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Dickinson to Durban » Key COP17 Issues

The Home Stretch

“Climate change will not be incremental; it will be transformational.” These are tyhe inspiring words heard from Minister of the Maldives, Mohammed Aslam, a man whom I had the pleasure of hearinf speak yesterday in the Vulnerable Climate Forum’s discussion at King’s Park in Durban. This simple phrase uttered by a man whose country will be threatened by the effects of climate change before many other countries was both a sentiment of despair and promise. For me, it was important to remember that in these last few days of the COP in Durban, that moralistic and concise words such as these can drive the UNFCCC process towards an agreement or not; either “transforming” our global relations in reagrds to climate change or continuing the “incremental” progress we have seen at previous … Read entire article »

Filed under: Key COP17 Issues

The Kyoto Roadblock Explained

The Kyoto Roadblock Explained

By Timothy Damon ’12 In my previous post about Long Term action, I addressed some disagreement last week involving the USA, EU, and China. Since that time, I have observed several more sessions of the AWG-LCA which offer further insight into the areas of contention in the negotiations for a continuation of a legally binding instrument (LBI) for national GHG reduction commitments. Consideration of several such key points follows. One of the most important phrases on the … Read entire article »

Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues

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