There will be another congressional hearing about the climate bill tomorrow, and guess who is on the stand? Five people representing fossil industries, one faith leader, and an economist from the most corporatist ‘environmental’ organization around.
There are no young people on the panel and our only ally, Maria Castellanos from the United Church of Christ, is also the only witness who isn’t white, a man, and whose pockets aren’t lined with bloody fossil fuel cash. Wouldn’t it be nice to let these people know what we think they should be saying? I looked around for their e-mail addresses for you. Pick one person, and send them a quick note. I chose Mr. Keohane from the Environmental Defense Fund and this is what I’m writing him: Continue reading ‘Dear Hearing Witness, would you mind not selling our future?’
It was cool and cloudy this morning yesterday as more than a dozen volunteers placed red flags across a park field in Bonn, Germany. We were preparing to create a giant aerial image and message to the UN climate talks taking place here. No one anticipated just how wet we were all about to be — or just how beautiful an message we would create…
Starting at around noon over 500 people (Bonn locals and international activists alike) braved a steady, cool rain to form the aerial image directed by our friend John Quigley, SpectralQ. With penguins, polar bears, and puppets greeting the crowd as they entered the park it was a festive event and a clear demonstration of the groups’ dedication for the issue — lying on the wet ground for over 40 minutes as photographers and press snapped pictures.
And the message? To world leaders and the delegates attending the UN climate talks we were sending a laaarge reminder of the urgency of this moment. Time is tck tck tcking on as world leaders linger and delay in doing what they can and must do — set the world on course back below 350 ppm CO2.
And the aerial image wasn’t all. After all the photos were taken the group rose up, donned green hard hats (keeping our white suits on), and marched to the UN climate conference. And there, despite instensifying rain, the hardy crew addressed our message directly to the delegations inside — Yes you can!
Image: Robert van Waarden / Spectral Q
It was cool and cloudy this morning as more than a dozen volunteers placed red flags across a park field in Bonn, Germany. We were preparing to create a giant aerial image and message to the UN climate talks taking place here. No one anticipated just how wet we were all about to be — or just how beautiful an message we would create…
Starting at around noon over 500 people (Bonn locals and international activists alike) braved a steady, cool rain to form the aerial image directed by our friend John Quigley, SpectralQ. With penguins, polar bears, and puppets greeting the crowd as they entered the park it was a festive event and a clear demonstration of the groups’ dedication for the issue — lying on the wet ground for over 40 minutes as photographers and press snapped pictures.
And the message? To world leaders and the delegates attending the UN climate talks we were sending a laaarge reminder of the urgency of this moment. Time is tck tck tcking on as world leaders linger and delay in doing what they can and must do — set the world on course back below 350 ppm CO2.
And the aerial image wasn’t all. After all the photos were taken the group rose up, donned green hard hats (keeping our white suits on), and marched to the UN climate conference. And there, despite instensifying rain, the hardy crew addressed our message directly to the delegations inside — Yes you can!
Update: This just in from Young Friends of the Earth Europe…
This is my second post in a 3 part series about what role natural gas can play in a low carbon sustainable future, and what role it should play. Part 1 is right here. This post is going to explore the reasoning against and for natural gas use.
I will cover the environmental/social justice, carbon emissions, and national security arguments surrounding natural gas. Continue reading ‘Natural Gas’
Micah Melnyk and Doug Forsythe of the Canadian Delegation in the main Plenary session.
Canada’s lead negotiator for the UN climate talks answers your questions again. You can ask Michael Martin your question by commenting here.
1. What is the length of commitment period that Canada is looking at for the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol?
2. What research initiatives do you think Canada should be focusing on in light of these negotiations?
3. And beyond Copenhagen, how are we going to kick-start the technology revolution that we are going to need?
4. Is Canada looking at the gender perspective in climate adaptation discussions and policies?
5. I heard a rumor that you joined Twitter in the last 24 hours… is this true?
I have a column out today in the paper about the Obama Administration’s shameful approval of 42 mountaintop removal permits. I want to be sure to post it for you. This was largely motivated by a trip my friend Davey Rogner made to West Virginia, and what he told me was going on.
