The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep - Robert Frost
ohh Canada. Even Hugo Chavez was pointing the blame finger to Canada last night. We canadians are going to be forever greyed the way we are being represented on the international stage. Remember the good old days when we traveled with a Canadian Flag and we were welcome everywhere; those days will be over after Copenhagen! Here’s a story to tell your grandma and kids: Canada won the Fossil of the Year award ! The award was received by Stephen Harper, albeit in an Oxfam giant head for media all over the world.
“Canada has made zero progress here on financing, offering nothing for the short term or the long term beyond vague platitudes. And in last night’s high-level segment, Canada’s environment minister gave a speech so lame that it didn’t include a single target, number or reference to the science.
Canada’s performance here in Copenhagen builds on two years of delay, obstruction and total inaction. This government thinks there’s a choice between environment and economy, and for them, tar sands beats
climate every time. Canada’s emissions are headed nowhere but up. For all this and more, we name Canada the Colossal Fossil.”
Small committee meetings were hosted until 2 pm and Obama has been locked in a room with Chinese Representatives most of the evening; all we can do is Hopenhagen than Copenhagnen doesn’t end as Brokenhagen eh…
Today they blocked all the Observers and NGOs, Students and professors, union leaders and CEOs, politicians and grassroots, scientists and leaders of faith from the Negotiations. Our global fate is now in the hands of a tiny group of people.
The Minister for the UN CLimate Conference in Copenhagen Connie Hedegaard has stepped down; some say it’s procedural, some say it’s because of the sneaky manoeuvres by the Danish government to add a section to the negotiations that no one has seen or had more than 30 minutes to review.
At this point there is not much myself or the polar bears can do.
I will see what I can learn here:
At this point there are 193 parties who need to agree.
All I have are these lyrics at this smoke filled cafe “learning to fly, but I ain’t got wings”
A quick summary of the negotiations:
As of today, according to 350.org, we are facing an agreement that puts the entire globe on track to reach a very terrifying 770 part per million (ppm) of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere by century’s end. What the world needs to reach global stability has been researched to be 350 ppm.
On a positive notes; some strategies, more than others, are moving quickly through the negotiations and it is absolutely my hope that they can find a way to start applying those individual strategies upon leaving Copenhagen.
One such strategy is referred to as reduced emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Its an agreement to give carbon credits to those countries who sustainably maintain their forest. In this case, the developed nations have the funding and support needed; its just a matter of agreeing on who manages the billions of dollars, who decides how to use the funds and deciding the extent of the market’s role in providing some or all of the funds.
On the other hand; the funds for mitigation and adaptation of climate change to the developing nations is throwing the negotiations totally off course. The slightest progress happened today when Ethiopia’s Prime Minister and African Union climate negotiator Meles Zenawi settled for ”100 billion US dollars annual funds by 2020 from rich countries”. This much less than the Africans asked for and even the EU had estimated (150 billion dollars) according to Reuters. I understand that any financial commitment from anyone to anyone will take time; management agreements, transparency agreements and full understanding and agreement from both sides. At this point in time; it would be ideal to take it one step at a time. First step is to stop emissions and the second is to sustainably develop as a global nation.
Of course the main discussion should be Emission Targets for the developed nations, where most are supporting 40%reduction by 2020 based on 1990 levels. EU is sitting on the fence for 30% compared to Canada Conservatives’ 2007 green plan with a 3% below 1990 levels, meanwhile developed nations of South Africa, South Korea, Costa Rica, Brazil are committing to great targets considering.
Going into Thursday of WEek 2 the thousands and thousands of activist are getting frustrated and desperate. There was a Peoples Assembly called today to hold our own negotiations and come up with the peoples agreement and solutions to climate change. It ended with tear gas.
Sometimes I get so scared. I actually get scared in my bones. It’s terrifying to see the real face of climate change; to see the pieces of stone uncovered by retreating glaciers, shriveled cobs of corn from the African drought, dead coral bleached by increasing ocean temperatures. The idea of drought is something we are so disassociated with unless we are farmers ourselves.
When we are hungry; we either buy food at a restaurant or grocery store where there is always more than enough- so much so that you can even choose. The people that are bringing these choices to our tables and mouths are being raped of their choice to be a farmer and to survive. There are stories where villages are changing the names of the months because there is absolutely no way of predicting the rainy or dry season anymore. What have we done? Tonight as I am able to recognize the idea of fear, tonight there is someone my age, my height and size who is a prisoner of this fear. So captive that their neighbor has just past away because of Malaria where there had never been such mosquito population before, or because of simple lack of water and the ability to farm. If the climate increased 3 degrees we would have a net decrease in global food production- keep in mind an ever increasing global population.
