10 million are ready for climate action

Copenhagen: Monday, December 7, 2009: A staggering 10 million people – and growing – have united in a call for a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty1 to be signed by world leaders at the Copenhagen climate negotiations which open today.

The expectations of more than 10 million people who have already signed TckTckTck’s petition were handed

over to key figures at the climate talks: UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and COP 15 President and Danish Climate Minster Connie Hedegaard.

TckTckTck chair and Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said the size of the petition

demonstrated the huge groundswell of support for world leaders to deal with climate change.

“The world has spoken,” Mr Naidoo said. “Leaders must and can deliver a deal that will save the climate. One that is fair to the poorest people and countries that did not cause this problem but that will suffer the most from it, ambitious enough to leave a safe planet for us all and one that is legally binding, that can be monitored and real targets that can be enforced.”

Mr de Boer, Mr Rasmussen and Ms Hedegaard accepted a small construction of Danish LEGO blocks as a

reminder that they must capitalise on the positive developments of recent weeks and foster the political will

required at the talks to get the deal done over the next two weeks.

“The building blocks for a successful deal in Copenhagen are in place, all that is missing is the political will.

Obama, Merkel, Sarkozy and other industrialised country leaders must show the billions of people whose lives are at stake, that they will fulfil their promises and take the action needed to stop the climate crisis,” Mr Naidoo said.

At the handover, 15 young people from all over the world held up large scale “building blocks” which spelled out “10 million people expect a fair, ambitious and binding deal” to show leaders that all the elements required for an effective climate treaty are present.

Leah Wickham, 24 from Fiji, said at the handover that it was at this summit that world leaders would decide

what kind of future young people and the coming generations would have.

“I am relying on the decision makers to sign a deal that will mean that my children inherit a safe world,” Ms

Wickham said. “All the hopes and dreams of my generation rest on Copenhagen.”

Following on from this show of public support for climate action, on December 12 millions of people will gather under the banner of “The World Wants A Real Deal” in what is expected to be the biggest global day of action on climate change in history.

The day is supported by all 226 TckTckTck partner organisations. In Copenhagen, the day will culminate with an address by Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a candlelight vigil at the UN conference.2

“The survival of our planet, urgently demands a ‘real deal’” declared Wael Hmaidan, the executive director of IndyAct. He also added “We are here to make sure that the arab ‘oil’ countries, does not put any hurdles during the negotiations, just to defend its oil interests”.

Beirut launches its Call to Copenhagen

Beirut – 1 December 2009: Today, The parliamentary committee of General works and transport and energy and water and the UN development program in the Lebanese Parliament held a meeting on climate change and to discuss the policies raised in Copenhagen summit. The meeting was attended by representatives from the parliament, NGOs, bodies from the public and private sectors and representatives of international organizations.

After study and discussion the attendees released the statement of “Beirut call to Copenhagen Summit” to support the Lebanese diplomatic position in the most critical talks in the history of humankind on climate change which will be launched next week. The statement included points that stressed the importance of this crucial negotiations and demanded world leaders and representatives to endorse an ambitious and binding and fair treaty in Copenhagen that include several key issues (to read the full press release press here)

Copenhagen essentials to avoid dangerous warming

Checklist for Copenhagen Published by Climate Action Network

Essentials Defined for Agreement to Avoid Dangerous Warming

[Washington DC] A global network of over 500 organizations today released a checklist for Copenhagen, enumerating the essential elements required of any complete and robust climate agreement in Copenhagen.* “This checklist defines the actions required to avoid catastrophic climate change, while sustaining the global economy and adapting to the climate change we can’t avoid,” said Wael Hmaidan from IndyACT, a member of CAN International. “The science is clear. We have the yardstick for measuring what leaders agree to in Copenhagen.”

The checklist, titled Fair, Ambitious and Binding – Essentials for a Successful Deal in Copenhagen, serves as a scorecard for observers tracking the progress of the Copenhagen climate negotiations and evaluating the outcomes. Highlights from the checklist include:

A commitment to keep warming well below 2°C, with emission peaking between 2013 and 2017, and concentrations lowering to 350ppm CO2e.

Industrialized countries as a group must take a target of more than 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. Most of which should be met through domestic emissions reductions.

Developing countries must be supported in their efforts to limit the growth of their industrial emissions, making substantial reductions below business-as-usual.

Emissions from deforestation and degradation must be reduced to zero by 2020, funded by at least US$35 billion per year from developed countries.

