Filed under: 350, Americas, Asia, global warming, Renewable Energy

A local energy professional checks for insulation in a Boston apartment

The Commonwealth Challenge is building community. Massachusetts neighbors are helping their neighbors save a little money, find a job, and do something about the most daunting crisis the planet has ever seen – climate change. If we are going to weather the storms ahead, we are going to have to learn how to come together. The Challenge is also about bridging the personal and the political. Let’s take the example of Angela, a woman I met on Saturday, to see how it works:

1. She signs up. On Saturday, I asked Angela if she would be willing to get an energy screening in her house to identify options for insulating and retrofitting the place. After I explained that screening was funded through the MassSAVE program she was already paying for through a $.0025/kWh charge each month on her utility bill, she said “sure” and signed up.
2. An energy screening is scheduled. This week a customer service representative at Next Step Living, a local energy efficiency company, will call Angela and schedule her screening. Next Step Living is one of four Massachusetts companies who have signed the “Green Collar Hiring Pledge”, promising to make quality jobs available to local workers with barriers to employment and use environmentally preferred materials and practices.

3. A local worker gets a job. Within a few weeks, a local professional energy specialist will come to Angela’s house, check her boiler and thermostat, check if she has insulation in the walls and attic, and recommend steps she can take to make her home safer, more comfortable, and more energy efficient (Read about Joe’s recent energy screening). As more people like Angela sign up, more local workers can be hired. If Angela chooses to follow up on her screening by investing in insulation, duct sealing, or other retrofit measures, a local worker will benefit with several hours more labor, Angela will save money on her bills for years to come, and her home could use up to 25% less CO2.

4. We deliver the results to Massachusetts. At the end of the campaign, on Thursday April 22nd, neighbors from around Massachusetts will join labor, faith, community, and business groups for a visit to the Massachusetts State House. Residents like Angela will tell the story of what they did alongside workers, business leaders, and advocates. All of them will call on the Massachusetts Legislature to invest aggressively in energy solutions like Angela’s with a statewide goal of 100% clean electricity by 2020.

Like 350’s “Get To Work” campaign, the Commonwealth Challenge was founded on the idea that we can’t put all our eggs in the advocacy and activism basket anymore. We have to come together as communities to begin solving the climate crisis and putting people back to work immediately. We have to show politicians and businesses how to lead as we demand that they enact the laws and create the products and services necessary to get us where we are trying to go. In short – we have to get to work.

The truth is we don’t know if this is going to work. What we do know is that we are not going to sit back as the legislation we are pushing for stalls in committee. We are going to ask our legislators to engage with us in this effort. We took the first step in that direction last Monday by hand-delivering letters to over 100 state representative and senators’ offices inviting them to take the Commonwealth Challenge pledge with us and support 100% clean power by 2020.

So far, one Massachusetts legislator has answered the call – Representative Will Brownsberger of Belmont. With 16 days until the 40th Earth Day, we hope more leaders will step up and take the Commonwealth Challenge. But we’re not waiting for them before we get to work.

Filed under: 350, Act Locally, Business, Earth Day, Economics, green jobs, Political Participation, Politics, United States

This weekend I abandoned ship and took the train and bus home to Wales to try and recover from the month of hell that was coursework, mooting, work and everything law-related. The stability of my surroundings really made me think about what it is I am trying to achieve in this world, and it’s not just me who’s on the reflective path right now. I think almost the whole of the environmental movement are undergoing some self evaluation, even the UK Government is looking at the voting system!

Take me as an example, not even environmentally (for once), but I am studying law, solely to become an environmental lawyer, and there is no other way to do that except completing this degree. However my hellish month made me truly question what I was in it for. Why should I chase after the competitive and inevitably money-minded counterparts who I do my course with? Why should I feel inadequate next to their furtive information gathering and secret smiles on receiving their exam grades? (it is a bit like the UN) And the answer, after much thought (and some relief seeing as I have been working towards this for a while!) was that I want to be able to compete with them because then I know I am representing the environment in the best place possible. I need to be in the upper echelons if I want to create the change I am going to all this effort for. So it really should be worth the effort now, to make sure I get there. I do not however, condone work above everything else, and my bout of evaluation definitely clarified some small but very important priorities.

