Copenhagen has been referred to as the most important diplomatic gathering in the world’s history. In preparation for the climate talks in December, Current Green is going to bring you a slew of interviews from a a range of perspectives and locations from around the world. Today we caught up with Jim Hogan, co-founder of www.desmogblog.com, and author of Climate cover up: The crusade to deny global warming.
Other video interviews in 360 Degrees of Copenhagen series:
This guest post comes via Daniel J Kessler, Media officer at Green Peace.
On November 17th, two Greenpeace activists from Germany and Italy and two members of the press from India and Italy, all of whom were traveling on valid business and journalist visas, were picked up and detained by Indonesian police. They were on their way to meet the villagers of Teluk Meranti, who have been supporting Greenpeace in its efforts to highlight rainforest and peatland destruction in the Kampar Peninsula–ground zero for climate change. The police also took into custody an activist from Belgium who had been working at our Climate Defenders Camp there.
Despite the validity of their travel documents and the absence of any wrongdoing, two of the activists and both journalists are now being deported by immigration authorities on questionable and seemingly contrived grounds, even though no formal deportation permits have been issued. Just a few days before, immigration authorities deported eleven other international Greenpeace activists who participated in a non-violent direct action on November 12th, in a concession where APRIL, one of Indonesia’s largest pulp and paper companies, is clearing rainforest and draining peatland on the Peninsula.
We set up the Climate Defenders Camp to bring attention to role of deforestation as a major driver of greenhouse gas emissions in advance of December’s Copenhagen climate negotiations. If we are stop climate change, we must end global deforestation by 2020 and bring it to zero in priority areas like Indonesia by 2015. A drive through the Kampar Peninsula reveals acre after acre of forest conversion from healthy rainforest to palm oil plantations. There is no sign of animal life or biodiversity — just row after row of palm. The destruction of the peatlands helps to make Indonesia the world’s 3rd largest emitter go greenhouse gases, just after the US and China.
In the interest of the environment and human rights, Greenpeace is calling upon world leaders and concerned citizens to contact Indonesia’s President Yudhoyono to ask him to stop these repressive actions by the Indonesian Police and Immigration authorities. The tactics currently being used by the authorities are likely to adversely impact upon the Indonesian government’s international reputation as well as the country’s reputation as a vibrant democracy.
It is not Greenpeace activists or journalists who should be the focus of the authorities, but the companies who are responsible for this forest destruction. We are working to make President Yudhoyono’s recent commitment to reduce Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions a reality and the journalists are telling that story.
Ever wanted to know which lobby group is doing the most to sabotage effective action on climate change? Well…ATTAC Denmark, Corporate Europe Observatory, Focus on the Global South, Friends of the Earth International and Spinwatch have created a campaign to make it known to the world, and they’ve even decided to make learning fun via their Angry Mermaid Contest. You have until December 13 to vote, when their winners will be placed on the world’s biggest losers reality show (just kidding..but you do need to cast your vote by December 13th if you want to play).
From the creators of the Angry Mermaid campaign:
Crucial UN climate talks take place in Copenhagen this December. While people, organizations and social movements around the world are calling for strong action to prevent climate change and ensure climate justice, big business has been lobbying to block effective action to tackle the problem, while also seeking to benefit from it. Lobbying is defined as attempting to influence the decision-making process.
The Angry Mermaid Award has been set up to recognize the perverse role of corporate lobbyists, and highlight those business groups and companies that have made the greatest effort to sabotage the climate talks, and other climate measures, while promoting, often profitable, false solutions.
I didn’t write that lyric, I swear. But somewhere between the masterminds of The Alliance for Climate Education and the creative creatures at Free Range Studios (remember the meatrix and the story of stuff?) a new viral video was born. Say hello to the first personalized music video Facebook application, Crush Global Warming. The music video uses a catchy hip hop tune and a fun sexy story to make a delaration of independence from fossil fuels. Oh but WAIT! Did I mention it puts my NAME though out the video?? Anytime you tattoo my name on are like that… I’ll listen.
