Senator Kerry cheers the youth taking part in a sit-in

Senator Kerry shook the hands of youth taking part in a sit-in in the central hall of the Copenhagen climate talks. 

Fossil 5: Special guest — the Mayor of Toronto — collects Canada’s casket of shame

The Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, in Copenhagen made a special guest appearance tonight to collect first and second place “Fossil of the Day” awards, after NGOs from around the world voted to present Canada with a double dishonour for doing the most to obstruct progress in the global climate talks today.


THIRD PLACE: THE EUROPEAN UNION

European leaders had the chance to put their mark on the talks today: by agreeing a more ambitious 2020 target, by putting money on the table longer term, by ensuring short term finance is new money, and by closing EU loopholes like hot air and sinks. Five opportunities for leadership. Of the five, they took… zero.

We’re glad the EU is calling for a legally binding outcome as soon as possible, and we know some countries in Europe are fighting for an agreement worth having. But to seal a real deal at Copenhagen, Europe’s leaders need to lead together–to end their defensive approach, and make a bold move before the final hour of Copenhagen. In particular Germany must understand that other countries will not be inspired by an EU that is holding out on moving forward. Only courageous action will draw out responses. Timidity will draw out Fossils.

SECOND PLACE: CANADA

Canada’s chief negotiator insisted in a briefing this morning that his country’s target of -3% below 1990 are, in fact, based on science. The price quote–in answer to a question, was: “Yes, Canada’s targets are science-based. Absolutely, yes.”

Last we checked, the IPCC scientific community called for 25-40% emission reductions below 1990 levels. The Fossil Supreme Command Council can only conclude that he wasn’t referring to climate science at all, but rather the science of mathematics–because -3% is, indeed, a number. (Although a very small one.) Speaking of math, Canada already promised in the Kyoto Protocol to go to -6% from 1990 levels. Oops!

Further, when the chief negotiator was asked this morning if he believed Canada’s so called “science based-target” would protect melting summer sea-ice in the North West passage, he responded quite accurately that he is not a scientist and therefore cannot predict sea-ice. Canada, here’s a piece of science you can understand: you’ve won the second place Fossil Award.

FIRST PLACE: CANADA

It doesn’t get much clearer than this: Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, said yesterday that, quote, “it’s in Canada’s interests to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new agreement.” He didn’t explain whether that’s because he’s scared to face Kyoto’s compliance committee


It also appears that Canada’s environment minister is suffering a serious case of CAN envy. Yesterday, he invented his own prize, the Hot Air of the Day Award, and tried to give it to a Canadian environmental group. It’s a true honor to be recognized for hot air by this government, the world’s acknowledged masters in that area. But even though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’d be even more flattered if you actually signed on to a fair, ambitious, and binding deal instead of trying to wriggle free of the climate promises you’ve already made and broken.

Monckton called Young climate activists "Hitler Youth"

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Fifty young Americans took over a climate denier conference hosted by a prominent conservative organization this evening in Copenhagen, rushing the stage and telling the live TV audience that a clean energy future is the real road to prosperity in America. The young people, merely a fraction of the more than 350 US youth in Denmark for the UN climate negotiations, entered a session of the Americans for Prosperity "Hot Air Tour" speakers series and were able to drop two banners and gain access to the conference's stage. The live event was webcast to over forty climate denier rallies in cities across the United States. See a video at http://bit.ly/4FAljl and pictures at http://is.gd/5hbUR.

The students entered the event in small groups, joining a paltry audience of five conference attendees, who had come to hear climate denier Lord Christopher Monckton speak about the Copenhagen climate negotiations. After the first five minutes of the event, student representatives from SustainUS, the Sierra Student Coalition, the Cascade Climate Network, and other American youth NGOs displayed banners reading "Climate Disaster Ahead" and "Clean Energy Now." After security agents at the event took the banners, the young attendees began a chant of "Real Americans for Prosperity are Americans for Clean Energy." The chant lasted five minutes, as the youth took the stage and displayed their message for the live video feed being sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, despite evasive action by Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips and his camera crew. As they left the stage, Lord Monckton repeatedly called the activists "crazed Hitler Youth" and "nazis."

