A place for all things related to the UN climate change conference in Bali, Dec. 3-14.
November 29, 2007
On the road
I'm packing my bags and heading to Bali tomorrow morning. After several stopovers, a few different flights and countless time zones, the plane will finally touch down in Indonesia just before midnight on Saturday. Of course, that's assuming everything goes smoothly (I'm not holding my breath).
It's a grueling schedule that doesn't leave much time for sleep before the UN climate change conference kicks off on Monday. Still, it's pretty exciting to be part of such a critically important meeting.
Who needs sleep when you get to spend two weeks inside a conference centre watching international climate negotiations go down?
Starting Monday, I'll be updating this blog on a regular basis with all sorts of news from Bali. If Canada tries to block progress on a new climate deal, you'll hear about it here.
In the meantime, here are a few good links to help you get up to speed before the Bali climate conference begins.
UN climate change conference: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Bali conference can be found on its official website.
Canada in Bali (pdf): The David Suzuki Foundation's background document on Canada's negotiating position heading into Bali (it's a little technical but there's a lot of good information in it)
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: The world's most authoritative voice on the science of climate change.
Bali backgrounder (pdf): This document prepared by the Climate Action Network Canada helps explains why the Bali meeting is so important.
Bali 101: Don't have time to wade through all that reading? This blog post summarizes all of the above in a few short paragraphs.
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 29, 2007
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November 27, 2007
UN report criticizes Canada on climate change
Another day, another example of how Canada is dragging its feet on climate change. This time the evidence comes straight from the United Nations.
A new UN report released today says people in poor countries will suffer the consequences if wealthy countries fail to take strong action on climate change.
The 2007 Human Development Report says that global warming is largely caused by developed countries like Canada but it's having the greatest effect on people in poorer countries.
Canada was actually singled out by the UN as an "extreme" example of a country that is falling behind on its obligation under the Kyoto Protocol to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The report comes at a time when Prime Minister Stephen Harper is already under fire for watering down a Commonwealth climate-change agreement.
The media is cranking these stories out faster than we can read them. What more is it going to take for the federal government to start taking climate change seriously?
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 27, 2007
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November 26, 2007
Canada blocks action on climate change at Commonwealth summit
Oh, Canada. You sure are making it hard for us to hold our heads up high these days.
The latest international embarrassment was Canada's cringe-worthy performance at the Commonwealth summit in Uganda on the weekend.
Every country in the Commonwealth had agreed to a draft climate-change agreement, which called on developed countries to meet greenhouse gas targets. But not Canada! No, we decided to stand up and block the agreement.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper refused to sign the agreement unless it was watered down to remove any reference to "binding targets" on greenhouse gas emissions.
At Canada's insistence, the deal was changed. The word "binding" disappeared from the agreement and it now calls for "a long-term aspirational global goal for emissions reductions to which all countries would contribute."
An aspirational goal? What does that mean? Is aspirational even a real word? Or is it just government-speak for more inaction on climate change?
It's getting harder and harder to call ourselves proud Canadians these days. Let's hope Canada's performance in Uganda isn't a warm-up act for the main show in Bali next week.
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 26, 2007
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November 26, 2007
Australia's new Prime Minister will make climate change his top priority
With the election of a new Prime Minister on the weekend, Australia has gone from a country opposed to taking action on climate change to a country committed to cutting emissions.
Wow. Sometimes change really does happen overnight.
Shortly after winning the Australian election, Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd announced that Australia will ratify the Kyoto Protocol and that he will go to the UN climate summit in Bali next week.
His timing couldn't be better. Having Australia on board in Bali will help boost the international fight against global warming. Australia's decision to ratify Kyoto now leaves the U.S. as the only industrialized country in the world not to have signed the agreement.
It also further isolates Canada, which is the only country that has ratified the Kyoto Protocol but refused to honour its commitments.
Mr. Rudd's win marks a pretty dramatic shift for Australia. Former prime minister John Howard refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol or take any action to cut the country's greenhouse gas emissions. It was clearly a position not shared by the majority of Australia's citizens, who voted his government out of power on Saturday.
Maybe it will help inspire Canada to start taking climate change seriously. Who knows? Sometimes change really does happen overnight.
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 26, 2007
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November 22, 2007
Reality check
With less than two weeks to go before delegates from around the world gather in Bali to tackle climate change, we thought it was time to check in on what Canada is doing to go green.
How does all of our talk about being a world leader in the fight against climate change match up with reality?
Let's find out!
Issue 1: Greenhouse gases
Canada says it will cut greenhouse gas emissions 20 per cent by 2020.
Reality check
Sounds good, right? Well, if you dig a little deeper, Canada's 20 per cent target isn't so impressive.
Here's what's missing from the fine print: Canada will cut its greenhouse gas emissions 20 per cent below 2006 levels by 2020.
The small print is a big problem. Under the Kyoto Protocol, we are obligated to cut our emissions six per cent below 1990 levels. While a 20 per cent cut may sound stronger than a six per cent cut, it's actually much weaker.
