Sawubona (hello!) and welcome to Day 2 of my blog. (I would have had it off sooner, but this is the second time I am re-typing it due to computer/Internet glitches. Grrrrr)
Yesterday was a busy day, and found me attending three different "side events" or presentations. I will share some of the highlights of a couple of them, and hopefully, they will have some educational connections for you!
The first one was a panel primarily with Greenpeace and the Sierra Club on Coal: the Dirty Truth. The question they looked at was, what really is the true cost of coal? Some of the issues they are considering include climate change, health impacts, water use (availability of water for people), and the effects of mining and water pollution. Coal production apparently uses huge amounts of water, and in a place like Africa, that is of concern, when it is already a scarce resource.
On the other hand, by obtaining electricity from renewables, there are reduced contributions to climate change, better energy security and access, and more high-tech jobs. They pointed out some of the barriers to renewables, such as huge coal subsidies in South Africa. In 2009, coal subsidies were $312 billion, compared to $558 billion in 2008. More than 90% of South African electricity comes from coal, with less than 1% from renewables. Centralized coal has failed to deliver electricity to 2.5 million households (10 million people), so they propose that decentralized, small, clean-energy solutions are needed to make electricity more readily available.
On the positive side, in the United States, the migration away from coal has begun. The China Coal Cap (for weaning China off coal) won't peak until 2035, or possibly 2030. Right now, China is the number one emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, with their reliance on 47% of the world's coal demand. (That is three times the coal consumption of the U.S.)
A speaker from India highlighted how coal mining has the potential to undermine India's forests and biodiversity, since they are starting to mine in dense forest areas. Some of these areas are home to the Bengal tiger and many indigenous people. He said that India is just in the process of "boarding the coal train" and this can be changed. Right now, 55% of India's power sector is coal based, with 37% of carbon dioxide emissions coming from the power sector. By 2016, coal needs in India will double. He noted how coal mining already has fragmented the landscape, which is an important tiger habitat. When one hears these statistics, one wonders about our hope for the future.
The last speaker from Greenpeace alluded to this. He said to remember that Martin Luther King's comments weren't, "I have a nightmare, but I have a dream." We have to try to be a little bit positive. I say, a lot positive!!
The main conclusion I took away from this side event was what Justin Guay from the Sierra Club said. "Fossil fuels don't need more support; clean energy does." Global energy subsidies for 2010 backed this up: $400 billion for fossil fuels vs $50 billion for clean energy. There are 1.3 billion people around the world who still lack access to electricity. Unfortunately, with large coal plants, the electricity often gets exported to large industrial users instead of the people who need it.
On a lighter note, it wasn't all work and no play! Dan and I had the opportunity to test drive (well, Dan did the driving) the new Nissan Leaf and Renault Fluence Z.E. Anyone can sign up for test drives throughout the duration of the conference, and when Dan heard that, we were on our way within minutes. We drove the Leaf from the Expo site to the Moses Mabhida Stadium (where the World Cup was played). Dan did a great job of staying on the wrong (right!) side of the road. There, they had a test track set up where you could then drive the new Renault Twizy, an urban 2-seater, "fun-to-drive commuter vehicle that can be plugged into many conventional wall sockets. It will be available in March 2012. I was the video-recorder while Dan zoomed around the track! Arriving back at the start, he asked if he could go again! The technical engineer for Nissan suggested Dan try to keep up with him (a professional driver) and Dan gave it a great shot, only running over one tire on the obstacle course! At the end of it he said to Dan, "Who are you??" thinking he was a race car driver incognito! Anyway, we got to drive the Fluence back to the conference site. For those of you who are interested, check out the Twizy on www.renault-ze.com. Both the Leaf and the Fluence are 100% electric cars: zero gas and zero emissions and a wonderful ride.
In the evening we both attended the African First Ladies forum on Climate Change. Many of the themes resonated....one of the speakers proposed what I thought was a profound question: "What about the climate within us?" Yes, we talk about climate change, but unless we are willing to work together, probably not a lot of meaningful change will happen.
