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Dickinson to Durban » Environmental Politics

Is it Dead?

Is it Dead?

By: Christine Burns ’14 Yesterday, Canada officially dropped out of the Kyoto Protocol. At the beginning of the COP, Canada announced that they would not be prepared to sign on to another commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol. They have now officially gone through with that statement. Along with Canada, Japan and Russia, have decided not to continue with phase two of Kyoto. Everyone here at the COP is all up in a flurry about this. … Read entire article »

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

Women and Gender Constituencies at COP17

By Claire Tighe ‘13 As a young person acting more as a RINGO (Research Institution Non-Governmental Organization) here at COP17, it’s been sort of difficult to find a place amongst all the chaos. We’re not quite YOUNGO (Youth-NGO), not quite RINGO, not Masters or Law students (we’re undergrads!). As a feminist and Women’s and Gender Studies major, one of the ways I’ve been able to find a “home” here at the COP is by attending the Women’s and Gender Caucus meetings first thing each morning. Here, official delegates and NGOs, such as WEDO, Oxfam, GenderCC, Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and the Sierra Club meet to talk about the previous day’s negotiations with a focus on women and gender. This group has also split into working groups, which specifically discuss the … Read entire article »

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

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

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