Just a short missive today to implore you to read Paul Hawken's amazing Commencement Address he delivered earlier this year to students at Portland University.
His speech is (as he was asked for it to be); direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling and graceful. Check it out here... now, cut and paste this link into your tool bar;
http://www.paulhawken.com/multimedia/UofP_Commencement_05.03.09.pdf
Wednesday 23 September 2009
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Wriggling Presidents
Copenhagen beckons. The crucial political negotiations on a global deal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and broker a deal to replace the Kyoto protocols with a substantial, serious and enforceable treaty is fast approaching. The conference is in December and there is much political wriggling going on ahead of then.
Key to success is the Obama administration coming good to deliver the emission cuts in the U.S. previously proposed. Guess what? They're starting to wriggle. Pressure from the right and their oil producing benefactors are giving the presidency the jitters and overtures to dilute the original proposals are being orchestrated.
The U.S. has submitted to the U.N. their "implementing agreement"ahead of Copenhagen which includes the statement that emissions reductions would be subject to "conformity with domestic law". In other words a piece of wriggle designed to protect the U.S. from being forced to implement international action.
Ban Ki-moon (why do UN secretary generals always have great names? Must be a prerequisite for the role) has much to do ahead of the conference to drive home the point, which he clearly and deeply understands, that failure is not an option.
The UN's intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change state that World emissions of greenhouse gases need to peak by 2015 to give any chance of gaining less than a 2 degree Celsius average global temperature rise. Phew!
Meanwhile the Global Humanitarian Forum led by Kofi Annan has made it clear that climate change already kills 300,000 people per year (as many as killed by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004). Most of the deaths are due not to extreme weather events but gradual (yet accelerating) environmental degradation, such as flooding, droughts and crop failure leading to malnutrition. Climate justice means pollution has a cost, and those costs must be borne by the polluters.
Key to success is the Obama administration coming good to deliver the emission cuts in the U.S. previously proposed. Guess what? They're starting to wriggle. Pressure from the right and their oil producing benefactors are giving the presidency the jitters and overtures to dilute the original proposals are being orchestrated.
The U.S. has submitted to the U.N. their "implementing agreement"ahead of Copenhagen which includes the statement that emissions reductions would be subject to "conformity with domestic law". In other words a piece of wriggle designed to protect the U.S. from being forced to implement international action.
Ban Ki-moon (why do UN secretary generals always have great names? Must be a prerequisite for the role) has much to do ahead of the conference to drive home the point, which he clearly and deeply understands, that failure is not an option.
The UN's intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change state that World emissions of greenhouse gases need to peak by 2015 to give any chance of gaining less than a 2 degree Celsius average global temperature rise. Phew!
Meanwhile the Global Humanitarian Forum led by Kofi Annan has made it clear that climate change already kills 300,000 people per year (as many as killed by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004). Most of the deaths are due not to extreme weather events but gradual (yet accelerating) environmental degradation, such as flooding, droughts and crop failure leading to malnutrition. Climate justice means pollution has a cost, and those costs must be borne by the polluters.
Tuesday 1 September 2009
The Dirty Dozen.
Climate Campers are out and about, dashing around London, targeting their twelve "climate criminals" as well as having a stab at anything else that may be connected... step forward the World Wide Movement Against Globalisation(!).
Here are the 12 targets, the Dirty Dozen;
1. The Department of Energy and Climate Change .... could be doing more perhaps, but have to be politically astute and crafty to be able to get anything done to change the other eleven I'd say. Their recent announcements (see blog 17 July; Curing the Mischiefs of Faction) are bold compared to others yet are somewhat watery given the need.
2. The European Climate Exchange. Yep.... paper tiger that it is.
3 & 4. The Departments for Business and Transport.... absolutely.... failing to protect UK prosperity by neglecting, wriggling out of or diluting the policies that we need to ensure long term remedies for climate change and laying the foundations of alternative ways of sustainable living.
5. The Stock Exchange... obviously.
6. The Bank of England... yep.
7. The Royal Bank of Scotland... yep.
8. The Treasury..... they miss opportunity after opportunity to help ensure government is properly funded to be able to move forward in such a way as to put climate change at the heart of every department, short termism personified.
9. Heathrow airport... predictably.
10, 11 & 12. Shell and B.P. H.Q and the London office of E.ON.... right on!
All very well but I am a little concerned that the protesters on Blackheath this week need to become more effective. Not that they lack conviction, far from it, but that they target abstracts. Targeting institutions and phenomena rather than singling out individuals to act as the personification of a particular "evil" will always blur the message. Climate campaigners seem somewhat preoccupied with their relationship with the media and the police.
If we want to change the World then we need to be inclusive, engaging as well as challenging. The Climate Camp needs to become a symbol of climate change movement impacting on the public consciousness and ultimately on policy makers.
The Climate Campers need a set of achievable and well understood goals that those outside the camp can identify with. Making a case for why change is necessary and urgent. That's not to say it should'nt be radical and revolutionary... none of your watered down decisions here. Liberals protest, radicals rebel, liberals become indignant, radicals become fighting mad and go into action. Go Campers, Go!
Here are the 12 targets, the Dirty Dozen;
1. The Department of Energy and Climate Change .... could be doing more perhaps, but have to be politically astute and crafty to be able to get anything done to change the other eleven I'd say. Their recent announcements (see blog 17 July; Curing the Mischiefs of Faction) are bold compared to others yet are somewhat watery given the need.
2. The European Climate Exchange. Yep.... paper tiger that it is.
3 & 4. The Departments for Business and Transport.... absolutely.... failing to protect UK prosperity by neglecting, wriggling out of or diluting the policies that we need to ensure long term remedies for climate change and laying the foundations of alternative ways of sustainable living.
5. The Stock Exchange... obviously.
6. The Bank of England... yep.
7. The Royal Bank of Scotland... yep.
8. The Treasury..... they miss opportunity after opportunity to help ensure government is properly funded to be able to move forward in such a way as to put climate change at the heart of every department, short termism personified.
9. Heathrow airport... predictably.
10, 11 & 12. Shell and B.P. H.Q and the London office of E.ON.... right on!
All very well but I am a little concerned that the protesters on Blackheath this week need to become more effective. Not that they lack conviction, far from it, but that they target abstracts. Targeting institutions and phenomena rather than singling out individuals to act as the personification of a particular "evil" will always blur the message. Climate campaigners seem somewhat preoccupied with their relationship with the media and the police.
If we want to change the World then we need to be inclusive, engaging as well as challenging. The Climate Camp needs to become a symbol of climate change movement impacting on the public consciousness and ultimately on policy makers.
The Climate Campers need a set of achievable and well understood goals that those outside the camp can identify with. Making a case for why change is necessary and urgent. That's not to say it should'nt be radical and revolutionary... none of your watered down decisions here. Liberals protest, radicals rebel, liberals become indignant, radicals become fighting mad and go into action. Go Campers, Go!
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