Climate news in Canada, Bali, and the world

[angela bischoff]

Climate Change: Hot Times in the City
The Nature of Things with David Suzuki
Thursday November 29 at 8 pm ET on CBC-TV
repeating Thursday December 6 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

Over half of the world's population now lives in cities, consuming 75% of
the world's energy and producing 80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Increasingly, cities are becoming dangerous places to live, as insect-born
diseases, heat stroke, respiratory and cardiac illnesses become
increasingly common. Hot Times in the City takes the pulse of three major
Canadian cities: Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax, as they grapple with one
of the planet's greatest threats to human health: global warming

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Additional links on climate change and the Bali meetings:

Sierra Club of Canada produced an excellent overview of the Global Climate
Negotiations. It provides a brief history of the negotiations of the Kyoto
protocol and an outline of what's at stake in Bali, where from Dec. 3-14,
nations of the world will meet to negotiate efforts to stop perilous
climate chaos:
http://www.sierraclub.ca/national/postings/scc-climate-guide-nov-2007.pdf

The Trade Union Sustainable Development Unit has created
country-by-country energy and climate change profiles, produced in time
for the upcoming global COP13 climate change meeting 3-14 December in
Bali, Indonesia:
<http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpP_12BaiEN.pdf>http://www.global-unions.org/pdf/ohsewpP_12BaiEN.pdf

The latest IPCC report urges immediate action on this issue to avoid
catastrophe:
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/feb/28/science.frontpagenews>http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/feb/28/science.frontpagenews

The Stern Report shows that if we do nothing the economic costs will be
far greater:
<http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/3/2/Summary_of_Conclusions.pdf>http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/3/2/Summary_of_Conclusions.pdf

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Harper fails on world stage
TheStar.com - Editorial
November 26, 2007
<http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/279726>http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/279726

Prime Minister Stephen Harper seems quite pleased with himself after
almost single-handedly leading the drive to water down a proposed action
plan by Commonwealth countries to seriously tackle global warming. Instead
of an aggressive statement by the 52-member organization at its meeting in
Uganda that would have called for binding targets for greenhouse gas
emissions on major developed countries, the group issued a tepid
communiqué that simply urged all nations to work toward undefined goals of
reducing such emissions.

Commonwealth officials pointed the finger of blame for blocking the
original plan straight at Harper.

But the Canadian leader scoffed at the criticism, saying at the close of
the three-day meeting that the leaders should be proud of their work.

"I believe we have much to be pleased of from the work that we have done
here," Harper said. "We have delivered a substantive statement on climate
change, consistent with those of a number of other international
organizations and one which builds momentum towards next month's important
United Nations conference" in Bali.

Canadians should not be surprised by Harper's attitude. Since taking
office, he has consistently fought against tough emissions rules. His
current plan has been dismissed as grossly inadequate. It is based largely
on reduced intensity targets, or cutting the amount of greenhouse gases
emitted per unit of economic activity.

Unfortunately, his Uganda performance may be a bad omen for how Canada
will act when world leaders gather in Bali starting next Monday to open
negotiations on a new climate-change treaty to go into effect when the
Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012.

Clearly, though, Harper doesn't understand how serious voters in Canada
and elsewhere are about wanting to fight global warming.

The best example of voter unrest came on Saturday when Australian Labour
Party leader Kevin Rudd soundly defeated Harper's Australian pal, John
Howard, and his centre-right Liberal-National Party coalition in national
elections. Howard, who had been prime minister for 11 years, had long
joined Harper and U.S. President George Bush in favouring a go-slow
approach to global warming and had refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
Rudd promised to make climate change his top priority, and pledged to
immediately sign onto the Kyoto deal.

Like Australians, Canadians care deeply about climate change, which has
been called the defining challenge of our age. And like Australians, they
will be demanding their national politicians show the necessary leadership
on the world stage, as well as at home,

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Australian Election Leaves Canada Isolated on Climate Change:
Canada and the U.S. Stand Alone Among Industrialized Countries

“With Prime Minister Howard defeated, Canada and the United States will
soon be the only  industrialized countries that refuse to respect the
Kyoto Protocol,” said Graham Saul, Executive Director of Climate Action
Network Canada. “Unless Canada changes direction, we will be even further
isolated when President Bush leaves office in the United States.”

Australia and the United States are the only industrialized countries that
have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Canada is the only country in
the world that has ratified the Kyoto Protocol but refused to honour its
commitments.

