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New: the EU budget - it has never been so green
Europe and the Global Green EconomyReprinted from The European Energy Review on 23/02/2012 by Sonja van Renssen, Freelance climate, energy and environment journalist
For the first time ever decarbonisation is an explicit goal of the next EU budget. And it shows: the European Commission wants to devote fully 20% of the €1 trillion budget, which runs from 2014 to 2020, to climate-related actions. The goal: to change the face of the European energy system and sow the seeds for a low-carbon economy in 2050. But it is the Member States who will ultimately have to make up their minds whether they want to make the EU's green dream come true. Sonja van Renssen reports from Brussels.
Dumping the Fossils: can the UK go Green?
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 16/03/2012 by Chad Frischmann, Non-profit Consultant
How can Europe make the transition to a green energy infrastructure? This is a ubiquitous question in any "green" discussion. The reality is hard to ignore: with limited fossil fuel resources, there will be a day when the Earth no longer can satiate the burgeoning energy demands of the world's increasing population. And after Fukushima the idea of investing in nuclear power is not a serious alternative. Nonetheless, proponents of green energy face an uphill battle in convincing populations to adopt clean energy.
The problem is obvious: how can clean, renewable alternatives compete in a market dominated by entrenched industries represented by a handful of powerful gas and electricity corporations (forthwith known as the Fossils) controlling the UK and European energy infrastructure and politics? It is a good question, and a daunting task to come up with a reasonable solution. The fatalistic among us throw our hands up, admit the mountain to be too steep, and consign ourselves to accepting whatever the Fossils provide. The more optimistic (and I count myself among this group) believe that we can make a difference by bringing the argument to the consumers - the people and communities who can make the choice to adopt green energy.
Comment on "Europe and the Global Green Economy"
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 12/03/2012 by Paul Flather, Secretary-General of the Europaeum
There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers."
-Susan B. Anthony, the great American advocate for female enfranchisement
When women's voices are not included in political processes, the resulting system only represents half the population. It also excludes valuable and important perspectives in public discourse.
Maybe if there were more global female leaders and they had a more prominent role in the UN debates, these vital matters of climate change and world poverty would get solved so much more efficiently ?
Why some libertarians pollute (their name)
Europe and the Global Green EconomyReprinted from —socialjusticefirst on 09/03/2012 by Babak Moussavi, former Programme Assistant, The Europaeum
Think-tanks often get a bad reputation, for being overtly ideological, and pushing an agenda dictated by their rich, often right-wing, benefactors. Occasionally, think-tanks have been criticised as being part of a left-wing plot too. In many, if not most, cases, this may be unfair, and some think-tanks are committed to objective, academic research. The Heartland Institute does not appear to be one of them.
The apparent leak of an internal policy document at the Heartland Institute suggests that rich benefactors, including the Koch brothers, and big corporations such as RJR Tobacco, have been using the think-tank as a front to provide ‘research’ and other policy output that discredits climate science. Heartland apparently funds well-known climate deniers who are able to play a part in shifting the debate, and has even considered offering a former US Energy Department employee a large amount of funding to write a curriculum textbook that casts doubt on climate science.
Using skype, or ash clouds in the sky? New perspectives for the green debate
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 23/02/2012 by Laurent Lambert, Oxford University Centre for the Environment,
Europaeum Research Director for 2012 Prague Workshop and for 2010 Paris Workshop
In this post and the next one, I will give an opinion on two thought-provoking posts. One wondering if travelling to foreign countries for environmental events is not incoherent, the other inviting us to (re)consider geo-engineering technologies (in this case ash clouds) to avoid climate change catastrophes.
Before entering the battlefield of environmental ideologies and politics, I should clearly state that even if the following opinion may seem polemical, my approach is peaceful and actually stems from works in environmental diplomacy. This approach implies looking for new perspectives to what is often presented as irreconcilable positions, generally over disputed natural resources, here over conflicting green doctrines.
Something generally ignored but capital for our debate is that, for roughly twenty years now, two specific camps of environmentalists have been waging a war of ideas over what should be the green economic paradigm.