"Clean energy creates jobs," says Rachel Barge, a 24-year-old entrepreneur from San Francisco, CA who was the first young person to raise her voice at the event, "These climate action delayers and science deniers are  stealing bold, new economic opportunities from the American public." Laura Comer, 21, of Strongsville, OH, seconded Barge, saying, "We're representing the majority of Americans on this, particularly young Americans. The real America wants clean energy - not more fossil fuel-funded lies about the science."

"We are Americans for prosperity too," says Ethan Buckner of the Sierra Student Coalition, "Prosperity that's created through a new clean energy economy that will revitalize the American economy and provide millions of clean energy jobs for our generation and all generations to come." "We need a strong climate and clean energy bill from Congress and a science-based and just treaty in Copenhagen in order to jump start this new energy economy Americans are calling for so loudly," adds Ben Wessel of SustainUS, "The youth of America are ready to move forward into a sustainable future, and we need our elected officials to join us. We refuse to sit quietly today while our leaders decide the future of tomorrow."

Protests against Danish Text at COP15

By Gan Pei Ling
editor@thenutgraph.com
COPENHAGEN, 9 Dec 2009: Over 60 African youths demonstrated at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) yesterday in response to a leaked draft climate agreement that the Danish government was expected to put forward.
"We're very disappointed [with the draft] ...They're bringing it to the table to force African heads of government to sign it. We've already seen the draft, we do not agree with it. We came here with open arms to negotiate, we did not come here to rubber stamp what has already been decided," said Winnie Asiti Khaemba from Kenya.
The 23-year-old said that farmers and other vulnerable communities in her country were already suffering from the severe impacts of climate change, such as reduced food production and increased infection of malaria.
"What is being proposed here means death to these communities," Khaemba told The Nut Graph, adding that governments should commit to limit global warming within one degree Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reported in 2007 that the global temperature has risen by 0.74 degree Celsius since more than a century ago.
The Danish draft agreement, however, is proposing to limit temperature rise within two degree Celsius.
"Two degree is suicide for Africa and small island nations," said Liyunesh Yohanes Glagize from Ethiopia.
She added that the changing climate is already threatening the survival and livelihoods of Ethiopians particularly farmers, and exacerbating the country's food crisis.
The draft, also dubbed the Danish Text, was formulated by several parties including Denmark, the UK and the US. It is being criticised for not including the voices of smaller countries.
The draft is also being contested because it reverses the main principles of the Kyoto Protocol, which puts the bulk of the responsibility on larger economies to reduce emissions while excluding smaller countries.
"Developed countries must commit to a 40% cut [of carbon emissions] by 2020 below 1990 levels at Copenhagen. Our peoples' survival is at stake here," said Margaret Demba from Kenya, who is among the 100 African youths present at COP15.
She added that the African youths decided to hold the protest spontaneously after an African youth group meeting at the Bella Center yesterday. Security at Bella Center did not stop the rally.
The Danish draft has also drawn flak from other environmental groups including Oxfam and WWF, which have criticised it for being weak and for reflecting a selective and non-transparent approach to the negotiations.

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Gan Pei Ling's trip to Copenhagen was made possible by sponsorships from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Selangor government, and the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are her own and do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors.
taken from  http://thenutgraph.com/protests-against-danish-text-cop15

Children’s Climate Forum starts to talk!!!

Climate change threatens our lives, our families and our future. We, the youth delegates from 44 countries attending the Children’s Climate Forum 2009, will not sit back and watch. We already face the effects of climate change. Our communities are deprived of clean drinking water, denied access to education and vulnerable to disease every time it floods. Our plates are empty due to drought. Our future is at risk, and we demand that something be done. The youth in the world are ready to take action, and we request the same of governments worldwide. The time for talk is over. Now, we hold you accountable for your commitments.


The challenges may appear insurmountable, yet as stakeholders, our generation is ready to collaborate in this cause.

We commit to personal lifestyle changes that place the common good above our individual desires and current way of life.

