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As climate talks resumed in Bonn, Germany on 9 April 2010, following the chaotic conclusion of the Copenhagen meetings in December last year, developing countries called for the rebuilding of trust and confidence.

The African Group, represented by the Democratic Republic of Congo said that if “we are to avoid the repeat of what happened in Copenhagen and repair this damaged process, then we must learn from Copenhagen.”

The African Group, reflecting on what happened in Copenhagen said that it saw “the sidelining of the two-track multilateral process, the emergence of a secret text put together by a selected few that later became known as the Copenhagen Accord and the blatant attempt to discard the Kyoto Protocol. These mistakes fundamentally broke the trust that is very necessary for any partnership that aspires to be successful and enduring to work.”

The ninth session of Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the eleventh session of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex 1 Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) are set for a brief session of three days which ends on 11 April, to mainly focus on the organization of work and organizational matters for the two working groups for agreed outcomes at the UN climate change conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico in December this year.

Speaking for the G77 and China, Ambassador Abdullah M. Alsaidi of Yemen said that the mandate of the AWG-LCA is to continue its work for an outcome in Mexico, and that the work process must be an open, democratic, party-driven, transparent, inclusive, legitimate and accountable one which centers around the implementation of the Bali Action Plan.

With respect to the organization and methods of work of the AWG-LCA in 2010, the G77 and China highlighted the following:

- The centrality of the UNFCCC must be preserved and respected i.e. that the only venue for climate change negotiations is the UNFCCC framework;
- The AWG-LCA must resume its work as soon as possible and make progress on the four building blocks of mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology as well as the shared vision, with the objective of the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention;
- Sufficient sessions for negotiations for the AWG-LCA are necessary and should be no less than three; likewise, the participation of the developing countries, especially from the least developed countries (LDCs) and small island states (SIDS), in these meetings must be supported. In this regard, the Group pointed out its preference to holding such meetings in New York or Geneva to ensure greater participation by developing countries.

The G77 and China reiterated its belief in the importance of maintaining the centrality of the multilateral process within the UNFCCC framework.

Speaking for the African Group, the Democratic Republic of Congo said that if “we are to avoid the repeat of what happened in Copenhagen and repair this damaged process, then we must learn from Copenhagen.”

The African Group said that the priority must therefore be to restore the trust, rebuild confidence and thereby salvage the process. This it said can be done by:

-Returning to the two-track multilateral negotiation process;
-Committing to the UNFCCC process as the only forum for the negotiation of a global and legally binding outcome;
-Working on the basis of the AWG documentation forwarded from COP 15 and the CMP 5 (referring to the meeting of Parties under the Kyoto Protocol); and
- Negotiating the terms of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

Grenada, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) said that Copenhagen did not achieve the outcome that was expected from Bali which was to address the climate challenge as reported by the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Lesotho, speaking for the LDCs called for the restoration of confidence and the building of trust in the process. It said that the negotiation process must be transparent and inclusive.

Today, one of the most inspiring youth climate activists Sara Svensson addressed the opening plenary of the UNEP Governing Council meeting/Global Ministerial Environment Forum. She Said:

Thank you Mr Chair.

Distinguished Delegates,

My name is Sara Svensson, and I will be 65 years old in 2050. I’m here as a representative for half of the world’s human population, Children & Youth.

We are desperately aware that humanity is on track of driving ourselves into extinction. Millions of species with intrinsic value have already gone extinct because of shortsighted human activities. Pushing the deadline for biodiversity targets literally means crossing the line to death. Despite this, 2010 is called the International Year of Biodiversity.

Where is our reason to celebrate?
In 2009, millions of people all over the world mobilised in the lead-up to Copenhagen. Personally I was fasting for climate justice. I spent 43 days and 44 nights eating nothing and drinking only water. I felt a moral response was needed to an immoral situation. COP15 didn’t give us the climate deal we need. United Nations became the Divided Nations and observers were locked out of the room.

Where is our reason to celebrate?
In desperate urgency, we now have a choice. We can raise to the challenge, restructure our economies, redefine our common values and do what is best for the greater good. The world needs a a total paradigm shift, and we have the tremendous opportunity to make it happen.

That is our reason to celebrate.

Children & Youth announce with confidence that the sustainable future is coming. We’re not pleading for change anymore, we’re creating it ourselves. Over the next 40 years we’re committing our entire working lives to gradually transform our societies and create a sustainable future.

If we can’t trust you – as our appointed leaders – to save the world, it won’t take long before Children & Youth kick you out of office and take your place.

You can speed up the process by showing bold leadership today. Give us the green jobs we want. You have the power, we have the energy. Use your power to give us the framework we need, and we’ll use our passion to steer the world on course.

Thank you.