Will your next job be truly green? It may depend on you
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 13/02/2012 by Laurent Lambert, Oxford University Centre for the Environment,
Europaeum Research Director for 2012 Prague Workshop and for 2010 Paris Workshop
A recently published UN study shows actually that most young people interviewed in developing and industrialized countries were very keen on working in the green economy. The report's conclusion states that:
"Participants identified emerging opportunities for youth employment in new types of jobs in the fields of information and communication technologies (ITCs), social networking and environmental sustainability (“green jobs”). Many young people reported that their ideal job is to work in – or to create – green jobs for the future."
I believe that critically debating the green economy is very important. Interestingly, many of us are interested in this professional field though it is still very poorly defined, leading to many inconsistencies. We naturally label as a 'green job' developing renewable energies. But can we also consider 'clean coal' (i.e. a technology that decreases the pollution emitted by burning coal) as a green industry, while its development competes with the one of renewable energies, which are radically more environmentally friendly than coal?
Use Skype - not the Sky!
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 09/02/2012 by Sylwia Bobryk, European Studies graduate, the Jagiellonian University, Krakow
I know Climate change is attracting widespread attention in the media, politics and academia. It is good that we, Europeans, are so concerned about the need to prevent it. Meetings on Climate Change become popular and fashionable. Politicians meet regularly to search for the right environmental policy to deal the problem. Academic meetings on Climate change are also regularly organised. Finally, international youth exchanges funded by European Commission take place across the globe. But I have been wondering whether all these meetings make any difference? It seems that rather than aiding the problem, these events add to climate change - as the flights cause very high Carbon Dioxide emission. Maybe we should all agree to use Skype or even video conferencing for out meetings and then we would not make things worse. What do you think?
Ash Clouds and TED Talks
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 6/02/2012 by Jens van de Weele – research Masters in History of Political Culture, Leiden University
Today everyone is talking about climate change, but if you are like me you can find some of the arguments quite confusing. Did mankind really cause it? Can we still stop it? And if so, what are the solutions? The debate is lively and there are so many opinions out there that one could easily get lost in the woods!
But what I have found very helpful for a quick overview of the ongoing debate is the video website TED.com. You probably know what TED is; it’s a website with more than 900 so called ‘TED Talks’; short speeches of 18 minutes by the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the speech of their lives.
Rio+20: reinventing hope?
Europe and the Global Green EconomySubmitted on 30/1/2012 by Laurent Lambert, Oxford University Centre for the Environment,
Europaeum Research Director for 2012 Prague Workshop and for 2010 Paris Workshop
Love it or loath it, yet another world summit to save the world will take place in May. We Europeans, more than any others, should be used to it now. For the last three years, we’ve had an incredible proliferation of 'last-chance summits': to save the climate or perish in Copenhagen, to save our banks from collapse then, or more recently to save Greece and the Euro currency - in an interminable series of emergency meetings. The problem is, that we have not solved once and for good any of these issues.
The Copenhagen accord proved to be a failure; the Euro remains fragile; and, to say the least, Greece is still in a precarious situation. Only our banks – already back to old greedy ways, short returns and obscene bonuses – appear to have successfully escaped the danger zone. A truly debatable outcome, in other words. So, at a time of multiple crises, can we, Europeans, truly afford a new summit? (the 72 hours of G8/G20 twin summits in Canada cost roughly € 762,5 million, half of it for security cover alone!) The answer is - surprisingly - yes. For two main reasons.
Comment on "The Politics and Economics of Climate Change: Cancun 2010"
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 17/12/2010 by Lubica Pollakova, University of Oxford:
Comparing the Cancun summit with the previous one at Copenhagen, one is struck by the lack of publicity surrounding the event. This was caused partly by the strong focus on the Wikileaks and other issues, such as the negotiations with Iran. However, the main reason is that the participating countries have not been able to agree on anything substantial so far and they are not expected to reach a major deal by 10th December. The participants are more interested in their domestic political issues and have not shown sufficient willingness to compromise. Overall, the momentum lost at Copenhagen has not been recovered.
Comment on "The Politics and Economics of Climate Change: Cancun 2010"
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 15/12/2010 by Christina Traher, Keble College, Oxford
The Cancun climate change debates have a drastically different focus from the Copenhagen talks. A much more pessimistic attitude towards dramatically cutting emissions pervades: the targets agreed in Copenhagen - particularly in regard to renewable energy investment - seem significantly less feasible in the current economic climate (the figure of $100 billion a year was set at Copenhagen as the necessary sum needed just to support developing nations whilst reducing global warming). In addition, it seems that many experts have come to the conclusion that successfully cutting emission levels will be much harder and more costly than previously thought, especially in regard to agreement of a treaty: many developing nations want the Copenhagen Accord and Kyoto Protocol renewed, but some developed countries want poorer countries to reduce emissions as well, which will impede their economic growth. In addition, China's reliance on coal may be a sticking point. There is a general feeling that the summit will not produce a binding agreement.
