News from the Front
Yesterday Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, the UN’s top climate change official, expressed confidence that the UN Climate Conference would deliver a comprehensive, ambitious and effective international climate change deal. “Within two weeks from Monday, governments must give their adequate response to the urgent challenge of climate change,” said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer. “Negotiators now have the clearest signal ever from world leaders to craft solid proposals to implement rapid action.” He added that the numerous emission reduction pledges that developing countries have made “show that there is an unprecedented political momentum to clinch an ambitious deal in Copenhagen. Yvo de Boer spoke of three layers of action that governments must agree to in the course of the coming two weeks: fast and effective implementation of immediate action on climate change; ambitious commitments to cut and limit emissions, including start-up funding and a long-term funding commitment; and a long-term shared vision on a low-emissions future for all.
More than 15,000 participants, including delegates from 192 countries, are expected to take part in the UN Climate Change. But is it enough and will the US make a real and binding commitment? While President Obama’s proposal to reduce US emissions by the equivalent of 4 percent from 1990 levels by 2020, and China’s offer to nearly halve the ratio of pollution to GDP over the next decade, should be taken as signals they are prepared to negotiate, these numbers appear to be too little too late. People like Lester Brown, president of Earth Policy institute and author of Plan B 4.0 (to down load or order this book go to http://www.earth-policy.org/) and author, educator and environmentalist Bill McKibben (http://www.350.org/ ), are calling for a cut of net global carbon emissions of 80 percent by 2020.
Which numbers are right? I invite you to take the time during the next 2 week to do your homework and come up with your own answers to that question. I will continue to supply daily updates on what is happening here, including leads to do your own research. But it is up to each of us to get involved, get informed and Act! There could easily be upwards of a hundred thousand citizen activists coming to Copenhagen to make sure that their voices and the people they represent are included. The big question is, will your voice be heard. The children of future generations are asking right now, what did you do when you heard…?
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Great Blessings On Us All,
michael
Get informed, Get involved and Act!