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Dickinson to Durban » Archive

Wait, what fund?

By Emily Bowie ’14 One of the things we skimmed over in class were the different funds created by the UNFCCC at various COPs in the past. While talking to delegates and NGOs over the past few days I found myself confused about the differences between the monetary sources I kept hearing. But then yesterday I got to talk to Dr. Erik Haites of Margaree Consultants Inc. in Canada. I asked him about the Green Climate Fund, one of the sources I had heard about, and he ended up giving me an overview of all of the funds connected with the UNFCCC. GEF – The Global Environment Facility. Article 3 of the UNFCCC Treaty Text states that “The developed country Parties and other developed Parties included in Annex II shall provide new and … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues

Disney or Durban? First Day Reflections

By: Emily Bowie ’14 I feel like I’m at Disney. The flora is pretty much the same, it’s hot and sticky, I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get to interesting events on time, there’s people everywhere talking in languages I don’t know, and I’m fenced in an area that is beautifully constructed and impeccably clean. There are a few important differences of course, there are no children, everyone is dressed up and important, and there are screens at every corner playing loud and live footage of the internal conference that we cannot attend. It’s the first day and I’ve already been swept off my feet. This is amazing. There are more events to go to than I have time for, there are so many important … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues, Student Research

High expectations? Maybe not.

High expectations? Maybe not.

By: Emily Bowie ’14 What should we expect in Durban? Well, besides the possibility of spotting Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie it seems we shouldn’t expect much. Deputy Director at IISD Reporting services, Chris Spence, claims that based on the Bonn, Germany pre-nogotiation in June, Durban will be judged largely on how it addresses: (1) “agreement on a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol”; (2) “progress on a broader, comprehensive agreement that includes all major emitters”; and … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics, Key COP17 Issues

Understanding leads to action.

Understanding leads to action.

  By: Emily Bowie ’14 The outcomes of South Africa’s Cities for Climate Protection campaign (CCP) which was initiated in 2000 and ended in 2006 showed great results for both the cities’ development and for climate change mitigation efforts. Benefits of the campaign included a detailed energy and emissions inventory which is useful in gauging where improvements can be made. Through the results of this inventory a buildings energy efficiency pilot project was launched, part of this project … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics