copenhagen
Copenhagen summit ends with a watered-down political accord
Saturday, 19 December 2009
After two weeks of around the clock negotiations and the participation of over a hundred world leaders, the Copenhagen climate change summit has ended in failure, producing a flimsy political agreement far weaker than even the most pessimistic observers expected at the start of the talks.
The agreement – hastily cobbled together on the last day of the talks by 28 nations, including host Denmark, the US and Australia – drew fierce criticism by developing countries left out of the meetings, claiming rich countries had staged a “coup détat” of the UN process.
Copenhagen climate change conference: 'Fourteen days to seal history's judgment on this generation'
Monday, 7 December 2009
This editorial calling for action from world leaders on climate change is published today by 56 newspapers around the world in 20 languages.
"Today (7/12/09) 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.
Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year's inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world's response has been feeble and half-hearted."
Developing nations stage climate summit walkout
Monday, 14 December 2009
Talks have resumed at the international climate change summit in Copenhagen after a walkout by developing countries.
The protest was led by African nations, which accused rich countries of trying to wreck the existing UN Kyoto Protocol.
The G-77 group of developing nations want talks on a second period of commitment to Kyoto to be given priority over broader discussions on a long-term vision for co-operative action.
Australia accused of cooking the books in Copenhagen
Monday, 14 December 2009
When the draft texts were presented in Copenhagen last Friday with proposed emissions reductions of between 30-45%, you could almost feel the wave of panic juddering through the delegates of the Annex 1 countries.
Cut emissions in line with the science? That would be insane. We might actually have to take action to cut our industrial pollution.
Almost immediately, the ‘umbrella group’ led by Australia rolled out the sadly predictable ‘blame China’ strategy. ‘Wong’s message for Beijing: Heat on China,’ bellowed The Australian’s front-page headline.
Image/Info: www.aph.gov.au/library/Pubs/BN/sci/KyotoAccRules.htm
‘Carbongate’ - The Great Carbon Heist
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Exclusive to Crikey – Possibly the greatest Scandal of this decade “Carbongate” – the theft of billions of dollars in Carbon Credits.
" . . . The Howard Government . . . set about having the Carr and Beattie State Labor Governments introduce Vegetation Management laws that effectively locked up 109 million hectares of privately owned land into the world’s largest privately owned carbon sink. The “trick’ is with the Native Vegetation laws being passed by State Governments. Under the Constitution the State Governments have no obligation to pay private landholders compensation. Brilliant, they’d created the world’s largest carbon sink – at no cost to the Commonwealth. . . . . "