While not directly involved, the campaign was inspired by 15 year old Alex Loors (think a 15 year old Al Gore) who initiated the declaration from fossil fuels and set the goal of gathering 350K signatures that will eventually be presented to Obama (who tells us over and over that he needs to see a mass movement of support before he can take action).
Steven Colbert continues to shine his light on climate change. “The market has spoken. Climate change is real.”
Al Gore went on the Colbert Report last night, and am I left laughing, speechless, and fully knowledgeable about the publisher and price of his new book. It’s fun seeing Al Gore camp it up with Colbert…and practice….(was that waterboarding?) to prove the point that it’s not going to be very comfortable if we all end up under water:
I was sitting at a conference designed bring the usual and unusual suspects who innovate and fund and lobby for renewable energy together to cross-pollinate their ideas. While watching, two things struck me: the first is that the people who had conflicting viewpoints did not have a platform to converge and publicly articulate their opposing viewpoints (making it challenge for anyone trying to understand the pros and cons of the various sources of alternative energy). And then, as I watched a room full of people sitting in circles, all I could think about was battle strategies. Eco battle strategies.
Now, I don’t think about battle strategies. I think about the state of the environment, I think about environmental news and information. I track how media makers tell the stories about the environment, I watch for new innovations, and where we are as a culture are relating to the theme of “green.” But I think it’s fair to say that most governments, and businesses that have a goal to achieve have clear and focused metrics, strategies, and tactics.
However as the sustainability movement continues to develop, there is not one leader, we have various goals, and the participant defines the direction.
My definition of living sustainably is to live a life in balance. To explore deeper it means not to over consume, and it means the things I do consume: food, products, and experiences, do not cause harm and are not tainted with the sweat labor of inequality, that means (Gulp) working less, living more, a focus on relationships, it means (gulp x2) a new definition of success that has more emphasis on quality than quantity.
For someone else, it might mean starting a new business that incorporates sustainable practices and business models as a way to catch the newly emerging green trend, for someone else it might mean making small changes in their lives.
Either way, the opportunity of the moment is before us. The challenges that we are facing can appear insurmountable (the oceans are emptying of fish, freshwater sources are polluted, mining and deforestation is continuing to take place, record levels of dumping of toxic waste and garbage into our water sources…etc., etc., etc.) when you realize that the interests to make huge amounts of money (a quantity that has no tangible or real connection to the natural resources that are utilized to gain it) is in direct conflict with the interest to live sustainably on the planet, and most definitely doesn’t jive with the basic principles that are taught in every Outward Bound and Nols wilderness course: “leave no trace.”
The challenges of the times are upon us: we are living on a planet that is sending the message loud and clear that we cannot continue at the rate we are going and expect it to continue to sustain us. The need to act decisively and quickly is calling people around the planet into action. I have a Google alert for “eco hero,” and enjoy waking to seeing that this search is becoming more and more populated each day as more and more people are answering the call to action.
So who do you follow and which message do you take on as your own?
William McDonough discusses sustainability concepts via cradle-to-cradle, Annie Leonard talks about the story of stuff, and Bill McKibben is talking about 350, David de Rothschild is talking about plastics, Ask Umbra is in support of civil disobedience, Share table is promoting a culture of sharing, many people are promoting eating less meat as a way to conserve resources and energy. Everyone has a different date and amount they say we need to reduce CO2, and there are even more voices speaking about Copenhagen.
Yet the question arises, when there are so many people leading, and leading in so many different directions, who do you follow? Who do you listen to? With so many varying issues to address all at once which issue do you choose and why?
Inquiring minds want to know. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my eye on this kid: Alec Loorz, founder of Kids Versus Global Warming.
I don’t know about you: but the situation of Copenhagen blows my mind on a daily basis. The fact that it is very possibly one of the most significant decision making processes of this time re climate change policy, and the majority of people I know do not know it’s significance, or the impact of the decisions making process. It’s not their fault. It’s a failure of media makers.
So what are we doing? For starters we are working on a series called 360 Degrees of Copenhagen, to show the various perspectives in order to gain a better understanding of the relevance of the climate talks.
