Rich countries keep polluting, blame India

The rich countries blame India and other developing nations for the world's rising emission levels. Here is proof that the boot is on the other foot. Fresh data released by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change says greenhouse gas emissions from the rich nations increased by 12.8% between 1990-2007, the latest period for which figures are available.

While the industrialized countries are now gunning for India and China to take on stronger commitments and obligations under the new deal to be possibly thrashed out by the Copenhagen round of UN negotiations in December, the data from UNFCCC showed that most of the reductions had come from the "economies in transition" -- mostly eastern European and Balkan countries whose economies have crashed.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the US increased by 20.2% between 1990-2007. US has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol as it refused to enter a regime which would have obliged it to reduce its emissions by a fixed percentage below 1990 levels. The US, even after Barack Obama took over the presidency, has not shifted from its Bush-era stance and has refused to sign on to the protocol.

Even as it played the blame game, its own targets for the period closing 2020 would not even reach the 1990 levels. Developing countries, in contrast, have stated that the science demands US and other developed countries take emission reduction cuts of at least 40% below 1990 levels to keep temperatures under control.

Carbon dioxide emissions, embarrassingly for Denmark, increased by 1% between 1990 and 2007. With the carbon space in the atmosphere already swallowed, even small percentage increases are seen as a serious threat and with Denmark being the host country for the final round of negotiations this year, the statistics will not help convince emerging economies that rich nations are doing enough.

Turkey's emissions grew at 118% while that of Spain by 60% and Japan's at 14%. While these are high-growth or developed economies, India has argued that they have had more than their fair share of the carbon dioxide budget.

"The continuing growth of emissions from industrialized countries remains worrying, despite the expectation of a momentary dip brought about by the global recession," Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of UNFCCC, said in a press statement.

Emissions are explicitly linked to the levels of economic activity of a country as higher production levels require greater fossil fuel based energy. While some countries like UK have been able to achieve some gains, these have come out of one-time events such as switching much of its energy source from coal to gas. Experts warn that these do not reflect a declining long-term trend or the rich nations having drawn long-term trajectories towards emission decline.

Putting the countries on low-carbon pathways can have substantial impact on economic activity and most of the rich nations have shown reluctance to take any actions that may hamper lifestyles as it remains politically unfeasible for them.

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India not for legally binding emission cuts

Photo:PTI

India will never accept internationally legally binding emission reduction targets or commitments as part of any agreement of or deal, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has said.

In a statement, Mr. Ramesh said that while India was prepared to discuss and make public periodically the implementation of its National Action Plan on climate change, it would never accept internationally legally binding emission reduction targets or commitment.

The statement that comes in response to his letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says, “India will never accept any dilution or renegotiation of the provisions and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In particular, we will never agree to the elimination of the distinction between developed and developing countries as far as internationally legally binding emission reduction obligations are concerned.”

Kyoto Protocol

“India will agree to consider international measurement, reporting and verification of its mitigation actions only when such actions are enabled and supported by international finance and technology. India like other developing countries, fully expects developed countries to fulfil their obligations on transfer of technology and financial transfer that they committed to under the UNFCCC and the Bali Action Plan for both mitigation and adaptation actions,” the statement said.

Further, he said his note had suggested the possibility of some flexibility in India’s stance, keeping the non-negotiables firmly intact and keeping India irrevocably anchored in the UNFCCC of 1992 and the Bali Action Plan of 2007. “I have never at any stage considered or advocated abandoning the fundamental tenets of the Kyoto Protocol.”

Link:The Hindu

Inconvenient truth vs Not Evil Just Wrong ?

Al Gore received a Nobel Prize and an Oscar for claiming in his film An Inconvenient Truth that humans cause global warming. Today, because of this film, school children fear that polar bears are drowning and they and their parents will be next. And extreme “cap-and-trade” legislation Gore could only dream about a decade ago is now pending approval in the U.S. Senate, estimated to cost billions of dollars.

Speaking in Madison, Wisconsin, Al Gore faced a question about inaccuracies identified in his film An Inconvenient Truth. The former vice president rarely takes questions during his appearances but at the annual conference for the Society of Environmental Journalists he made an exception. Phelim McAleer, a film director and producer who is releasing a film titled Not Evil Just Wrong to counter Gore’s movie, was given the opportunity to pose a question to Gore.