This is so big. This is so BiG. This is so global and permanent.
I would like to share a moment, share a random instance, share a breath of fresh air, share a sensation- maybe it was a deep feeling or an emotions. It’s Saturday. I glance to the left and I see a six month old young man, an 89 year old wise women. I stare into the gentle gentle eyes of Archbishop Despond Tutu as he speaks so high pitch with the voice of a little girl; wow how we are all similar; all men, all women, all ages and cultures- we are family. Now family to me means nothing short of “life on earth”. My family is my life. My family is my inspiration, my support, my nourishment, my strength, my everything right. So if I can live for 5 beautiful beautiful people like I do my family- how can I ignore the rest of my family?
These negotiations are complex; whether china should be part of the developing nations, how the US will not give financial climate adaptation assistance to China unless they are transparent and show how and where they are using the funds, how china doesn’t seem to believe it’s right for them to be asked to change their cultural establishment, how Canada does nothing but follow every step taken by the US, how the developing nations are asking for billions to help the adapt to climate change. Sure they are layered and often overwhelmingly complex; how do you find fair solutions when the developed nations have a historic responsibility but no great sum of money can help a nation that is extinct. In all of this, in all of this “negotiating” there is one bottom line. The bottom line is we are all family. The family on the beautiful beaches in the Maldives are your cousins. Now it is no longer time to discuss how much money is going to whom and when- it’s about stopping climate change now. I truly believe we should be focusing on Green Technology sharing and carbon targets that are legally binding and enforceable. This would mean no one country can surpass the target what-so-ever. We need to first and foremost discuss how to stop climate change, once this is accomplished we can certainly move onto the idea of financial assistance to the suffering countries. I actually see both sides of these arguments that we are facing during the negotiations. I can see how this takes compromise and team work, because it truly is a very challenging task. It’s so predictable to know that we will be spending most of these two weeks debating who gets what money and how. . But I would love to see the international leaders focus on stopping climate change first and foremost.
From sunrise to sunrise this city is saturated with warm hearts trying to stop the warming of our planet. When I witness this kind of commitment by the thousands, phew I’m speechless
The first week was “an important step-change in the negotiating process” says UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The first week of the conference was focused on refining the complex and layered text of a draft treaty. Global scientist continue to report that without such a treaty, our planet will suffer the chain reactions of ever-rising CO2 concentrations in our atmosphere; more extreme weather events, drought, the spread of diseases, extinction of plants, animal species and entire nations due to rising sea levels. They are constantly reporting new scientific findings such as the fact that the oceans, our main CO2 sink, has dissolved so much CO2 already to increase the ocean acidity by 30% compared to 200 years ago.
This coming week we need to focus on actual and applicable longterm cooperative action and of course we need to agree on 2020 and 2050 targets. I would strongly suggest that we need to add legally binding and enforceable targets, of which is being discussed in smaller working groups. On that note, Canada’s emissions were up ~26% since Kyoto even though they signed a legally binding agreement. We need fair global enforcement to persuade compliance. Harper seems understands the need for legally binding and enforceable targets as stated in this quote “We’ve been through the exercise in the past decade or so of setting targets that were idealistic or blue sky and no one went out and actually achieved them (…) so I think modest, achievable targets – particularly in the short term – will get the planet on the right track, which will allow us to make a longer-term transition,” but he very obviously doesn’t understand the scientific IMMEDIACY and URGENCY of Climate Change. We have one chance to stop a soon to be un-stoppable chain of reactions, what will he say when it’s too late.
With Harper and Obama joining the negotiations near the end, hopefully we will have hammered out most of the foreplay and get into sealing real targets and plans as to how to make the targets a reality. This coming week is were Canadians have to use the power of democracy to get their leaders to actually participate and commit to the negotiations. So far, Canada is following the US like a lost puppy. Harper states “We may make some minor adjustments, but that (the US’s target) will essentially be our target. We believe it is essential, given the integration of our two economies, that our targets remain in line,” The Conservative climate strategy is to reduce emissions by 20% by 2020 using a 2006 baseline year. The rest of the world uses the Kyoto 1990 baseline year.
