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Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "COP16"

AOSIS Increases Urgency

Claire Tighe ‘13 Just tuned into a press briefing hosted by AOSIS to hear about their progress in the last two weeks. What is the state of their demands for the outcomes of COP17? Have these changed over the last two weeks? What about since the last few COPs? What is left to be done? According to the vicechair of AOSIS, their negotiating positions have not changed much since 2009, as they still use the “Protocol Approach,” which advocates for a second commitment of the Kyoto Protocol (KP). However, since the last two COPs, AOSIS has increased the level of urgency with which they approach the negotiations. They do this by highlighting scientific findings that predict catastrophic climate change, particularly for the most vulnerable (small island states). According to AOSIS, their negotiating … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Environmental Politics, Featured, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action, Student Research

USA, China, EU not on the same page for Long Term Action

USA, China, EU not on the same page for Long Term Action

By Timothy Damon ’12 Earlier today I sat in on the open meeting of the Ad hoc Working Group for Long Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), a body tasked with looking ahead and considering the future trajectory of activities under the UNFCCC process. There I had the opportunity to witness a brief exchange between several major players, including the USA, EU, and China. I will recount this episode and provide some analysis. Shortly after I entered the room, … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues

The Anagram Lover’s Tokyo is at it Again

By Sam Pollan, 14′ The Kyoto commitment period is ending very soon. Upcoming climate negotiations in Durban at the COP 17 conference will address this as one of the primary topics. Unfortunately, many skeptics have publicized their doubt of Durban discussions actually reaching conclusions. Canada, Japan, and the Russian Federation have all mentioned that they will not commit to any new Kyoto document. With those three major emitters absent from future Kyoto agreements, as well as the US being completely nonexistent in Kyoto delegations, the Protocol will be unable to achieve any significant reduction in climate change. While the Kyoto Protocol may be down, it is certainly not out for the count. The EU and neighboring countries are indicating that they plan to continue some form of the 1997 agreement. This miniature … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues

Mosaic Group to Washington DC

By: Anna McGinn ’14 Instead of rolling out of bed and heading to classes as usual, on Thursday, October 20 the students in the Mosaic program traveled to DC to meet with United States negotiators, scientists, and government workers.  Over our two days of meeting, we meet with a total of eleven speakers.  Each brought a different point of view to the table, labeling different events as successes and failures and focusing on different angles of the problems and possible solutions.  Everyone emphasized the need for immediate action on an international scale, but few expressed optimistic sentiments about the upcoming negotiations.  One speaker, Jennifer Morgan from the World Resource Institute (WRI), explained a comprehensive plan that would lead the world in the direction of international agreement on actions that need to … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action, Student Research