Carbon trading is unjust, it will not work, and it is a false solution

In the wake of a controversial outcome at the Copenhagen climate talks, a diverse crowd of scientists, Faith congregation, activists, students, and concerned citizens converged in confrontation and protest at the 2nd Annual Global Forum Carbon Trading Summit. The summit is the largest annual meeting place of corporations, banks, and lobby groups to further the agenda of a carbon trading scheme to address climate change. Activists rallied to oppose market-based trading of greenhouse gas emissions credits and call for real solutions to the climate crisis. Demonstrators engaged in nonviolent direct action and risked arrest in attempt to blockade a portion of the venue’s revolving doors to display a banner decrying carbon trading as a false solution.

“The same Wall Street bankers who gave us the global climate crisis are trying to own the sky,” stated Brian Tokar, director of the Institute for Social Ecology and an organizer of this week’s protest events. “Carbon trading is unjust, it will not work, and it is a false solution. It is a dangerous distraction from the urgent measures needed to prevent an ever-worsening destabilization of the climate.”

Speakers at the rally included Reverend Billy of the Church of Life After Shopping, who delivered a critique with the fire and brimstone of a televangelist; Bhaia Heller, Professor of Womens Studies at Mount Holyoke University and Father Paul Mayer, co-founder of the Climate Crisis Coalition and religious community leader.

Participants inside the Carbon Trading Summit will include executives from JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Duke Energy and more.

“I don’t trust these people to make decisions about the future of humanity,” said one young participant, who wished not to give her name because she will be risking arrest today. “If we follow through with market-based solutions like carbon trading, everyone will regret it. We need to stop believing the corporations’ false solutions and put all our collective energy into getting this conversation onto a track that’s useful.”

Dr. James Hansen, renowned climate scientist, was present outside the Carbon Trading Summit yesterday to voice his opposition to carbon trading schemes.

“Cap-and-trade is not a smart approach,” wrote Hansen his book Storms of My Grandchildren. Hansen has stated that current US climate legislation is “worse than nothing” because it relies on risky and ineffective cap-and-trade. He also declared that the failure to reach an agreement in Copenhagen was a better outcome than adopting the carbon-trade-based approach that was being negotiated.

“Carbon trade, which includes cap and trade and offsets are a dangerous distraction, economically risky, and prone to gaming and speculation,” stated Dr. Maggie Zhou, from Secure Green Future and Climate SOS stated. “Offsets allow polluters to simply pay someone else somewhere else to reduce their emissions on your behalf, which in the end does nothing to actually reduce emissions. The climate crisis simply can’t wait!

“Carbon trade is an insidious threat to human rights,” stated Dr. Rachel Smolker from Biofuelwatch and Climate SOS. “It turns rights to pollute the atmosphere, as well as forests, soils and agriculture practices that store carbon into commodities to be bought and sold as excuses for polluters. This is the greatest corporate grab on the “global commons” ever! It is disastrous for most of humanity.

As the new year begins, Earth seems to lose yet another year from its life.This is an example coming from Dhaka, Bangladesh. Here the writer talks about the problems Bangladesh is facing regarding Global Warming. As you know global warming is a hot topic in the world agenda today and it affects every one of us, doesn’t it?

By Faria Sanjana

News of global warming has sure hit the world hard. Pressing issues on such matters have raised a lot of concerns so that now people can no longer turn a blind eye towards it. Those of you who thought a third-world country, whose carbon dioxide emission is 0.008th of that of the United States was out of danger from the effects of it, are sadly misunderstood.

First of all the placement of the country as a delta of the three rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna makes it susceptible for grave trouble as the sea level rises. Those of us living here all know the tremendous flooding that occurs during the monsoon season. According to a report by the UN, approximately a rise of 40 centimeters of sea level will affect over 13 million people of one-third area of the total land. Appalling, isn’t it?

Among that one-third land falls our very own Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, home to around 200 Royal Bengal tigers and other diverse species. Already depicted as a fragile environment and protected by the World Heritage Site, rising sea levels are causing seawater from the Bay of Bengal to seep through the ground to reach the mangrove trees. Since these trees have a unique way of breathing through their roots, they are significantly cut down on oxygen levels by the salty seawater. The result – a mysterious increase in the number of dead trees and low growth level. If the mangroves disappear then the habitats of a wide variety of birds and monkeys will be hampered. Researchers have predicted that it will take as less as 10 years for the Sundarbans to be wiped out if the current trend continues.

The effects of salinisation do not end here. Moreover salt is contaminating drinking water and fields further up towards the northern region. Crops and harvests are affected terribly and the farmers have to restore to an alternate plan for a living. Shrimp cultivation is a prime option but the profits collected from this business are enjoyed by only a few. The reason for this being the minimum amount of labor needed in the process. Hundreds of people are thus getting unemployed. Stark increase in unfair means like poaching in the Sundarbans has started to take place.

Overall it is not only the wildlife and environment that is getting the aftermath of global warming; the economy of Bangladesh is being hit hard as well. It is projected that by 2035 the rice production will have decreased by 10 percent and wheat by one-third, pushing the country into the brink of starvation. Water supply will also suffer a drastic shortage. Therefore it is our plea to the government and all the concerned authorities to not overlook this matter further. Let us take up all means to protect Bangladesh and its wealth before it’s too late.

N.B: Pictures have been taken from various sources and are not our own.