I am in this movement because I love life and the World that upholds it so much that I can’t bear to see it plundered and destroyed. Without the love for the things that make up my life I lack the core of inspiration that is what I need to convince others of my vision for a green future, and also, the inspiration to keep me going despite setbacks and failures. For me, if I don’t make time for love, music, exploring, food and other pleasures in my life I soon lose the will to live, and in truth, I am contradicting the reasons that I advocate the things that I do!

The UK Youth Climate Coalition is undergoing restructuring having evaluated their effectiveness over the year and a half it has been in existence. The co-directors Emma and Casper are handing over the reigns to give a new direction and focus to the Coalition.

Closer to home the Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development faced up to the reality of whether it really is affecting the lives of young people in Wales. We concluded in the negative, and all of a sudden we have instigated systemic and drastic changes to shake us all up!

350.org are in a period of questioning their next moves, with Copenhagen over and done with, they are questioning whether 350 still the number the world needs to shout about or should they direct their campaigning talents elsewhere?

These are only 3 examples of many, but they are indicative of the vacuum that threatened to exist before Copenhagen, and has not become somewhat of a reality in Britain. Because although a lot of spirits are renewed by the collective efforts Copenhagen inspired, many campaigns were due to end by December 2009. So now what?

This is where you stop, take stock and have a breather to afford yourself more clarity.

Things get stagnant, volunteers and inspiration starts to flag, and without noticing it, you’re just not at the cutting edge where you want to be.

Some of the most important aspects of evaluation include governance structures-is your rep’s/board members/directors/partners/advisory board too impenetrable?! Are you actually doing the things that you say you/your organisation says its doing? How do you know? Do you get feedback from your target audience on your campaigns and methods of communicating messages? If not, maybe you should, because you’ll probably be surprised what hooked them.

I recently caught the biographical drama about Mo Mowlam on TV; having never really known anything about her, I was profoundly moved by Mo’s contribution to the negotiation of peace in Ireland. Her methods unorthodox, and all the while battling with cancer, she battled vile and degrading men, played them at their game and better, and won the nations hearts with her personality and capacity for honesty and modesty. (Not least calling Blair ‘babe’?! When I’m in that position I know I’ve made it.) When the wig that she had to wear got too hot or itchy, she’d whip it off-wherever she was.

One of my favourite quotes is: “If you haven’t been kissed by Mo in Northern Ireland, you must have been running hard in the opposite direction.” Admittedly however, it has been said that she confused her popularity with the public with her political popularity, which waned towards the end of her post in N.Ireland. She was offered posts by Blair that basically were a way to get her out of the way (Mayor of London anyone?), and although no one can guess what the cancer did to her way of thinking and life, if she just had had the capacity to stop and take stock, reassess her successes and failures, and then work on both, her political career could possibly have continued until her death in 2005…who knows.

So what’s in store to reassess for?

2010 is an important year.

Not in the same way that 2009-the year of Copenhagen was said to be, but in a much more tangible sense.

Copenhagen has marked the line that gives us a boundary on which to work on to achieve a global effort to battle climate change-in whatever form that takes, UN or no UN. Copenhagen was seen as this pie-in-the-sky summit that everyone was outwardly pinning all our hopes on so as to try and create a political reality out of a vision, despite being inwardly sceptical of any deal being achieved.

The world’s biggest ever summit of world leaders produced an accord that takes with it countries responsible for 80% of the world’s emissions, compared to the Kyoto Protocol which only has the potential to regulate 30% of global emissions. Significant amounts of money were laid on the table for adaptation and mitigation in developing countries- $30 billion USD between 2010 and 2012. But a lot of this money has been redirected from existing aid budgets! (Yes, inc. Gordon Brown) And nothing legal was in any sense produced, whilst removing the date for a legally binding deal in 2010!

