COP 15 Kickoff: Climate Action Hotline, Dec. 11

December 11, 2009

Day five of the UN Climate Change Conference. American delegates are joined in Copenhagen by dozens of American NGO and hundreds of American climate activists, many of them students. The U.S. call for action is strong inside the Bella Center, where the conference is being held, and outside in the many scheduled and spontaneous events occurring in the city. Tomorrow heralds a Global Day of Action, that could attract 50,000 people or more, according to the event organizers.

The week has been framed by slow progress across all of the negotiating proposals — from how to shape a common vision for a global agreement to how to conserve the world’s forests, to how much money wealthy nations will invest to assist developing nations to make the transition to a clean energy, low carbon economy. American delegates say they are optimistic the pace will accelerate and that a significant agreement will be reached a week from today. The Obama administration is engaged in a charm offensive here, much of it staged in the 6,500-square-foot US Center, where EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on Wednesday became the first of the president’s most senior advisors to appear at the center. In a departure from recent international climate conferences, including the preparatory meetings earlier this year, the new approach seems to be working with US delegates who appear more animated and confident, and less defensive.

Whether it works with the 191 other nations here is not clear.

President Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday, arrives here on December 18, the conference’s final day. That’s noteworthy since American presidents attend such conferences to consummate agreements they and their aides previously negotiated.

USCAN is in the middle of the action here. See our Web site for videos, articles and blog posts from Copenhagen. And take a look at the Energy Rebellion report, which day in and day out reports on the vigorous action at the grassroots to seek the economic and environmental transition, the same transition sought in Copenhagen, that makes us safer and more prosperous.

Talk to you next week, Keith

Hold Big Polluters Accountable

The EPA recently proposed a draft rule which would require the largest industrial facilities covering 70% of the country’s global warming pollution to obtain clean air permits. By generating a large number of grassroots comments into the docket in support of this rule we can strengthen the Administration’s hand in regulating greenhouse gases through the EPA and we can show Congress that Americans support action on clean energy and climate. The docket closes December 28.
Check out Sierra Club’s action alert.

For more information, contact jkurz@climatenetwork.org.

Climate Progress

Copenhagen Summit Opens with Calls for Action and Strong Targets

As climate negotiations get under way in Copenhagen, countries are wrapping up months of posturing and putting final proposals for emissions cuts on the table. The pressure is on developed nations and big polluters like the U.S. and China to commit to adequate reductions, with impassioned calls for urgent action during opening remarks.

At Copenhagen Climate Conference, Science Facts and Deceit at Odds

Climate change skeptics are continuing to seek traction on the debate over scientific consensus of global warming evidence. However, there is no debate about the science in Copenhagen, where transparency is being used to combat the skeptics. At the U.S. Center at Copenhagen, the Obama Administration is holding a series of briefings to explore the numerous scientifically peer-reviewed dimensions of climate change, and UK scientists plan to publish all data collected at over 1,000 weather stations from the past 150 years showing a global rise in temperatures.

Tuvalu Calls for Legally-Binding Protocols

On the third day in Copenhagen the tiny nation of Tuvalu said that the talks should end with a new set of commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, plus a new agreement that includes the United States. While a number of African and small nation states endorsed Tuvalu’s request, China and India registered objections that temporarily stalled the conference.

Senators Outline Bipartisan Plan for US Climate Legislation

On Thursday, Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) unveiled the broad outlines of their climate plan in a four-page document. The proposal sets a target of cutting 17% of US emissions and would bolster nuclear power development and offshore drilling.

EPA Announces Endangerment Finding for Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

On Monday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced that six greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, pose a danger to the environment and American’s health. Based on this endangerment finding, the agency is obligated to regulate and reduce the emission of these gases. See reactions from the NGO community.

Current Decade Warmest on Record

The World Meteorological Organization reported on Tuesday that the 2000-2000 decade is on track to be the warmest in the 150 years that these records have been kept. It is also likely that 2009 will finish as the fifth warmest year on record. Final data will be released in 2010.

Tens of Thousands March for Climate Change Action

Anticipating the opening of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, protesters around the world took to the streets to urge leaders to reach a comprehensive and binding deal. An estimated 40,000 people joined the Stop Climate Chaos march – organized by Oxfam, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, and WWF – through central London over the weekend, encircling the Houses of Parliament with a “human wave.”

Green Patents to Get Fast-Track

The Obama Administration released plans on Monday to expedite the review process for “green” technology patents. The goal is to reduce the review time from 40 months to 12 months to bring technologies such as electric vehicle batteries and advanced photovoltaics to the market more quickly.

Climate Action Hotline is the new weekly update by the US Climate Action Network. Let us know what you think.