And the week goes on...

My apologies for falling behind on my blog entries! A quick comment on the COP 17 negotiations that are coming into the home stretch...As I am sitting here at the computer in the Convention Centre, there is a video monitor to my left broadcasting speakers for the high-level segment attended by Heads of States and Heads of Government and other heads of delegation.

Speakers are asked to adhere to a 3-minute time limit (which does not always happen). Wednesday, I had the opportunity to sit in and listen to these statements, including those of Canada's Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent. I thought about his comments about Canada being "a willing partner" and how "we must be fair if we're going to be effective", or the six Canadian activists who stood up and protested by turning their backs on him, wearing t-shirts that said, "Turn your back on Canada." All very interesting, but maybe another time. (He was one of many, including representatives from Nigeria, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malta, Finland, Slovakia, and even Lichtenstein, a tiny country of 36 000 covering 160 sq km. Today, Ministers from Ecuador, Bangladesh, Romania, Lesotho, France, Croatia, Benin, Kiribati, Greece, United States, and on and on will present their statements, all seemingly with the same urgent message and impassioned pleas. These have gone on for days now. We were at a reception last night, and one of the speakers pointedly noted, There is no time for Planet B.

As I said in a earlier blog, I'm trying to maintain an educational focus here, on some of my experiences, without getting too bogged down by the actual negotiations. There are many websites to be discovered (like a Globe and Mail article from Wednesday, December 7: In Durban, Kyoto seems set to meet its end) and individual blogs with that focus if one wants to get that angle.

There have been some positives to report on, including a panel discussion hosted by the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (ISSD). The topic: Working to Bridge the Gap: Canadian Mitigation Action at the Provincial Level. The 7 panelists included Diana McQueen, Minister of the Environment for Alberta, and Dan McInnis, Assistant Deputy Minister, Climate Change and Environmental Protection for Manitoba. There were representatives from BC, Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland/Labrador.

Alberta has committed to four carbon capture and storage projects in the province: "steel in the ground by 2015" according to the Minister. Two will be for coal, and two will be for oil projects. With Alberta poised to be a global energy supplier, the companies involved in these projects will share information learned across Canada and internationally.

Dan highlighted some of Manitoba's mitigation actions. Manitoba established a Climate Change Plan in 2008 with 67 action plans. Manitoba already has a low-carbon profile due to its reliance on hydroelectricity (98%), but there are still plans to phase out the use of coal. The province has also deployed 238 megawatts of wind power and implemented a program to remove all pre-1995 vehicles from its roads. Of the 67 action plans, 63 have been achieved, and Manitoba has reduced 2010 emissions to lower than 2000 emissions.

The other representatives shared their provinces' strategies, including wind power, smart meters, land use planning and development of public transport. Gerald Crane, (Director, Newfoundland) summed it up best: one must "balance economic growth with environmental integrity", a definite challenge when one is facing increasing emissions from the offshore oil and gas industry and iron ore.

Last night we attended a reception hosted by the Climate Action Network at the stadium. There were several notable speakers, among them one who spoke about Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace laureate and first African woman and first environmentalist to receive this honour. She founded the Green Belt movement in 1977. You can read more about this incredible woman at www.greenbeltmovement.org. Unfortunately, she recently passed away in September 2011, at the age of 71, but her legacy continues with a fight for climate justice for Africa.

I also heard about the Commit to Action - Join the Billion Tree Campaign!Under the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society and governments are being encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree planting pledges on their web site. The goal is to plant at least one billion trees worldwide each year.The idea for the Plant for the Planet: Billion Tree Campaign was inspired by Professor Maathai, and her Green Belt movement which has planted more than 30 million trees in 12 African countries since 1977. When a corporate group in the United States told Professor Maathai it was planning to plant a million trees, her response was: “That’s great, but what we really need is to plant a billion trees.” (www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/) Some of you may have already been part of this amazing movement.

As an aside, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife (Princess??) Charlene were in attendance at the reception. That's my celebrity sighting so far! The prince made a speech and seemed to be a supporter of the Billion Tree Campaign (but don't quote me on that!)

On a lighter note....(we need more of those!) we enjoyed a "Bunny Chow" at a local restaurant (a food court, I might add!) No, it is not of the fluffy rabbit variety, but starts with a fluffy loaf of bread which has been hollowed out. It is not a full-sized loaf of bread, but a more "personal" sized-loaf which is then filled with your choice of curried food: lamb, chicken, beans, vegetables, etc. or combinations thereof. Wikipedia has some interesting history of its origins, but apparently it is a Durban speciality. With our great East Indian restaurants in Winnipeg, I think there would be a definite market for "the bunny". It is easy to transport, and no cutlery is required. Abdullah, our taxi driver, recommended you eat it with your fingers, although I'm afraid our Western sensibilities encroached and we used knife and fork. Some members of our group found it a tad spicy (Dan?) while others spooned on the extra hot sauce! It was yummy and filling and we were happy to be able to walk the promenade back to the hotel.

I did have the opportunity to view the Youth Climate Report which I reported on in my last blog. It truly is an excellent compilation of interviews of top scientists by young people (ages 15 to 23) for a world audience. William Rees, a professor at UBC astutely observed, "No collective intelligence has been applied." (Hmmmm, I thought that's what they were doing here!) Another climatologist from Environment Canada suggested it was very urgent for everyone to learn how to adapt to changing climate. Stewart Cohen from Environment Canada has studied the changes in snow pack in mountains that supply water to the Vancouver region. We heard from an Arctic biologist about rapidly melting Arctic ice and its impact on changing ocean currents and climates, not to mention water levels. These are just a few examples of the dozen or so researchers who were interviewed. Any student could find someone in their town or city working in the area of climate change to interview. Not only would their science literacy be improved, but their media literacy skills would benefit as well.

I will leave you with some quotes to ponder.

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. ~Thomas Fuller,
Gnomologia, 1732

There is a sufficiency in the world for man's need but not for man's greed.
~Mohandas K. Gandhi

When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves. ~David Orr

Thanks for reading.