Despite the good and the bad of the accord it has to be acknowledged that this accord was negotiated by a select group called the ‘friends of the chair’. Amounting to a sum total of 24 countries out of the 194 party to the UNFCCC which are supposed to be PART OF THE PROCESS! This move caused an absolute uproar the next morning, as the Danish Government chairing the negotiations brought the accord ‘out of the sky’. Countries like Tuvalu, Bolivia and some other vocal developing countries who hadn’t been involved were outraged that after all these collective negotiations, all the hard work and all-nighters had culminated in a document they were meant to sign that they had had no input into whatsoever.

Surely this is diplomatic suicide on the part of the Danish Government hosting the talks? In consensus (which the UN uses) convening a meeting with the most powerful countries in the room, which form a minority should not be able to drown out the numbers of those left out. Very undemocratically however, currently that is the direction on the UNFCCC. Which is why a lot of people are saying the sheer numbers of countries involved means that an agreement could never feasibly be reached…I understand their view, the anger, hurt and determination on every side was tangible in the plenary halls of Copenhagen, calls for better transparency frequently rang out and disrupted negotiations. The calls were met with impatience from the PM of Denmark who just wanted to ‘get on with the job’. Obviously he will never have a career in diplomacy because he should have realised that countries will not cooperate and participate in negotiations is they do not feel heard or if they disapprove of the process. Trust is the essence of willing participation. Without some serious mediation and ‘team-building’ (I’m not even joking!) I really don’t foresee an ambitious and legally binding deal that includes every country, coming out of Mexico (COP16).

Has the failure of Copenhagen, as the pinnacle of possibility, indicated the need for a change in tactics and process akin to that of UKYCC and WYFSD? Is the lumbering body of the UN capable of accommodating such change? (I would think not having experienced their inabilities and shortfalls so far, but that’s only an observation!)

So where are you at? Bored?

Start by voting to change British Politics: www.power2010.org.uk

Continue by getting involved in the British campaigning discourse: www.38degrees.org.uk is hosting discussions and a consultation on where they campaign next….

If you are interested in attending future UNFCCC negotiations yourself, to support under represented countries, get in touch with us via www.unfairplay.info

Filed under: Actions, COP 15, Environment, Lifestyle, My side of life, Politics, UN Climate Change Negotiations

Here is a short video of the Vigil for Survival that I helped organise with 350 and Avaaz. Great work Deepa, Ben, Tash and the team!

N.

Shortly after Obama’s speech, hundreds of people from Klimaforum (an alternate climate conference for NGOs) rushed out into the square with “climate shame” posters and banners as well as pictures of heads of governments. It was cold and windy, but it attracted the attention of the Danish news and others.

Randomly assigned to hold one side of a climate shame banner, I was quickly drawn into the demonstration. Everyone wore neon-yellow “climate not saved” vests and called on world leaders to set a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty. There were boos for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and other countries that blocked progress in climate negotiations over the past two weeks. The unified mass of climate activists included both many people from the youth movement and older, concerned people.

Nearly all of the NGOs in Copenhagen were barred from entering the Bella Center staring Tuesday, making demonstrations the preferred action for most people. Many NGOs now reside in Klimaforum. The main hall in Øksnehallen has hundreds of people listening to world leaders and negotiators on two large television screens. Even more people are furiously typing away on their computers or looking up negotiation updates on twitter, email, and other news sources.

It is inspiring to see so many in one place for one cause. It is not strange to walk past NGO leaders, such as Bill McKibben of 350.org or organizers from 1Sky and the Climate Action Network (CAN). Even though the belief in a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty in Copenhagen is all but extinguished, there is still a deep, powerful fervor to continue the climate movement.

Posted in 1 ]]> http://youthclimate.org/ngos-show-no-signs-of-accepting-defeat%e2%80%a6ever-28486/feed/ 0 http://youthclimate.org/tuvalu-is-standing-strong-so-will-we-2-27541/ http://youthclimate.org/tuvalu-is-standing-strong-so-will-we-2-27541/#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 13:36:20 +0000 admin http://unfcccecosingapore.wordpress.com/?p=1621 ]]>

Taken from 350.org
By Jamiehenn

At a press conference that is just wrapping up at the UN climate talks, the Prime Minister of Tuvalu had a clear message for the world: ”Survival is not-negotiable.” After showing a powerful video of devastating flooding in Tuvalu, the President made a powerful appeal for a real deal that meets the latest science: ”Our future rests on global action to address climate change and we must have a set of safe guards based on sound science. We must ensure that global temperatures peak at well below 1.5 degrees Celsius. It means that global greenhouse gases must stabilize at 350 ppm. These safeguards are non-negotiable.”

