“Immediate Operational Effect”: Climate Action Hotline, Dec. 1

Ryan Patterson — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:25:05 +0000

December 2, 2009

The countdown to Copenhagen began in earnest over the last week as the U.S., China, and India announced new emissions targets and other actions in a coordinated campaign to heighten expectations about reaching a global climate agreement that, in President Obama’s words, have “immediate operational effect.”

Meanwhile, opponents to climate action coordinated the release of a stolen cache of private email messages from a prominent climate science research unit in England. The perpetrators of the break-in have not been identified, nor is it known precisely when the hack job occurred. But the public release of the email conversations by scientists, designed to draw attention prior to the start of the Copenhagen climate conference, has attracted global cherry pickers who’ve taken snips of thoughts, strung them together, and sought to raise questions about the validity of the scientific consensus about the causes of a warming planet.

It’s an old axiom in public interest campaigning that you know you’re winning by how irresponsibly your opponents behave. The world is steadily marching to a logical conclusion to melting glaciers, drying global food bowls, intensifying storms, rising sea levels that are chasing islanders from their homes, and weather weirdness of every sort. Leaders of nations as diverse as China and India, Australia and the United States, Brazil and Spain, and more than 180 others are in agreement that significant measures must be taken to cool the planet and heat up the global economy. The decision by the Obama administration last week to announce formal U.S. emissions reductions targets, followed by equally significant measures taken by China and India are evidence of how seriously the world views the warming threat. That is why delegates from 192 nations, heads of state from 65 countries, and tens of thousands of climate activists from all over the world are on their way to Copenhagen.

The hacked emails, which follow last summer’s fraudulent letters to Congress, are powerful evidence of the understandable fear in the fossil fuel industry, and the allies they handsomely finance in government and the media, of the clean energy transition that is now unfolding worldwide. Deceit is now the global brand of those who oppose climate action.

Transition is the narrative of our time. Arguably no story of change is more important than the work to scrub the skies of climate changing pollution. In the struggle between grievance and hope, hope is winning.

For those of you on the way to Copenhagen, and also for those not going, check out our Copenhagen Climate Negotiations: The Briefing Book, a compendium of what you need to know and expect at the COP-15.

Until next week, take care, Keith Schneider

Hold Big Polluters Accountable

The EPA recently proposed a draft rule which would require the largest industrial facilities covering 70% of the country’s global warming pollution to obtain clean air permits. By generating a large number of grassroots comments into the docket in support of this rule we can strengthen the Administration’s hand in regulating greenhouse gases through the EPA and we can show Congress that Americans support action on clean energy and climate. The docket closes December 28.
Check out Sierra Club’s action alert.

For more information, contact jkurz@climatenetwork.org.

Obama Announces Emissions Target and Plan to Attend Talks

In a statement last week, the White House announced that President Obama will travel to Copenhagen on December 9 for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, along with a host of Cabinet secretaries. President Obama is also prepared to commit the U.S. to an emissions reduction target “in the range of 17% below 2005 levels” by 2020, in line with proposals in both houses of Congress.

A Scientific Hack Job That Won’t Cripple Climate Talks

Last week, the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia in Britain was the victim of hackers who made public thousands of electronic files and e-mails dating back to the 1990s. Climate change skeptics have tried to stir controversy, claiming the e-mails reveal plots to manipulate and misrepresent climate data, while CRU researchers have responded by saying their comments have been misunderstood and taken out of context.

China Sets Emissions Target

The world’s two largest emitters now have mitigation targets on the table, as China announced that it will reduce its carbon intensity 40 to 45 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. Premier Wen Jiabao will also attend the negotiations next month in Copenhagen.

Senate Stepping Up Climate Debate Ahead of Copenhagen

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will meet with Senate committee leaders to discuss domestic climate and energy legislation pre-Copenhagen, while Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) are drafting an outline of their bipartisan legislative proposal.

India and U.S. Announce Climate Initiatives

During a three-day trip to Washington, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Obama pledged, “to take strong national mitigation actions” in working toward a “successful and substantive outcome” to negotiations in Copenhagen. The two countries also agreed to launch a Clean Energy and Climate Change Initiative, which includes cooperation in developing and improving access to clean technologies and energy efficiency measures.