We commit to educate and empower ourselves and our communities to adapt to and mitigate the changing climate.

We commit to engage and actively cooperate with all generations and governments in combating climate change.

As our efforts alone will not be enough, we expect our leaders and fellow citizens to cooperate. The following actions need to be taken:

Recommendations for Adaptation



•Governments of industrialized countries should contribute more, through financial and technological support, to the adaptation of developing countries to climate change.

•We want cities to be well-planned and sustainable, with clean drinking water, many green spaces and efficient transport networks. Governments should take more proactive efforts to prevent uncontrolled urban growth and strengthen rural communities by creating sustainable employment, quality education and entertainment.

•Regulations, safety standards and standard emergency protocol, consistently centered on and informed by children, need to be established to prepare for climate induced disasters.

•As lack of water is already causing drought and desertification in many areas, governments must work towards water conservation and provide clean water sources for areas in need.

•Education on sea level rise and flooding, along with policies that allow communities to adjust to changes, must be implemented. When communities’ water supplies are threatened by rising sea levels, alternative sources should be provided to aid their adaptation.

•Biodiversity-related projects that promote the conservation of threatened species must be widely implemented.

Recommendations for Mitigation



•Research, development and sharing of green and energy-efficient technologies, especially renewable energy production, must occur between industrialized and developing countries to ensure sustainable development globally.

•Investments should be made in sustainable transport infrastructure, such as train and bus networks, cycling lanes and environmentally friendly fuel.

•An international carbon trading system should be introduced. All transactions within the market should be taxed and the revenue generated should be used for an adaptation fund.

•We propose a new classification where countries are divided into three annexes—the industrialized countries, the developing countries which pollute heavily and the less polluting developing countries—to distribute responsibilities fairly among nations.

•Governments should establish and develop recycling systems on a national level. We demand that our authorities provide accessible recycling facilities in all communities.

•Climate change education should be a mandatory and substantial area of the school curriculum. Governments should also support organizations which already educate youth on climate issues.

The battle against climate change is upon all of us. We are ready to act and we invite you to join us. Climate change is affecting our lives, our families and our future. We must act immediately and we are ready to fulfill our commitments. We are prepared to give all we have as long as there is the possibility of saving our planet.



We expect the same courage from you.

Failure in Copenhagen is not an option

Failure in Copenhagen is not an option

If the world fails to deliver a political agreement at the UN climate conference in December, it will be “the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century”, says incoming COP15 president, Connie Hedegaard.
Will there be a global climate deal at the UN climate conference COP15 in Copenhagen in December? With the clock ticking and a host of major political issues yet to be solved, some people have voiced their doubt.




One hand that is not shaking, however, is the one belonging to Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy. As incoming COP15 president, she faces the daunting task of swinging the baton in front of delegates from all over the globe, thereby making them play the same tune and hopefully, after a concerted effort, end with an accord.

 
And while thousands of negotiators are still struggling to narrow the score down to something playable, Hedegaard is adamant that Copenhagen will “seal the deal”.

“If the whole world comes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, then I think it’s a failure that is not just about climate. Then it’s the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century. And that is and should not be a possibility. It’s not an option,” Connie Hedegaard tells cop15.dk in an interview.
She calls Copenhagen a “window of opportunity” which should not be missed, arguing that it may take years to rebuild the momentum.




“If we don’t deliver in Copenhagen, then I cannot see when again you can build up a similar pressure on all the governments of this world to deliver. So I think we should be very, very cautious not to miss the opportunity,” says Hedegaard, adding that “it would be irresponsible not to use the momentum now”.



Connie Hedegaard is basing her optimism on the fact that nations, after months of political stalemate, began to come forward in September and show their positions. Japan, China, India and Indonesia are some of these “key players” who, according to Hedegaard, have brought new momentum to the climate negotiation process.



“In that sense,” she says, “Copenhagen has already delivered results. If we hadn’t had that deadline, these governments would not have come forward with their targets. They are doing so because they know the deadline is coming closer, and they must start to deliver.”



To effectively break the deadlock, however, two more requirements must be fulfilled. Politicians, including heads of state, need to become more actively involved. And developed countries need to come forward with specifics on finance.