Prime Minister Ielemia also highlighted the immense amount of pressure that small island states are coming under to accept a weak deal: ”Under the last few days we have seen considerable pressure to accept a deal based around 2 degrees limit. We have not yielded to this pressure because our future is not negotiable.” He highlighted pressure from Australia in particular:

“There are some countries like Australia who have been trying to arrange a meeting with us to probably water down our position on 1.5 degrees celsius. We did not attend that meeting, but I heard from other small islands that Australia was trying to tell them if they agree to the 2 degrees limit, money would be on the table for adaptation process. That’s there choice to accept the money and back down. But Tuvalu will not. As I said in my speech, 1.5 degrees celsius is our bottom line…

I as a human being I feel that the leaders that are pushing their countries to adopt this 2 degrees they should know from science that that will be killing a lot of people around the world, that should change their position. I will not sign anything less than 1.5.”

Those are brave words. Australia and other rich countries will continue to increase the pressure on developing countries to back down. Get ready for the media to get involved as well: articles blaming poor countries for the failure of the talks are already beginning to circulate. But Tuvalu and many others know that no amount of money can protect their homes or their future: they need action, not bribery. When asked about what he would do if an agreement could not be reached and climate change not stopped, the Prime Minister closed his speech with a touching appeal,

We just have to prepare ourselves for the worst. We have no where to run to. We must prepare ourselves individually, family wise, so that we no what to do when a cyclone comes or the hurricane blows. There is no mountain we can climb up, no inland we can run to. We just have the face it. And that’s why we’re making noises around the world … We don’t want to dissappear from this Earth.

We want to exist as a nation. Because we have a fundamental right to exist alongside yourselves.

Today, thousands of us are going without food to show solidarity with Tuvalu and the other most vulnerable countries. Please keep up the great work and don’t back down: Tuvalu isn’t.

Taken from 350.org
By Jamiehenn

Consolidated live from COP15
Ping
ECO Singapore

]]> http://youthclimate.org/tuvalu-is-standing-strong-so-will-we-2-27541/feed/ 0 http://youthclimate.org/youth-enquiry-with-yvo-de-boer-26619/ http://youthclimate.org/youth-enquiry-with-yvo-de-boer-26619/#comments Tue, 15 Dec 2009 21:55:14 +0000 Ruchi Jain http://www.whatswiththeclimate.org/?p=1924 I want to tell you a story of my home city of Mumbai. Every day I travel by the local train from college to work, to meetings…. The trains are the arteries of a city of 15 million strong. The trains are a full of colors, cultures and voices; women complaining about their daily chores, children laughing; vendors making a hand to mouth existence.

10 thousand people migrate to Mumbai city every single day. It is also the largest city in the world, my home for the last 23 years.

On 26th July, 2005, my city was struck by terrible flooding. I was trying to take the train, but ended up stranded for a long time. I had to walk in waist high water for five hours. People suffocated in their vehicles. Animal carcasses floated in the dirty water. Slums vanished overnight. People held on desperately to what little they could save.

I didn’t get back to my home for five days.

India has been subject to floods for decades .But lately, these floods are happening more and more. People have actually become used to their homes being washed away.

This is my story. There are millions of such stories from people from around the world. We are sharing this pain, this common problem. A global problem.

My brothers and sisters, I take this opportunity to bring to you a ray of hope, of love and peace. We as young people, 3 billion strong, are the global solution and demand real climate justice. We are true martyrs and heroes of our generation and future generations. We are here to support each other in our struggles, to share our stories of success, and to engage the leaders of the world to bring about real change.

How do you feel if thousands of farmers commit suicide in India due to extreme drought conditions? Does it affect you if Bangladesh and Maldives go under water, or an ancient small island civilizations cease to exist? Do you not care if 40% of the world’s population looses their water source, the Himalayan Glaciers? Will you only be affected when this climate crisis hits the lives of your near and dear ones?

Back in India I work with Indian Youth Climate Network and 350.org. Last year we came as the first Indian Youth Delegation to COP14. My journey began with the Climate Solutions Road tour. A bunch of young enthusiastic climate crusaders drove down 4500 kms from Chennai to Delhi in electric cars documenting climate solutions and collecting success stories.

My journey to 24th Oct, Global Day of Action, was a self-realization process. A vision which created a 350 wave demanding climate action from developed nations. In Kerela , the youth organized a cycle rally across the whole of South India. In Mumbai, we had 1000s of people come together to push for a fair and just treaty, while the fishermen rallied in the saline creek. In Kashmir, the locals had a boat race to clean up the Dal Lake. In Fazilaka, on the border of India and Pakiatan, school children attempted to fill up their dried water body. There were massive protests outside the coal power plants in Bokaro, Jharkand. In Rajasthan, the women brought out their traditional dresses and danced to ask the rain gods for their grace. They had been facing a drought for two years.

Brother and sisters, we created history. We as the global youth created a revolution. We are creating history. We are coming together in numbers from every race and creed. We have cut through our differences.

I have a request for you dear world leaders. Don’t let us down. We elect you because we believe in you, for liberty, fraternity and justice. We still believe in you. We are behind you , we are your support. When I was young I was taught that my bad actions will back fire on me. Treating Mother nature with respect will save us from runaway climate change.

I understand that it is not easy to strike a deal and come to a consensus. But have you tried hard enough? Have you the audacity to stand up to your government and push for a climate bill to protect my bleak future? Have you the gumption to lead your people along the higher road to protect their future? OUR future? Can you be the ‘NATION’s HERO’ for your country?
A ‘hero’ to hear millions of us asking for climate action.

This time in Copenhagen, we youth stand 2000 strong. And back home, there are millions more of us taking action at home to keep the pressure on – there will be vigils for the survival of all nations in over 100 countries this weekend, showing just how strong this movement is here, and everywhere.

Sir, we have traveled thousands of miles to be here. We have saved up for months, working around the year, trying one way or another to collect voices from our region. We have selflessly strived to give, and create mass movements in our capacity. We are the human touch, reaching out to vulnerable communities with energy and creativity. Our communities who cannot be here, look to us to tell their stories, to convey how serious this issue is, and how we are united and determined to bring about real change.

For too long now, these negotiations have been conducted from an adversarial point of view. Dear negotiators and friends, I am going to give you my trust.
I trust you to do the right thing by yourself and for all of us. I trust you to live up my hopes and dreams. I trust you to secure my future, for our survival.
I trust you to view these negotiations not as us versus them. But as we are in this together.
This trust is honest, but it is also fragile. Please don’t let me down.

Today is “Young and Future Generations Day” here at the International Climate Negotiations in Copenhagen, and I’m here with my wife Wahleah and our two-year-old daughter Tohaana. Along with thousands of other young people, we’re doing everything in our power to convince world leaders to commit to a fair, ambitious, and legally binding international agreement based on a target of 350 parts per million (ppm), which is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Less than 400 miles away in Oslo, Norway, President Obama is accepting the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” If ever there was a time and place to live up to that honor, now, in Copenhagen is it.

Four former Nobel Peace Prize winners have endorsed a target of 350ppm. On December 12th, 2008, at the international climate talks in Poznan, Poland, Al Gore (2007 winner) said to a huge crowd: “Even a goal of 450 parts per million, which seems so difficult today, is inadequate. We need to toughen that goal to 350 parts per million.”

On December 20th, His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama (1989) wrote: “It is now urgent that we take corrective action to ensure a safe climate future for coming generations of human beings and other species. That can be established in perpetuity if we can reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to 350ppm. Buddhists, concerned people of the world and all people of good heart should be aware of this and act upon it.”

On August 25, 2009, Rajendra Pachauri, who accepted the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the IPCC said, “As chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I cannot take a position because we do not make recommendations. But as a human being I am fully supportive of [350ppm]. What is happening, and what is likely to happen, convinces me that the world must be really ambitious and very determined at moving toward a 350 target.”