Cancun climate agreement on the need to show off any outcome?
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 12/12/2010 by Laurent Lambert, DPhil Cand. - St Antony's College, University of Oxford:
Joyful faces, loud and prolonged applauses, people congratulating one another, we really could enjoy nice images from Cancun’s ending negotiations recently. Apparently, a ’climate deal’ has finally been reached in Cancun. Great! But, what’s his name actually?
Well, there is no real name for it. It is not a new protocol, agreement or accord that would be comprehensive, or legally binding. There is instead a ’package’ (the UNFCCC’s term). From a diplomatic perspective, one can only be intrigued or even alarmed that the UN climate negotiations have gone through a gradual process of declining ambitions. From a legally binding Protocol in Kyoto, it went through an 'Accord’ in Copenhagen last year (so a sort of non-binding declaration of intention), to now reach the state of ’Agreements’ in Cancun. Agreements? That is generally what diplomats use when they do not reach any better stage in the negotiations, a treaty or accord for instance. So following this creative but honestly frightening diplomatic trend, we may wonder what’s up for next year? A Johannesburg 'promise'? A COP-17 ’statement of possibilities’? Or a South-African ’talk’?
Comment on "The Politics and Economics of Climate Change: Cancun 2010"
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 11/12/2010 by Isobel Edwards, University of Nottingham
The low expectations for the Cancun event - feelings I very much share - have been proven correct. Almost 20 years after the Rio Earth Summit I believe that the divisions of industrialized and developing countries still prevail. However, considering the levels of emissions and environmental degradation that some developing countries, namely China, India and Brazil, are now responsible for, their lack of commitment to change is something I find particularly concerning. Another problem is the lack of public interested, and therefore accountability of governments to put change in place. Overall, after the first week of Cancun I feel that the central result has been a series back-tracking from, and renegotiation of, the Bali Action Plan.
Comment on "The Politics and Economics of Climate Change: Cancun 2010"
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 7/12/2010 by Kaarina Kolle of the University of Helsinki, Finland (to study for MSc in Nature, Society & Environmental Policy at Kellogg College, Oxford)
The expectations for this COP16 in Cancun were not so high this time around - and this has lessened the political pressure. However this also seems to suggest momentum is slipping away in my opinion.
However, that is not to say the meeting will be of no importance. Details of the current climate regime will surely be worked on and - and with a lot of luck, even a COP-decision could be hammered out. Unfortunately, it is better not to hold your breath for any ground-breaking and globally- binding deal for a post-Kyoto world. In my opinion, unless major shifts in political standpoints emerge, the Kyoto Protocol may just have to remain as the torch-bearer agreement, which will not have a global replicate in the near term. This is not to say that climate change will not be tackled at all, just that the main arenas could shift elsewhere away from the UN system of decision-making procedures.
Overall, Cancun will probably turn out to be a pale and weak cousin of Copenhagen's and may witness the start of the diminishing importance of COP-meetings. It can offer an opportunity as well: this meeting may encourage subnational actors and individual nation states to act on their own. After all, the UNFCCC is not the only kid in the playground !
Report on Lessons from the Diplomacy of Climate Change
Politics and Economics of Climate ChangeSubmitted on 29/11/2010 by Diana Mastraci, University of Oxford
Last December, it seemed the whole world was anxiously and eagerly anticipating the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. This week, 29th November, just days before the world’s representatives gather in Cancun (COP16) Mexico, for the 2010 UN Climate Change Summit, many believe that the steam and smell of the climate change negotiations have evaporated.Perhaps they are right. Certainly there is not much coverage in the world’s media. However the momentum and intricacies of last year’s frenzied debates, however, were brought back to life for me on 12 November, when I took part in a Europaeum workshop with 17 other young graduates and scholars drawn from eight universities – and from more than a dozen nationalities, at the University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, as a prelude to this coming round of the global debate on the environment in Cancun.
