reporting :
Cycling in Copenhagen: A model for clean energy
No commentsWhat would it take for you to leave your comfortable car at home and jump on a bicycle to get to work, school, or even to go shopping? Sounds a not so pleasant idea, and many would imagine that bicycles are for the poor who cannot afford to drive. But as cities focus more and more on clean energy, residents of Copenhagen, a developed city, have adopted cycling as the preferred mode of transport. Even the high and mighty in society are not left out. Rosalia Omungo reports on the Copenhagen cycling experience.
»Floods in Kenya : Climate reality dawns
No commentsNearly 35 people were reported dead in Kenya in the first few weeks of January, following heavy rains. The Meteorological Department says the rains will subside by the end of the month, but the destruction in their wake is linked to years of environmental degradation. Rosalia Omungo reports on the reality beyond the Copenhagen summit.
»Rich ‘do too little to slow temperature rise’
No commentsPromises by rich countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions made at the Copenhagen climate summit will fail to prevent catastrophic climate change, warned the World Resources Institute.
Together, the commitments made by developed countries by Jan. 31 mean global emissions would fall by between 12 and 19% by 2020, but scientists say cuts between 25 and 40% are needed. The WRI says the promises so far will see the global average temperature rise by more than 3C, even though one of the most important achievements of the Copenhagen climate talks was agreement to keep the increase below 2C. This article examines the results of the summit, analyses Colombia’s participation, and looks at the prospects for the next round of talks in Mexico in December.
»Green energy strategy to deal with climate change
No commentsThe Kenyan government is seeking international financial support as it prepares to embrace green energy. Kenyan Evironment Minister John Michuki says geothermal steam reserves (powering in at an estimated at 7000 megawatts) are amongst the resources Kenya hopes to exploit in order to reduce the country’s dependency on fossil fuels. The minister spoke at the launch of the Kenya Climate Change Response Strategy in Copenhagen, on the sidelines of the COP15 climate change negotiations.
»Africa incenced by talks progress
No commentsThe fate of the ongoing climate negotiations in Copenhagen hangs in the balance after African nations suspended talks today. Even though the talks later resumed, the African Group and G77 plus China accused the Danish host government of trying to sideline talks on setting emissions cuts under the Kyoto Protocol. The Africa Group is rooting for a two track system, in which the Kyoto Protocol is continued in conjunction with other long term agreements.
»With “dragon woman” out, Philppine climate team loses teeth
No commentsCOPENHAGEN, Denmark – On the eve of President Gloria Arroyo’s arrival for the most important meeting on climate change in over a decade, the Philippine delegation is in apparent disarray. Some of the country’s foremost climate change experts suddenly found themselves excluded, including diplomat and staunch negotiator Bernaditas de Castro Muller, nicknamed “dragon woman” by [...]
»Todd came, Todd saw, Todd threw a spanner in the works.
No commentsA lot of newsprint will go into reporting and analysing Todd Stern’s statements from this evening in Copenhagen. Here’s the short version: “We don’t care”.
»Minister getting ready to ‘rescue’ Copenhagen talks
No commentsAnxiety is growing at the Copenhagen climate talks as ambitious deal looks increasingly unlikely. Some analysts say pressure will now shift to the political leaders who have started arriving in the city to ’salvage’ the talks.
»Philippines throws support behind “weak” climate pact
No commentsThe Philippines has thrown its support behind the Copenhagen accord, a non-binding climate agreement criticized for its weak provisions and the non-transparent, non-inclusive process by which it was formulated.
»Colombia’s Indian communities join forces to beat drought
No commentsColombia’s indigenous peoples are working together to create an adaptation plan against climate change, which will bring together their own traditional knowledge with outside help from other agencies.
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