“They cannot just continue to talk about finance. They must show – prove – to the developing world, we know that we are going to pay, or there will be no agreement. And the sooner the developed countries deliver on finance, the better.”



Hedegaard admits that the technicalities of the negotiation process are extremely complex, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for not striking a political, binding deal.



“We know what we ought to do on mitigation, on reductions, on adaptation, on technology and on finance. Well, yes, it’s difficult. But my bet is, it’s not going to get any easier by postponing decisions.”



In order to reach an agreement in December, “as little as possible” should remain to be solved when negotiators arrive in Copenhagen. The high-level section of COP15 is only three days, four at the most. Therefore the negotiation text must be rid of “square brackets” – at this point there are still 2,500 remaining – and the political options must be made very clear before the politicians arrive on the stage, says Connie Hedegaard.

Her personal success criteria for Copenhagen?
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Countdown to Copenhagen: The 'people's summit'

from 30th of november news from http://www.independent.co.uk

There may be 10,000 of them. There may be 20,000. There may be even 30,000. Their official focus will be Klimaforum09, the alternative "people's summit" which will host speakers such as the anti-globalisation activist Naomi Klein, the author and climate campaigner George Monbiot and the radical Indian environmentalist Vandana Shiva. "Klimaforum's aim is to provide an opportunity for the public to enter into discussion," said its spokesman Richard Steed. "We're going to be looking at radical solutions."

Plenty of people will be offering them. Naomi Klein, the Canadian author whose book No Logo became a key text for anti-globalisation campaigners, contrasted Copenhagen with the "Battle of Seattle", the angry confrontation with the authorities at the World Trade Organisation conference in 1999, which she took part in.

This time around, she believes, "it's really tricky for activists in terms of figuring out how you interact with a summit like this. There's a different dynamic [from Seattle], because the fact is that the people in the streets overwhelmingly support the mission of the meeting in Copenhagen. And, so, they're not saying 'no' to the idea of a climate summit. In fact, they're saying 'yes'."

Friends of the Earth International (FOE) have organised one of the major actions during the conference, known as The Flood. Part of the Global Day of Action on 12 December – the middle Saturday of the conference when the city centre will become a carnival of parades – this will consist of about 3,000 members of the public taking to the streets dressed in blue. They will march towards the Bella Centre, where the main climate conference is being held, after joining up with other groups. "System Change, Not Climate Change" is the slogan for the less formal actions being organised by Climate Justice Action (CJA), the umbrella group for an international network that includes Climate Camp, Focus on the Global South, and the Indian Social Action Forum.

The organisations marching that day plan to convene outside the Bella Centre to show the level of solidarity needed to cut carbon emissions at an appropriate rate. As well as attempting to persuade governments to commit to these targets, the demonstrators will also argue that market-based ideas such as the trading of carbon emissions are merely opportunities for companies to profit from pollution. Most of the protesters reject the involvement of the World Bank in international climate finance.

Exhibitions by members of indigenous populations from Peru, the Philippines and the Arctic will discuss the policies of developed governments, such as the idea of carbon offsetting as a method to reduce carbon emissions. NGOs including The Third World Network, Focus on the Global South and Jubilee South will participate in the official conference and lobby against the dangers of these proposals to local communities.

Crowds are expected to gather in Copenhagen for the arrival of the high delegates on 16 December. At 7pm, during "Earth Hour" the lights of the city will be turned off, sending a message about the need for a commitment to a global climate deal. On the same day, demonstrators will attempt to enter the Bella Centre en masse, turning the debate into the People's Assembly for Climate Justice.

"We'll definitely be met with violence from the police," said UK-based protester Isabel Jama. "CJA has a guideline that we'll only use our bodies in the protest, and we're anticipating police tactics to be an obstacle to get around, not to confront. However, this will be different to UK protests where police don't use teargas, and we'll be working with legal and medical teams on the day. Danish kids are rowdy and the police use dispersal tactics there."

