Is There Climate Change After Hopenhagen?

There is a tendency at every important but difficult crossroad to pretend that it’s not really there.
– Bill McKibben

As I headed home from Copenhagen, I wondered what had been accomplished? Was it worth the collective carbon footprint of all of us that traveled to this historic climate change conference? The agreements that have been reached will not meet the targets necessary to stop catastrophic impacts on all life. The NGOs representing the voices of the poorest nations, who have been most impacted by climate change, were shut out in the final days of negotiations. The wealthy industrialized nations are pretending to deal with climate change by invoking carbon-trading schemes, which gloss over the real issues and are little more than new ways to make money and continue polluting. As Yogi Bera said “if we continue in the direction we’re going we’re liable to end up where we’re headed.”

It’s often too late by the time governments act.
– Vandana Shiva

Read the entire letter from Michael here.

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Food Security

Most people in the US don’t really think about where their food comes. The average distance the food in our super markets travels is 1,500 miles and the stores maintain an inventory of 2-3 days for normal times. During the past decade our food system has grown increasingly fragile due primarily to the affects of climate change and peak oil.
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News from Copenhagen on Monday

Love Casts Out Fear

This Sunday I attended a most beautiful ceremony at The Church of our Lady in Copenhagen. This church, which was originally built in the 12th C., has been burned down or destroyed 5 times in its history. But, the Danes continue to rebuild it as a testament to faith it self. When the English ships blew the bell tower off the church with their mighty cannons in 1807, they opened the doors again in 1821. And as the Queen of Denmark walked proudly by me singing with the congregation, I felt proud of my Danish heritage.
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The Road to 350ppm

Bill MicKibben is an American environmentalist, writer and founder of 350.org, an international climate change campaign. Today at Klimaforum09 he shared the history of the organization he founded and why 350 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 is such an important goal to reach. For the past 10,000 years the carbon count was pretty stable at 275 ppm, but with the advent of the Industrial revolution some 200 years ago it began to rise with the burning of fossil fuels. In 1950 it reached 315 ppm, in the 80’s American Climatologist, James Hansen testified in Congress that scientists were getting very worried about the increases. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2007 that it became clear to scientists that we had passed the danger line. That was the summer that ice melts across the Arctic reduced the ice pack by 25%, way ahead of all scientific projections.
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REDD: Lack of Political debate

Ecological Debt is a huge topic here in Copenhagen. One that may end up derailing the entire process of finding common ground for a comprehensive, global and legally binding agreement. It is a cruel fact that 20% of the world’s population in the industrialized world is responsible for 75% of the pollution, which unfortunately is mostly impacting people from the poorer countries. For instance Africa, with a billion people only puts out 4% of the CO2, but the impact of climate change on the region has been devastating.
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Water: Key component to Climate Change not being Discussed at COP15 The links between water, energy and climate are interrelated and complex. Energy production requires vast quantities of water, which calls for significant amounts of energy. The consequent CO2 emissions are major drivers of climate change. Changes in any of these sectors will effect the other and increase the impact on land use, food production and transportation. Climate change affects the availability and quality of our water and the types of energy supplies that are sustainable and economically feasible.
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Contradictory Policies in Copenhagen Negotiations

George Monbiot, a British writer, known for his environmental and political activism stated today that “climate delegates are not dealing with climate change”. He explained that this was do to contradictory policies of supply and demand. On the one hand we are working on policies to provide new non-polluting sources of renewable energy. At the same time we are trying to maximize supplies of fossil fuels thereby undermining the more expensive alternatives.
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REDD Revisited

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at a gathering of the Avoided Deforestation Partners. It was a most diverse and unlikely group of supporters of the bill including Sir Richard Branson, Robert Zoellick president of the World Bank, Hon. Jens Stoltenberg Prime Minister of Norway, Jane Goodall, several heads of state and representatives from Duke Energy, American Electric Power, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund and NRD. Strange bedfellows all in support of REDD.
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New Podcasts: Interviews from Copenhagen

Click here to view the Podcasts page

Vandana Shiva is a physicist, philosopher and leader in the global agriculture movement. She is known as one of most eloquent speakers who help fight for people's rights.. She is directing an international movement on Food Rights. She also established Navdanya (a movement for biodiversity conservation and farmers' rights in India.) Listen

