Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Marchers from around the world gathered in Copenhagen Dec. 12 to ask political leaders to be courageous, stop talking and act now. Nasseem Ackbarally/TerraViva
By Stephen Leahy
COPENHAGEN (IPS/TerraViva) Climate treaty organisers here have decided to severely limit the participation of civil society starting Tuesday as government ministers and heads of state and their entourages began to arrive Monday.
With 45,000 people registered, only 7,000 will be from civil society on Tuesday and Wednesday. The number will be cut to 1,000 observers on Thursday, and only 90 observers will be allowed into the conference centre on Friday, the final day of negotiations, when an estimated 131 heads of state will be in attendance. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Mohammad Nasheed, héroe climático. Crédito: Raúl Pierri/IPS
Por Raúl Pierri
COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva) El cambio climático es un problema que se agiganta, y la sociedad civil, harta de negociaciones infructuosas, parece haber hallado a su David: el presidente de Maldivas.
Es que la cruzada contra los grandes intereses, los empresarios poderosos, los gobiernos indiferentes y la burocracia diplomática necesita de mucha fuerza de voluntad, pero también, y especialmente en esta era de imágenes, de un símbolo. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
By Matthew Berger
WASHINGTON (IPS/TerraViva) A new poll released by the global activist group Avaaz echoes the findings of several recent polls – a majority of U.S. respondents support taking action to fight climate change.
The poll, released Monday, found 61 percent want the U.S. to sign a treaty in Copenhagen that would see global greenhouse gas emissions start to decline by 2015. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Manuel Rodríguez Becerra, ex ministro de Medio Ambiente de Colombia. Crédito: Confecoop
Por Daniela Estrada
COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva) “Nos preocupa que la voz de América Latina se hace sentir a través de las ONG multinacionales, que pueden ser muy respetables, como la WWF, Conservación Internacional, Amigos de la Tierra, pero pensamos que debe haber una voz de América Latina que no esté permeada por los intereses del Norte”, dijo a TerraViva el ex ministro de Medio Ambiente de Colombia, Manuel Rodríguez. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Sisiwe Khanyile from South African group Groundwork. Credit: Servaas van den Bosch/IPS
By Servaas van den Bosch
COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva) Powerhouse South Africa last week promised a reduction of growth in emissions, making it the momentary star of the negotiations. But the plan is ‘an absolute non-starter’, say environmental groups, as power utility Eskom fires up more fossil plants with five billion dollars of World Bank funding.
In a well-timed move, South Africa, responsible for half of the continent’s greenhouse gas emissions, announced a reduction of CO2 emission growth – down 34 percent from business as usual in 2020 and 42 percent by 2025. The announcement, released the day before the start of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, predicts a decline in emissions in 2035. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Credit: Claudia Ciobanu/IPS
By Claudia Ciobanu
COPENHAGEN (IPS/TerraViva) – Cutting government subsidies for fossil energy could lead to a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as compared to 1990 levels, says a recent study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
That represents a fifth of the maximum global commitment of emission reductions envisaged by negotiators at the COP15, and could play an important part in keeping global warming under 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
A Taiwanese activist in Copenhagen warns that islands are disappearing because of climate change. Credit: Nasseem Ackbarally/TerraViva
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IPS/TerraViva) When the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced the grim news that 2009 is likely to rank in the top 10 warmest on record, the U.N. agency also stressed last week the widespread water-related calamities caused by global warming.
China has suffered its worst drought in five decades. In East Africa, a drought has led to massive food shortages. In North America, Mexico experienced severe-to-exceptional drought conditions in September. And in central Argentina, a drought caused severe damage to agriculture, livestock and water resources. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians and Clayton Thomas Muller, tar sands campaigner for the Indigenous Environmental Network, speak at tar sands protest.
By Stephen Leahy
COPENHAGEN (IPS/TerraViva) Climate activists jammed a small square near the police-barricaded Canadian Embassy here Monday for the second day of protests over the country’s tar sands development.
Simultaneous protests were held at the Canadian Embassy in London because British oil companies and financial institutions are deeply invested in the Canadian mega-project. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
People demonstrating at Bella Center in support of Africa and calling for Kyoto targets. Nasseem Ackbarally/IPS
By Terna Gyuse
COPENHAGEN (IPS/TerraViva) The U.N. Climate Change Conference enters its final week under a cloud of uncertainty as the Africa Group led a protest of the developing world against a perceived attempt to abandon the Kyoto Protocol.
Monday found long lines of delegates and observers waiting to clear security at the Bella Center’s entrance. The now-familiar invitations to this or that side event in the background, you could hear people discussing the fate of precious clauses over the weekend, and murmurings of trouble brewing in the official process. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
The electric scooters used for R2C generate zero emissions and produce minimal noise. Credit: R2C
By Liza Jansen
UNITED NATIONS (IPS/TerraViva) Composing a manifesto while driving towards a “green future” in Copenhagen is the goal of 300 Dutch student activists undertaking the Road to Copenhagen (R2C), a four-day trip on electric scooters.
“I want to show governments this generation’s youth cares about the future,” Peter Hardy, one of the drivers, told TerraViva. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
By Feizal Samath
COLOMBO (IPS/TerraViva) – Some Sri Lankan experts are not pinning their hopes on the ongoing climate talks in Copenhagen, saying greenhouse gas emissions will continue to torment the world as long as western lifestyles remain the same. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
José Miguez. Crédito: Cortesía de Itaipú Binacional
Por Mario Osava
RIO DE JANERIO (IPS/TerraViva) Brasil busca mantener en Copenhague el papel de liderazgo que tuvo este país en las negociaciones sobre ambiente desde que acogió la llamada Cumbre de la Tierra en esta ciudad en 1992.
El gobierno de Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva anunció el 13 de noviembre el compromiso voluntario de reducir entre 36 y 39 por ciento los gases de efecto invernadero para 2020. Pero respecto de los volúmenes de 1990, como establece el Protocolo de Kyoto, significará un aumento de casi 21 por ciento. Continue Reading
Posted on 14 December 2009 by editor
By Rajiv Fernando
COPENHAGUE (IPS/TerraViva) A new report has accused developed nations and some environmental non-governmental organisations of distorting understanding of the role of forestry and land conversion in reducing poverty and not failing to acknowledge the developing world’s economic needs.
The report, “Conversion: The Immutable Link between Forestry and Development,” was authored by Alan Oxley, chairman of World Growth, a US-based non-profit NGO established, according to its website, to bring balance to the debate over trade, globalization, and sustainable development. Continue Reading
