Recently, Congress has convened hearings around whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is able to use the Clean Air Act to limit emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants associated with climate change.
Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to regulate emissions that are considered to be pollution and that "endanger public health and welfare."
COP15 - Watch highlights from day 9 of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) - recorded on December 15, 2009
Clean Skies - Copenhagen Welcomes More World Leaders. Updates from day 9 of U.N. climate talks, where U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern talks emissions taxes, European Union Commissioner Stavros Dimas expresses dislike for the Kyoto Protocol, and an appearance is made by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
David Gillette observes the start of the high-level negotiations at COP15 - in illustrated essay format.
France24 - With government ministers taking part in the discussions, there was a change in pace at the Copenhagen summit Tuesday. But will it be enough for refugees of climate change?
Circle of Blue - Copenhagen: Taking the risk to define a zero carbon, clean energy future. Copenhagen, host of the UN Climate Change Conference, claims to be one of the world's greenest cities. It has extensive public transportation, a strong bicycle culture and plans to be carbon neutral by 2025 with progressive blueprints to reduce carbon emissions 20 percent by 2015 compared to 2005. Klaus Bondam, mayor of technology and sustainability for the city of Copenhagen, explains the city's ethos, commitment to sustainability and its rapid plans to move from coal to wind energy.
UN Foundation turned 52 of the Climate Board's most compelling stories into an It’s Getting Personal deck of playing cards. The card decks were delivered to every country negotiator, all United Nations and government officials, and hundreds of reporters at the Copenhagen climate conference.
Comedian Eugene Mirman, Grist Special Correspondent in Copenhagen, goes to the Bella Center, the epicenter of the U.N. Climate Conference. He unofficially represents the U.S. in this official U.N. conference center. And because he's Eugene, makes friends doing it.
Videos from the Climate Change summit in Copenhagen (December 12-13, 2009) - Tuvalu makes an impassioned plea for action, a peaceful protest turns violent then peaceful again, Desmond Tutu calls on leaders to take real action on climate change. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu at Bright Green.
Clean Skies Sunday: Copenhagen Talks Week 1. The week began with a controversy of a report of a leaked Danish text, that reportedly would give developed nations more power in how to fight climate change, and leave poorer nations out of the negotiating process. U.N.F.C.C. Exec. Secretary Yvo de Boer, COP15 President Connie Hedegaard denied it. But G-77 and Africa nations cried foul. As the week progressed, so did the negotiations. And by the end of the week a working draft agreement was produced. But can the nations build upon it the second week? de Boer and IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri discuss the first week and their expectations for the second. The U.S. delegation arrived to great fanfare, to explain the American's position on restitution for pollution and the plan to move forward. And finally, DONG energy gives a tour of the world's first commercial size 2nd generation bio-fuels plant, turning biomass into fuel.
TckTckTck - On the weekend of December 11-13, people around the world took action on climate change. We held over 3,000 events: massive marches in Copenhagen and other cities, signing walls in world capitals, beautiful candlelight vigils in our communities, and church bells ringing out around the world. (See also A troika of inspiring videos.
The Uptake - On December 12, 2009, thousands of people representing a broad coalition of climate and environmental organizations, activists, and other civil society organizations marched from Christiansborg Palace Square to the Bella Center. Despite some arrests, the overwhelming sentiment was positive and peaceful, culminating in a massive vigil outside Bella Center.
France24 - Copenhagen: Climate activists from all over the world ... At least 30,000 people demonstrated in Copenhagen Saturday to pressure climate delegates to reach a pact at the UN Copenhagen summit.
EarthKeepers - Environmental reporter, Olivia Zaleski and filmmakers Gabriel London and Peter Buntaine report as violence erupts during an otherwise peaceful protest at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen. An unidentified anarchist group of several hundred--most covering their faces with ski masks and hoods--began to converge, shooting explosives at nearby buildings and police. One homemade cannon launched cobblestones over the crowd, breaking the window of a nearby police van. See related story, Copenhagen Protest Turns Violent, Hundreds Arrested.
Comedian Eugene Mirman, Grist's Special Correspondent in Copenhagen, joined tens of thousands of protesters for the a rally and march during the UN Climate Change Conference. Amidst a colorful display of activism at Parliament Square, Eugene tackles the big issues. He talks to everyone, including protesters protesting the protest. He also speaks with a VERY cute dog.Guardian UK - Copenhagen: A tale of two protests. After tens of thousands of climate change protesters took to the streets of Copenhagen, police make hundreds of arrests.
