News: ‘General’ Archive
‘WASHINGTON — President Obama and his Russian counterpart, President Dmitri A. Medvedev, have broken through a logjam in their arms control negotiations and expect to sign a new treaty in Prague next month that would slash American and Russian nuclear arsenals, officials from both nations said Wednesday.’
via Russia and U.S. Report Breakthrough on Arms Pact – NYTimes.com.
Copenhagen, Dec 12, 2009
Dr. Helen Caldicott delivered the keynote address at a talk entitled “False Promises of Nuclear Energy” in the Liva Weel room in the Bella Center as part of the COP 15. The event, sponsored by Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF) along with several international partners, also included testimony by panelists Nadezhda Kutepova, Kaisha Atakhanova, Olga Podosenova, and Karin Wurzbacher. Helen Caldicott also spoke later in the day at the conclusion of the large climate march through Copenhagen.
Part 2
Part 3
Report by James George
‘Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations. The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and insisted on an awful “deal” so western leaders would walk away carrying the blame. How do I know this? Because I was in the room and saw it happen.’
Copenhagen, Dec 19, 2009.
After the delegates have been awake for a day and a half, and in some cases longer, they were subjected to an extended two hours forty minutes adjournment for what must have been some behind the scenes wheeling and dealing to try to reel in the countries objecting to the proposed deal. Without mention, the Danish Prime Minister was removed as Chair of the proceedings, after his awkward performance through the night.
Copenhagen, Dec 19, 2009
Don’t break out the campaign just yet. Reports of a climate deal are confusing if not outright misleading. For example, the New York Times story with the headline “Climate Deal Announced, but Falls Short of Expectations” is only partially true – this proposal does fall short of expectations. But the implication of the NYT headline isn’t consistent with the second paragraph which says “”The agreement still needs to be approved by the 193 nations gathered here”. Approximately 25 nations approved this ‘deal’, actually a proposal that must be presented to the 193 countries for approval. The process here is one of consensus, meaning that if even one country does not agree to the terms, there effectively will be no agreement. Whether the countries that put forth this proposal would still honor it in that case remains to be seen.
This proposal has stripped out many key contentious details, such as country by country emissions reductions targets in 2020 and 2050. These would be filled in early next year, so much haggling remains.
Report by James George
Copenhagen, Dec 18, 2009
With persistent divisions still in play, The COP 15 delegates have been asked by the UN to extend their stay in Copenhagen for possible talks on Saturday. Delegates could be seen in the courtyard at the Bella center using their iphones and blackberrys trying to reschedule their flights. Nevertheless, there is every expectation this evening that talks will continue through the night in a grueling attempt to reach some kind of agreement.
Report by James George
A new music video version of “Secret of the Seasons (Copenhagen Theme), produced by Billy Straus, has been released. Unlike the earlier music video with scenes from Copenhagen, this new version features video from Vermont, including the singer, John Ungerleider, strumming away in the snow, members of the Conflict and Identity Class of the SIT Graduate Institute of World Learning, with just a brief cut to the large climate march in Copenhagen.
Today demonstrators planned to enter the Bella Center to set up a ‘People’s Assembly”. Unlike Saturday’s massive march through the city, today’s plan is for decentralized smaller groups of protestors to move in towards the Bella Center from separate directions. Police, trying to prevent them from reaching their destination, closed the Bella Center Metro stop, forcing passengers to wait until the next Metro stop to disembark, where protesters were searched and prevented from going further, and COP 15 participants made to walk through the light snow to reach the negotiations.
Police searching people at the ørstead Metro Stop.
Police prepare for the demonstrators.
Demonstrators huddle to discuss their next move.
Copenhagen, Dec 15, 2009
In a press conference today Todd Stern reaffirmed the U.S. position that notions of a climate debt, reparations, and guilt don’t apply since there was no knowledge of the climate consequences. Nevertheless he also acknowledged again the United States’ historic role as the world’s overall greatest contributor to green house gas emissions with a responsibility to act.
See more details in the New York Times report