Green Activists Turn Tide in Bali

Wow! It looks as if I might be spared having to explain to my grandchildren why my country blocked efforts to avoid a global holocaust! At the last minute, thanks to some heroic efforts by green activists and millions of supporters around the world, Canada agreed to targets for greenhouse gas emissions. Don't think for a minute that we will stay on course without a great deal of continuing public pressure, but at the moment, we have cause for celebration!

If you haven't already heard all about what happened in Bali, I urge you to check out the Avaaz report. There's also a good news article posted on the German indymedia.org site.

The highlights:

- US and Canada team up to undermine the talks. US blocks summit consensus. When Kyoto treaty countries try to move ahead without the US, they are blocked by Canada.

- Global community of green activists, led by Avaaz, organize massive action: petitions, ad campaigns, marches, phoning campaigns. At the summit, Avaaz members bring protest inside the conference: only march allowed inside the venue; largest climate petition in history; daily press conferences; "fossil awards" for the worst countries in the negotiations; constant lobbying of officials.

- In the final hours, Canada backs down completely, allowing Kyoto countries to agree to strong 2020 targets on carbon emissions. US team now entirely isolated and actually booed by the world's diplomats, agrees to call for "deep cuts" and "reference" the 2020 targets.

- Much work remains to achieve new global climate change treaty by 2009, but we're on our way - and we won't turn back!

Canada in Bali: Crime Against Humanity?

Do you ever wonder how it felt to be a post-war German, having to explain to your children how "you" could have let the holocaust happen? I'm afraid we North Americans are going to find out, first hand.

Too strong an analogy? Well, that depends on what you believe about the causes and potential impact of climate change. The apparent scientific consensus suggests that inaction on climate change will be tantamount to genocide, with entire island nations set to disappear under the waves, to name only one predicted effect. Is there uncertainty about that? Well, some people seem to think so. Was there uncertainty about what Hitler was doing? Absolutely. We actually have much better advance insights into what greenhouse gase (GHG) emissions are doing than we ever had about the Nazi program. The holocaust was only clear in hindsight, and even now has its fringe deniers. In hindsight, later this century, I suspect we're not going to look one iota better than the post-war Germans did in the mid-twentieth century.

I know everybody and his dog attacked Elizabeth May for making a similar analogy, but I fail to find any substance to the criticisms. The analogy is a perfectly good one, from a rational-logical point of view.

This rather depressing meditation is sparked by Canada's and the US' abysmal performance in Bali. Canada, the US, and Japan are clearly today's global "bad guys", attempting to block progress on a further climate-change agreement. You can't have missed this in the news, but if you want some references, here are a few sites to visit:
The Globe and Mail Dec 12 "Canada killing European effort to cut emissions"
The Globe and Mail Dec 11 "Canada facing wave of climate criticism"
TheStar.com - CP video Dec 10 "Canada assailed at Bali climate talks"
TheStar.com Dec 2 "Climate change critics fear Canada's Influence"
TheStar.com Dec 12 Letters to the editor
David Suzuki Foundation - Bali Blog
Avaaz.org
Climate Action Network (Issue 8, Page 2 is a good starting place.)
Stop Climate Chaos Coalition - Canada
Greenpeace Climate Weblog
Sierra Club

Bush Perpetrating Climate Hoax, Says House Committee

It seems that many people believe that there is no scientific consensus that the global warming we are currently experiencing is caused by human activity and greenhouse gases. They believe this is a hoax perpetrated by people with a political axe to grind, and they include the IPCC in this category. I would simply discount this as a fringe phenomenon, if I didn't have more than one friend in this category.

In any case, if there's hoaxing going on, at least some of it seems to be working in the other direction. The US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has just released a report finding that "the Bush Administration has engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming."

The report goes on to say: "White House officials and political appointees in the agencies censored congressional testimony on the causes and impacts of global warming, controlled media access to government climate scientists, and edited federal scientific reports to inject unwarranted uncertainty into discussions of climate change and to minimize the threat to the environment and the economy."

I should look at some of the unbelievers' materials to see whether they can be easily refuted - although that may not be the most effective way to direct my energies on the climate issue. In the mean time, there are two things that keep me moving forward:

1. Ulterior motives for discounting the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are easy to find! (Oil industry interests would be sufficient all by themselves.) But I have trouble envisaging any possible ulterior motive for a systematic, world-wide "conspiracy" to lay false blame on human activity.