Reuters - South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivers petition to U.N.'s climate chief to press world leaders for a strong deal to curb climate change. Penny Tweedie reports.
Reuters - Climate change protests across globe. Protesters in Asia started a day of action across the globe calling for an end to global warming as climate talks in Copenhagen entered their sixth day. Sonia Legg reports.
U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu at Bright Green Dec 13, 2009 -
As the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen deepen, the videos are becoming more engaging (and plentiful). Here's a good crop of harvested videos summarizing the fourth day of COP15 negotiations.
Clean Skies News - discussion continues over emissions cuts for large countries and climate funding for poorer countries. The Clean Skies team tracks comment from Todd Stern, George Soros and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Climate Action Network (CAN) International - covers the dramatic action of Tuvalu in the negotiation hall, potential loopholes for logging in northern countries, and a focus on the EU, spotlighting finance issues. Experts on todays panel included David Ngatae, Cook Islands Climate Action Network; Saleemul Huq, IIED; and Chris Henschel, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society; and Matthias Duwe, CAN Europe.
Reuters - The UN's top envoy on climate Change, Yvo de Boer provides insight on a possible 1.5 degree centigrade deal at the Climate Change conference in Copenhagen.
Clean Skies News - Michael Zammit Cutajar, Chairman of the Long Term Cooperative Action Group, talks with Clean Skies in Copenhagen about progress being made on the main issues in Copenhagen: technology, adaption, mitigation and finances. Zammit Cutajar's group was responsible for drafting a new treaty text and for tracking changes made by the UNFCCC parties throughout negotiations. (See related article in today's Washington Post, Key Copenhagen group releases draft climate plan.)
Clean Skies News - Billionaire Financier George Soros talks about his unique plan to pay the costs that come with combating climate change. He says there are vast sums of untapped money in the form of Special Drawing Rights (SDR's), that can be donated into a "green fund." (See related blog post on climate financing via carbon-financeonline.com.)
David Gillette uncovers a mystery. What are the blinking red lights? Hint: they're very, very important.
GRIST - Comedian Eugene Mirman is Grist's Special Correspondent in Copenhagen at the UN Climate Change Conference. Here's his first of many reports from the charming Danish capitol.
Additional resources
Guardian UK: Copenhagen climate conference: best of YouTube. Young delegates, Lumumba Di-Aping Danish text plea and climate sceptic Monckton declares activists 'Hitler youth': YouTube's inside story so far from Copenhagen… Also check out their video series, Faces from the climate frontline which features stories about how climate change is affecting ordinary people around the world.
Clean Skies News Copenhagen Coverage offers summaries and interviews with key players at the COP15 throughout the summit. They also cover related news at home and abroad.
Day three highlights deep rifts between developed and developing countries, the launch of IGBP's climate change index, continued discussion about "Palinclimategateopedgate", and a behind the scenes look at people and activities in Copenhagen.
Clean Skies News summarizes the day's discussions, as well as the eco-friendly biofuel movement in Copenhagen and the police raid on the rooms and belongings of climate talk protesters.
Key focus for today was the science of climate change, importance of forests in the climate change discussion, the "Danish text", and potential outcomes of Copenhagen.
David Gillette takes a closer look at the power structures underlying the COP15 climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Clean Skies News - Tyler Suiters is live from Copenhagen, Denmark, describing how speakers on Day 2 of the climate talks acknowledge the existence of changing global temperatures and weather worldwide and how such occurrences are a threat to life on this planet.
COP15 Webcasts - IPCC information and activities and their relevance for the UNFCCC process. IPCC Chair R.K. Pachauri leads the panel discussion of highlights of IPCC Assessment Report 4; Update on the currently prepared Special Reports on renewable energy sources and on extreme events; and outlook towards IPCC Assessment Report 5. BEST IF VIEWED IN INTERNET EXPLORER.
Smacking the Hack Attack - Climate deniers have been making a lot of noise about a set of stolen emails from one of the world's leading climate centers, The Universtiy of East Anglia. The spin they're putting out is that the emails reveal what they always suspected, an evil global conspiracy.
CNN's Christiane Amanpour looks at views on climate change versus the actual facts on climate change.
COP15 Webcasts - On Tuesday, the UNFCCC held a media workshop on "The Science: To what extent the latest scientific findings tally with the IPCC Assessment Report 4 and what this means for the climate change process". This in no way detracts from the IPCC reports, but shows how the latest research relates to the scientific discussion. BEST IF VIEWED IN INTERNET EXPLORER.
