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Canada’s Ice Cream Castles in the Air
9 Dec 2010
It must be wonderful to live in the magical world of Canada’s environment file. In that enchanted land, a press release is the same as a law, and polluting for another 45 more years is the same thing as banning dirty coal. You can tell Parliament and the media that you have published regulations to […]
Brazil in Reverse
9 Dec 2010
Brazil seems to be its own worst enemy. Not only did President Lula publicly state last week that the negotiations in Cancun won´t go anywhere, the Brazilian legislature is on the verge of delivering a fatal blow to real hope for future emissions reductions. Brazil’s remarkable recent accomplishments could well be stopped cold. The annual […]
Balanced Funding for Adaptation
9 Dec 2010
ECO is concerned that the small adaptation finance cake that is currently on offer leaves developing countries fighting over crumbs. Consider, however, that the best strategy against starvation is to increase the food supply. Countries regarding themselves particularly vulnerable should be clear and firm: adaptation finance must not be a small proportion of total flows […]
‘Just Transition’ – Making a New World Possible
9 Dec 2010
What do negotiators do when something is agreed? They leave it out of the text! It might seem weird but it just keeps happening in the shared vision discussion. Calling for a low emission economy which ensures a just transition and the creation of good quality, decent jobs was long ago agreed as part of […]
Guideposts for these Days of Decision
9 Dec 2010
Ministers, it’s ECO again. May we have a few moments with you? Yes, you guessed it – right here in your hands is our clean and manageable list of key decisions for the remainder of the week. We’ve heard that you feel there are too many choices and papering over the differences in the negotiations […]
[VOICE] SOLAR POWER HELPS TACKLE DEFORESTATION
9 Dec 2010
Author: Colette Benoudji, LEAD Tchad The Chad government’s decision last year to ban the use of firewood for cooking was a brave attempt to reduce deforestation, but it has caused significant hardship among those who depended on it. A campaign to distribute solar cooking stoves has given thousands of women across the country a much-needed […]
[VOICE] Parties’ pledges for cutting emissions under KP and LCA: How to build a strong dyke
9 Dec 2010
By Ange-Benjamin Brida In this UNFCCC negotiation it’s undeniable that cutting emissions and the idea of a review of target from 2°C to 1,5°C are some of the most crucial issues of this process on the way toward a Fair Ambitious and Binding agreement in Durban next year. And we would like to recall parties […]
Getting use to Climate Change is not to adapt: Landslides & floods in Uganda.
9 Dec 2010
By Isaac Kabongo Reality is here living with us, and local communities have accepted to live with it: the impacts of climate change. The floods or prolonged heavy rains that cause landslides are ceasing to be the breaking news in local media and many communities in Uganda; it is now both, a fashion and […]
The UK Raises the Bar
7 Dec 2010
Developed country leadership on moving to a zero carbon economy is in short supply. The positions adopted by many Annex I parties give the impression that they are dragging their heels rather than picking up their pace and embracing a greener future. So the call by the UK’s powerful Committee on Climate Change for the […]
Clear & Shared Vision
7 Dec 2010
Delegates, maybe it’s time to make an appointment with the eye doctor. Your shared vision has gotten alarmingly cloudy. Science now tells us that temperature increase above 1.5o C will result in substantial environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Yet, turning a blind eye to recent research, the new LCA text drops any reference to the 1.5o […]