Danish officials have taken a firm stance against activism in recent years, and UK protestors are expecting to witness the type of resistance seen in the dismantling of the "Ungdomshuset", a youth community centre run by activists and musicians in the centre of Copenhagen. When police emptied the building in March 2007, more than 400 people were arrested and teargas was used against the crowds.
The Danish government announced recently that they have turned warehouses and gyms outside the city into temporary prisons, and a new law has been hurried through parliament ahead of the summit to allow police to arrest anyone who they suspect might breach the peace.

"Protests have begun to combat these infringements of civil liberties, and whilst there's an ideological perspective to their action their point is informed by the environmental agenda that requires a constructive outcome," said Danish student Seb Ross.

Who's who: The activists


Never Trust a Cop: anti-capitalist network which formed in April 2009 to mobilise against COP15 and link social struggles and climate activism.


Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination: art-activist group from Bristol which is teaming up with Climate Camp, pictured, unleash civil disobedience on Reclaim Power day.


n La Via Campesina: movement which coordinates peasant organisations of small and middle-scale producers to search for sustainable agriculture.


Food Not Bombs: grassroots movement which shares free vegan and vegetarian meals at demonstrations.


Climate Justice Action: global network committed to taking the urgent actions needed to combat climate change

Indian Social Action Forum: national forum of more than 500 social action groups, people's movements and progressive intellectuals that resists globalisation and defends democracy in India.


click here to visit the original artical.

Obama kills with 2005.

The largest climate mobilization in US soil after Obama declared the most depressing base year for emission reductions ever. Obama followed by several pollutant countries has already expressed their plans to screw the world climate movement efforts to secure a better world for the life to live in.

November 30, an international day of climate action and solidarity with the upcoming protests in Copenhagen will take place all over USA. What the Mobilization for Climate Justice (MCJ), who is the back born of this action have to say about the action. Is as follows:

In recent years, direct action movements fighting for climate justice in North America have manifested around coal plants, coal mining, tar sands extraction projects, oil refineries, natural gas and other fossil fuels. In southern West Virginia, over 120 people have been arrested this year fighting mountaintop removal coal mining (last week, a group locked down to mining equipment on Coal River Mountain.) In California, community groups have worked with environmental and climate groups in challenging Chevron’s Richmond oil refinery. In Alberta Canada, environmentalists along with native groups have been facing off against the provincial government and oil companies over tar sands extraction projects.

“Nine cities are preparing mobilizations, mass actions, protests and civil disobedience targeting a variety of corporate entities complicit in the climate crisis. Right now the U.S. has the deepest carbon footprint on the planet and the world WILL see that there is a vibrant growing resistance to the fossil fuel empire in the belly of the beast. Groups affiliated with the Mobilization for Climate Justice (MCJ) and the Climate Pledge of Resistance (CPR) have targeted a variety of financial, extractive and combustive industries that are profiting from the climate crisis and false solutions to it. JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Chevron, Morgan Stanley, British Petroleum (BP) and American Electric Power (AEP) are all designated targets; many more corporations will be called out as well.”

MOBILIZE! – NOVEMBER 30, 2009

A broad coalition of organizations working for social, ecological, racial and economic justice has come together under the banner of the Mobilization for Climate Justice. Join us as we organize mass action on climate change on November 30, 2009! November 30 (N30) is significant both because it immediately precedes the upcoming UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen and is the ten-year anniversary of the protests that shut down of the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle, demonstrating the incredible power of collective action.

Every indication is that any agreement that emerges from Copenhagen will be nothing more than business as usual—sacrificing real emissions reductions in favor of market-based approaches that enhance corporate profits while delaying a transition away from fossil fuels. The current approach to climate change in the UN, and in the US Congress, is based on the creation of a new market in carbon emissions. Carbon trading (aka “cap and trade”) and carbon offsets do not address the root causes of global warming, nor do they reduce emissions. They are designed by and for corporations, and are a dangerous distraction that should be abandoned.

We urgently need to implement real solutions like ending excessive consumption, keeping fossil fuels in the ground, re-localizing production and consumption, and drastically reducing greenhouse emissions. We must also protect the rights of workers, displaced peoples, and others affected by the transition.

