Africa abandons Barcelona's pre COP15 climate talks - Anger in the streets at rich nations inaction

by 350 Tue Nov 03, 2009 18:04

The 350 number appears nearly everywhere. 2 years ago, we were not aware of it. Now it is outlined as the worlds most important numbers, relating to the max number of carbon levels that we can have in the atmosphere to avoid climate choas.

We are about 390 at present and increasing, we have to get down, and quick!!!

Heres a few film from within and outside the centre, check them out.

related infos;
http://www.350.org/

350 parts per million - the absolute limit we have to get to quick, to avoid runaway climate chaos

Caption: Video Id: hynMf3iDSns Type: Youtube Video
350 at the Barcelona climate talks

Caption: Video Id: Citd9RH7kbU Type: Youtube Video
350 PPM CO2: Earth

by general updater Tue Nov 03, 2009 22:53

- We only have months, not years, to save civilisation from climate change - Lester Brown
- Africa ends boycott at UN climate talks, but will repeat boycott if no progress made tomorrow
- Forest protection hinges on 10-word phrase — "safeguards against the conversion of natural forests to forest plantations"
- BCN updates and links

We only have months, not years, to save civilisation from climate change
International agreements take too long, we need a swift mobilisation not seen since the second world war
- Lester Brown (Guy who gave us the "sustainability is..." quote)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/no...hagen

For those concerned about global warming, all eyes are on December's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen. The stakes could not be higher. Almost every new report shows that the climate is changing even faster than the most dire projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their 2007 report.

Yet from my vantage point, internationally negotiated climate agreements are fast becoming obsolete for two reasons. First, since no government wants to concede too much compared with other governments, the negotiated goals for cutting carbon emissions will almost certainly be minimalist, not remotely approaching the bold cuts that are needed.

And second, since it takes years to negotiate and ratify these agreements, we may simply run out of time. This is not to say that we should not participate in the negotiations and work hard to get the best possible result. But we should not rely on these agreements to save civilisation.

* Developed nations to talk more about 2020 cuts
* African nations win promise of more meetings
* Africa group says will repeat boycott if no progress Wed.

African nations called off a day-long boycott at U.N. climate talks on Tuesday after winning promises that rich nations would make more efforts to deepen 2020 cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.

But the group threatened to repeat the boycott if there was no progress in discussions on Wednesday.

"We were able to arrive at a solution," John Ashe, an official of Antigua and Barbuda who chairs negotiations among parties to the U.N.'s existing Kyoto Protocol, told delegates at the 175-nation meeting in Barcelona.

"Failure ... in tomorrow's discussions will give us no option but a suspension," of the talks again, said Pa Ousman Jarju from the delegation of Gambia, one of leading countries which organised the Africa boycott.

The 10-word provision — "safeguards against the conversion of natural forests to forest plantations" — was part of the proposal on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, known as REDD. The words were enclosed in brackets. Meaning, they were still up for negotiation.

The phrase vanished completely on the last day of UN climate talks in Bangkok in October.

Developing nations could end up being paid billions of dollars to raze rainforests and build palm oil plantations in their place if the current text of the Copenhagen climate treaty sticks, a group of advocates warned at the United Nations climate talks on Tuesday.

It's not set in stone. Negotiators could still reinsert a 10-word phrase that was sliced from the treaty language, but that would have to happen by Friday, the last day of the U.N. talks in Barcelona.

Greenpeace banner against BCN twilight - front page news foto

Saturdays night demo on the streets - Future?

Action outside the conference - World leaders draw up aid cheque to poor countires, then rip it up

Caption: Video Id: fnvp5lPWP2E Type: Youtube Video
THE CLIMATE IS NOT FOR SALE street demo

Caption: Video Id: 2I3qWzbIgss Type: Youtube Video
Greenpeace demonstration in BCN

by Dunk Tue Nov 03, 2009 23:24

The Age of Stupid gives a very nice (easy to get your head around) animation about how a global transition to a lesser or non carbon emitting world will pan out over the years...