Developed countries need to provide at least US$195 billion in public financing per year by 2020, in addition to ODA commitments, for developing country actions.

Copenhagen outcomes must be legally binding and enforceable: a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol; and a complementary agreement with comparable action and enforcement for the United States, and action from developing countries.

*Climate Action Network (CAN) is a global network of over 500 environment, development and faith-based organizations working to limit climate change to sustainable levels. The checklist represents the broad position of the network. Individual members have individual positions. For more information go to: www.climatenetwork.org.

Or Contact: Hunter Cutting / +1 415-397-5000 ext 315 / hunter@resource-media.org

Un Agency: Greenhouse gases reach record levels

* Carbon dioxide levels rising rapidly
* Trends point to most pessimistic scenario
* Urgent action needed by governments


By Robert Evans

GENEVA, Nov 23 Reuters - Concentrations of greenhouse gases, the major cause of global warming, are at their highest levels ever recorded and are still climbing, the U.N. World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said on Monday.

The head of the agency, Michel Jarraud, said the trend could be pushing the world towards the most pessimistic assessments of the rise in temperatures expected in coming decades and said this underlined the need for urgent action.
The worst-case scenario envisaged by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in a 2007 report was that temperatures could rise by between 2.4 and 6.4 Celsius by the end of this century.

The Group of Eight and other major economies agreed at a summit in Italy in July to try to limit the rise to 2 Celsius.
Carbon dioxide  is entering the atmosphere at an accelerating rate, Jarraud told a news conference in Geneva to present the agency's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.

"The CO2 content in the atmosphere rose slightly faster in 2008 than over the last decade when the growth rate was 1.9 parts per million," he said.
"Levels of most greenhouse gases continue to increase," said the WMO, in the report issued before next month's U.N. climate change conference in Copenhagen, aimed at reaching a new international accord to fight global warming.
It said the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 385.2 parts per million in 2008, up 2 parts per million in one year.

GREENHOUSE GASES AT RECORD

"In 2008 global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are the main long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, reached the highest levels recorded since pre-industrial times," the WMO said.

The major focus at the Copenhagen summit, from December 7-18, is how targets for cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, caused mainly by burning fossil fuels like oil and gas, can be agreed and put into a new international treaty.
Hopes of a legally binding agreement have slipped amid continuing disagreements between rich and poorer nations over how the burden should be shared.

Jarraud said the data showed "we are actually closer to the pessimistic scenario" for warming in the coming years.
"This reinforces the fact that action has to be taken as soon as possible," he said. "We are looking to Copenhagen to come up with a strong decision on greenhouse gases. The more we delay the decision, the bigger the impact will be."

The WMO coordinates the observation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere through a network of stations in more than 50 countries. It has been issuing its annual bulletin since 2005.
In 1997, the U.N. held an international conference on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in Kyoto, Japan, at which most developed nations -- minus the United States -- agreed to reduce their emissions by 2008-2012 to 5 percent below 1990 levels.

Jarraud said the fact that levels were still increasing steadily showed that the reductions agreed in the Kyoto Protocol were not sufficient.
"But without it (the Protocol), the situation today would have been far worse," he declared.

Main Greenhouse Gases Reach Highest Level Ever Since Pre-Industrial Time

23 November 2009 (WMO) ( WMO is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on weather,climate and water.): - Levels of most greenhouse gases continue to increase. In 2008, global concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, which are the main long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, have reached the highest levels recorded since pre-industrial times. Since 1990, the overall increase in radiative forcing caused by all long-lived greenhouse gases is 26% and the increase was 1.3% from 2007 to 2008. These latest figures, published today in the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) 2008 Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, confirm the continued trend of rising atmospheric burdens of greenhouse gases since 1750.

Greenhouse gases trap radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to warm. Human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and agriculture, are major emitters of greenhouse gases which scientists widely recognize as drivers of global warming and climate change.
After water vapour, the four most prevalent long-lived greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that are directly influenced by humans are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and halocarbons. WMO, through its Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme, coordinates the observations of these gases in the atmosphere through a network of stations located in more than 50 countries.

