Denmark agrees to do its bit...

Denmark (host nation, to the climate summit) is one of the first countries in the world to earmark financing for developing nations to strengthen their capacities to combat climate change in the short run, as per Danish government.

Provided there is a global climate deal and other countries pay their share too, Denmark will fund 0.16 billion euro to help developing countries strengthen their capacities to tackle climate change in the short term (2010-2012).

The Danish funding is in line with EU’s opinion that a deal is needed on both “fast start” financing for developing countries from 2010-2012, followed by a significant scaling up of public and private financial flows to developing countries from 2013. EU has estimated the need for 2010-2012 to 5 to 7 billion euro, according to EU Business.

In a press release, the Danish government states that Denmark in this way would contribute to immediate action taking place in developing countries shortly after the climate change conference.

Ulla Tørnæs, the Danish Minister , stated that their aim is to send a clear signal to other nations that finance is needed on the negotiating table in Copenhagen, targeting the least developed countries that are to be hardest hit by climate change, without which no climate deal would prove benefiicial.

Original Source: http://www.cop15.dk/

Coping with hope

In view of this climate change campaign, there is a great possibility for the Copenhagen summit to end on a positive note. It would provide a simple & direct solution for the present and future sustenance. In spite of strong opposition pertaining to the summit’s outcome, pressure is certainly intense and too hot to handle.

The leadership lies in ‘how everybody plays their part, in this fight for right’. This is something above the ‘as usual business’, wherein we as a part of nature need to lead and protect it. This is undoubtedly one of the aspects, hovering in the minds of every individual at the money.

Let's cope!!

Satya Venkataraman

EU quiet on 30 percent vow

The European Union has decided to stay quiet at the moment, on a key issue till the very last moment of the UN conference on climate change(as per Swedish Minister for Environment, Andreas Carlgren). As Sweden holds the rotating EU presidency, Mr. Carlgren is negotiating on behalf of the union.

The EU has already adopted a commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels. However, the decision also specifies that the union will raise its commitments to 30 percent if other major players undertake “comparable commitments” – without specifying what would qualify as being “comparable”. Sources say this step is to keep up the pressure on major players...US & China

“The EU is ready to raise its commitments from 20 to 30 percent, depending on others countries' plans, especially US and China.


Padmanabh Iyer - MBA (E & E)

South Africa: Aid needed to reach target

South Africa is fine with reducing their carbon emissions if provided necessary financial and technological support.

Just before the opening of the UN climate conference in Copenhagen on Monday, South Africa announced that it is ready to cut the growth of its carbon emissions by 34 % by 2020 and 42 % by 2025, provided if it gets necessary aid from developed countries to achieve its goals.

"This would perhaps enable South Africa’s emissions to peak between 2020 and 2025, plateau for approximately a decade, and later decline in absolute terms thereafter," as per the statment given by South Africa’s presidency & released on the South African Press Association PR wire, Bloomberg.

"This undertaking is conditional on firstly, a fair, ambitious and effective agreement... and secondly, the provision of support from the international community, and in particular finance, technology and support," the South African statement continued, according to BBC News. South Africa generates almost all of its electricity from coal, Bloomberg said.

Original source: http://en.cop15.dk/

Padmanabh Iyer - MBA - E & E (09-11)

Delegation leaves for ’Hagen

A 20-member delegation comprising farmers, civil society actors, experts, scientists, mediapersons, policy makers will participate in COP 15 from December 7-18 under the banner of ‘Beyond Copenhagen; Collective Action on Climate Change’.

The members are led by a Jaipur-based NGO — Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON).

The first phase of the campaign had focused on ‘Towards a National Consensus on India’s Position in International Negotiation’, experience of the campaign and the way forward, a shared outcome of the process involving wide variety of stakeholders, including farmers, women, Dalits, tribals, media and policy makers, he added.

Similar regional consultation and workshops were organised in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Bihar prior to Jaipur. The campaign also organised a public hearing on climate change for arid and semi-arid region involving people from over 12 states sharing their stories on how climate change and its wide ramifications have affected their lives, livelihoods, economy and culture.

