Posts Tagged ‘climate change’

Sweden – the leader still leads

Yes, I love Sweden. I lived there and I am favouring the swedish education system and the general attitude towards each other up there (despite it being a little cold) over Germany or even the States. But since the Socialdemocratic Kingdom of Sweden became right-wing, there was much reason to concern. They turned back the [...]

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Many news, little rescue for the planet 1

I read today that the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon ha assembled a group of an uncertain number of men (and women?) of business corporations as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to advise him every second month on Climate Change. “It’s goal is to be supportive for the secretary-general in his work [...]

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African Security is at stake!

Usually I am against teh “securitization” of climate change. Mainly European politicians try to argue that a flood of climate refugees will destabilize Europe. Bullskit! While I support seeing climate change as a meta-topic, going over a range of fields from environmental, energy to social policy, it becomes obvious that securitization serves mainly the purpose [...]

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CAN comments of first five days in Bonn

Here a few-sentences summary of the CAN-Newsletter for each of the first days.
Monday: The Land-use, Land-use changes and forestry (LULUCF) issues could come into a new agreement with a very “flexible” mechanism, allwoing countries to make their own “base-line”. This means countries themselves say how much they can safe by taking a low baseline [...]

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State sovereignty must go – climate justice must come

As the British newspaper Guardian reports, new institutions are necessary to combat climate change. YES! This was also picked up by the COP15-websit (here) but I doubt it will be carried into the minds of all the fearful politicians. The sovereignty of the states is one of the core good in the world.While progressive minds [...]

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Fairness in Global Climate Change Finance

Lately, my attention was called to a study by Andrew Pendleton and Simon Retallack of the IPPR. I found it on the website of my wonderful employer and warmly advise you to have a look.
Here’s a short summary (my thoughts in italics). I think the paper gives an excellent summary of the different approaches on [...]

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Obama wants EXTENSIVE nuclear power

Obamas proposed bill fornew energy legislation reads great on paper
Options include constructing millions of wind turbines and hundreds of nuclear power plants, doubling the fuel efficiency of cars to an average 60 miles per gallon (25 kilometers per liter), and developing solar panels for homes that “are as cheap as paint

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We don’t get it!!!

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Inside the box: buy that crap!

Ok folks, the price for carbon is DOWN. I mean, it has slumped the same way it did last year. While it a ton of CO2 was at €20 in summer’08, it’s now around €10. (let’s see if it hits the €1 again!)
The value of the market has dropped from €92bn last year to €63bn [...]

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Carbon Trading – the debate goes on…

Many of my friends now that I am not a fan of Carbon Trading. Even though I am

Development Dialogue 48

able and willing to understand the “there is no other way possible right now”-argument, hence being not a radical, I hope for more public criticism. Therefore I loved the book

by the great Larry Lohmann that was published by the DHF. A video of him talking about the issue can be seen as well.

More information on the topic can be found:

The Corner House

Sinks Watch

CarbonTradeWatch

World Rainforest Movement

Rising Tide

While I – active and multiplicatory in character – do not see myself able to live up to the demands of Julian Glover who is looking for a new Martin Luther to trike back against the “medieval pardoners handing out unlimited indulgences”, I was writeing a Paper on the topic together with one of the most active young greens from Asia: Sanka from Sri Lanka. It is the first of a series of “GYG-Diskussion Papers”. It can be downloaded once I figure out how this technique is working. Here’s the text:

Is Carbon Trading really
an Economic Savior?

by
Georg P Kössler (Sweden/Germany)
and
Sanka Chandima Abayawardena (Sri Lanka)1

A discussion paper for GYG
Introduction
New optimism came into the international debate on Climate Change through the implementation of a Emission Trading Approach. The biggest contributor USA is likely to join soon after the General Elections this year and the mistakes of having an over-supply in certificates and the missing of auctioning are not likely to be repeated. Through Offsetting-companies is it possible for ordinary people to make “their” contribution. Now we are on the right track.
Are we really? This article is the view of two young green activists of the GLOBAL YOUNG GREENS who do not think so. They believe that a solution within the capitalistic system of supply-and-demand policy will not solve the general problem of worldwide climate justice. The problem arose in the first place due to increasing demand in the global North while the global South had to give supply. Now it is the same with carbon-credits. But only a halt in destroying policies, only a significant change in lifestyles and only an ordering united worldwide framework can safe us and our unborn children from whom we borrowed this precious earth.

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