350 Org is the organization behind last year’s October 24th Climate Action day that was “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history” says CNN.
This year we are going to attempt more concrete action on the ground. SO : the tenth day of the tenth month of 2010 will be Global Work Party ! Where we are urging our global community to take real tangible action to combat climate change. We hope communities will (re)cover their lives, their homes and their communities by putting up solar panels, insulating homes, erecting windmills, planting trees, painting bikepaths, launching or harvesting local gardens.
350 org and the climate change community will ensure the world experiences and sees this huge day of effort–and will use it to send a message to our leaders: “We’re working–what about you? If we can cover the roof of the school with solar panels, surely you can pass the legislation or sign the treaty that will spread our work everywhere, and confront the climate crisis in time.”
Below is a sign-on statement that has been drafted by a number of civil society organisations to convey our outrage over the Copenhagen Accord, and to call for negotiations to resume in the UNFCCC process not on the basis of the accord but the texts of the UNFCCC working groups. This call is needed as the US wants the Accord to assume a life of its own or be used at the basis of negotiations, contrary to the decision adopted in Copenhagen.
The statement is aimed at preventing a disaster of the Accord taking on its own life and damaging or even destroying the UN process and is NOT intended to be a comprehensive statement expressing our views or positions on climate justice.
The UNFCCC negotiations resume in April, meanwhile many countries are being pressured to sign the Accord now.
For those countries who have asscociated with the Accord, our sign on letter will show that civil society is outraged and rejecting this accord. We are hoping the statement will show that there are many in civil society that are rejecting the Accord and that there is a better and legitimate alternative way ahead.
To endorse this statement, please go to http://campaigns.item.org.uy/?q=en/node/1351 The deadline for this sign-on statement to Monday, 8 March 2010.
Merci,
Unnayan Onneshan, Bangladesh
Pan African Climate Justice Alliance
Solon Foundation, Bolivia
Third World Network
Oilwatch International
Friends of the Earth Malaysia
Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland,
Friends of the Earth Nigeria,
Consumers Association of Penang, Malaysia
Campaign for the Reform of the World Bank, Italy
Right now in Bali the Environment Ministers and Negotiators of all nations are participating in the GC/GMEF. The major theme is ‘Environment in the Multilateral System’, discussing : 1) International Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development 2) Biodiversity and Ecosystems 3) Green Economy
Above and beyond the government delegates are one seat for each nine major groups in plenary; NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, Women, Farmers, Local Authorities, Scientific & Technological Communities, Business & Industry, Workers & Trade Unions, and Children & Youth. Sara Svenson spook for the Children and Youth and below is her speech.
Children & Youth Intervention
Opening Plenary, UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, 24 February 2010
Thank you Mr Chair.
Distinguished Delegates,
My name is Sara Svensson, and I will be 65 years old in 2050. I’m here as a representative for half of the world’s human population, Children & Youth.
We are desperately aware that humanity is on track of driving ourselves into extinction. Millions of species with intrinsic value have already gone extinct because of shortsighted human activities. Pushing the deadline for biodiversity targets literally means crossing the line to death. Despite this, 2010 is called the International Year of Biodiversity.
Where is our reason to celebrate?
In 2009, millions of people all over the world mobilised in the lead-up to Copenhagen. Personally I was fasting for climate justice. I spent 43 days and 44 nights eating nothing and drinking only water. I felt a moral response was needed to an immoral situation. COP15 didn’t give us the climate deal we need. United Nations became the Divided Nations and observers were locked out of the room.
Where is our reason to celebrate?
In desperate urgency, we now have a choice. We can raise to the challenge, restructure our economies, redefine our common values and do what is best for the greater good. The world needs a a total paradigm shift, and we have the tremendous opportunity to make it happen.
That is our reason to celebrate.
Children & Youth announce with confidence that the sustainable future is coming. We’re not pleading for change anymore, we’re creating it ourselves. Over the next 40 years we’re committing our entire working lives to gradually transform our societies and create a sustainable future.
If we can’t trust you - as our appointed leaders - to save the world, it won’t take long before Children & Youth kick you out of office and take your place.
You can speed up the process by showing bold leadership today. Give us the green jobs we want. You have the power, we have the energy. Use your power to give us the framework we need, and we’ll use our passion to steer the world on course.
Thank you. ” by Sara Svensson
Sara’s conclusion parallels my hopes and aspirations. She speaks how our generation is committing our entire working lives to gradually transform our world, I am trying in my own right with www.(re)cover.me
Sara continues to say that we will continue to push our leaders until we have to replace them, and I too believe in the strength of dedicated leadership. We do have the energy- and we have the wisdom of a global world. We grew up learning from people in different situations, different cultures. What I know I learnt from experience + traveling + school.. our generation has been so blessed to be able to learn beyond the books and documentaries but to have lived experiences that mould us to be a leader who understands the need for diversity and sustainability. We have been given such true global wisdom, it’s our obligation to share it and if those with the power don’t listen then it’s our obligation to lead with that global wisdom.
The Columbia Institute held “Making green jobs happen: A governance forum for leaders in Ontario” at the Direct Energy Centre this past saturday.There were several regional and municipal officials from Ontario gathered to hear some guest speakers and their success stories.
The day opened with Robert Pollin, the founding Co-Director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He co-authored the reports “Job Opportunities for the Green Economy” (June 2008) and “Green Recovery” (September 2008) which explore the broader economic benefits of large-scale investments in a clean-energy economy in the U.S. He is also the author of “Building the Green Economy: Employment Effects of Green Energy Investments for Ontario.” Shocking that an American was the expert talking about growing a green economy in Ontario- but hey, he did his research !(?) He compares the fossil fuel industry to the clean energy industry with graphs showing the same investments producing more jobs. He preached the same song I’ve been hearing at conferences since I was 16 years old; a green economy creates more jobs and a brighter future; more jobs of all kinds, not just green jobs, MORE JOBS !
We then split into WORKSHOPS, I attended the one titled “Municipal Financing for Green Retrofits”.
We heard how Municipalities in New York finance green energy projects and energy efficiency retrofits for homes and made money at the same time !
• SteveBellone,Supervisor,TownofBabylon–creatorofasuccessful,largescale, municipally funded energy efficiency retrofit program in New York.
• KelleyMcKanna,ProjectManager,RenewableFunding–pioneersinthe municipally led, municipally financed home-based renewable energy installation
• Emmaia Gelman, Policy Director, Center for Working Families – led campaign to win $100,000,000 in funding for energy efficient retrofits for the state of New Yor
Learn how municipalities can promote and finance green energy projects and energy efficiency retrofits for homes and make money at the same time
Sexy Mountain Hut in Austria heated by body heat, cooking heat and passive solar heat !
The ventilation system is with heat recovery from the ground heat exchanger.
With intelligent design; heavy heavy insulation (R60 walls min) and triple pane double low-e glazing windows you can maintain a warm interior temperature with no energy use at all- you can also play with the lighting so you would never need to really turn on a light.
The Interior Design Show has finally arrived this coming week-end ! Phew after returning from the greys in Copenhagen I could really use some COLOUR in my life !!!
Every year the Interior Design show gets more and more eco-oriented and I can’t wait to share todays 2010 eco perspective on the interior design show.
I will also be attending:
Conversations in Design; A World Without Oil
with the (re)cover inc team www.re-cover.ca
Keep posted to find out what the international leading designers have to say about sustainable design. All design should now be rooted with a deep environmental and sustainable base, I will share (with photos of course) how our professionals are doing it in the real world.
“They will share their practical experiences in sustainable design, and dare to dream of a society that is no longer dependent on oil. The symposium will provide critical insight to new and alternative practices, materials, technologies and products. It will challenge its audience to think outside the box, and ultimately illuminate and inspire on the provocative subject of A World Without Oil. ”
Jan 19-24th
http://www.interiordesignshow.com
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.
