The mood may be different this year, but the message is the same. The time to act is now. If we are to keep global temperatures to below a 2 degrees Celsius rise, nations have to implement the pledges made in Copenhagen and much, much more. According to a new report compiled by the UN … Read More
Copenhagen Conference
A Small Window of Opportunity At Cancun
It has been adundently clear that since the Midterms, any small lingering hopes of a domestic push on climate legislation are dead in the water. As the Washington Post argued recently: “This is what the 2010 midterm elections will change about U.S. climate policy: Cap-and-trade was dead. Now it will be deader.” And the political … Read More
Anti-Wind Study Linked to Climate Sceptics
Ask any oil executive where our future energy will come from and they will reply that the answer lies in “the mix”: arguing we need oil, gas, renewables and probably nuclear. The oil industry argues that its days as the predominant provider of energy are not yet over, despite climate change and peak oil. But … Read More
“Its easier to defeat Hitler than Big Coal and Oil…”
Its not often now in journalism that someone tells you how it is and puts their neck on the line in no nonsense language. So good old Rolling Stone – the grandfather rock and roll mag that has a great article on how the oil and gas killed hopes of a climate deal in the … Read More
IPCC: Watch out for the Sceptics and Lobbyists
It is one of the ironies of the climate change debate that the greater the urgency for action on climate change, the louder the voices urging for inaction. There were thousands of corporate lobbyists at Copenhagen trying to undermine effective action. It would also be a foolish person who denied that the sceptics managed to … Read More
A New Year and a New Hope?
After the severe disappointment of the Copenhagen Summit, when a watered-down wet blanket of a deal was signed, recriminations have flown far and fast with both China and the US being signalled out for blame. Depending on who you talk to, either country is the villain behind the Summit’s failure. “Contrary to countless reports, the … Read More
It’s looking like a COP Out
So Obama has finally arrived and is heading for a plenary meeting. There will be many twists and turns before the end of the day – with talks of deals being on and deals being off, but if this conference is to succeed Obama holds the key. But many do not seem that optimistic. Fredrik … Read More
China: “Virtually no Possibility” of Climate Deal
Cometh the hour, the saying goes, cometh the man. But with just today and tomorrow to go in Copenhagen, the main man – the one who can make or break this Summit – President Obama, is not even here yet. After years of international meetings – from Bali to Bangkok to Bonn – Obama will … Read More
Three Days to Secure a FAB Deal
Slowly but surely the politicians are arriving in Copenhagen for the last few days of talks. As they sound the bell of urgency, the talks remained stalled. Yesterday Yvo de Boer, the head of negotiations, admitted things are moving “too slowly”. That’s diplomatic speak for at the moment things are a complete disaster. With more … Read More
Its Business As Usual for Exxon
Don’t you just love it? As some 45,000 people – from governments, to business to NGOs talk about climate change and how to tackle it, the oil boys just get on with business, regardless of any outcome. Exxon has just made the largest play in the energy market for four years, and no – its … Read More