The globally averaged mixing ratio of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2008 was 385.2 ppm (number of molecules of the gas per million molecules of dry air), with an increase of 2.0 ppm from the previous year, continuing the tendency of exponential increase. CO2 is the most important human- emitted greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, contributing 63.5% to the increase in overall radiative forcing since 1750. Its atmospheric abundance was nearly constant at about 280 ppm before industrialization. During the time period 1979-1984 CO2 contributed 56% of the increase in radiative forcing caused by long-lived greenhouse gases. Since then CO2 has gained importance and during the five-year period from 2003 to 2008 CO2 was responsible for 86% of the increase in radiative forcing, which is more than four times superior to all other long-lived greenhouse gases combined. Since 1750, atmospheric CO2 has increased by 38%, primarily because of emissions from combustion of fossil fuels, deforestation and land use change.

The globally averaged mixing ratio of methane (CH4) in 2008 was 1797 ppb, which means an increase of 7ppb from the previous year. While the concentration of CH4 was stable for seven years (from 1999 to 2006), both 2007 and 2008 show a significant increase. Methane contributes 18.2% to the increase in overall global radiative forcing since 1750.
60% of CH4 emissions come from anthropogenic sources such as ruminants, rice agriculture, fossil fuel exploitation, landfills and biomass burning. Before the industrial era, atmospheric methane was about 700ppb. Increasing emissions from anthropogenic sources are responsible for the 157% increase in the CH4 concentration since 1750.

The globally averaged mixing ratio of nitrous oxide (N2O) in 2008 was 321.8 ppb, 0.9 ppb higher than in 2007, and 19% above the pre-industrial level. N2O contributes 6.2% to the increase in the overall global radiative forcing since 1750. The atmospheric abundance of N2O prior to industrialization was 270 ppb. N2O is emitted into the atmosphere from natural and anthropogenic sources, including oceans, soil, biomass burning, fertiliser use and various industrial processes.

The combined radiative forcing by halocarbons is nearly double that of N2O. Some halocarbons such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), previously used as refrigerants, as propellants in spray cans and as solvents, are decreasing slowly as a result of the phase-out of these compounds through the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. However, concentrations of other gases such as HCFCs and HFCs, which are used to substitute chlorofluorocarbons, are increasing rapidly. These two classes of compounds are very potent greenhouse
gases and together with sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) they contributed 8.9% to the increase in radiative forcing from 2003 to 2008, which is more than the contribution from N2O during this period.

This year’s Greenhouse Gas Bulletin is the fifth in the series, reporting data since 2004. The Bulletins provide critical information on the global state of the atmosphere in a concise manner and highlight recent accomplishments of research and technology application. The 2008 Bulletin precedes the 15th session of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009).

WMO prepares and distributes the annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletins in cooperation with the GAW Scientific Advisory Group for Greenhouse Gases. The measurement data are archived and distributed by WMO’s World Data Centre for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG), hosted by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).


For more information:
The 2008 Bulletin, translated in all UN languages, as well as earlier issues, are available through the WMO GAW Programme Web page at the following URL:http://www.wmo.int/gaw

A 3 minutes video on greenhouse gases, featuring an interview with Mr. Len Barrie, Director of the Research Department at WMO, is available online:
http://www.wmo.int/pages/resources/multimedia/greenhousegases.html 

IndyACT delivers a message to Arab governments: Arabs are more than oil

Beirut – 19 November 2009: Today, activists from the Global League of Activists, IndyACT, carried out a peaceful action in the Annual Conference of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development – AFED, to demand the Arab states for active participation in the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen, and to urge them to not to be drawn behind the obstructive Arab states in the negotiation process. They also called on them to take their moral responsibilities to insure the safety of the Arab world and the planet from a tragic fate.

In an unprecedented action, two activists from IndyACT lifted a banner during the opening session of the conference, which criticized the obstructive role played by some oil exporting Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia in the climate negotiations. The banner said “Arabs are more than oil” to indicate that the current Arab position is based on protecting the oil trade more than protecting Arab citizens from the catastrophic impacts of climate change. Other activists carried a banner in front of the entrance to the conference’ hall that says “we can’t drink oil”, while wearing diving suits, highlighting two major impact of climate change: shortage in fresh water and the rise in sea levels due to the melting of the polar ice caps. The activists also distributed hundreds of leaflets that explained the expectations of the activists and Arab citizens from their representatives in the Copenhagen negotiations.

(Full press release will be available within the next hours on: http://indyact.org/)

Prime Minister Saad Hariri will attend Copenhagen

Beirut – 18 November 2009: Today, a delegation from the Global League of Activists IndyACT and other Lebanese NGOs, met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri and delivered him a letter insisting on the necessity of Lebanon’s engagement in the international negotiations to fight climate change and make this cause a top priority for the new government especially that Lebanon is one of the most vulnerable countries toward this crisis.