CECOEDECON was also a part of another national process and campaign supported by Oxfam and other partner organisations which conducted public hearings on impact of climate change in different agro-climatic zones (forests, Himalayan eco system, urban, flood plains, coastal region) finally culminating in national Public hearings (November 11-13, 2009 in Delhi).

CECOEDECON is one of the few accredited organisations with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will organise a side event at Copenhagen on December 11, 2009 under “Why Agriculture Must Be Focused In Climate Change Negotiations”. In this event, speakers include many activists and experts of national and international repute from India.

Original source: Times News Network, 7 December 2009

Padmanabh Iyer
MBA (E & E)

Building COP15

COP?? What’s it? Is it cost of

production? Is it Coefficient of performance? Yes, you’re right as an MBA Graduate and a techie guy. But, an energy and environment graduate gazes it with a different perspective and comes up with a diverse idea saying that it is something related to climate change talks, Copenhagen, and so on.. Yes, it’s 15^th Conference of Parties of UNFCCC. Parties? It’s not a get-to-gather or some festivity. Parties are the signatory nations to the convention. COP15 which is awaited for is one of the important proceedings in the milestones of Climate change since Berlin Mandate.

While we invariably speak about environment, pollution, scarce rainfall, etc, there is something going to happen to our planet earth in a long run, as a result of Copenhagen talks which could alter the scope and scale of efforts towards Climate Change. Denmark is about to host the conference during 7^th to 18^th of December ‘09 and the countdown has already begun.

How do you think it would be? Something like a congregation? Yes, of course, a congregation of different culture, language, and ethnic background but with a common objective. Though, the parties have a commonality, they have diverse responsibilities in proportion to the emissions they have made so far, an acute felony to our planet Earth which is ironically stated in the convention as “Common but differentiated responsibilities”.

Do you think, the drive behind the mass gathering would be purely concerned towards environment? I don’t think so. Apart from the civil societies, few nations are more rapt to make their pitch for their own economic development and industrialisation rather having an intention to save the environment. Such skewed facts craft suspicions about the success of the conference too.

What ever it may be, let’s not jump our feet to make further comments on it, until a conclusion is drawn out of it. Rather, I’ll make it more interesting for you in a way sharing few things about the pre-conference activities and events happening around the globe which is elegantly called as “Road to Copenhagen”. In other words, let’s see behind the Scenes – the Making of the Conference.

Let’s commence with an important occasion, “World Environment Day” celebrated on 5^th of June ’09. This occasion was a platform for select group who took exceptional feats, high profile expeditions and other innovative acts of environmental activism to demonstrate their commitment and to raise awareness for one simple idea: Your planet needs You! Unite to Combat Climate Change.

Climate heroes are people who take a special initiative, who go beyond the normal responsibilities that we have, who pioneer with unusual initiatives and ideas. They show the kind of commitment, enthusiasm and understanding of how important it is that we all become heroes in order to address climate change,”

To name a few, Roz Savage who is known for her inspirational solo row across the Atlantic Ocean and who now row across the Pacific Ocean and walk from London to Copenhagen with the environmental message to take action on CO₂ levels by inspiring people to walk more and drive less. Her initiative, called Pull Together, calls upon her supporters around the world to Pull Together and match her 10,000 oar strokes each day with 10,000 steps. In October, Roz and thousands of supporters assembled at Big Ben in London and, over a period of six weeks, march more than 600 miles to Copenhagen to address the conference delegates. At this time, she will deliver the results of the initiative, essentially a walking petition, as a symbol of commitment to taking immediate, aggressive action to reduce global CO₂ levels.

David de Rothschild and a cherry-picked crew of adventurers, thinkers and artists set sail approximately 10,000 nautical miles across the Pacific. The boat, called Plastiki, is a distinctive, one-of-a-kind 60-foot (20m) catamaran made out of reclaimed plastic bottles, srPET plastic and recycled waste products. Their mission: to beat waste, raise awareness on the issues facing our planet and be the catalyst to activate change by bringing smart sustainable solutions to the forefront. The voyage sails through a number of exciting, challenging and environmentally-sensitive regions, including the ominously named Great Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch, an area six times the size of England where plastic outweighs plankton by 6 to 1 – essentially, the world’s largest waste dump.