'Contract & Converge' Animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u35wHbyZy7g

In saying that, which is all well and good, another blow has been dealt this evening with the US still fu**ing about and not taking responsability or leadership for their far the fact that their far bigger emissions and dependance on CO2 outputs is major factor in causing todays climate chaos....

US puts climate debate on hold for five weeks despite plea by Merkel

• Senate delay means no bill likely before Copenhagen
• German leader makes historic Congress address
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/03/merke...ebate

World leaders – and US officials – have repeatedly said US legislation is crucial to a deal on global warming.

The first German leader to ever address both houses of Congress, Merkel said a deal was comparable in importance to the tearing down of the Berlin wall 20 years ago. "We need the readiness of all countries to accept internationally binding obligations," she said to loud applause from Democrats. Republicans largely sat in silence. "There is no doubt about it. In December, the world will look to us: the Europeans and the Americans. I am convinced once we … show ourselves ready to adopt binding agreements we will also be able to persuade China and India."

The Age of Stupid 'Contract & Converge' Animation on CO2 emissions ween out plan

Caption: Video Id: u35wHbyZy7g Type: Youtube Video
The Age of Stupid 'Contract & Converge' Animation on CO2 emissions ween out plan

by Dunk Tue Nov 03, 2009 23:56

No climate treaty expected from Copenhagen - FRANK McDONALD
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/1103/122....html

THE UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month is no longer expected to produce a new international treaty to combat global warming, but rather a series of “political decisions” on the way forward.

by TWITTERer Wed Nov 04, 2009 00:11

tcktcktck - A global movement for a fair, binding and ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen this December. We're tweeting from Barcelona this week.
http://twitter.com/tcktcktck

by Dunk Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:41

PRESS RELEASE (From last nights action outside Barceloneta restaurant)

On the occasion of the Barcelona summit 2 to 6 November, the last preparatory session of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15)

Under the slogan “Dams kill rivers and people, they are not a Clean Development Mechanism!” activists denounce corporate lobbying in climate change negotiations

· Dams and reservoirs are important generators of greenhouse gases, and responsible for almost one quarter of the methane emissions caused by humans

· Nasa’s leading climate scientist James Hansen has warned that corporate lobbying is gravely undermining democratic attempts to curb carbon emissions.

Barcelona, 03 November. The aim of today’s action against corporate lobbyists is to make noise to wake the world up, to express outrage at the questionable legitimacy of today’s meeting between major hydro-electrical corporations (Richard Taylor, Executive Director, International Hydropower Association and Jose Maria Calvo-Sotelo, Senior Vice President Regulation and Corporate Development, Endesa Latinoamérica) and delegates from the negotiations in parallel to the official UNFCC.

According to Olivier Hoedeman from lobbying watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory “From Washington DC to Ottawa, Brussels to Tokyo, the most influential governments in the climate negotiations are facing an unprecedented corporate lobbying offensive, aiming to weaken greenhouse gas reduction targets.”

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a market-based tool that allows industrialized nations – obliged to reduce their emissions by the Kyoto Protocol -to avoid cutting excess emissions by paying developing countries to make the emissions reductions in the form of supposedly ‘clean energy’.

The creation of an artificial ‘climate’ market means large corporations are able to buy carbon credits issued by the UN. Thus, business groups that are expected to reduce emissions are linked to questionable projects in developing countries in the name of “sustainable development” and continue to pollute in developed countries.

The CDM actually increases emissions because the credited projects often do not deliver the expected emissions reductions. Companies represented by corporate lobbyists such as the International Hydropower Association are receiving billions of dollars through this instrument.

Hydroelectric projects have quickly become the number one technology in the CDM, despite their high climate impact. Dams and reservoirs are important generators of greenhouse gases, besides being responsible for almost one quarter of the methane emissions caused by humans, specifically 104M tonnes, corresponding to 4 -5% of all induced warming.

Another terrible consequence is the displacement of over 80M people, an overwhelming number of victims, flooding of many places of great social and cultural value, in addition to the irreversible destruction of river ecosystems.