And on October 23, 2009, two days before what CNN called the “most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history”, Archibishop Desmond Tutu, who has been an ambassador for the 350 campaign and won the Peace Prize in 1984, wrote in USA Today: “Many top scientists agree that there’s a number the world needs to know. It’s 350 — as in 350 parts per million of the heat-trapping gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The growing consensus is that it’s the most carbon we can have in the atmosphere without causing terrible climate havoc. Since we’re already past that level, at 390 parts per million, it also implies that we need much swifter political action than governments have supported in the past to reverse this trend.”

It is time for President Obama to join them. It may not be the politically pragmatic path, but it is the only path with the potential to lead to peace and prosperity. The climate crisis is a unique challenge in human history and Copenhagen is a unique opportunity to rise to that challenge. As Bill McKibben writes, “the adversary here is not Republicans, or socialists, or deficits, or taxes, or misogyny, or racism, or any of the problems we normally face — adversaries that can change over time, or be worn down, or disproved, or cast off. The adversary here is physics.”

The physics says the limit is 350 ppm. That is the upper limit for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere if we want Earth to continue to resemble the planet we’ve come to know and love. Despite the fact that we are 390 ppm and climbing and his inaugural promise to “restore science to its rightful place” Obama and the US delegation are negotiating in Copenhagen with a stated target of 450ppm.

Fortunately for us, there are some world leaders who do not view the climate crisis as a primarily political problem. Ninety-two nations, all poor and vulnerable to the early affects of climate change have endorsed a target of 350ppm. President Nasheed of the Maldives has stated “we will not sign a global suicide pact, in Copenhagen or anywhere.” And Ambassador Lumumba, coordinator of the G77 and China Group in Copenhagen made it clear that the $10 billion of “aid” proposed for African countries by Europe and President Obama is ‘not enough for Africa to buy the coffins to bury us in’ if the climate crisis is allowed to continue.

This weekend, people are organizing candlelight vigils around the world calling on world leaders to break through the political logjam. Many will be outside American consulates and embassies, and at Senator’s offices throughout the United States, because without U.S. leadership here, the negotiations will likely fail.

On the Young and Future Generations Day, I look at Tohanna and wonder how she’ll feel in 20 years. Will she look at me and my generation and ask why we didn’t do more? What will I tell her?

If we don’t get this right, right now, what will you, President Obama, say to Sasha and Malia in 20 years? That it wasn’t politically feasible? That we didn’t know the extent of the challenge we were facing?

We know the science. We know the consequences. The United States and you, President Obama, need to continue “to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” and commit to a fair, ambitious, and legally binding agreement based on a target of 350ppm.

This entry is cross-posted at Grist.org.

Posted in Climate Justice, United States, Youth Leaders ]]> http://youthclimate.org/accept-it-in-oslo-earn-it-in-copenhagen-21493/feed/ 0 http://youthclimate.org/momentum-feels-good-16876/ http://youthclimate.org/momentum-feels-good-16876/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:22:51 +0000 Juliana Williams http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/?p=14948 ]]>

On Wednesday around 150 youth leaders of this movement were invited to the White House for the first Youth Clean Energy Forum.  They voiced the concerns and ideas of young people from around the country to Cabinet members.

On Thursday, 1Sky and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network delivered banners from the 350 Day of Action to the White House, representing the thousands of people calling for bold, decisive action on climate.

Which brings us to today, when President Obama announced that he would move his visit to the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen from December 9th to December 18th, at the end of the negotiations.  The first week of negotiations involves, speeches, demonstrations and a lot of strategic posturing between the countries, but the real decisions and agreements are reached in the second week.  This places Obama at the negotiations at the most critical time for him to jump into the ring.

Also this past week, China offered to reduce it’s carbon intensity (emissions per GDP) 40-45% by 2020, India offered a 25-25% carbon intensity reduction by 2020 and Obama announced that the U.S. would offer to reduce emissions 17% by 2020 and 83% by 2050 (all compared to 2005 levels).  While the numbers may not be as ambitious as we need, they are the first major steps any of these three countries has taken towards specific action.