Project Kaisei consists of a team of innovators, ocean lovers, sailors, scientists, sports enthusiasts and environmentalists who have come together with a common purpose: to study how to capture plastic waste in the ocean, detoxify, and recycle it into diesel fuel. Every year over 60 billion tons of plastic are produced, much of it for one-time use and less than five percent of the world’s plastics are recycled. National Geographic estimates that over 85 million plastic bottles are used every three minutes. Currently, there are no proposed solutions to resolve the issue of plastics in the oceans.

Charles and Sho Scott (8 years old) This father-son pair are riding connected bikes from Cape Souya in northern Japan to Kyushu in the south, or 2,900 miles (4,700 km), as a campaign to raise awareness on climate change and in support of UN efforts to seal a deal on a climate treaty in Copenhagen in December. Entitled “United to Combat Climate Change—Ride Japan”, the ride passes through 11 of the World’s Cultural Heritage sites along the way. The two-month journey also raise funds for tree-planting efforts with the target of seven billion trees planted by the end of 2009, or one for each person on the planet.

The place which now looks like Moon-base Alpha, will be transformed into 38 functioning meeting rooms to host 2500 meetings over the two-week conference. While negotiators attempt to reach a new climate deal at COP15 in the Bella Centre, people from all over the world will debate how to fight climate change at Klimaforum09 in the heart of Copenhagen.

Thinking about climate change? Don’t keep it to yourself! Klimaforum09, new web-based initiative allows people from the entire world to share their thoughts on climate change up to COP15. Now it is possible to read many of the thoughts passing through people’s minds on the issue of climate change and add your own personal thoughts to the collection of climate thoughts.

Public transport is the main element in the transport plan for COP15, because it’s much more CO₂-friendly than taxis and other cars. Shuttle busses will run from the conference venue to the city centre every five to ten minutes and to Copenhagen Airport slightly less frequently, from 7 am to 11 pm, right from December 6 to December 19. Delegates at COP15 can move around in Copenhagen with a clear, green conscience on bicycles, public transport and in cars fuelled by the first litres of second-generation bio-ethanol produced in Denmark.

The COP15 logo: Visualising the climate challenge. The logo chosen for COP15 is created by a small design duo, who won the popular COP15 logo design competition from an overwhelming 269 competition entries. The logo's network of blue lines suggests how complex the climate question is, and how it affects and involves almost all things on this planet

The most interesting thing is that the University of Copenhagen lights the way to a CO₂-neutral future with new building. What is going to happen in Copenhagen in December is not just talk, but taking concrete action to combat climate change in Denmark – this house portrays that.

Denmark evens out the bumps on the way to COP15 visas. Anyone who has ever struggled with visa forms and deadlines will understand what a huge task it is to make sure that the many COP15 delegates who need a Danish visa receive one in time.

COP15 cycling tour from Kyoto to Copenhagen. Around 200 bicyclists waited outside the Japanese Embassy in Copenhagen on sunny June 14 for the last stage of the cycling tour from Kyoto to Copenhagen to kick off. Since the tour began in Tokyo on May 23, more than 3000 people have joined it on eight routes through neon-lit metropolises to small fishing villages all over Japan.

Now, let’s draw closer and guess what India would propose and expect out of this Conference. India is a country which is and will continue to be severely impacted by Climate Change precisely at a time when it is confronted with huge development imperatives. We would, therefore, expect that the Copenhagen outcome not only provides us with the space we require for accelerated social and economic development, in order to eradicate widespread poverty, but also create a global regime which is supportive of our national endeavours for ecologically sustainable development.

India’s focus would be mainly on

MITIGATION- Enhanced action on reducing GHG emissions

ADAPTION- Capacity building to meet the consequences of climate change

FINANCE- Objectives supported by sufficient financial resources

TECHNOLOGY- Technology transfers from developed nations

Still, few queries that crop up to each one of us are: What are India’s expectations with regard to the Copenhagen outcome? How can an accord be possible, if India and other major emitters refuse to accept responsibility in this regard? Would India be ready to accept a compromise along these lines?

Stay tuned with the happenings and hope for the best!

- Avinash Vijayarangam

MBA E&E (09-11)