Mountaintop removal: No science, no ethics
MATT DERNOGA
The Environmental Protection Agency recently approved 42 of the 48 permit applications for mountaintop removal operations in West Virginia, deeming them environmentally responsible. A review of mountaintop removal would serve the EPA well. Continue reading ‘Mountaintop Removal Op-Ed’
This post was written as a collaboration by members of Rainforest Action Network Toronto
Toronto Activists Tell RBC’s Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs that Oil and Water Don’t Mix
Five activists with the Rainforest Action Network attended the Investing in Water conference at University of Toronto to confront RBC’s Director of Corporate Environmental Affairs, Sandra Odendahl, on RBC’s financing of tar sands developments in Alberta. During her presentation, Ms. Odendahl highlighted RBC’s Blue Water project, a program that she argues “foster[s] a culture of water stewardship, so that people have clean fresh water today and tomorrow.” Rainforest Action Network activists shared their concern that RBC, the top financier of fossil fuel production and tar sands development in Canada, still claims a supposed commitment to clean water. Continue reading ‘Oil and Water Don’t Mix!’
This week in a West Virginia court, Judge Robert Burnside issued a preliminary injunction to block anti-Mountaintop Removal protests on certain Massey mining sites. He narrowed it from a previous ruling that stated it adjoined anyone associated with protesters (essentially the entire No Coal Movement) to only those actually named on the injunction and those acting in immediate concert or association with them. He also acknowledged the injunction only extends to Raleigh County, WV (his jurisdiction).
Michael Martin, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change and head UN negotiator here at the Bonn II climate talks, sat down with me as I asked the questions asked by you, the readers.
Do you have a negotiating mandate for here in Bonn?
How do you think the talks are going so far?
How can Canada negotiate emission targets for the year 2020 when our federal targets won’t be phased in until 2012?
Given China’s recent positive actions on climate change, is Canada now more willing to agree to the required science-based emission targets?
Does Canada have a position yet on agreeing to avoid 2 degrees of average global warming, which is the projected temperature point at which irreversible changes largely occur?
If you could ask 1000 Canadians to do one thing to be constructive and help you be effective in these negotiations, what would you suggest they do?
On the 2nd of June India stood up once again to question the science stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), one of the top scientific bodies to prove the existence of climate change. And although it sounds ridiculous, if you look deeper into the Indian argument there is some legitimacy. Or so I believe.
Now when we hear that the IPCC science is being challenged, we automatically assume that means that the challenging party thinks that climate change isn’t happening. That is not the case here. India signed off on the IPCC because it accepted the reality of climate change as described by the report.
So what is India challenging?
The IPCC reports, besides only talking about the impacts of climate change, also state a pathway of emissions reductions for developed countries required to limit emissions to a point of 450ppm equivalent. This scenario gives us a 50% chance of avoiding disastrous climate change, defined as a limit to global temperature increase of 2 degrees. The pathway they stated for a 450ppm scenario was that developed countries need to reduce emissions by 25-40% based on 1990 emissions levels by 2020, and a “significant” deviation from business as usual in developing countries. Continue reading ‘Is India questioning the science?’
“We gave you 17 percent, what do you mean you want more?”
That was the response of Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers when I told him recently I’d like him to reconsider Duke’s actions to weaken the Waxman/Markey climate change bill. As the U.S. youth representative at a recent meeting of world business leaders in Copenhagen, I approached Mr. Rogers after the Executive Director of one of the world’s largest environmental organizations helped 4 other youth representatives and me “find” our way into the private conference dinner. Explaining my role as a representative of SustainUS and the Energy Action Coalition, I proceeded to tell him that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change calls for reductions of 25-40 percent from a 1990 baseline (not the weaker 2005 target in Waxman/Markey) to reduce the chances of catastrophic climate change that threatens future generations. I told Mr. Rogers that the actions of Duke Energy are unacceptable to the youth climate movement, and that the survival of future generations is being endangered with such a modest climate bill that companies like his have tried to further weaken.
There will be another congressional hearing about the climate bill tomorrow, and guess who is on the stand? Five people representing fossil industries, one faith leader, and an economist from the most corporatist ‘environmental’ organization around.
Image: Robert van Waarden / Spectral Q
This week in a West Virginia court, Judge Robert Burnside 