But for now, I am posing the question to you: can you explain Copenhagen in plain English? Do you have a blog post, a quick phrase that you use to tell your friends and family the relevance of the Copenhagen climate talks? And why people should care? Leave a comment, and we’ll compile share.
I like to tell my friends if they were going to pick one particular moment in history to engage their political leaders on climate change: THIS is that moment.
Meanwhile~tcktcktck is rocking the world via their dedication to communicating the urgency of the moment:
Given that 350 was designed to make sure that the Cop 15 negotiators knew that their countries were behind them as they prepare for negotiating an ambitious global agreement..now I’ll stop here: it there was language in there that didn’t make sense, you are not alone. Much of Copenhagen, the process, and the issues at stake are minimally understood, hence we bring you 360 degrees of Copenhagen. AKA as Copenhagen in plain English. This week, Joshua Weise, affectionately referred to as a climate stalker (by Karl Burkart of Green dig.net), gives us a brief update of what happened at the recent Bangkok climate talks, and whats to come in Barcelona this coming week (the last round of talks before Copenhagen).
A very fun call out was placed on our site by award winning photographer Ian Shive: he has said that he will review anyone’s photos and provide feedback about how to make them into work that you can use to preserve the land you love so much. Deadline in November 3rd.
David de Rothschild and his co-skipper Jo Royale came by our office to talk about the adventure they are planning to take across the Pacific on their boat made of plastic. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed that hard while talking about depressing facts about the state of the ocean (David nick named me Debbie Downer between a long string of off colored pirate jokes and explanations of how men are getting limp fin sydrome after eating shark) and yes of course, we discussed the state of plastics, garbage, the ocean, vertical gardening on the ship, and how to undress a rabit. Stay tuned for the interview. (Oh! And they answered everyone’s questions, so thanks for asking!)
Lots of discussion about how to present the message of climate change to the people. So step right up and pick your viral messaging! Sexy images of young supermodels undressing:
or heart wrenching music and small children getting beat up by policemen (anyone else wonder if the children in this video will be permanently damaged?) A nickel goes to the first person who guess which video has 240K views and which one has 5K views.
Next week~ Hawaii! (Someone had to take one for the team). I’m very honored to be asked to lead a pannel at the Re:Think Hawaii conference on sustainability and report back on the sustainability efforts of Hawaii. More on that….soon. Have a great weekend, and take care.
On December 7, 2009, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy will gather delegates from all over the world to meet in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, (aka COP15). The goal of the event is to result in an “ambitious global agreement” that will include every country of the world. The event is complex, at times confusing, so we figured the least we could do is provide a 360 degree perspective of the conference via leading up to the event.
Joshua Wiese, program director of Adopt a Negotiator, webcams in from England to provide updates on the climate talks that have taken place in preparation for Copenhagen. As acting director of The Adopt a Negotiator project, Joshua coordinates a group of 12 dynamic young people from around the world as they track their climate negotiator throughout the process leading up to this December’s COP15. Here is what they’ve been up to.
The latest update from Bangkok – what’s new?
An update on some of the good news out of Bangkok, and, of course, some of the bad, as we get closer and closer to Copenhagen:
Lastly, Joshua talks to us about what YOU can do to pressure our world leaders to act on climate change in Copenhagen:
Joshua and his envoy are off to Barcelona for the next round of climate talks, there are five sessions left before the World’s leaders meet in Copenhagen for climate negotiations. To track Joshua, and his envy, you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and of course at Adopt a Negotiator webbsite.
Studios
David de Rothschild and his co-skipper Jo Royale came by our office
garbage, the ocean, vertical gardening on the ship, and how to undress a rabit. Stay tuned for the interview. (Oh! And they answered everyone’s questions, so thanks for asking!)
On December 7, 2009, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy will gather delegates from all over the world to meet in Copenhagen for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, (aka COP15). The goal of the event is to result in an “ambitious global agreement” that will include every country of the world. The event is complex, at times confusing, so we figured the least we could do is provide a 360 degree perspective of the conference via leading up to the event.