(Download related slides)
Clean Skies News - Controversy in Copenhagen. In day two of the UN climate conference debate was heating up over emissions targets and a so-called Danish text circulating around the summit threatens to widen the gap between rich and poor nations.
COP15 Webcast - World Resources Institute held a press briefing on "Essential elements of a Copenhagen agreement". BEST IF VIEWED IN INTERNET EXPLORER. (
Download related paper)
NBC Nightly News. In Peru, melting glaciers lead to water wars. Unless the nation of Peru takes immediate action, the ancient Andean glaciers could disappear, taking with them the runoff that provides much of the water for the country’s most populous areas. NBC’s Anne Thompson reports.
Clean Skies News - Copenhagen Issue: Deforestation Plays Role in Climate Negotiations. An international agreement to compensate small nations for restoring their forests to help capture carbon dioxide emissions may help in the fight against climate change. This piece examines the complicated array of issues facing negotiators who specialize in REDD issues: Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries.
David Gillette prepares to leave for Copenhagen to cover the COP15 Climate Change Conference. Here's an introduction to the project. (Look for a new Illustrated Essay, right here, every day of the conference: December 7 - 18, 2009.)
"Please Help the World", film from the opening ceremony of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15) in Copenhagen from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Shown on December 7, 2009 at COP15.
According to United Nations organizers, 34,000 individuals are seeking to participate in some way in the Copenhagen Climate Change negotiations (COP15). That's 4,000 more than attended the 1992 Rio Summit AND the downtown ad hoc tent city which gave birth to the Climate Change Convention being negotiated as well as several other international negotiating frameworks to address major environmental issues.
But the Internet can still provide resources to "get us in" to the negotiations - here are a handful of sites that I find useful beyond the standard collection of Google Alerts that I have set up in my Google Reader.
USCAP is made up of corporations and NGOs who are seeking to address the problem of global climate change in 2009 before it's too late. (According to the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we only have 6-1/2 years left before we reach the climate change tipping point of no return.)
A key recommendation of USCAP's blueprint is to implement a cap-and-trade program. This is but one item in the climate change toolbox. We need to more rigorously implement energy efficiency measures, changes in energy production and sources, improvements in distribution of energy, etc.
But on the legislative front, the Obama administration is looking to implement economy-wide cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050.
While I know congress will debate whatever is proposed, my personal hope is that there will be swift movement on this front to put in place a system that will contribute to significant cuts in the amount of greenhouse gas emissions we send into our atmosphere.
I came across this video posted on @greenpep's website at http://green-pepper.org.uk which does a good job explaining the science and concerns surrounding climate change as well as the need (and opportunity) to take action NOW.
"Ecobag Products" wanted to be my friend. I guess a connection with an environmental product makes sense - I work for an environmental organization and dutifully take my
cloth bags to the grocery store to avoid using paper or plastic bags.
There is an ongoing debate about brands on twitter - I fall into the category of believing brand twitters can work as long as they truly twitter.
But brands on facebook with personal profiles - well, it was kind of weird. On facebook, PEOPLE have personal profiles, people create groups (where anything goes) and events, and brands (which can include very popular people) are represented through pages.
At least that's the general rule of thumb.
So Ecobag Products sat on my facebook friend requests page ... for several weeks. Each time a new friend request came in, I'd see Ecobag Products sitting there - unfriended.
I read GenGreenLife's review of a new eco-friendly bag (which wasn't really) and I started thinking about lonely, unfriended Ecobag Products.
So, I entered "Ecobags" into my Google Chrome address bar (BTW - Google Chrome totally rocks as an internet browser). I found myself at the Ecobags website.
Hmmm ... not bad.
I then typed in reusable bags and found -- what else -- the website of reusablebags.com.
Among other things, reusablebags.com claims,
We've been fighting the massive over-consumption of plastic shopping bags since 2002 and have made a significant impact - inspiring hundreds of news stories and empowering individuals with practical products and activist tools.
Among their plethora of bag choices - Ecobag Products!
ECOBAGS® started in 1989 with a simple goal - to produce quality bags at great prices so that "Reusable becomes a way of life." From their classic string bag to their hemp/cotton blend totes ECOBAGS® are sturdy, sustainable and affordable
Well, Ecobag Products seemed to share my personal goals and had developed some kind of reputation in its niche market.
So, I went back to facebook to see how lonely, unfriended Ecobag Products was doing.
Ecobag Products had 118 friends as a brand.
I had 149 friends as a person - and I had a sneaking suspicion that I've been on facebook longer than Ecobag Products.
