lower-carbon emitting economy in the 21st century are not simply imagined. China has invested in green tech to demonstrate an advantage to some While some are pointing to the “Climategate” affair as an excuse to dismiss the conference, a few sentences which are taken totally out of context do not an affair make. China is surely cheering on the climate skeptics who are attempting to cause the greatest market failure since the Depression. The new economic industrial order will be a green one, and the skeptics bring nothing to the depate.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Les municipalités du monde: le coeur du progrès dans la réduction des émissions de GES - par Marielle Gervais
Durant mes quatres jours au COP-15, ce qui me frappe le plus est le rôle important que jouent les municipalités dans la réduction des émissions de GES. Mardi par exemple, j'ai été à un événement qui discutait à propos des initiatives des pays Scandinaves, avec des présentations de la maire de Stockholm, Suède, qui a gagné le prix de la Ville Verte d'Europe 2010, ainsi que le maire de Tangshan, Chine (photo du bas), un représentant des Nations Unis - Habitat, Nairobi, et le gérant du changment climatique de la banque mondiale, (photo du haut). J'étais particulièrement touché par le fait que les pays Scandinaves prennent de l'initiative en formant des partenariats et en partageant leur connaissances, avec les municipalités dans les pays en voie de dévelopement tel que le Tangshan en Chine. Il me semble tout à fait sensible que les villes dans les PVDs inclusent des mesures dans leurs plans urbains afin mieux intégrer l'environment avec la vie humaine qui en devient de plus en plus déconnectée. Les PVDs ont la meilleure opportunité de ce développer de manière durable.
De plus, après la sessions, j'ai eu l'occasion de parler avec la maire de Stockholm (pas de photo malheureusement) qui m'ai dit qu'il y aurait une session avec des représentant de 40 villes, incluant David Miller, le maire de Toronto. Je planifie afficher un autre blog après cet événement afin de vous garder au courant d'initiatives non seulement dans le monde, mais dans nos propres municipalités ici au Canada.
Copenhagen Climate Change Conference Day 3 ~ Ryan Sullivan
Day 3 and our optimism has not slipped one bit, if anything our motivation and passion towards achieving a deal as a delegation for the Young Liberals of Canada has grown. Today I chose to focus on developing nations and on finance for the transport industry in regards to climate change. Developing nations challenges and efforts dealing with climate change titled “ Indigenous peoples assessment of the current negations: issues and ways forward in Copenhagen”.
I found this particularly interesting because it really opened my eyes to the real and undeniable needs to ensure a complete incorporation of their concerns and solutions into the negotiations. The indigenousness people of the world are directly effected more adversely than us in the developed nations. A speaker from Kenya stated that recent prolonged droughts have destroyed the land completely to the point that it is no longer available for agricultural use. Climate change creates a situation where competition for resources from different communities where serious conflicts between peoples can and has arisen. One way of coping was through a mobility mechanism. This mechanism means that if people are giving the chance to move to more agricultural rich land then survival and prosperity can be achieved. The problem lies in the fact that country boarders and environmental safe zones have been created without the consult of the people of that land. “ Our voices have been completely ignored, the governments meet in closed doors while the people who are effected are left outside” said one of the panel members from Kenya. The Kenya panellist went on to say that “ This style of meeting will likely produce an abuse of the local people”.
Some other leaders from the Artic, Philippines and China have all stated along with many others that developing countries receive the appropriate finance to both mitigate and develop ways to combat climate change. The reason they feel so strongly about this issue is because they claim they have not received any benefit from climate change unlike the developed nations. In essence developed countries have created over ¾ of all climate change GHG's through industrial revolution and have had the benefits and luxuries of such. The developing countries however have stated that since they have not polluted nearly as much due to little or no industrial revolution and they should not have to be given the same financial obligation. I personally think this makes complete sense, it is our mess, lets clean it up ourselves all while ensuring we never pollute at the same levels while giving developing nations the chance to do the same.
I want to finish up on a quote that was giving by a pacific French colony islander native who said “ We don’t own the land, we belong to the land and with the land goes the identity of the people”. I found this powerful because he said the island he was born and raised on is at severe risk of complete consumption by the rising ocean levels and he is concerned that his people and their identity will be lost forever. When I heard such factual and truthful statements by people directly personally effected by climate change it really shows how crucial their voice is in this entire UN conference.
I found this particularly interesting because it really opened my eyes to the real and undeniable needs to ensure a complete incorporation of their concerns and solutions into the negotiations. The indigenousness people of the world are directly effected more adversely than us in the developed nations. A speaker from Kenya stated that recent prolonged droughts have destroyed the land completely to the point that it is no longer available for agricultural use. Climate change creates a situation where competition for resources from different communities where serious conflicts between peoples can and has arisen. One way of coping was through a mobility mechanism. This mechanism means that if people are giving the chance to move to more agricultural rich land then survival and prosperity can be achieved. The problem lies in the fact that country boarders and environmental safe zones have been created without the consult of the people of that land. “ Our voices have been completely ignored, the governments meet in closed doors while the people who are effected are left outside” said one of the panel members from Kenya. The Kenya panellist went on to say that “ This style of meeting will likely produce an abuse of the local people”.
Some other leaders from the Artic, Philippines and China have all stated along with many others that developing countries receive the appropriate finance to both mitigate and develop ways to combat climate change. The reason they feel so strongly about this issue is because they claim they have not received any benefit from climate change unlike the developed nations. In essence developed countries have created over ¾ of all climate change GHG's through industrial revolution and have had the benefits and luxuries of such. The developing countries however have stated that since they have not polluted nearly as much due to little or no industrial revolution and they should not have to be given the same financial obligation. I personally think this makes complete sense, it is our mess, lets clean it up ourselves all while ensuring we never pollute at the same levels while giving developing nations the chance to do the same.
I want to finish up on a quote that was giving by a pacific French colony islander native who said “ We don’t own the land, we belong to the land and with the land goes the identity of the people”. I found this powerful because he said the island he was born and raised on is at severe risk of complete consumption by the rising ocean levels and he is concerned that his people and their identity will be lost forever. When I heard such factual and truthful statements by people directly personally effected by climate change it really shows how crucial their voice is in this entire UN conference.
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