On day 5 of COP-18 Qatar have been further emphasising their commitments to sustainability and engagement with civil society, and Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiya, the Chairman of the COP18/CMP8 Organising Sub-Committee, highlighted the important role of traditional methods in tackling climate change. In the Fifth Hikma Session, delegates further emphasised the important role of tradition. […]
Monthly Archives: November 2012
Day four of COP 18 proved to be a day of dichotomies, criticism, and confusion. While officially termed the Youth and Future Generations Day, continued disagreements about the AWG-LCA negotiating text overshadowed this label. On day 3, the Umbrella Group (most notably the USA, Canada, and Japan) voiced concerns about the substance and suitability of […]
With the President of COP urging everyone to be on time (the session started 20 minutes late), day 3 of the COP 18 seems to have had more energy and substance than the initial days and the parties were eager to get their opinions heard. “IPCC’s voice may not be loud as it once was, […]
With the second day of COP 18 completed, participants of the conference still seem to be warming up for the main events. While setting the scene, numerous delegates and interest groups expressed high hopes for extending the Kyoto Protocol. Moreover, the International Emissions Trading Association indicated that companies expect concrete results from COP 18, especially […]
The last decade has shown an increasing interest in Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) as a source of information for environmental policy and management. In particular, the newly established Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) intends to complement scientific knowledge by considering the rich diversity of local and traditional ecological knowledge around the world […]
Given the controversial choice of location for this year’s COP 18, let’s hope for a slightly more eventful COP than Durban, 2011. Things are already off to a good start. Not wanting to be labeled one of the “bad boys“, H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, President-Designate for COP 18 strongly defends Qatar’s ambitions for emissions […]
In our political quest to avoid the taboo T-word (taxes, that is), cap-and-trade schemes provide an opportunity for markets to internalize environmental damages from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In an effort to reduce its CO2 emissions, California has worked on a cap-and-trade system since 2006. This scheme bears the catchy names Assembly Bill 32 (AB […]
“Within 6 hours deserts receive more energy from the sun than humankind consumes within a year” – Dr. Gerhard Knies While David MacKay offers a sobering perspective on the scale and costs of renewable energy, numerous businesses and NPOs propose ambitious, yet sometimes unattainable and inefficient visions for a sustainable future. One notable organization is […]
There are many advocates in mainstream economic and environmental literature of a carbon tax as an effective method for emission abatement. This makes logical sense in economic terms; set a carbon tax on all production so as to ensure emitters are internalising the full cost of their production activities, reduce demand, reduce emissions. This is […]
“Nuclear energy was conceived in secrecy, born in war and first revealed to the world in horror. No matter how much proponents try to separate the peaceful from the weapons atom, the connection is firmly embedded within the minds of the public” Kirk R. Smith * * CO2-neutral nuclear power provided too many benefits to […]
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