Dickinson to Durban » Entries tagged with "Sam Pollan"
Who knew a win-win situation could have losers?
By Sam Pollan, ‘14 REDD, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, has been a major theme for several years in international negotiations. On the surface, REDD appears to be a very straightforward, practical method for climate change mitigation. After the first full day of the Conference, it appeared that this was the case. I interviewed Dr. Glenn Bush of the Woods Hole Research Center. Dr. Bush is an environmental economist who is examining economic and equity issues associated with REDD projects. When asked about the possibility of opposition to REDD in negotiations, he said that REDD is essentially a win-win situation and should see significant progress during the coming weeks. A separate interview with World Agroforestry Centre Head of Communications Paul Stapleton reaffirmed the anticipated success of REDD deliberations. In … 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
A Balancing Act That Is Considerably Less Fun Than a Circus
By Sam Pollan, ‘14 Balance is important. Finding a way to spend adequate resources across several fields is a necessary, but difficult, task. This is doubly true for climate change. The debate about where to allocate funds or establish green infrastructure is full of head shaking and face palms. Just as Dr. Mike MacCracken warned about how people need to utilize all mitigation solutions before seeking climate remediation, the world needs to prioritize which venture will … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Environmental Politics
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