2. If there is doubt, I would rather take appropriate precautions instead of gambling my children's inheritance of a habitable planet on the hopes that the current apparent scientific consensus is wrong.

Green Issues by Level of Government

This post actually focuses on climate-change issues, in recognition of the Bali talks currently underway, and the upcoming Dec 8 global action on climate change.

A huge amount of action on climate change depends on policies, regulatory mechanisms, and incentives that only government can provide. So, a large part of what you, as an individual, can do is to pressure your governments at all levels to take timely and serious action on climate issues, and encourage others to do the same.

My last post told you how to contact various levels of government - if you live in the same part of the world that I do. Today's post suggests some of things that should be on the agenda for various levels of government - particularly in Canada, since the division of responsibilities may be different elsewhere.

These are just a few suggestions. Please add your suggestions as comments, or email to me at rcosbey@gmail.com.

Climate-Change Issues for the National Government

• Support for the Kyoto Protocol, and developing a strong extension to it in Bali this month. In Canada and the US, call for a reversal of the national government attempts to sabotage the Kyoto protocol.
• Incentives for sustainable energy development, especially wind and solar. (Neither fossil fuels nor uranium-resource-based nuclear energy are sustainable.)
• In Canada, the tarsands project, and its contribution to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

State or Provincial Government Climate-Change Issues

• Participation in State/Province GHG-reduction alliances, such as the Western Regional Climate Action Initiative.
• In Saskatchewan and Alberta, the tarsands project, its contribution to GHG emissions, and its effect on the local environment.
• Studying and communicating local adaptation issues. For example, southern Saskatchewan faces probable desertification due to global warming. The provincial government needs to assure adequate clean water supplies, and identify required changes in agricultural practices. (Northern Saskatchewan issues will likely be different.)
• Incentives for sustainable energy development, same as for the national government.
• Energy-efficient transportation strategies, including re-building our rail systems.
• Incentives and funding for municipal GHG-reduction initiatives.
• Incentives for increased local processing and consumption of agricultural produce and natural resources, etc., to decrease transportation requirements.
  

Municipal Government

• Effective reduction in automobile traffic, through massive improvements to public transportation, increased investment in daily-use bike paths, zoning policies that reduce the need for automobile traffic, restoration of passenger rail service, etc.
• Make public buildings and institutions more climate friendly, by improving energy efficiency, using sustainable energy sources, locating services more centrally, purchasing local goods and services so as to reduce transportation requirements, etc.
• Preparing adaptation strategies, e.g. adequate clean water supplies in the face of possible drought or desertification scenarios.
  

Government Contacts

To contact your elected representatives about green issues, you need to know how! I've figured out how to find contact information online for my country (Canada), province (Saskatchewan), and city (Regina), so I'm posting that here for the convenience of my compatriots. If you have similar information for other parts of the country or the world, feel free to add a comment to this post. (Any problems, contact me at rcosbey@gmail.com.)

Canada

To find contact information for your Canadian Member of Parliament (MP):
- Go to the Elections Canada - Electoral District and MP Search Page. (Aussi disponible en français.)
- Find your electoral district (by postal code or other)
- Under "Your Member of Parliament" ("Votre député"), click on "Click here for more information"

For the Canadian Prime Minister, Minister of the Environment, or other Minister:
- Go to the Parliament of Canada - Current Cabinet page. (Aussi disponible en français.)
- Find the appropriate title, and click on the corresponding MP name

Saskatchewan

To identify your Saskatchewan Provincial Constituency - if you don't already know:
- Use the Elections Saskatchewan - Constituency Locator Page

To find contact information for your Saskatchewan Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA):
- Go to the Legislative Assembly - Constituency Office Addresses page. Search the page for your MLA name or Constituency name.
- You can also find Legislative Building address and phone numbers on the Members of the Legislative Assembly page.

To find contact information for the Saskatchewan Premier, Minister of the Environment, or other Minister:
- Go to the Government of Saskatchewan - Cabinet page.
- Search the page for the title you want, then click on that minister's name or photo.

Regina

To find contact information for your City Councillor:
- Go to the City of Regina - Ward Map page.
- Click on your Ward or the Councillor name to display a page containing email and phone numbers.
- You can send mail to your Councillor at City Hall, 2476 Victoria Avenue, Regina, S4P 3C8

For the Mayor:
- Visit the City of Regina - Mayor's Office page.