Today we denounce the death and destruction caused by large dams, and promoted by prominent lobbyists in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Today we say, NO MORE DAMS! LOBBIES OUT OF OUR CLIMATE! THE CLIMATE IS NOT FOR SALE!

full article; http://elclimanoestaenvenda.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/ac...isos/
translation: http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=es&sl=ca&tl=en&...os%2F

Stop dams and lobbies * climate justice (BCN direct action to climate talks lobby groups)

by Dunk Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:57

This morning more than forty activists blocked the entrances to the main halls of the conference centre where the BARCELONA CLIMATE TALKS are taking place. Their action involved shutting and locking many of the main entrances, taping building tape X´s across shut doors, placing stickers on doors saying entrances closed. Their action had a banner that read that "Without a drastic reduction, there is no solution."

There was quite a lot of press coverage, including Catalan TV3 and Japanese national TV. They chanted songs about climate change, read out statements and spoke from the heart as to the reasons for their actions in Catalan, Spanish and English. At one point an excellent eco rap tune was sung.

Amongst other things mentioned was the following; the fact that Africa feel they have to boycott the talks due to lack of seriousness from the rich countries, the fact that people were there to speak on behalf of indigenous in Bagua, Peru who are defending their land, which has been sold off by Peruvian state along with 70 of the countries Amazonian rainforest area, all communities in struggle around the planet, trying to defend their resourses and communities against multinational climate injustice, including the Rossport community in North Western part of Ireland.

There was no police or security attempts to remove the activists. After an hour they stood up and left. They had much support and were applauded from people outside.

report: http://www.lamalla.cat/societat/article?id=305414
translation: http://translate.google.es/translate?hl=es&sl=ca&tl=en&...05414

Press Release and audios to follow soon.

by Dunk Wed Nov 04, 2009 14:20

Bloqueig a la Conferència de Canvi Climàtic de Barcelona!
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display_any/385098
translation; http://translate.google.es/translate?prev=hp&hl=es&js=y...ate0=
group : http://www.elclimanoestaenvenda.wordpress.com
PDF to the press: http://barcelona.indymedia.org/usermedia/application/13...a.pdf

Without DRASTIC reductions there is NO way out (BCN climate talks entrance blocked for an hour today)

by TorrentFreak Wed Nov 04, 2009 14:55

here's a link if you wish to see "age of stupid"
http://dl.btjunkie.org/torrent/The-Age-Of-Stupid/4358b9...rrent

by BCN press release Thu Nov 05, 2009 17:36

PRESS RELEASE

Barcelona is hosting a decisive meeting, the UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (2-6 November),
the final preparatory session of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen (COP15).

Activists block the exit of the UN climate summit building in Barcelona
to demand urgent, binding 40% CO2 reductions by 2020

“For the industrialized countries, there will be no easy ‘way out’… and no way
out of the summit building!”

Barcelona 4 November.

This morning more than 100 local and international direct action activists blockaded the exits of the
UN climate talks in Barcelona for over an hour, saying, “You’re not leaving without drastic CO2 cuts,”
and “Carbon trading offers NO WAY OUT!”

The historic Copenhagen treaty - supposed to prevent catastrophic climate change from reaching the
point of no return - is under negotiation in Barcelona this week. But the current Kyoto Protocol has
failed to achieve even its modest targets for reducing CO2 emissions. Between 2000 and 2005,
emissions increased four times faster than in the previous decade.

The scientific community has agreed the urgent need for an ambitious reduction in CO2 emissions,
but this is in head-on collision with vested corporate and industrialized countries’ interests and
structural inertia. The seriousness of the situation is well-known. However the public debate has been
reduced to the issue of changing our lightbulbs, meanwhile large corporations stitch up the climate
deal.

Ordinary citizens have come to block the doors because without a drastic and mandatory
reduction of CO2 emissions there is no solution to the climate crisis. Because the delegates
must not leave the conference until they have agreed on a good treaty. And a good treaty is
one that is not based on technological fictions and carbon markets.