FYI: Of course Canada won the Fossil of the Day Award of Friday, but surprise surprise; David Miller was their to receive the awards. Reported by the fossiloftheday.com “Canada’s Environment Minister, Jim Prentice, said yesterday that, quote, “it’s in Canada’s interests to replace the Kyoto Protocol with a new agreement.” He didn’t explain whether that’s because he’s scared to face Kyoto’s compliance committee
It also appears that Canada’s environment minister is suffering a serious case of CAN envy. Yesterday, he invented his own prize, the Hot Air of the Day Award, and tried to give it to a Canadian environmental group. It’s a true honor to be recognized for hot air by this government, the world’s acknowledged masters in that area. But even though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we’d be even more flattered if you actually signed on to a fair, ambitious, and binding deal instead of trying to wriggle free of the climate promises you’ve already made and broken.”
Beyond setting targets, we have made some progress towards mobilizing short-term and long-term financial support. It is hopeful to think that Canada will follow a great example set by Europe to commit 2.4 billion euros per year for three years as part of their short-term financial assistance to Climate Change. We have also been faced with expected challenges; finger pointing by China and the US; the US doesn’t see China as part of the developing nations although they are clumped in that category. US announces that America does not “owe” anything to the world from their historical contribution to climate change and there will be no financial assistance to China. These type of conflicts are reasonable and need to be discussed and met with progress.
This week-end will bring parades ”The change we need in society can be seen as the change from a march to a parade.” A large vigil in concert with thousands of vigils around the world on Saturday. I also get to see Archbishop Desmund Tutu for the second time (first time was in New York at the Millennium Development Goals Awards Ceremony) and many elected Green Party officials (good friends from the Federation of the Greens of the Americas and the Global Green Conference in 2007) from around the world during the Global Green Discussion Forums.
Wish you were here to feel the warmth.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/12/aged-obama-poster-says-im-sorry.php
Day 3 brought on a different kind of negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Our global leaders had always agreed to use a 1990 base level year for GHG emission measuring to help ground a starting point for decreased emissions. Today, a different kind of negotiations arose from Canada who so confidently suggested that the entire rest of the world should change the GHG emissions base year of 1990 to a more “contemporary” date. This is because Canada wants to make their very embarrassing 3% decreased emission target based on the 1990 base level look more substantial. Of course Canada is going to win a Fossil Award for this; the presenter announces “Could Canada’s desire to erase the past have something to do with fact that tar sands emissions have more than doubled from 1990 to now?”
It seems that at this point in the negotiations all the work that I have been doing my whole life to protect our health, environment and climate is totally useless since my Canadian Leaders are making fools of our country. Instead of moving forward in the negotiations, we are going to try to take on the entire world’s internationally accepted base year of 1990. Should we really be regurgitating the ONE thing that the whole world already agreed upon ? Should Canada really be the only idiot to try to complicate things by attempting to move the goalposts for measuring carbon emissions? This is bad.
More interesting news: Obama has taken the same high road as Al Gore on Climate Change, but he might end up being faced with the same brick wall as he approaches congress back home. The brick wall seems fairly unavoidablefor Obama as internal USA politics will overflow on the international stage as Representative James Sensenbrenner leads a delegation set to oppose US involvement and undercut Obama in Copenhagen.
Now why can’t Canada follow suit by sending an opposition delegation to Copenhagen to hold Harper back from blocking the entire global negotiations? I did speak to Stephen Dion in 2007 in Bali trying to encourage Baird to better represent Canada. This time around with Elizabeth May in Copenhagen- we might have an opportunity to clean our muddied name through an opposing delegation.
But… it’s not like me to be so negative right.. so here is some good news:
One tiny but gutsy island called Tuvalu took a stance today by proposing to create a new open and transparent working group to negotiate the legal action to be taken on national failures to meet said proposed Greenhouse Gas Emission Targets during Copenhagen. Many nations are calling for “Legally Binding and Enforceable targets” to be set in Copenhagen. These outcomes should include a furthered commitment beyond Kyoto’s 2012 targets and also include the non-kyoto parties. Copenhagen has the potential to sky-rocket pass the Kyoto agreement in a very real way if our leaders can agree to a legally binding and enforceable target and timeline. You may have thought that Kyoto was a joke simply because there were very few nations that met it’s target. But imagine the next set of targets are legally binding and enforceable- then we will really see success in avoiding Climate Change. The pacific island nations will be one of the first victims of rising seas as warmer temperatures melt glaciers and expand oceans
We will see what’s next…