The meeting was supported by Mrs. Noura Joumblat, Superstar Ragheb Alame, Minister Marwan Hamade and parliament member Akram Chehayeb who joined the delegation.

Prime Minister Hariri confirmed that he will personally attend the negotiations in Copenhagen, and emphasized that “Lebanon’s position won’t remain weak and its position will be stronger during the negotiations”. He explained that he wants Lebanon to have an effective role in the global efforts to fight climate change.

(To read the full story visit: http://indyact.org/news_details.php?news_id=NjE=)

Failure on a Copenhagen Climate Treaty Is a Security Risk

Failure on a Copenhagen Climate Treaty Is a Security Risk,

Pacific Islands Tell UN General Assembly

16 November 2009 (New York) – Concerned about threats to their security, a group of Pacific island developing nations took the floor of the UN General Assembly today to demand adoption of a legally-binding treaty at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen this December.

Speaking on behalf of the 11 vulnerable small Pacific islands represented at the UN, Ambassador Stuart Beck from the island nation of Palau stated that “flimsy moral sentiments at Copenhagen are no substitute for legally-binding treaties and do little to ensure the security of the most vulnerable among us.”

Rejecting recent calls made by some of the world’s biggest polluters for a delay in taking decisive and legally-binding action on climate change, the Pacific Island states told the 192-member world body that the political choices for Copenhagen have already been outlined in negotiation texts.

According to Ambassador Beck, “the choice before leaders at Copenhagen will be if the global community has sufficient political will to ensure our security through legal instruments with serious, specific action on emissions by all nations, or if we will fail ourselves and future generations” by delaying decisions and risking prolonged deadlocks.

UN member states were told in a recent report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that climate change poses specific security risks to vulnerable countries. .

Ambassador Beck highlighted that climate-related relocation has already happened in the Pacific and that entire nations might disappear, stating that “we are talking about the survival of nations, people and unique cultures.” Some Pacific island nations, including Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Kiribati, are only one or two meters above sea level, and the UN report confirmed that climate change impacts pose a serious threat to their statehood

On behalf of the Pacific small islands, Palau Ambassador Beck noted that “the linkage between climate change and security needs to be a permanent focus of deliberations” at the UN, including examination by the Security Council. In June this year, the Pacific island nations spearheaded the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the security implications of climate change.

Also addressing the UN, Ambassador Collin Beck from the Solomon Islands registered “deep concern from public statements” seeking to lower expectations for concluding a legal instrument at the Copenhagen meeting, stating that “those on the frontline will continue to suffer on a daily basis as we continue to postpone action,” and that global leaders “keep having summits on climate change, and yet we have not lived up to what we have said.”

The Pacific islands are part of the 43-member Alliance of Small Island States, which ended recent climate talks in Barcelona with a call to conclude binding legal instruments at Copenhagen. The island states have called for global warming to be limited to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. However, large polluters, through the Major Economies Forum, support a 2 degree goal, which would risk substantial impacts to vulnerable nations.

Address by Malidves' President, Mohamed Nasheed at the Climate Vulnerable Forum

Next is the Maldives' President speech at the Climate Vulnerable Forum attended by the Leaders of the most vulnerable nations toward climate change in the world:

"Your Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

We gather in this hall today, as some of the most climate-vulnerable nations on Earth.

We are vulnerable because climate change threatens to hit us first; and hit us hardest.

And we are vulnerable because we have modest means with which to protect ourselves from the coming disaster.

We are a diverse group of countries.

But we share one common enemy.

For us, climate change is no distant or abstract threat; but a clear and present danger to our survival.

Climate change is melting the glaciers in Nepal.

It is causing flooding in Bangladesh.

It threatens to submerge the Maldives and Kiribati.

And in recent weeks, it has furthered drought in Tanzania, and typhoons in the Philippines.

We are the frontline states in the climate change battle.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Developing nations did not cause the climate crisis.

We are not responsible for the hundreds of years of carbon emissions, which are cooking the planet.

But the dangers climate change poses to our countries, means that this crisis can no longer be considered somebody else’s problem.

Carbon knows no boundaries.

Whether we like it or not, we are all in this fight together.

For all of us gathered here today, inaction is not an option.

So, what can we do about it?