Bill McKibben, American environmentalist and writer, is the founder of 350.org, an international climate campaign. Bill frequently writes about global warming, alternative energy, and the risks associated with human genetic engineering. Beginning in the summer of 2006, he has been at the forefront of organizing and leading the largest civil demonstrations against global warming in history. It has been 3 decades since he wrote the End of Nature. Listen

Articles

Klimaforum: A People’s Declaration on Climate Change

The COP15 climate agreement is not very visionary, say the organisers of Klimaforum09, the alternative peoples’ global summit, which is taking place aside the official conference. The forum offers its own declaration calling for a 100% carbon-free economy by 2040. Participants at the peoples’ climate summit have presented this declaration as an alternative the UN agreement. The declaration has been influenced and agreed upon by many of the Klimaforum09’s participants from developing countries - those being affected by the climate changes in their everyday lives.

Vandana Shiva signs the people’s declaration

70 organisations and participants at Klimaforum09 from 92 different countries stand behind the declaration, which recommends the following demands:

To read the full declaration, click here.

Youth Movement Letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

This afternoon, young people from the United States and Kenya gathered to share what a strong climate treaty means to our lives. Two stories from our conversation echo the several hundred we have collected for you, asking for U.S. leadership to protect our planet. Kenya is your ancestral land and the United States is your home. We represent your past and present, and your actions shape our future.

Papa Julius is a young environmentalist from Kisumu, Kenya: “My friend Laiboni is a Maasai, I met while holding a community theatre workshop on climate change. Last year he owned 450 head of cattle. But when the floods came, 200 of his cattle were washed away. We are sure they drowned. Immediately after, the rain disappeared. Then the sun came and it was so hot that things dried up and there was no grass for the animals. Laiboni started moving towards the coast, but unfortunately there was no grass there. Beginning in March this year, Laiboni was selling his cattle at about four dollars per head because they were in such poor health. Currently Laiboni doesn’t run any animals at all.”

Laiboni’s story is being repeated across Africa. Climate change is already destroying livelihoods and lives; bold action now can bring jobs, security, and prosperity.

Danielle Ostafinski is a climate activist from Berkley, Michigan: “My father is a union electrician and has been for the past 30 years. There have been fluctuations in the job market, but never as bad as this. He hasn’t worked for two years. He spends his time trying to find other sorts of jobs to get by. There have been times when we’ve been close to losing our health care, and house, and it’s been hard for him because my brothers and I are away. My mom died a while ago, so it’s only him. He wants a new job. He wants a green job, and he wants to keep working for his family. He’s always been a supporter of American ingenuity and entrepreneurship. Passing domestic legislation would stimulate the Michigan economy, give him a job again, and give me hope.”

These stories show the costs of inaction for young and future generations. We canvassed our neighborhoods in all weather for you, we voted for you and brought our parents to the polls, we watched on solar-powered TVs as you were elected, and we celebrated from Washington to Nairobi with all our hearts when you were inaugurated. We ask that you use all your power to forge a strong and just treaty in Copenhagen, get the world on track to the 350ppm of CO2 that science demands, and ensure the survival of all. Use this power well, for the sake of the youth who wrote these letters, and for your own Sasha and Malia.

Please remember the voices of youth. We will inherit the world, and we are counting on you.

With hope,

The US and Kenyan Youth Delegations

Stabilizing Climate: Beyond International Agreements

Note: the following was written in July 2009, before the Copenhagen climate change conference.

From my pre-Copenhagen 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 civilization.

To read the full article, click here.

Eco-Economy Indicators: Ice Melting Faster Everywhere

From the Arctic sea ice to the Antarctic interior and the mountainous peaks of Peru, Alaska, and Tibet, ice is melting at an alarming rate. The accelerating loss of ice sheets, sea ice, and glaciers is one of the most powerful and striking indicators of a warming climate. The most notable ice loss in recent years has been the shrinking of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. From the beginning of the satellite record in 1979 through 1996, ice area decreased at a steady rate of 3 percent per decade in response to rising temperature. In the following decade, ice area decreased by 11 percent, reaching a dramatic minimum in 2007. In September of that year, sea ice occupied only 3.6 million square kilometers, an area 27 percent smaller than the previous record low (in 2005) and 38 percent smaller than the 1979–2007 average. Summer sea ice coverage has increased slightly in the last two years, but it is still far below the long-term average.

