COP20

U.S.-China Climate Deal Is Bad News

January 11, 2015 Walden Bello, www.fpif.org Educate! China, Climate Change, climate crisis, COP20, United Nations

What’s most damaging is the watering down of the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” as a result of joint lobbying by chief U.S. negotiator Todd Stern and his Chinese counterpart, Xie Zhenhua. The new formulation, according to Solon, “will dilute more and more the historical responsibility for greenhouse gas emissions of developed and emerging economies.” The big losers are the poor underdeveloped countries. The big winners are China and the United States, which according to Solon now “have an agreement to erase their responsibility for the climate chaos they created.” In the past, the United States and China used each other’s intransigence as an excuse to avoid making cuts in their carbon emissions. But the world was becoming weary of this game, forcing the two to drop their pretense of opposing each other in favor of a show of cooperation.

Human Rights Day: Demand Climate Justice

December 8, 2014 Mike D. Hays, www.dailykos.com Resist! Climate Change, COP20, United Nations

On Dec. 10, 350NYC, an affiliate of 350.org, is holding a rally near the United Nations to focus attention on climate negotiations in Peru. This International Human Rights Day demonstration, titled “Climate Justice is a Human Right,” will include speakers from Oxfam, Global Kids, the Rainforest Foundation, and an 11-year-old expected to break his vow of silence. In addition to the speakers, various art performances are planned from 4 to 6 p.m. One speaker will be Kevin Murungi, director of human rights and foreign policy programs at Global Kids, an organization that brings youth development and global education to schools in New York City and Washington, D.C.

A Guide To Lima Climate Talks

December 7, 2014 Elizabeth Douglass, www.insideclimatenews.org Organize! Climate Change, COP20, United Nations

The big-money crowd, which includes global corporations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other international financial institutions, will be influential because they hold sway over many economies and the global flow of cash. That makes them key players in financing the global energy transition and in funneling aid to poor countries that need help adapting to climate change. The World Resources Institute, Friends of the Earth, Oxfam and many other major environmental and social justice groups are important non-institutionalized voices and some are deeply involved in trying to shape a balanced and workable treaty. A growing contingent of investment groups, foundations and major corporations, all of them with substantial funds at their disposal, is pushing for unequivocal action on climate change and making the argument that climate action is an opportunity not economic punishment.

Protests Before UN Climate Talks In Peru

December 1, 2014 Rael Mora, www.telesurtv.net Resist! Climate Change, COP20, Environment, Peru

Dozens of Peruvian civil society groups have come together, forming the Peru COP20 Group, to demand that their government addresses environmental issues at home, before hosting this years UN climate change conference, known as COP20. With that goal in mind, they organized a march to the Environment Ministry joining other demonstrations around the world as part of the People's Climate March day of action on 20 September. “What we ask for are actions and not words. Over here, a diverse group of organizations, people, and independent citizens have come together” in order to challenge the government's current attitude explained one of the demonstration organizers, Sebastian Milla from the Youth Committee for the People’s Summit.

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