11 Articles
After two weeks, huge amounts of political rhetoric, and much activity behind closed doors, we have a treaty. While there will be celebrations among activists, the Paris Treaty will do very little to rein in temperature reductions. The Paris Treaty promises to keep temperature rises below 2°C. However, the actual promises made here will do …
In the build-up to Paris, activists and celebrities have been banging the drum for action. Part of this has involved talking up the effects of global warming. US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ warns that âclimate change is directly related to the growth of terrorism,â while Prince Charles believes that âone of the major reasons for …
The suburb of Alajo is about as far from the posh hotels of Paris as you could get. But the bureaucrats and politicians here in France are negotiating a climate treaty to “help the worldâs poorest”, including billions of dollars of guarantees of “climate aid” to developing nations. I have argued in this blog that …
The UN climate chief, Christiana Figueres, would like the world to know that climate change is considered the most urgent issue around the world. Her agency produced a report, Surprising Citizensâ Views on Climate Change, in partnership with national partners like the Danish Board of Technology Foundation, identifying the views on climate change from 80 …
In this blog written from the Paris climate summit, I have criticised activists and participants for a fixation on “climate aid”. I have argued that this is not what the worldâs poor want or need. It is interesting to look at a real-life example. The Greenpeace website, Dharnai Live, has one such example. With pictures …
When you go shopping â whether at the corner store, or at the ritzy Galeries Lafayette or Printemps here in Paris â you expect to know what you are spending on and what you are getting. Strangely, when it comes to global climate treaties, our politicians like to commit to hugely expensive policies without even …
Negotiators and activists are getting increasingly serious about the prospects of finalising a carbon-cutting deal here in Paris. No doubt if they are successful, we will see much back-slapping and exhortations of âsuccessâ in seven days. But the bonhomie will hide a rather inconvenient truth: even if itâs successful, any deal negotiated in Paris is …
There is not one single climate activist in sight here at the climate summit venue in Le Bourget on the outskirts of Paris. Understandably, the area is effectively sealed off, so there is not much of an audience. While many planned marches have been cancelled for security reasons, there are still many protestors in the …
One of the things we are hearing more and more about here in Paris is so-called âclimate aidâ. There has been a huge push from climate NGOs to convince rich countries to spend a fortune to help poor countries adjust to global warming. This term is a catch-all for money being given from rich countries …
Thereâs a lot of focus now on the politics of Paris. Will poor countries get the “climate aid” they want? Will China agree to reduce its growth, leaving millions more in poverty, by committing to far-reaching carbon cuts? What will be the wording of the treaty that emerges? It is easy to become cynical. Let …
If you do not learn from history, you are bound to repeat it. Here in Saint-Denis, northern Paris, a history lesson is sorely needed. Thousands are gathering here for the 21st international global warming meeting. Hotels are already near-full, broadcasters are setting up, protestors are preparing to roar. All because this summit is “the last …