To read the full article, click here.

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Upcoming Events

New Year's Community Dance Celebration — click on the image below for more info, and get your tickets now!

Copenhagen Dialogue at Wild and Scenic Film Festival

Nevada City resident and host of KVMR’s Conversations, Michael Stone attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Michael, along with festival filmmakers who also attended, will share their experiences, and ask you the question - what happens now? This is a free and open discussion (no festival pass needed) at City Hall, Sunday January 17 2-4pm.

Holiday Schedule for Moving Meditation and Ecstatic Dance

Upcoming Shows on Conversations

December 29
Copenhagen in Retrospect
Join Michael Stone for this wrap up of his trip to Copenhagen. Michael will share interviews with Bill McKibben, Vandana Shiva and George Monbiot. What was accomplished out of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and what is ahead... www.arewelistening.net

January 5
Michael K. Stone: Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability
Michael K. Stone is senior editor at the Center for Ecoliteracy. He is the author of Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability and coeditor of Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World. Michael was managing editor of Whole Earth Magazine and the Millennium Whole Earth Catalog.www.ecoliteracy.org

January 12th
Jim Hoggan: Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming
James Hoggan is president of the award-winning PR firm Hoggan and Associates and a leading authority on public perceptions of environmental issues. He is chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and the Canadian chapter of Al Gore’s The Climate Project. James is the Cofounder of DeSmogBlog.com and author of Climate Cover-Up: The Crusade to Deny Global Warming. www.hoggan.com

January 19th
Sandra Ingerman and Hank Wesselman: Shamanic Journeying
Sandra Ingerman teaches workshops internationally on shamanic journeying, healing, and reversing environmental pollution using spiritual methods. She has trained and founded an international alliance of Medicine for the Earth Teachers and shamanic teachers. Sandra is recognized for bridging ancient cross-cultural healing methods into our modern culture addressing the needs of our times. She is the author of numerous books on Shamanism. www.sandraingerman.com
Research paleoanthropologist Hank Wesselman is one of those rare cutting edge scientists who truly walks between the worlds. He has spent much of his life working among traditional tribal peoples, primarily in Africa and Polynesia. For the past 30 years, he has conducted research with an international group of scientists, exploring eastern Africa's Great Rift Valley in search of answers to the mystery of human origins. He is also a shaman in training, now in the 20th year of his apprenticeship. He is the author of many books including his latest, VISIONSEEKER. www.sharedwisdom.com

January 26th
Sarah van Gelder and others: Inside Yes! Magazine
YES! Magazine is an award-winning, ad-free, nonprofit publication that supports people’s active engagement in building a just and sustainable world. As co-founder and executive editor of YES!, Sarah leads the framing and development of each issue of YES! Where she writes and speaks on leading-edge innovations that show that another world is not only possible, it is being created. www.yesmagazine.org

Click Here for Other Shows...

Videos

"Climate-gate" emails controversy examined

Pandemic of Happiness

Conversation's Michael Stone interviews Bill McKibben of 350.org

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Poetry Corner

Old Rio is Dead?

Today’s battles were lost yesterday
Tomorrow’s battles must be fought today
Tears rolled down many eyes
When your speech tumbled down
Parrots echo talks failed partnerships
Eco-tourists from rich nations
Eco-tourism in poor nations

Fossilised ideas revived and up-scaled
Pipelines
Cleaner dirty energy
Oil spills, gas flares: do they make you dance?
Don’t you know that carbon sinks will sink the world?


Today’s battles were lost yesterday
Tomorrow’s battles must be fought today

Would you just because you have a technology
Use it?
Would you use nuclear power to light a stove?
If clean technologies roast the sky
Won’t you think?

Be careful people
Snares are set in the matrix
And this is no movie
No matter how voluntary,
Shopping baskets work very poorly at the well

Today’s battles were lost yesterday
Tomorrow’s battles must be fought today

Tears rolled down many eyes
From shock, sorrows and agony
15 years since Rio
Should we still crawl?
Did we fly over the oceans, deserts and forests
To insist on replication of battles long lost

You say fossil fuels will last your lifetime
But what will you do
If your well runs dry?

Tomorrow’s battles must be fought today
For today’s battles were lost yesterday