Scientists at the UN Climate conference in Bangkok have agreed on a report has agreed that fighting climate change is affordable with the technology readily available to slow the growth in greenhouse gas emissions and stave off climate chaos. Reuters are reporting that a senior delegate has confirmed the report was finished this morning. âItâs … Read More
Climate Change
A Holiday to Watch Global Warming
The Independent reports how the effects of climate change are leading to a distinctive new form of 21st-century travel: global-warming tourism. A US tour company will be running a special trip this summer to view Warming Island, a “newly discovered” island off Greenland. Betchart Expeditions of Cupertino, California, a company specialising in natural history tours, … Read More
British MPs Call for an End to Oil Aid:
British Member of Parliament, Michael Meacher, has introduced an âearly day motionâ that calls on the British aid agency, the Department for International Development, to stop subsidizing oil companies through development agencies like the World Bank. Other Members of Parliament are invited to endorse the motion, which will stay open until November. A similar motion … Read More
Heating up for Wolfowitz at the Bank
The Government Accountability Project (GAP) is accusing beleaguered World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz of trying to weaken references to climate change in the World Bank’s Clean Energy and Investment Framework. GAP has released an internal summary of a February 2006 World Bank meeting on the Framework. The summary includes the following passage: âFeedback from the … Read More
Scientists Outline Steps to Tackle Climate Change
Hundreds of scientists are meeting in Bangkok this week on practical steps to combat climate change. By the of the week, delegates from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are expected to come up with technological options to curb rising levels of carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping gases.
An Appeal to Pelosi to Help End Oil Aid
Only 10 days after Congressman Maurice Hinchey introduced the End Oil Aid Bill in the U.S. Congress, more than 150 organizations from 50 countries have written to House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, recognizing her clean energy efforts and calling on her to lend support to eliminate international âoil aidâ. The letter (Acrobat pdf) cites over $20 … Read More
EU-US Divided Over Climate
Divisions over climate change threaten to derail next weekâs set piece EU-US summit. The meeting, which will be hosted by George Bush and attended by Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, was seen as an opportunity for Europe and the US to align their positions on climate change before a G8 meeting in June.
China to Overtake US Emissions
China is set to overtake the US as the worldâs largest emitter of greenhouse gases within months, experts are predicting. Previously expected to occur in 2009 or 2010, the historic event could now happen as early as November. But this event pales into insignificance if China takes no action to improve emissions. Within twenty five … Read More
Erasing Climate Change at the World Bank
The scandal at the World Bank is quickly spreading to Paul Wolfowitz’s handpicked deputy, Juan Jose Daboub. First he is accused of trying to remove references to âfamily planningâ from World Bank documents, now the Bank’s Chief Scientist, Robert Watson, is accusing him of trying to erase references to climate change from the Bank’s Clean … Read More
McCain Warns of Vulnerability of Foreign Oil
In the third of three major policy addresses, Republican presidential candidate, John McCain has talked about the âgreat and urgent challenge – breaking our nation’s critical dependence on foreign sources of oilâ. In a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) McCain warned that Americaâs âdependency on foreign oil and the way … Read More