So the car crash somehow didn’t happen. Somehow the groundhog talks managed to conjure up a deal in the last twenty four hours. A diplomatic rabbit was pulled by the Mexican hosts out of the hat. It is a deal of sorts, that keeps the show on the road, at least for now. “Confidence is … Read More
Cancun Conference
Zombies, Car-Crashes and Life-Support..
It’s the last day at the Goundhog talks in Cancun and its going to be a late-nighter, that’s for sure. But whether anything meaningful comes from the Summit remains to be seen. This year’s summit was all about just keeping the talks on the road, not about radical deals, but even that limited goal seems … Read More
Global Climate Fund In, World Bank Out
With only a few days to go in the UN climate talks in Cancún, many questions remain on the outcomes, including on one of the most important issues currently on the table – climate finance. Finance in the context of the climate talks refers to funding for developing countries to address climate needs – financing … Read More
“Yet another red flag being raised”
The latest from the Groundhog Summit. As the politicians pontificate, the science gets more scary. Today UNEP – the United Nations Environment Programme – will release the results of its latest research into the effects of climate change on glaciers from around the world. As UNEP says: “There is increasing concern about the effects of … Read More
“Gracias Por Nada” Canada
So its week two at the climate talks, when the heavyweights begin to arrive. Over the next few days, environment ministers, Prime Ministers and Presidents will all head to the Mexican resort of Cancun. Due to arrive tomorrow is Albertan Environment Minister, Rob Renner, who will be greeted by a sarcastic “muchas gracias” newspaper adverts. … Read More
Cancun: A Groundhog Summit
So 2010 will almost certainly rank as one of the three warmest years since temperature records began in 1850, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The final ranking for 2010 will not become clear until November and December data are available in early 2011, but November global temperatures are similar to those observed in … Read More
Carbon Trading Obsession is “Irresponsible”
As the diplomatic squabbling continues in Cancun, lots of policy options are being put on the table. One of the key ones is trading carbon emissions. The influential EU bloc is one of carbon tradings greatest proponents, with its Emissions Trading Scheme the largest carbon trading scheme in the world. New rules to the ETS … Read More
BP says to Cancun: Invest in the tar sands
Timing, as I have pointed out in this blog before, is everything. Day two of the Cancun climate summit and you would have thought that politicians and companies would be tripping over themselves to portray themselves as clean and green. But not BP. The oil giant is off-loading assets left, right and centre. Just days … Read More
“There is little to no chance of less than 2C rise”
A year ago at the Copenhagen conference, the talk was all about deals and final agreements that would put the world on the road to a low carbon future. This year, at Cancun, the expectations are so low that just keeping the show on the road is the main priority. At best the hope is … Read More
World is Still Warming
According to a new report by one of the world’s leading authorities on climate change, the UK Met Office, the world has warmed more rapidly than previously thought over the past decade. The report also finds evidence that man-made climate change has grown even stronger over the last year. This means that this year is … Read More