Inhofe on Going to Copenhagen

In an interview with the New York Times, Senator James Inhofe discussed the reasons he plans to attend the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In particular, Inhofe suggests he will go to Copenhagen to act as “a one-man truth squad,” to tell negotiators that the Senate will not pass a cap-and-trade bill.

Kerry Urges Clinton to Increase Global Climate Aid

Senator John Kerry (D-MA) wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today urging increased global aid to support international climate change priorities.

Fuel Efficiency Increases for 2008 Model Year

The EPA reported that the fleet-wide fuel economy for 2008 model year cars and trucks totaled 21 miles per gallon, continuing a five-year trend in falling emissions and rising efficiency that began in 2005. However, the EPA report finds Detroit’s Big Three automakers – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler – last in average fuel economy out of the nine major automakers, with Honda leading the category for the past three years.

Major Investors Seek Disclosure of Climate Risks

A petition for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee to require disclosure of climate-related financial risks now includes signatories of major institutional investors with over $1 trillion in assets, along with six top state financial officers, and other labor groups. The investors argue numerous climate-related issues affect long-term corporate finances and should therefore be accounted for in investment decisions.

Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.

“It’s essential that all countries do what is necessary to reach a strong operational agreement that will confront the threat of climate change while serving as a stepping-stone to a legally binding treaty.”

-Barack Obama

Copenhagen Climate Progress Feels More Real

Keith Schneider — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:48:23 +0000

By David Turnbull
Climate Action Network

As Copenhagen prepares for December, a strange combination of Christmas lights, clean energy expos, evergreen wreaths, and security barriers have begun to crop up around the city. It’s an exciting time to be in Copenhagen, reflecting on a year of intense pressure, activity, and engagement around the world.

Over the past several months (and years), a growing movement has coalesced around the climate change conference here next month and it’s hard to believe it’s finally almost here. You may recall that in June, the sleepy German town of Bonn saw hundreds of activists descend in the rain upon the normally quiet Subsidiary Bodies negotiations at the UNFCCC’s home. Thousands around the world participated in the September 21 Global Wakeup Call. Then in Bangkok in October thousands marched outside the UNESCAP building calling for climate action. October 24th saw the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history, spearheaded by 350.org, with over 5000 events in 181 countries around the world.

And now, rumors of tens of thousands arriving here for the conference are looming over Copenhagen, including by my count, at least 15 heads of state who have committed to attending the talks — although Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said in Barcelona earlier this month that he expects at least 40.

The last time I wrote, it was a dark and gloomy day in Copenhagen. But today was beautiful – the sun was out, the weather warm, and the bustle on the street was electric.

The last time I wrote, I was convincing myself, and others, that all was not lost for December. Now, on this bright and sunny day, I’m as convinced as ever that world leaders can achieve an ambitious outcome in Copenhagen if they try.

Even in the past week, we’ve seen movement around the world. The Alliance of Small Island states continue to raise its collective voice of conscience against a weak outcome in Copenhagen. We’ve heard that the Chinese would be willing to bring a number to the table in Copenhagen. We’ve seen South Korea confirm a voluntary emissions reduction target of 30 percent below business as usual by 2020. The European Union has said that it would like a binding agreement in Copenhagen. France and Brazil came out with a “climate bible” – an agreement between two nations to work together on climate change. This follows Brazil’s previous announcement of voluntary emissions cuts of 36-39% by 2020 below business as usual in a “political gesture” some weeks ago.

Even the Danish government, which had caused so many hearts to sink with its proposal of a “politically binding” outcome in Copenhagen, seemed to change its tune, if only a bit. Danish Minister for Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard (who will chair the negotiations in December), spoke in a press briefing at the close of the preparatory meeting last week, assuring the world that her aim is a legally binding outcome from the negotiations.

Finally, eyes continue to focus on the US. In the joint announcement between the US and China, President Obama indicated his team could bring further commitments to the table in Copenhagen. As Copenhagen creeps towards December, the question remains, will Obama come to Copenhagen? If so, will he come bearing gifts or a lump of coal?

David Turnbull is executive director of Climate Action Network International. A version of this article was posted on Eco-Digest, CAN International’s blog.

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“Immediate Operational Effect”: Climate Action Hotline, Dec. 1

Copenhagen Climate Progress Feels More Real