To my mind, whatever course of action we take must be based on the latest advice of climate scientists. Not on the advice of politicians like us.

As Copenhagen looms, and negotiators frantically search for a solution, it is easy to think that climate change is like any other international issue.

It is easy to assume that it can be solved by a messy political compromise between powerful states.

But the fact of the matter is, we cannot negotiate with the laws of physics.

We cannot cut a deal with Mother Nature.

We have to learn to live within the fixed planetary boundaries that nature has set.

And it is increasingly clear that we are living way beyond those planetary means.

Scientists say that global carbon dioxide levels must be brought back down below 350 parts per million.

And we can see why.

We have already overshot the safe landing space.

In consequence the ice caps are melting.

The rainforests are threatened.

And the world’s coral reefs are in imminent danger.

Members of the G8 rich countries have pledged to halt temperature rises to two degrees Celsius.

Yet they have refused to commit to the carbon targets, which would deliver even this modest goal.

At two degrees we would lose the coral reefs.

At two degrees we would melt Greenland.

At two degrees my country would not survive.

As a president I cannot accept this.

As a person I cannot accept this.

I refuse to believe that it is too late, and that we cannot do any about it.

Copenhagen is our date with destiny.

Let us go there with a better plan.

Ladies and gentlemen,

When we look around the world today, there are few countries showing moral leadership on climate change.

There are plenty of politicians willing to point the finger of blame.

But there are few prepared to help solve a crisis that, left unchecked, will consume us all.

Few countries are willing to discuss the scale of emissions reductions required to save the planet.

And the offers of adaptation support for the most vulnerable nations are lamentable.

The sums of money on offer are so low, it is like arriving at a earthquake zone with a dustpan and brush.

We don’t want to appear ungrateful but the sums hardly address the scale of the challenge.

We are gathered here because we are the most vulnerable group of nations to climate change.

The problem is already on us, yet we have precious little with which to fight.

Some might prefer us to suffer in silence but today we have decided to speak.

And so I make this pledge today: we will not die quietly.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I believe in humanity.

I believe in human ingenuity.

I believe that with the right frame of mind, we can solve this crisis.

In the Maldives, we want to focus less on our plight; and more on our potential.

We want to do what is best for the planet.

And what is best for our economic self-interest.

This is why, earlier this year, we announced plans to become carbon neutral in ten years.

We will switch from oil to 100% renewable energy.

And we will offset aviation pollution, until a way can be found to decarbonise air transport too.

To my mind, countries that have the foresight to green their economies today, will be the winners of tomorrow.

They will be the winners of this century.

These pioneering countries will free themselves from the unpredictable price of foreign oil.

They will capitalize on the new, green economy of the future.

And they will enhance their moral standing, giving them greater political influence on the world stage.

Here in the Maldives we have relinquished our claim to high-carbon growth.

After all, it is not carbon we want, but development.

It is not coal we want, but electricity.

It is not oil we want, but transport.

Low-carbon technologies now exist, to deliver all the goods and services we need.

Let us make the goal of using them.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A group of vulnerable, developing countries committed to carbon neutral development would send a loud message to the outside world.

If vulnerable, developing countries make a commitment to carbon neutrality, those opposed to change have nowhere left to hide.

If those with the least start doing the most, what excuse can the rich have for continuing inaction?

We know this is not an easy step to take, and that there might be dangers along the way.

We want to shine a light, not loudly demand that others go first into the dark.

So today, we want to share with you our carbon neutral strategy.

And we want to ask you to consider carbon neutrality yourselves.

I think a bloc of carbon-neutral, developing nations could change the outcome of Copenhagen.

At the moment every country arrives at the negotiations seeking to keep their own emissions as high as possible.

They never make commitments, unless someone else does first.

This is the logic of the madhouse, a recipe for collective suicide.

We don’t want a global suicide pact.

And we will not sign a global suicide pact, in Copenhagen or anywhere.

So today, I invite some of the most vulnerable nations in the world, to join a global survival pact instead.

We are all in this as one.

We stand or fall together.

I hope you will join me in deciding to stand".

IndyACT: Climate Change must be in Ministerial Declaration and President in Copenhagen

Today, the global league of activists, IndyACT, organized a media stunt on the beach of Beirut to highlight the fact that after four month of the endless fight on political gains it is time for Lebanon to engage the global community in the fight against climate change. The activists called for having climate change as one of the new cabinet’s top priority. (To read the full story visit:http://indyact.org/)