Filed under: Polit-eco, Climate Change

President Obama at the APEC conference. Photo: ROSLAN RAHMAN, Getty Images

Over the weekend, President Obama and other world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in Singapore, announced that they will not be able to reach a binding agreement on stopping global warming during the the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP15) in December.

Instead, Obama and Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that COP15 should focus on accomplishing political cohesion as the first part of a two step process. They want to use the conference to agree on a basic framework for an agreement, including how to finance carbon-reducing activity, and wait to try to create a binding commitment to global carbon caps at a later date.

So … they want to agree to agree that they will put off doing the work until later. Which would be fine if we could put climate change on hold. Since doesn’t seem to be an option, I think a lot of activists are going to be really upset that global leaders, led by Obama, are watering down the goals of the conference.

Realistically, it will be impressive if all 191 participating countries are able to agree at COP15 on how the world should split the bill, and I suppose we should be delighted that they’re even committing to do that much in December. It’s just frustrating to read that the second step, a legally binding treaty, could take a year, or even longer, to negotiate.

Part of the problem is that President Obama has yet to agree to even attend COP15, despite the adorable exhortations of the kids of WWF staffers. Also, the Senate won’t be able to pass Climate Change legislation before the conference, and the other major industrialized countries are waiting to see what we commit to in terms of carbon caps before they’ll commit.

It’s a climate impasse, and that’s just the tip of the melting (yes, really, I went there) iceberg.

Other issues include the growing disconnect between wealthy carbon-emitting countries (like us) who don’t want to commit to reducing emissions out of fear that it will hurt our floundering economies, and developing nation countries that have low carbon emissions, but are first in line to bear the brunt of climate change like rising ocean levels.

Rather than being a major milestone in addressing the climate change issue, COP15 is running the risk of being yet another in a series of meetings where leaders only talk about action. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

Obama and World Leaders Hedge on Copenhagen Agreement originally appeared on Green Daily on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:03:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Home, Polit-eco

(Photo by Getty Images)

In this country, we’re lucky to have the freedom to choose to act any way that we please — whether it’s good or bad for the environment.

Fortunately, more and more Americans are picking energy smart appliances, walking instead of driving, and encouraging our elected officials to support legislation that creates clean energy jobs.

On that last note, Repower America has a 4th of July pledge on their site, letting you declare that you want our country to:

1. create jobs here at home that stay at home
2. end our dangerous reliance on foreign oil
3. do right by our children (i.e. save the planet from self-destruction)

The signatures on this pledge will be delivered to the Senate, to encourage them to pass the groundbreaking Clean Energy Bill that Congress passed last week.

Other ways you can declare your Energy Independence and celebrate the 4th of July include:

• ride your bike to the fireworks instead of driving
• bring a refillable water bottle (for some of us, a.k.a. “flask”) instead of buying individual bottles or cans
• check out this list of energy-efficient ways to stay cool from Sustain Lane.

Enjoy the holiday!

It’s Energy Independence Day! originally appeared on Green Daily on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Polit-eco, Activism, Climate Change

Even though HRH Prince Charles has been an environmental crusader for many years, lately he’s been catching a lot of flack for all of the CO2 he emits while crusading against climate change.

(People! He’s a prince! Royalty! He’s never going to fly economy class from London to Rome. Never! If for no other reason than it’s a huge security hazard for the other passengers!)

The Prince’s preference for private jets aside, he is a very smart man who has spent years studying — and crusading for — ways to conserve the wild places in the world. In advance of the big climate summit in Copenhagen, he is kicking off a new campaign to save rainforests, with help from celebrities like Daniel Craig, the Dalai Lama, Joss Stone, Harrison Ford, and of course, Kermit the Frog.

I say “of course” because Kermit is always sticking his cold green area-that-would-be-a-nose, if he had one, into environmental causes. And also because the star of the campaign is another frog, a surprisingly lifelike animated frog that appears alongside the stars and “ribbits’ at humorous moments.

The campaign is part of “The Prince’s Rainforest Project” which has two goals:

• to raise awareness of the damaging effects for everyone of deforestation
• to identify appropriate incentives that will encourage rainforest nations to stop burning down vast areas of valuable trees.

My favorite part of this video is when Prince Charles points out that one way to save the rainforests to make the trees as valuable when they are alive and “breathing” as when they are chopped down for timber and to clear farm land. See? The Prince is a smart guy! And surprisingly practical for someone who mostly lives in castles with tons of servants, and who refers to himself in the plural.

Most importantly, he’s a guy who is using his position to help save the world. It’s almost enough to make me forgive him for the whole Princess Diana thing. In fact, if he can stop climate change, I’m willing to call it even.

A Prince, a Frog and the Rainforest – No Joke, Just a New Campaign to Stop Climate Change originally appeared on Green Daily on Thu, 07 May 2009 12:11:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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