cop15

COP15 Progress Report: Pledges Too Weak, But There’s Hope

April 1, 2010

Images via CAP

There’s good news, and there’s bad news. The good news is that 110 countries, which are responsible for 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, have signed on with pledges to reduce them. The bad news, of course, is that according to the United Nations, those pledges are simply too weak. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Israel Prepares to Meet Copenhagen Carbon Goals

March 21, 2010

The Reading power plant in Tel Aviv, recently converted to burn natural gas instead of crude oil. (photo by Daniel Cherrin)

In a sign that it intends to take its climate change commitments seriously, Israel has appointed a high-level committee to find ways to reduce its carbon emissions.

However, a controversial reform of the town planning system has many in Israel accusing the government of promoting environmentally destructive policies. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Lord Stern Says Rich Nations’ Arrogance Did In COP15

March 17, 2010

climate justice will save cop photo
photo: Matthew McDermott

A new piece over at the BBC details Lord Nicholas Stern‘s views on the positive and negative outcomes of COP15. The positive are pretty much familiar: It may not have been quite what had been hoped for, but it was a step forward. The negative is likely to…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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The 2012 Menace May Be Real, Like Sarah Palin

March 13, 2010

photo 2012 movie poster
Credit: Flickr via Michael Francis McCarthy.

2012 is a movie, the end of the Mayan calendar, maybe the end of the Earth. But, thankfully, it’s all a myth. Or is it? The 2012 phenomenon gets a new spin from Lawrence M. Krauss in the March 2010 issue of Scientific American. The bottom line: 2012 could be the beginning of the end if we don’t take steps to combat climate change, and call out naysayers like Sarah “<a href="http://www.cs…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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World’s Scientists to Carry Out Independent Review of IPCC

March 11, 2010

Photo via FreeSpeech

Ban Ki-moon has announced that a comprehensive, independent review of the IPCC is to be carried out, after calls from world governments were made to do so. The Secretary General for the UN said that scientists from academies around the world will take part in the review, which will be headed by the Inter-Academy Council–and it will be conducted completely independently of the United Nations. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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India Backs Copenhagen Accord – Last Major Emitter To Do So

March 9, 2010

indian parliament photo
photo: Kartikeya Kaul via flickr.

India, the world’s last major emitter to formally back the Copenhagen Accord, has done so. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said the decision reflected India’s contributions in shaping the Accord. Ramesh went on to list the three conditions under which India will participate:…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Global Warming Hits World’s Women the Hardest — Especially When They Don’t Have Equal Rights

March 3, 2010

women climate justice rally thailand photo
Filipina beauty queen Miriam Quiambao speaks at a Bangkok, Thailand, rally for gender and climate justice. Photo by ~MVI~ via Flickr.

It’s already well known that climate change is not an equal-opportunity threat, with its impacts on food production, severe storms, and drought, among others, hitting the world’s <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/10-billion-climate-change-adaptation-assistanc…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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New UN Talks in Bonn to Lay Out 2010 Climate Agenda

February 22, 2010

Photo via France 24

It appears many of the world’s nations are ready to cautiously dip their toes back into the realm of international talks–additional climate negotiations have just been added in Bonn, Germany. And what’s on the agenda? Well, pretty much the agenda. The agenda’s on the agenda. Without going further into a ‘Whos on First?’ routine, suffice to say that it appears the primary thrust of these additional conference dates will be determining the schedule and content for international climate talks for the rest of the year. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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UN Climate Chief Yvo de Boer to Step Down

February 18, 2010

Photo via L’Echo

Yvo de Boer Resigns from Top Climate Position
Yvo de Boer, the head of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, has formally announced he’ll be leaving the post this July. The decision is widely thought to come from de Boer’s deep disappointment with the results of the Copenhagen climate talks, and the nonbinding Accord forged there. An energetic and often “sharp-tongued” man, many fear that whomever is selected as his replacement will lack his audacity and enthusiasm. Here’s his statement on why he’s leaving: …Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Norway Reveals Stunning Plan to Cut CO2 Emissions 30% in 10 Years

February 17, 2010

norway emissions cuts photo
Photo via Orange Smile

I think I want to move to Norway. The Scandinavian nation announced some of the boldest goals for curbing carbon emissions during the run-up to Copenhagen. And today, it released its plans outlining exactly how it will cut 30% of its emissions by 2020–some of the deepest emissions cuts of any nation ever. And that plan includes infrastructure for electric cars, using more biofuels, creating more bike paths, carbon capture, and m…Read the full story on TreeHugger