News: ‘Actors & Narratives’ Archive
‘LONDON Reuters – Prospects for a new U.N. climate pact in December remained in the balance after talks among big emitters on Monday but with signs of action by Brazil, India and Australia’
via Climate talks in the balance | Green Business | Reuters.
Yve de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
“What we must do now is step back from self interest and let common interest prevail.”
Yvo de Boer addressing the press in Bangkok. Oct 9, 2009.
Text of Yvo de Boer’s Oct 9 address:
"I believe that people around the world have a right to know exactly what their governments will do to address dangerous climate change. And this session has shown that it can be done, all the ingredients for success are on the table, and what we must do now is step back from self interest and let common interest prevail.
At the New York summit two weeks ago world leaders set out a clear mandate to achieve this, but have not yet made clear all the commitments to make it work in practice. In Bangkok, their negotiators have shown rapid progress on concrete ways to implement the mandate, but there are still some long held differences. And now it’s urgent that governments bridge the disconnect and raise ambitions. The underlying spirit in this process remains constructive. And we have until up until yesterday evening seen significant advances in the process.
So it’s moving, but there is, as has been pointed out, this strong sense, this strong fear, that there is an attempt to, on the one hand, to kill the Kyoto protocol , as it has been explicitly said in the plenary this morning by a number of developing countries, to on the one hand kill the Kyoto protocol, while at the same time there is not even something better in sight or on offer. And that is causing a great deal of dissatisfaction, especially amongst developing countries. In spite of that, I think that people are driven by a huge sense of urgency – we’ve had two very constructive weeks here in Bangkok. People now have time to go back home. They have three weeks to think, to get ready for the next session when they open their exercise books again. And I hope they will use that period to go back to those world leaders who called for a breakthrough in Copenhagen, to tell those leaders where we stand in the process, and to get from those leaders a mandate to resolve the key political issues that are outstanding."
‘WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior Republican in the United States Senate, conservative Senator Lisa Murkowski, said she would consider voting for a “cap and trade” climate change bill Democrats are pushing if it also contains a vigorous expansion of nuclear energy and domestic oil drilling.’
via Republican senator says open to U.S. climate bill | Green Business | Reuters.
That’s just what we need to curb carbon emissions – an expansion of domestic oil drilling.
‘LONDON — Representatives of the world’s 17 biggest and most polluting nations were holding talks Sunday to search for a breakthrough on financing efforts to contain climate change and reduce gas emissions causing global warming.’
via The Associated Press: Biggest economies try again to strike climate deal.
‘NEW YORK — This month, the mayor of Mesa, Arizona, a city of about 500,000 inhabitants in the American Southwest, became the 1,000th local leader to sign on to a climate change agreement under the United States Conference of Mayors.’
via Green Inc. Column – Local Assaults on the Global Climate Problem – NYTimes.com.
‘Producers of natural gas are battling their erstwhile allies, the oil companies. Electrical utilities are fighting among themselves over the use of coal versus wind power or other renewable energy. Coal companies are battling natural gas firms over which should be used to produce electricity. And the renewable power industry is elbowing for advantage against all of them.’
via Energy Companies Battle One Another on Climate Bill – NYTimes.com.
‘MALE AFP – The Maldives’ government held an underwater cabinet meeting on Saturday in a bid to focus global attention on rising sea levels that threaten to submerge the low-lying atoll nation.’
via Maldives cabinet flags climate crisis at undersea meet – Yahoo! News.
‘The politically influential American Farm Bureau, the self-described “national voice of agriculture,” has outlined a new campaign effort to derail Congressional bills to combat climate change.’
via Farm Bureau Aims to Kill Climate Bill – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com.
‘BRUSSELS Reuters – European Union states are struggling to agree on a common stance for a U.N. climate pact in Copenhagen in December, after leading the way among rich nations, draft documents indicated on Friday.’
via EU bogged down on Copenhagen climate stance | Green Business | Reuters.
‘India today probably produces more solar power than Germany did in 2003. Over a dozen PV plants operate in the country and increasingly companies like IndoSolar, Moser Baer, Titan Energy, Tata BP Solar, Solar Semiconductors, and Signet Solar to name a few, are making their presence felt on the world stage. In proclaiming his countries ambitions in solar power, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh said, “We will pool all our scientific, technical and managerial talents, with financial sources, to develop solar energy as a source of abundant energy to power our economy and to transform the lives of our people. Our success in this endeavor will transform the face of India.”’