• Out of the Copenhagen summit should come a firm agreement for a drastic and immediate
reduction in climate-change-inducing gases, and a credible program for the abandonment of
the use of fossil fuels in full by mid-century and for ending deforestation now.

• One of the main reasons for the failure of Kyoto is that it allows fictional reductions through
both emissions trading and outsourcing industrial activity to countries where it is cheaper to
produce, such as China.

• Emissions trading allows for CO2 credits in exchange for implementing ‘clean technology’ in
poor countries. We denounce the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) that subsidizes the
climate criminals of large corporations by giving them credits to pollute. Not only are they
inefficient (in the EU in more than 40% of cases there is no reduction of emissions), they
dangerously delay the changes that must be made NOW to transform our production model.

• We denounce the faith in technological solutions such as carbon capture and nuclear power.
We note that overall, these technologies are counter-productive and must not distract from the
urgent necessity of a profound change of economic model.

• We came here to demand the Spanish government change its guidelines for energy policy and
stop the maintenance and intensification of fossil fuel use by subsidizing Spanish coal. The
Spanish government is full of environmentalist rhetoric but in reality has a highly polluting
energy policy.

• We came here to demand that the Catalan government make a real reduction in emissions of
greenhouse gases, and put aside plans based on intensive use of fossil fuels; and radically
reformulate the General Plan for Infrastructure and Energy Plan.

• We came here to demand real support for decentralized renewable energies in the hands of
communities, not the big corporate climate criminals. We also demand that Local Plans for
Energy Reduction are spread throughout the territory.

• We came here to include the aviation industry in the Copenhagen agreement, setting a final
date for domestic flights and establish mandatory reductions of emissions.

• We came here because the business lobbies are too. Make Barcelona a corporate lobby-
free zone!

If we need to use a market to save the climate, it should be the agro-ecological market, not the
carbon market. We want a fair, binding and ambitious agreement that addresses the great
taboo: that economic growth is inseparable from the growth of emissions, and thus we need
to fundamentally replace this model.

If the climate were a bank it would have been saved...

... Time is running out...

_________________________________________________

Related reports:

- Barcelona Climate Change Talks - Main entrance shut down by activists while Africa boyotts talks (Climate Indymedia- feature)
http://www.climateimc.org/en/original-news/2009/11/04/b...while

- Barcelona: Ecoactivists Block Access to Climate Conference (climate-justice-action)
http://www.climate-justice-action.org/news/2009/11/04/b...ence/

- Activistes han bloquejat la sortida de la Cimera sobre Canvi Climàtic de Barcelona (decreixament/ degrowth BCN)

- Activistes han bloquejat la sortida de la Cimera sobre Canvi Climàtic (the climate is not for sale)
http://elclimanoestaenvenda.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/ac...atic/

Activists block summit building in Barcelona to demand urgent, binding 40% CO2 reductions by 2020

by Banner drop Fri Nov 06, 2009 17:32

Today at 9:00 am Friday, two activists scaled a crane near the entrance of the Climate Summit in Barcelona, which concludes today with pesimistic results. The banner, 40 m2, denounces marketing of emissions rather than reducing them: "Market is the problem, not the solution"

The climate summit delegats have read the message: corporate lobbyists promoted good examples of big business polluting, creates new benefits for those who pollute more.

This action fits with the demands of developing countries, especially the African block, to reach an agreement on reductions in mandatory and that the most polluting countries assumenixin climate debt they have generated.

The activists have resisted the wind for an hour and have fallen without much hassle.

One of them said, before the astonished gaze of some del.legats that "The climate is not for sale. The problem is the market, the capitalist model and the darkest corporate interests of States.

Original report; (clima) Pengen pancarta en una grua contra el mercat d´emissions
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/385226/...x.php
translation; http://translate.google.es/translate?prev=hp&hl=es&js=y...ate0=

The Market is the problem - Not the solution (Banner drop on final day of BCN climate talks)

by Dunk Fri Nov 06, 2009 22:52

Barcelona: Activists disrupt world climate talks
http://www.beyondtalk.net/2009/11/barcelona-activists-d...alks/