February 2009
Push for climate deal as Obama lifts hopes →
Ben Hirschler and Jonathan Lynn ~ Push for climate deal as Obama lifts hopes
DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Denmark’s prime minister called on rich and poor countries alike to commit to big cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, ahead of key year-end talks on a new climate treaty he will host in Copenhagen. Hopes that a deal may be possible have increased since the election of what many see as a...
Resist industry pressure to dilute green reform:... →
Krittivas Mukherjee ~ Resist industry pressure to dilute green reform: U.N.
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Industries are pressing governments worldwide to dilute policies on climate change, but the world must not slacken the fight for a “structural shift” to a green economy, the U.N. climate panel chief said on Friday. Calling the global economic downturn “a major distraction,”...
January 2009
leaders at Davos must to forge ‘Green New Deal’ to... →
29 January 2009 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the world’s business and other leaders to use the current economic crisis to launch a new Global Compact entailing a “Green New Deal” that creates jobs and fights climate change by investing in renewable energy and technological development. He said:
“Climate change threatens all our goals for development and social progress....
We Welcomes Davos emphasis on climate change ~... →
UNEP ~ Welcomes Davos emphasis on climate change
Programme (UNDP) welcomes the emphasis being placed on addressing climate change at this year’s meeting. This is especially reflected in today’s “Shaping an Opportunity Out of Crisis” message on climate change issued to the participants in the Davos meeting. This text, signed by a prestigious group of global leaders on the issue, rightly emphasizes...
World Economic Forum wants $10tn to save the world →
Economics editor Larry Elliott @ the Guardian ~ World Economic Forum wants $10tn to save the world
More than $10 trillion must be invested in clean technology between now and 2030 to spare the Earth from an unsustainable increase in global temperature, the World Economic Forum warned today. A report from the body that organises the Davos meeting of political and business leaders said at least...
Carbon trading may be the new sub-prime, says... →
Terry Macalister @ the Guardian ~ Carbon trading may be the new sub-prime, says energy boss • System ‘risks being diverted from purpose’ • Weakness of government regulation highlighted
The row over the working of the European Union’s emissions trading scheme intensified last night when EDF Energy warned that speculators risked turning carbon into a new category of sub-prime...
2009, the year of climate change, is also the year... →
UNFCCC Executive Secretary: “2009, the year of climate change, is also the year of opportunity” in London
In an address to UK Parliamentarians, Yvo de Boer stressed that a political solution to the world’s most pressing problem of climate change was critical for humanity’s further development as a whole, and especially critical for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. He said that...
Towards a comprehensive climate change agreement... →
The European Commission has released a communication entitled “Towards a comprehensive climate change agreement in Copenhagen,” which sets out proposals to achieve the EU’s objective to ensure that global average temperature does not increase more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It addresses three key challenges:
targets by developed countries and appropriate actions by developing...
“We also need new thinking in other areas, from competition, investment and...”
– By Angel Gurría Secretary-General OECD 27 January 2009 in “The world needs to rewrite the rules of finance and global business” @ Davos.
Harper's Budget erases funding for key science... →
Carolyn Abraham from Thursday’s Globe and Mail
Budget erases funding for key science agency: Organization that finances large-scale science is ignored, putting jobs, research and Canada’s international reputation at risk
The only agency that regularly finances large-scale science in Canada was shut out of Tuesday’s federal budget, putting at risk thousands of jobs and some of...
Harper's Budget energy plan assailed →
Shawn McCarthy and Richard Blackwell From Friday’s Globe and Mail OTTAWA/TORONTO — Canada’s renewable energy industry is up in arms over Ottawa’s failure to renew a key support program that boosts environmentally friendly businesses and helps creates new “green” jobs. Many players in the wind, solar, biomass and hydro sectors were hoping that the federal budget would include an...
Warm reception to Antarctic warming story →
Gavin Schmidt @ RealClimate ~ Warm reception to Antarctic warming story Media coverage of studies on Antarctic warming is more often dictated by the ‘news’ value rather than the actual science of the research, writes Gavin Schmidt.
What determines how much coverage a climate study gets?
The Climate Freeloaders: Emerging Nations Need to... →
Fred Pearce @ e360Yale ~ The Climate Freeloaders: Emerging Nations Need to Act Key developing countries have long been exempt from efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Now, as global climate talks move forward, that policy must change.
Now that George W. Bush is not around to misinterpret, it is probably safe to point out something climate negotiators rarely mention. There are quite a few...
G-20 summit in April will look at boosting... →
UNEP ~ G-20 summit in April will look at boosting low-carbon economy London, 27 January 2009 - The creation of a low-carbon economy will be high on the agenda at an April summit of the leaders of 20 major economies (G-20). (…)
Simon Fraser, Director General for Europe and Globalization at Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office said:
“We must make sure that the actions that...
“We are here today to talk about how we as Americans and how the United States of...”
– Al Gore’s Statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee January 28, 2009 : 10:28 AM
See Al Gore’s Journal!
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Check out Global Ecovillage Network!
Geoengineering to Stop Climate Change? →
New research paper published in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions claims that it is the 1st comprehensive assessment of the climate cooling potential of different geoengineering schemes. Carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia, key findings include:
Enhancing Carbon Sinks + Strong Emissions Reductions: By 2100, enhancing natural carbon sinks (though large scale...
“The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by...”
– The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
WatchObama Aims for Tougher Auto Emission Standards
