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
Post-Kyoto
Bonn, not London, is the Important Meeting
As the world watches and waits to see what happens at the G20 today, but if you are worried about climate, you are looking at the wrong place. You should be looking to see what happens at Bonn instead. Anything meaningful on climate will happen in Bonn not London. This is where a 10-day UN … Read More
Obama “May Delay” Copenhagen Climate Deal
There is growing evidence that President Obama will be forced to delay signing up to any new agreement on climate change in Copenhagen due to the scale of opposition in the US Congress. Senior figures in Obama’s administration have warned their political counterparts in London that Obama may need another six months to win domestic … Read More
Last Orders in the Last Chance Saloon
Yet another climate conference, yet more hot air, but so little time. Unless a serious deal is struck in Poznan this week, we are all in serious trouble. Although the UN Climate Conference this week in Poznan is the smaller precursor meeting to the huge jamboree that will be Copenhagen next December, it is no … Read More
‘Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter’
And so begins George’s long walk into the history books. He has months left in his Presidency. He has finished his farewell tour of Europe and finished his final G8 meeting. In his final few months, he may be responsible for yet another foreign policy disaster if the US attacks Iran, but when the dust … Read More
T. Boone to the Rescue…
After a meeting today of the G8 and leading developing countries, the two groups finally said they shared a “joint vision” for action on climate change. But the statement made no mention of any specific target for cutting emissions, and gave no baseline date from when the cuts might begin. Yesterday the G8 called for … Read More
A Big Agenda, but Small Hope
Climate change experts from around the world will get their first chance this week to discuss the nuts and bolts of the new global warming agreement designed to take effect after 2012, that was hammered out in Bali last December. In Bonn, “the real work is now only beginning,” says Yvo de Boer, the United … Read More
Rich States have Failed on Climate Leadership
Developing countries, including China and India, are unwilling to sign up to a new global climate change pact to replace Kyoto because the rich world has failed to set a clear example on cutting CO2. That’s the blunt message from Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He argues that … Read More
China “Will Agree to Cut Emissions”
The world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter, China, will agree to cut its soaring carbon dioxide emissions, one of the country’s leading environmentalists forecast yesterday. But it would only be on the basis of a deal with the United States and the rest of the developed world.