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Every day a huge amount of oil is spewing into the Gulf of Mexico in the US. This is symbolic of the energy choices that we have made to date. And it shows the dramatic implications of that energy choice. But those energy choices are also having devastating impacts which are less visual but more damaging. Rampant global warming is impacting countries around the world as a result of our energy and development choices. The oil catastrophe is a wake-up call for the United States and should be a wake-up call for the world.
Continue Reading The Choice to Move Forward on International Efforts to Address Global Warming
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Despite the flourishing rhetoric at the outset of the COP15 climate conference in Copenhagen last December, by the time the conference got underway it was already apparent that the degree of tension and mistrust between the developed and developing world would likely hobble efforts to negotiate a “fair and binding” agreement to deal with climate change at an international level.
Continue Reading Yvo de Boer: The “Danish Text” Sunk COP15
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Current UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer addressed the press this morning (see video below) in advance of the first UN climate negotiations next week in Bonn. Soon to be succeeded by incoming Executive Secretary designate Christiana Figueres, de Boer may harbor some relief in not charged with shepherding the next major climate conference, COP16, later this year in Cancún, Mexico.
Continue Reading UNFCC Executive Secretary Talks of Expectations for Bonn Climate Talks
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EarthTalk® is a weekly environmental column made available to our readers from the editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: There have been many contradictory reports (“it was good; it was bad”) about what came out of “COP 15,” the December 2009 international Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen. Can you set the record straight? – Jay Killian, Brookline, MA
Continue Reading EarthTalk: What Really Happened at COP15?
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Ministers from four of the major emerging economies – Brazil, South Africa, India, and China (the “BASIC” group) – met over the weekend and through Monday to discuss the next steps in international efforts to address global warming. These four countries played a critical role in Copenhagen and collectively account for around 30% of the world’s global warming pollution* so they are critical players in addressing this challenge. And each of them have made commitments as a part of the Copenhagen Accord to reduce their emissions and are implementing policies to achieve those goals (as I discussed here).
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GlobalWarmingisReal contributor Anders Hellum-Alexander wraps-up the climate and environmental news headlines for the past week:
- Obama promises that his next focus will be the environment. It will be interesting to see how hard Obama pushes against industry and how much we accomplishes.
Continue Reading Environmental News Wrap-Up: April 11-19
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It is almost 3 months after the Copenhagen Accord was hammered out by 28 of the world’s key countries that represent over 80% of the world’s global warming pollution and some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (as I discussed here). Given the state of the Accord just after Copenhagen with some calling it a failure, some outlining the foundations in the Accord for international efforts (and as my colleague discussed here), and others…well not quite sure what to make of it, where do things stand on international efforts to address global warming?
Continue Reading Where Do Things Stand on International Efforts to Address Global Warming?
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As I mentioned here by the end of January countries were to register their actions to reduce global warming pollution as agreed under the Copenhagen Accord. And by deadline countries accounting for over 80% of the world’s global warming pollution (and a bit more) have registered their actions to reduce their pollution. So what does this all mean?
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In December 2009, more than 120 Heads of Government attended the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, the largest meeting of world leaders in history (the previous largest one was the funeral of the Pope according to Wikipedia). Many of the leaders came to Copenhagen with new commitments to actions on global warming pollution (as I discussed here and here). Under the Accord, all of the big emitters are expected to record their commitments officially by January 31st, 2010 (in Appendix I and Appendix II).
Continue Reading Copenhagen Accord = Climate Action
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It was in the wee hours of Saturday December 19th that a bleary-eyed UNFCCC secretary-general Yvo de Boer was putting the best face he could on the Copenhagen Accord for the remaining press at the Bella Center in Copenhagen – the final official press conference from COP15. I was not among those remaining press, instead making my way on a dark and cold Copenhagen morning to the bus, subway, and airplane that would take me home.
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