He asked Gore to respond to a British High Court’s finding in October 2007 that An Inconvenient Truth had “nine significant errors” and was shown in “the context of alarmism and exaggeration.” McAleer further queried Gore as to whether or not the errors had been corrected.Gore chose not to respond to the questions directly saying, “I’m not going to go through all of those.” McAleer tried to press Gore to answer the question but Gore evaded and the organizers cut McAleer’s microphone

In Not Evil Just Wrong two Irish filmmakers take on Al Gore and the blind acceptance of his doomsday agenda. Over 3 years in the making with a budget of over $1million, this explosive documentary exposes the distortions and hypocrisy of Gore and the global warming “industry.” It explains the true costs of environmental policies like “cap-and-trade” now before Congress. Today over 31,000 scientists are saying Al Gore is wrong. That CO2 has little effect on planetary temperatures, and there is no climate crisis. But Not Evil Just Wrong is the film that explains it all and will decisively change the public's mind about global warming. The film will be released on October 18th 2009

Inconvenient truth vs Not Evil Just Wrong ???? Which one to believe? Who is correct and who is wrong, is big question mark?

One thing is certain in the name of development we have lost large chunks of forests and lost beautiful wild life, we have polluted the planet earth. It is our duty to protect the planet and give greener planet to the next generations.

President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize to combat manmade climate change??

President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize due to his efforts to combat manmade climate change. The citation in part says, “Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting.” However, like much of the rest of the citation, the Nobel Committee seems to pin the statement on potential rather than action on the part of the United States to combat climate change.

Today at the U.N. climate talks in Bangkok, Thailand the United States and other developed nations were roundly criticized for their lack of action as little progress was made. Alden Meyer, director of strategy and policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists, said, "The developing nations are justifiably angry at the lack of progress, about the lack of credible offers by the United States, by the European Union and by Japan." Underlining the frustration, the statement issued by the union used the headline, “U.S. Stance Hinders Progress at Bangkok Climate Talks.”

The president after taking office has initiated actions on climate change and anthropogenic global warming but actual progress to combat climate change has not been substantial. The House of Representatives has passed cap and trade legislation and the Senate is deliberating its own version. However,USA role on legal cut of emissions is needed as USA is big polluter and it is highly unlikely Obama will have a bill to sign before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.

In a statement given in the Rose Garden, President Obama acknowledged the challenges ahead to enact climate change legislation. “We cannot accept the growing threat posed by climate change, which could forever damage the world that we pass on to our children -- sowing conflict and famine; destroying coastlines and emptying cities. And that's why all nations must now accept their share of responsibility for transforming the way that we use energy.”

Greenpeace said “If allowed to go unchecked, climate change will wreak havoc on our societies - spurring mass migration, mass starvation and mass extinction. It will spark conflicts worldwide.” The group urged the president to be a “true Nobel Peace Laureate.”

Friends of the Earth said in statement that. “We have concerns though, that the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded President Obama this award on the basis of expectations that have not yet been met,”

Current carbon dioxide levels also prevailed 15 mn years ago

Then "global temperatures were five to 10 degrees Fahrenheit higher than they are today, sea level was approximately 75 to 120 feet higher than today, there was no permanent sea ice cap in the Arctic and very little ice on Antarctica and Greenland," said Aradhna Tripathi, who led the study.

"Carbon dioxide is a potent greenhouse gas, and geological observations that we now have for the last 20 million years lend strong support to the idea that carbon dioxide is an important agent for driving climate change throughout earth's history," said Tripathi, who is an earth and space science professor at the University of California -Los Angeles (UCLA).

"A slightly shocking finding," Tripathi said, "is that the only time in the last 20 million years that we find evidence for carbon dioxide levels similar to the modern level of 387 parts per million was 15 to 20 million years ago, when the planet was dramatically different."

By analysing the chemistry of bubbles of ancient air trapped in Antarctic ice, scientists have been able to determine the composition of the earth's atmosphere going back as far as 8,00,000 years.

"We are able, for the first time, to accurately reproduce the ice-core record for the last 800,000 years - the record of atmospheric carbon dioxide based on measurements of carbon dioxide in gas bubbles in ice," Tripathi said. "This suggests that the technique we are using is valid."
"We report evidence for a very close coupling between carbon dioxide levels and climate. When there is evidence for the growth of a large ice sheet on Antarctica or on Greenland or the growth of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, we see evidence for a dramatic change in carbon dioxide levels over the last 20 million years."

