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Dickinson to Durban » Climate Change

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

YOUNGOs “twinkle” @ COP17

By Dani Thompson ’12 Another day another 8 Rand (=$1)…or is it 7 rand to the dollar today? Life at COP17 here in Durban is beginning to fall into somewhat of a routine; a very wonky one at that. One thing which has quickly become my favorite part of each day is the 8:30 AM morning meeting with YOUNGO. The best way to describe  YOUNGO is that it is a group of groups. Youth Non-governmental organizations (hence the NGO of YOUNGO) from all over the world come together to form one cohesive body which has developed a strong presence at the UNFCCC conference of parties. US groups participating in YOUNGO include: SustainUS, the Sierra Student Coalition, Green Peace Green Reporters, Inconvenient Youth, 350.org, and many more! As I said, many of the youth here at … Read entire article »

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

AOSIS Hopes For The Best

Claire Tighe ‘13 After a few interviews here at the Conference (COP) 17, one in particular with a member of AOSIS (Alliance for Small Island States) who hails from Palau in the Pacific Islands, I’ve gathered a bit of information on the outcomes that the AOSIS bloc is looking for here at COP: 1.) A legally-binding second five-year committment period of the Kyoto Protocol 2.) Passing of the Green Climate Fund, which will fund the small islands mitigation and adaptation efforts. These two issues are amongst the most pertinent for this particular COP. However, other “smaller” topics are also on the negotiating table. These include adaptation concerns, how to make REDD (+) work, and facilitating technology transfer. According to Ambassador Dessima of AOSIS, the bloc will not accept outcomes of the United Nations Framework Convention … Read entire article »

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

Interview with AOSIS

Here is the interview we had Monday morning (DAY 1) of the conference with a delegate from Palau, a small island state in the Pacific Ocean. Here he talks about his biggest priorities for the COP and his belief of their outcomes. Most important: have a positive attitude. Interview with Palau delegate, Jerome Temengil … Read entire article »

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