The information was not new: we know that women, young people, children and indigenous people are the most vulnerable in our world. In order to create a just, sustainable, peaceable world, we have to include women and girls in the dialogue on climate change. If mitigation fails, war and conflict may be the inevitable result, so women are invited to use their peace-building skills, wisdom and courage to create the necessary political will to change.
The representative from Girl Guides International made similar points, including how climate change accentuates existing inequalities. Astoundingly, she stated that 80% of the victims of natural disasters are girls and women. Microfinance projects for women help them break out of working strictly agricultural jobs, and give them stability for their families. She also said it is important to teach girls and women specifically climate change education.
I wrote this originally around 8:00 this morning, and now it is after 6:00 p.m. here. The day was hot and humid and we saw a lot more interesting things which I will tell you about tomorrow. Thanks for listening!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
Durban Day 1
Welcome to my blog sharing my personal experiences from the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol! (Yes, that's a bit wordy and henceforth shall be referred to as COP 17).
I was very fortunate to get non-governmental delegate status and these writings will simply be my experiences of the events I am able to attend. Thirty thousand delegates from 193 countries are here to hopefully work out a binding climate deal where all countries agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help developing countries deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
COP 17 is taking place in Durban, a city of 3.4 million (the 3rd largest city in South Africa) located on the eastern sea coast of South Africa on the Indian Ocean. We arrived on Saturday, November 25th, and after settling in, Sunday was our first day of pre-COP activities. (COP17 starts on November 28th and ends on December 9th). Archbishop Desmond Tutu was one of the featured speakers at a We Have Faith - Act Now for Climate Justice concert and rally at the King's Park Stadium that we attended. ("We" unless otherwise noted, refers to the real reason I am here: my husband Dan!)
Archbishop Tutu likened impending climate change to apartheid, noting, "Apartheid seemed an overwhelming challenge that could not be defeated, but we mobilized and defeated it. We need the same passion and determination to defeat climate change." He went on to say that climate change is an even greater threat to us than apartheid, because as temperatures rise, millions of Africans will suffer due to food and water shortages.
As we all know, although Africans have done comparatively little to cause climate change, they will be among the most devastated. He repeated his message that, "We only have one home. This is the only home we have. And whether you are rich or poor, this is your only home. You are members of one family, the human race."
The dire message was lightened with some inspiring music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir, among others. Unfortunately, the crowd was smaller than expected, so hopefully that doesn't reflect peoples' commitment to the idea of "climate justice".
This morning was the first day of COP 17. The energy was electric as crowds of people converged on the International Convention Centre (ICC), passed through the considerable security and headed to the main hall. Unfortunately, due to my NGO status, I was only able to watch the opening on video monitors, but after awhile, all the speeches became a bit repetitive, and I found an amazing presentation on the U.S. Centre on Fires in Africa.
Although I missed some of the beginning of the talk (it is easy to get lost in the maze-like complex), there were representatives from NASA who shared their research on activities related to the extensive biomass burning taking place through sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.
Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa still rely on Slash-and-Burn agriculture. The scientists talked about how the deforestation, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and resulting soil erosion all damage the environment. They also pointed out that biomass burning can have short and long-term effects on the Earth's atmosphere and climate system, and also affect the rainfall amounts. Considering that 70% of Africans make their living in agriculture, all this can have serious impacts.
With the warming of the Earth's climate, we know and have experienced more warm spells, heat waves and droughts in many parts of the world. The scientists noted that these changes are likely to increase the number of annual wildfires and health risks. By studying the fires from space, they can use this data to monitor the levels of greenhouse gases and many other effects they have on our planet.
The people giving the talks are incredibly knowledgeable! On any given day, there are between 25-50 presentations and seminars going on simultaneously. These are open to all delegates, whereas the delegates with "Party" status are involved in the actual negotiations of the actual global climate deal.
What has really inspired me though, are all the grassroots activists I have had a glimpse of so far....the students looking for energy solutions, the women for climate change, villagers protecting forests, (yes, even the vegetarians!), and individual people like you and me wanting to make a difference for our world. More to come on this topic!!
As this is my first attempt at a blog, I hope I haven't bored anyone too much. I am hoping that as the week goes on, I will be able to find some other interesting things to share with you. I wish I could share the view of the Indian Ocean outside our hotel room window, but just use your imagination....!) (Yesterday, we had a terrible wind and rain storm so it is wonderful to see the sun shining today.)
I was very fortunate to get non-governmental delegate status and these writings will simply be my experiences of the events I am able to attend. Thirty thousand delegates from 193 countries are here to hopefully work out a binding climate deal where all countries agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help developing countries deal with the adverse effects of climate change.
COP 17 is taking place in Durban, a city of 3.4 million (the 3rd largest city in South Africa) located on the eastern sea coast of South Africa on the Indian Ocean. We arrived on Saturday, November 25th, and after settling in, Sunday was our first day of pre-COP activities. (COP17 starts on November 28th and ends on December 9th). Archbishop Desmond Tutu was one of the featured speakers at a We Have Faith - Act Now for Climate Justice concert and rally at the King's Park Stadium that we attended. ("We" unless otherwise noted, refers to the real reason I am here: my husband Dan!)
Archbishop Tutu likened impending climate change to apartheid, noting, "Apartheid seemed an overwhelming challenge that could not be defeated, but we mobilized and defeated it. We need the same passion and determination to defeat climate change." He went on to say that climate change is an even greater threat to us than apartheid, because as temperatures rise, millions of Africans will suffer due to food and water shortages.
As we all know, although Africans have done comparatively little to cause climate change, they will be among the most devastated. He repeated his message that, "We only have one home. This is the only home we have. And whether you are rich or poor, this is your only home. You are members of one family, the human race."
The dire message was lightened with some inspiring music by Ladysmith Black Mambazo and the Soweto Gospel Choir, among others. Unfortunately, the crowd was smaller than expected, so hopefully that doesn't reflect peoples' commitment to the idea of "climate justice".
This morning was the first day of COP 17. The energy was electric as crowds of people converged on the International Convention Centre (ICC), passed through the considerable security and headed to the main hall. Unfortunately, due to my NGO status, I was only able to watch the opening on video monitors, but after awhile, all the speeches became a bit repetitive, and I found an amazing presentation on the U.S. Centre on Fires in Africa.
Although I missed some of the beginning of the talk (it is easy to get lost in the maze-like complex), there were representatives from NASA who shared their research on activities related to the extensive biomass burning taking place through sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the world.
Many people in Sub-Saharan Africa still rely on Slash-and-Burn agriculture. The scientists talked about how the deforestation, loss of biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and resulting soil erosion all damage the environment. They also pointed out that biomass burning can have short and long-term effects on the Earth's atmosphere and climate system, and also affect the rainfall amounts. Considering that 70% of Africans make their living in agriculture, all this can have serious impacts.
With the warming of the Earth's climate, we know and have experienced more warm spells, heat waves and droughts in many parts of the world. The scientists noted that these changes are likely to increase the number of annual wildfires and health risks. By studying the fires from space, they can use this data to monitor the levels of greenhouse gases and many other effects they have on our planet.
The people giving the talks are incredibly knowledgeable! On any given day, there are between 25-50 presentations and seminars going on simultaneously. These are open to all delegates, whereas the delegates with "Party" status are involved in the actual negotiations of the actual global climate deal.
What has really inspired me though, are all the grassroots activists I have had a glimpse of so far....the students looking for energy solutions, the women for climate change, villagers protecting forests, (yes, even the vegetarians!), and individual people like you and me wanting to make a difference for our world. More to come on this topic!!
As this is my first attempt at a blog, I hope I haven't bored anyone too much. I am hoping that as the week goes on, I will be able to find some other interesting things to share with you. I wish I could share the view of the Indian Ocean outside our hotel room window, but just use your imagination....!) (Yesterday, we had a terrible wind and rain storm so it is wonderful to see the sun shining today.)
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