For a briefing on the UN climate negotiations in Bali and a description of
Canada’s climate change policies in comparison to other industrialize
countries, see:

http://www.climateactionnetwork.ca/e/cop-13/pembina-bali-backgrounder-2007.pdf

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What is Environmental Justice:
Principles of Environmental Justice
http://www.ejnet.org/ej/principles.html

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All 4 reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) are
here:
http://www.eoearth.org/article/IPCC_Fourth_Assessment_Report

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KYOTO NOW!

On December 8, Rally Around the Earth for Climate Justice and a Safer,
Healthier Planet!

You have a power you may not recognize - the power to stop climate chaos.
According to the World Health Organization, climate change is already
killing 150,000 people every year, and that could double to 300,000 annual
deaths by 2030. Whole ecosystems face upheaval and millions of people face
displacement. The climate is in crisis, but we can avoid climate
catastrophe if we take action now to save the Kyoto Protocol.

People around the world are preparing for the largest planetary day of
action yet to stop climate chaos. Join hundreds of thousands of people in
60 countries (and counting) who will be on the streets to demand that
world leaders take the urgent and resolute action that is needed to
prevent catastrophic climate chaos. The entire world needs to move as
rapidly as possible to a stronger emissions reductions treaty, which is
both equitable and effective in preventing dangerous climate change.

SAVE KYOTO. SAVE THE WORLD.

In December, 190 countries will meet in Bali, Indonesia for the UN Kyoto
Climate Talks to negotiate our future. On December 8, the people of Canada
can stand in solidarity with millions worldwide to demand our leaders take
real action. It is time for the Canadian government to stop lagging behind
and do its fair share on climate change. Long-time industrialized
countries like Canada that have emitted most greenhouse gases up to now
must take most of the responsibility for the adaptive measures that have
to be taken, especially by helping low-emitting countries with limited
economic resources.

In Canada, the case is particularly severe: Canada declared our Kyoto
targets unachievable and joined Bush's club of polluting nations who think
a "voluntary" approach will reach our commitments, rejecting the European
model of real greenhouse gas reductions. The focus on reducing emissions
"intensity" of the Asia Pacific Partnership is a literal carbon
smokescreen that would actually allow overall emissions to go up instead
of down. December 8 is our day to tell our government that the only path
to a stable climate runs through Kyoto!

IT'S TIME FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE.

We categorically reject false technological "fixes" for climate change.
Embracing questionable technologies will not only fail to solve our
climate crisis, they may create new and dangerous problems. The renewable
energy technologies needed to solve climate change exist today, and we
need a "just transition" strategy in Canada to ensure workers in
non-renewable energy industries can make the shift to the mass production
of sustainable energy from water, wind and sun.

Although they did not cause climate change, billions of people in the
global South will be most affected by it, losing their sources of food,
livelihoods and sustenance. For many, it is a matter of life and death.
Their voices must be heard around the world, and our policies and actions
must support their courageous efforts to adapt to, as well as to offer
creative solutions to, the alarming changes occurring in their ecosystems
right now. December 8 could be the demonstration the world has been
waiting for. The Earth needs you to take to the streets to demand climate
action. Will you be a part of it?

In Canada, this joint call to action is being issued by Stop Climate Chaos
- Canada in partnership with the ACT for the Earth, Association québécoise
de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique (AQLPA), the Canadian
Biotechnology Action Network, the Canadian Federation of Students, the
Canadian Peace Alliance, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, Canadian
Unitarians for Social Justice, the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition,
Coalition Québec Kyoto, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, the Council
of Canadians, Climate Action Network Canada / Réseau action climat Canada,
David Suzuki Foundation, the Ecology Action Centre, Environmental
Coalition of Prince Edward Island, Fredericton Peace Coalition,
Greenpeace, NUPGE (the National Union of Public and General Employees),
Sierra Club of Canada, SOS Eau Water Sankwan, the Student Federation of
the University of Ottawa, St John Citizens Coalition For Clean Air, the
Toronto & York Region Labour Council, and USC Canada.

TAKE ACTION.

Pan-Canadian actions on December 8 are being organized, through local,
city and rural based coalitions, and are currently planned for 17 cities
including Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Vancouver, Edmonton,
Sackville, Calgary, St Johns, Halifax and Lethbridge. Details, including
contact information, are here: www.climatechaos.ca. No rally planned for
your location?  Plan one!  Contact actions at ourclimate.ca,
director at ourclimate.ca, or campaigns at actfortheearth.org to get involved!

CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR NEW INFORMATION:
www.climatechaos.ca
www.ourclimate.ca

FOLLOW WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE UN:
www.cydbali.org
 www.globalclimatecampaign.org

WWW.CLIMATECHAOS.CA


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