We’re asking you to join us in taking the next step – a global day of action for climate justice on Monday, November 30, 2009. Take the day off, get together with friends, and take a stand for real, just and effective solutions to the climate crisis!



Go here for the full information of the event.

Important link one: http://www.actforclimatejustice.org/n30-day-of-action/n30-actions-seattle/

Important link one: http://west.actforclimatejustice.org/

WTO action on Nov 29th-Climate Change and Coorperate Globalization

Change Trade, Not Our Climate

Click here for the Statement from the OWINFS
Trade and Climate Change Working Group

As we mobilize resistance to yet another WTO ministerial meeting designed to promote the extension of the WTO’s powers in late November 2009 — exactly ten years after the ‘Battle of Seattle’ and just days before the crucial UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen — let us join in a common cause. To overcome the current global and systemic crises that now engulf the planet, we must collectively call for the building of a new economic order — one that puts the satisfaction of basic human needs and the implementation of all social, economic, cultural, political and human rights at the centre of its program priorities — and one that is based on models of production and consumption that respect the natural resource limits of the planet, an equitable distribution of these resources among people, and the use of clean, safe and renewable energy resources. As a major first step towards a new economic order, we insist that the neoliberal model of global trade be scrapped and replaced by an alternative multilateral trade model — one that is just, sustainable and participatory.


We, therefore, call on social movements, labor unions and civil society organizations the world over to work with us in the coming months to resist and replace the neoliberal trade and globalization regime that is causing and intensifying the global crises:

• by organizing actions and mobilizing our members to prevent the conclusion of the Doha Round of the WTO before and after its ministerial meeting in Geneva;

• by promoting and establishing a moratorium on bilateral and bi-regional free trade negotiations in particular countries and regions;

• by taking action to ensure that the WTO and its neoliberal model of trade are delegitimized as false solutions leading up to the Climate Summit in Copenhagen.

As subjects of history, it’s time to demand a global turn around now before it’s too late!

Click here for the action page

Climate change will lead to civil wars in Africa, says research

The march of climate change could make civil wars much more likely, research suggests, with models predicting nearly 400,000 extra deaths in African conflicts by 2030.
A rise of as little as 1C could make civil conflict in sub-Saharan Africa more than 50 per cent more likely, according to the study.

Marshall Burke, a University of California economist and the study's lead author, said: "Our study finds that climate change could increase the risk of African civil war by over 50 percent in 2030 relative to 1990, with huge potential costs to human livelihoods." Small changes to temperature will affect crop growth, and most of sub-Saharan Africa’s poor rely on agriculture for their livelihood. Edward Miguel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley, said: "When temperatures rise, the livelihoods of many in Africa suffer greatly, and the disadvantaged become more likely to take up arms."

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the first hard evidence linking global warming to fighting. It is based on data from 20 global warming models and a historical examination of the links between climate and conflict in sub-Saharan Africa. The researchers found that, between 1980 and 2002, civil wars were much more likely in warmer years. In years that were one degree above average, the risk of conflict rose by nearly 50 per cent.

The study’s co-author, earth scientist David Lobell, said: "On average, the models suggest that temperatures over the African continent will increase by a little over one degree Celsius by 2030. "Given the strong historical relationship between temperature rise and conflict, this expected future rise in temperature is enough to cause big increases in the likelihood of conflict.” The study suggested that a one-degree rise could translate to a 55 per cent risk increase by 2030, which in turn would lead to 390,000 deaths in combat, assuming future wars are as deadly as recent ones.
The researchers have urged governments in Africa and worldwide to hasten and expand policies to help the continent adapt to the effects of climate change. Mr Burke said: "Our findings provide strong impetus to ramp up investments in African adaptation to climate change by such steps as developing crop varieties less sensitive to extreme heat and promoting insurance plans to help protect farmers from adverse effects of the hotter climate. "If the sub-Saharan climate continues to warm and little is done to help its countries better adapt to high temperatures, the human costs are likely to be staggering."
Millions of people have died in Africa in civil wars in the last decade, including more than 5.4 million in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.
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