The study is slated for publication in the journal Science.

Link MSN

CMS VATAVARAN was initiated in the year 2002 with the following objectives.

• Enhance understanding, appreciation and shift in attitudes towards the natural world and its conservation through films and environment forums

• Increase space for environmental issues in mass media and evolve a nationwide environment outreach framework

• Strengthen collaboration between individuals, government departments, scientific institutions and universities on sustainability, environment, technology and policy making

• Galvanise civil society and evolve a platform for public opinion and decision making processes

• Nurture a new breed of “alternate filmmakers” to widen public dialogue and debate

• Stimulate production of high quality films in the fields of wildlife, nature and environment

The 5th CMS VATAVARAN, the premier Environment and Wildlife Film Festival from India is making a global impact. Though it is aimed at sensitising people about their rich environmental heritage and the need to conserve it, CMS VATAVARAN is not just a film festival. It is a unique environment platform that makes it many things rolled in one – it is a people’s festival of environment and wildlife, a specialist programme for environmentalists and filmmakers, a vocational and skill development activity, a business and networking facilitator. CMS VATAVARAN is a visionary initiative of CMS, an independent Delhi-based, pan-India, multidisciplinary organisation. For over two decades, CMS has been engaged in research, policy advocacy, advisory services and programme evaluation in the domains of environment, social issues, public health, governance, development communications and transparency.

CMS VATAVARAN is organised biennially in New Delhi, following the format of being competitive one year and travelling the next. The 4th edition of the Festival, held in 2007, attracted 275 entries from 18 Indian states and 18 foreign countries. In 2008, the Festival travelled to eight cities across the country, witnessing participation from over 80,000 people. Recognising the need for society to move beyond awareness to action, the Festival theme this year is ‘Sustainable Technologies’, so that pressing environmental issues such as climate change could be addressed.

This year the Festival expects 500 films from across the world and more than 1000 delegates (experts, environmentalists, journalists, government officials, filmmakers). As part of the Festival, a bouquet of programmes consisting of workshops, symposiums, eco-tour, exhibition, expos, journalists’ congress, panorama, expert talks will be organised. With a total prize money of INR 20,00,000, 25 awards in 16 Indian categories and 10 awards in 9 international categories, the Festival promises to be both educative and exciting. So, send your film to this acclaimed and exciting film festival and become a part of the movement to conserve environment. Win awards.

Let your green film travel far and wide and make an impact through screenings at engrossing travelling film festivals, theaters and multiplexes, legislatures, via telecast on prime channels, and be an environmental education tool in universities, colleges, institutions and schools and civil society groups.

All environmental enthusiasts should attend the work shop on Confronting Climate Change-Towards Carbon neutral Indian cities, Ecotourism and see and enjoy the environment and wild life films at CMS Vatavaran, Environment &Wild life Film Festival, from 27^th October to 31^st October, at India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 2009. Contact: Indira Sampath, Manager, Operations, Hyderabad, Mobile: 09490942168

Link CMS

Climate talks in Copenhahagen may face waterloo???

With merely eight days of negotiation time effectively remaining before the final round of talks at Copenhagen, the future of a global climate deal has got stuck with the intransigence of industrialised countries.

At the same time, the attempt by rich countries to do away with the existing Kyoto Protocol has added fuel to the fire. Even UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon sounded a note of caution, saying a day earlier that time was running out to thrash out a deal at the Copenhagen meet. "In 10 days, we need to decide what needs to be done for our future," he said in the Danish capital. "We are not there yet. There is still a lot to be done and not much time left," he added.

The US, made another empty offer to the developing countries. It offered a formula for pooling money for climate change. But instead of adhering to the rules of the existing convention, which demands that only the rich nations pay up for their historical responsibility, it suggested that all countries, including India, should pool money on the basis of their gross emissions from 1990 and their current GDP. It suggested the money be routed through an existing institution which was answerable to the UN Framework Convention for Climate Change."The proposal shifts the burden on to India and China, which are large economies and where emissions are only now beginning to rise on a gross level but are extraordinarily low on per capita basis," said an Indian negotiator.

