What Next – Climate Watch
The 99 Percent Have Found Our Voice
Thu, Nov 3 2011 02:11
| USA, Direct action, Climate Finance
| Permalink
Here below an inspired letter by John Cavanagh, Director of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C.
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Could any of us have imagined that in six short weeks, the people of this country would have found our voice? Most of you reading this have likely participated in Occupy activities in your town or city. IPS board member Barbara Ehrenreich worked with IPS interns to create a massive list of phone numbers of mayors of Occupied towns. They came up with over 400 places where people are standing up to be heard.
These are days of action.
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Soil carbon and carbon trading -- controversy heating up!
Tue, Nov 1 2011 12:50
| Development, Durban, False solutions, Mitigation, Climate Finance, Carbon trading, Agriculture
| Permalink
One of the major controversies in Durban will be the issue of soil sequestration in relation to carbon markets. The World Bank is heavily promoting the idea of linking agricultural soil sequestration to off-set carbon markets under the banner of 'climate smart agriculture'. It sees the Durban negotiations as an opportunity to open up for such a development by getting agriculture back in the texts.
An increasing number of organizations are however mobilizing against this, on the grounds of environmental integrity and climate justice. They argue that off-sets effectively opens up for increased emissions, as permanence (what happens with the carbon stored in the soils over time?), additionally (how can one know the carbon would't have been stored in the soils in any case due to e.g .government action or civil society and community efforts?), and inherent difficulties in measuring soil carbon makes the whole set-up extremely risky.
In addition, the economics is shaky, with farmers projected to only earn one or a few dollars a year, while private interests in the north gets cheap carbon credits to avoid and delay own actions to cut emissions.
At the spotlight is the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, run by the Swedish NGO Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)/Kooperation utan gränser.
An increasing number of organizations are however mobilizing against this, on the grounds of environmental integrity and climate justice. They argue that off-sets effectively opens up for increased emissions, as permanence (what happens with the carbon stored in the soils over time?), additionally (how can one know the carbon would't have been stored in the soils in any case due to e.g .government action or civil society and community efforts?), and inherent difficulties in measuring soil carbon makes the whole set-up extremely risky.
In addition, the economics is shaky, with farmers projected to only earn one or a few dollars a year, while private interests in the north gets cheap carbon credits to avoid and delay own actions to cut emissions.
At the spotlight is the Kenya Agricultural Carbon Project, run by the Swedish NGO Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)/Kooperation utan gränser.
Cancún outcomes
Sun, Feb 20 2011 03:36
| Technology, Climate justice, Adaptation, Mitigation, Cancun, Climate Finance, Carbon trading, UNFCCC
| Permalink
Here is a summary of the key outcomes of COP 16 in Cancún. Positive outcomes are in green, negative outcomes are in red, and neutral/ambivalent outcomes are in grey. So, according to this mind map one could summarize the Cancun meeting as around 85% bad and 15% good. However, some of the bad outcomes are very significant, particularly the move towards a paradigm shift of pledge & review rather than the clear, legally binding principles of the Kyoto Protocol.
Click on the map for a hi-resolution version for viewing online or printing (comes out best in A3-format).
Click on the map for a hi-resolution version for viewing online or printing (comes out best in A3-format).
Press release: Civil Society to UN Advisory Group on Climate Finance: You Are ‘On the Wrong Track’
Thu, Oct 7 2010 12:06
| Climate Finance, UNFCCC
| Permalink
A civil society press release addressing the UN Advisory group on Climtate Finance, issued during the Tianjin negotiations.-----As the UN Secretary General’s High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing (AGF) works to complete a review of sources of climate funding by the end of October, climate justice groups are voicing increasing concern over the focus of the AGF and the process through
Congress letter to Hilary Clinton arguing for a UNFCCC climate fund
Tue, Oct 5 2010 12:02
| USA, Climate Finance, UNFCCC
| Permalink
Within the US there is substantial support for the kind of climate financing under a UNFCCC global fund that developing countries and civil society orgnisations are calling for. Here a recent letter to Hilary Clinton from a large number of US Congressmen showing support for such a new global climate fund under the UNFCCC – something that challenges the present US position under Obama considerably.
Fast start finance charade
Mon, Sep 27 2010 03:52
| Climate Finance
| Permalink
The World Development Movement has done some research into where fast start climate finance (2010 to 2012) is going so far. This shows that: Just $7.9 billion has actually been committed to specific bilateral or multilateral programmes. Of this $7.9 billion:· 42 per cent ($3.3 billion) is to be given to the World Bank.· 47 per cent ($3.7 billion) is to be given to programmes
Climate Finance Ministerial meeting
Wed, Sep 1 2010 01:00
| Climate Finance
| Permalink
A number of governments met in Geneva on 2-4 September 2010 to discuss climate finance. Below is a civil society statement addressing the meeting.CLIMATE FINANCE MEETING BEGINS IN GENEVA - ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENTORGANISATIONS' STATEMENTSpeaking in advance of a two-day meeting on climate finance in Geneva, where discussions will focus on how to generate and channel money for developing countries
Climate Finance Assessments
Tue, Aug 31 2010 09:33
| Climate Finance
| Permalink
Here is an assessment of the Climate Finance situation by a number of environment, development and solidarity organisations – in both English and Spanish.
Footing the Bill – climate finance update
Thu, Apr 1 2010 11:29
| Climate Finance
| Permalink
Here is a new, fresh update on Climate finance in the SSNC Key Issues for Climate Change series. This 8-page supplement to the original report "Footing the Bill for Climate Change – the duty of the rich and the right of the poor to development" include analysis of the Copenhagen conference and the Copenhagen accord, updated assessments of needs for climate finance, and critical discussions on