Perhaps even more exciting is the proposal outlined in the White House press release:

This week, the President discussed the status of the negotiations with Prime Minister Rudd, Chancellor Merkel, President Sarkozy, and Prime Minister Brown and concluded that there appears to be an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize $10 billion a year by 2012 to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries, particularly the most vulnerable and least developed countries that could be destabilized by the impacts of climate change.

That’s right, Australia, Germany, France, the U.K. and the U.S. may finally be putting their money where their mouths are.  Funding for adaptation and mitigation of the impacts of climate change are crucial but always seem to be ignored when discussion turns to emissions targets and carbon markets.  While this level of funding isn’t nearly sufficient, it is a major first step.

So now, we have several major breakthroughs in the last few days before the negotiations actually kick off, whereas just a week ago the media was still declaring the negotiations in Copenhagen essentially dead on arrival.

And why is this finally happening?

I am utterly convinced that such major policy moves would not have happened without the groundswell of action from individual people around the country and the globe who refuse to sit on the sidelines.  So while the Youth Clean Energy Forum and the 350 banner display probably didn’t cause  India and China to commit to emissions reductions, they may just have been the extra oomph to get Obama to change his flight plans.  These actions a part of the ever more visible and powerful movement that is working to secure a better future.   We are providing the political pressure and cover for our leaders to do get on the right track.  And it feels good to see the fruit of our labor.  Let’s keep it up!

Posted in 350, China, Climate Policy, Copenhagen 2009, global warming, Government, India, International Affairs, Political Participation, Politics

It’s been a great day yesterday for a passionate tracker, as I finally got to meet Nicole Wilke again here in Barcelona, accompanied by my friends Diana and Sönke from 350.org. First, they handed over their booklet showing pictures of more than 5000 actions worldwide that have been going on on October 24th, the International Day of Climate Action. Right after that, I’ve asked Nicole your questions that I’ve collected beforehand through Facebook. And guess what: She seemed to like the idea of YOU asking YOUR questions rather than me coming up with my questions all the time and answered all of them in detail.

Now, guess what: I had this post prepared including all the questions and answers as an English transcription. I have sent this to the Press Officer of the German Environmental Ministry and kindly asked for their permission to publish my interview with Nicole Wilke on this blog…. AND: IT was REJECTED!

I know that as a press professional, one might experience this every other day. And it is part of the job that interviews don’t get the confirmation they need to be published. But, I am not a press professional, I am simply a concerned citizen and a blogger. Someone who wants to share with you guys out there what I experience here every day. I had taken your questions and asked them for you. I have put a dayload of work into this. Your questions have been answered and now, I am not even allowed to publish those answers?

The alleged reason for this rejection: There have been general elections just a couple of weeks ago in Germany, there is a new Enivoronmental Minister – and the whole ministry is waiting for new, concrete guidelines by the new minister, also regarding their communications and press-work. I do understand that.

However, this is yet again a rather frustrating experience that shows that the dynamics and speed of blogging and asking questions via Social Media does not yet fit the old structures and decision-making processes of some of our ministries and bureaucracies. I cannot help it, but although the lady on the phone was really nice and asked me not to take this personally, I am definitely disappointed – personally!

It also shows something else: The weird and sometimes misleading ways that so-called diplomacy works: Some things are said, but not meant. Others are meant, but not said. And in between, everything remains up to your personal assessment of the situation.

The only thing that made me smile today after this experience was a meeting with a Campaigns professional from one of the leading NGO-networks here, who shared his thoughts and frankly told us that even the most experienced experts on the ground are puzzled because of the ups and downs of this intense, but far too short week in Barcelona.

Well, there is one thing, I can tell you, especially in case you belong to my German readership:

Nicole Wilke was cooperating very well, she is – according to my personal review procedure – a very capable and smart person and: She stated that Germany’s national reduction target stands at 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 (as written down in the new Coalition agreement) – which is more than the EU is actually ready to shoot for and as much as most of the NGO community is expecting.

Of course, the devil – again – lies in the detail and I can neither tell you whether this is realistic nor whether it might just be achieved by a lot of offsetting, but: It let’s me rest in peace for at least one more night, before this is closing and we are heading towards the final round… in Copenhagen.