The promise of a deal at Copenhagen seem to be turning into a pipedream as the US has refused to put down hard numbers for mitigation under the second phase of Kyoto Protocol at the ongoing climate negotiations at Bangkok. EU too seems to be taking a deal-breaking condition saying, "environmental integrity" was central to the UN treaty and "equity" of different countries' rights was just one element.

The negotiations at various levels seem to be grinding into a logjam with US determined not to sign on to the Kyoto Protocol. The US negotiators fought hard at different forums within the UN talks to block any progress on industrialized countries' commitments to reduce emissions in the mid-term under the second phase of Kyoto Protocol.

India stood steadfast in demanding that the rich countries put up their offers in terms of hard numbers for emission reductions over 2012-2020 under the existing protocol. But, US and many other developed countries seemed determined to do away with the Kyoto Protocol entirely.

This is not the first time that US has voiced its opposition to the Kyoto Protocol which demands quantified targets from rich countries. US had not signed on to Kyoto earlier and it continues to oppose the only tool the global treaty has for making measurable and comparable reductions in the dangerous greenhouse gases.

The protocol is also seen by a select band of industrialized countries such as US and Japan as a wall of differentiation constructed in the convention. The parent treaty -- UN Framework Convention on Climate Change -- lays most of the burden of mitigation on the industrialized countries that caused it in the first place. The Kyoto Protocol activates this principle of burden sharing into hard actions and targets. The protocol in its first phase sets fixed percentages by which countries reduce their emissions by 2012 below 1990 levels.

Link TOI

Climate change and your role

Every country is blaming other country for emission reduction. Developed countries which are much polluter are asking developed countries to reduce pollution of their country. Controlling of emissions has become a political issue among nations. But environment has no boundaries and environment is apolitical. India's per capita greenhouse gas emissions are expected to nearly triple in the next two decades, but will still remain below the current global average.

The current per capita rate at around 1.2 tonnes per year, compared to the global average of 4.22 tonnes. Five different studies released by independent institutions concluded that India's per capita emissions of carbon dioxide equivalent would reach 2.1 tonnes in 2020 and 3.5 tonnes in 2030. India's per capita output is one of the lowest globally, but given its massive population it is one of the top polluters in the world.

Scientists say carbon dioxide and other industrial gases are trapping the sun's heat in the atmosphere, causing changes in weather that could lead to crop damage, the spread of deserts and flooding in low-lying countries.The Copenhagen meeting is meant to create a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which bound 37 industrial countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.

Kyoto placed no obligations on developing countries. In this round, wealthier nations want developing countries, especially China and India, to share the burden and agree to slow their explosive emissions growth.Offers of emissions cuts from wealthy countries so far total 15 percent to 21 percent below 1990 levels, according to de Boer's agency. The United States has yet to make a formal offer.

A 13-year-old girl from Lucknow, speaking on behalf of the world's three billion children, addressed over a 100 world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama during a summit on the climate change here..

"We received a very nice planet from our ancestors. It was green, now we have damaged it, polluted it, and we're going to give a bad planet to our successors and this is not right," Ms. Srivastava.

In the name of development we are cutting prime forests and pumping tons of pollutants into atmosphere. It is estimated that in 2007 Amazon lost 46 square kilometer of forest cover per day. Total deforested area reached 640000 square kilometers

Every individual has a role to play to save environment. It is individuals social responsibility to make every one to live in clean and green environment. For this your role is important and essential.

What is your role as individual?

• Consume less electricity, switch off lights when not in use, use as much as natural light, switch off computer monitors when not in use

• Practice the three mantras Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

• Use environment friendly technologies like installing solar water heaters, solar lights, eco friendly products for constructing houses like The fly ash bricks, High performance glass, Wall & Roof insulation, Low VOC paints, adhesives & sealants, CRI certified carpets, FSC Certified wood, high albedo roofing material, Fly ash blocks, Eco-friendly chemicals waterless urinals, high COP chillers, CO2 sensors, root zone treatment plants, wind towers and eco friendly paints are some of the eco friendly materials

• Change your life style. Use less motor cars, walk near by places instead of using motor vehicles and travel in shared vehicles to office. This will reduce use of petrol.

• Plant more trees, plants absorb carbon dioxide and control pollution. Plant trees in your colonies in your compound wall and protect them. Plant tree on the occasion your birth day, wedding anniversary so that you can attach sentimental value so that you can protect it.

• Educate your neighbours and friends and children’s the importance of environment