That's because the federal government is using 2006 as a base year for its 20 per cent cut. Because we put off action on climate change for so long, our greenhouse gas emissions rose 33 per cent above our Kyoto commitment by the end of 2005.
Let's do the math. Canada emitted 596 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 1990. That figure rose to 747 million tonnes in 2005. (Environment Canada hasn't released the numbers for 2006 yet so let's assume the 2006 total is the same as the 2005 total.)
If we cut our emissions 20 per cent above 2006 levels, what we're really doing is cutting our emissions 2 per cent above 1990 levels (see the Pembina Institute's analysis of the federal government's plan).
So far, not so good.
Next!
Issue 2: Intensity targets
Canada says it will use emission-intensity targets to cut greenhouse gases from large, polluting industries.
Reality check
Right. And I still believe in the tooth fairy. Emission-intensity targets are a fancy way of allowing large industries to keep polluting.
Here's how it would work. An intensity target accounts for greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic activity. (Stay with me here. I'll try to make this as painless as possible.)
Let's use oil as an example. One barrel of oil is equal to one unit of economic activity. If the government legislates an 18 per cent improvement in emission-intensity, oil producers will have to emit 18 per cent fewer greenhouse gases per barrel of oil produced.
But if the number of barrels of oil produced increases by 300 per cent, then overall emissions will rise too. Intensity targets won't help us make the big cuts in emissions that are needed to get climate change under control.
A better solution would be to legislate absolute emission reductions. For example, the government could set a cap requiring Canadian oil producers to reduce their overall greenhouse gas emissions 50 per cent (it's not so far-fetched. Shell Canada has committed to doing just that).
We still have a lot of work to do.
Next!
Issue 3: International leadership
Canada claims it is a world leader in the flight against climate change.
Reality check
There's a lot of hot air coming out of Ottawa these days and it's not because of global warming.
"We want to be a world leader in the fight against global warming and the development of clean energy," said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a recent speech. "We want to lead, not by lecturing, but by example."
Federal Environment Minister John Baird went one step further and claimed Canada is already a champion of environmental protection.
Of course, there's no mention of the fact that Canada tends to stall and block progress during international Kyoto negotiations.
Here's just one example. At a 2007 UN climate meeting in Bonn, each country was asked to submit a report on what it could do to cut emissions. The EU wanted to set a submission deadline before the Bali meeting so that these reports could be discussed at Bali. Everyone was on-board . . . everyone except Canada, that is. We pushed for, and won, a February 2008 deadline, which will be long after the Bali meeting has ended.
If Canada wants to be a true international leader on climate change, we need to play a more constructive role at these talks.
So what's the verdict of our check-in two weeks in advance of the Bali climate summit? Well, our federal government has certainly spent a lot of time and effort talking about climate change. We'll give them that.
But we haven't actually done anything to cut our greenhouse gas emissions. We need less talk and more action.
Recommended reading
For anyone wanting to dive deeper into Canada's position heading into Bali, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute released a backgrounder on the 2007 UN climate negotiations today. Download it here (pdf).
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 22, 2007
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November 22, 2007
Opposition barred from Canadian delegation to Bali
The lead item on the news this morning was a story about how the federal government has decided not to invite opposition MPs to the UN climate summit in Bali next month.
The announcement to exclude the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois parties from the official delegation was made yesterday afternoon.
This is a first for Canada. At every single UN meeting since the Kyoto Protocol was drawn up in 1997, it has been common practice to include all parties sitting in Parliament to be part of the official Canadian delegation.
That's because climate change is a non-partisan issue. It requires all of us -- governments, businesses, scientists and ordinary citizens across all political spectrums -- to work together.
Yesterday's announcement was disappointing but we hope it doesn't discourage opposition parties from attending the Bali talks (although they'll now have to attend as mere observers, without the access and influence of delegates).
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 22, 2007
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November 20, 2007
Exciting news out of Australia
We'll be following the Australian election very closely this weekend. What, you may be wondering, does the Australian election have to do with the Bali climate conference?
Well, as you may or may not know, Australia refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which commits industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, Australian Prime Minster John Howard has avoided taking action on climate change, claiming it would harm the economy and cost jobs.
But all of that could change when Australians go to the polls on Nov. 24. Yesterday, Australia's Labour Party leader Kevin Rudd said he would play a key role at the Bali climate conference and would immediately ratify the Kyoto Protocol if he wins this weekend's election.
This is very exciting news, indeed. If Rudd wins, the U.S. will lose a major ally on climate issues. His win will also send a message internationally that there's a real mood for action on climate change.
We're keeping our fingers crossed. It would be great to have Australia on board in Bali. Heck, I'll even buy their negotiators the first round of drinks at the swim-up bar.
Read more here.
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 20, 2007
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November 19, 2007
New UN report shows climate change is unequivocal
The next time you hear someone questioning if climate change is real, point them to this landmark report released on Saturday.
The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the report as a platform to deliver its strongest and clearest message yet -- climate change is real and it's happening now. And if immediate action isn't taken, the results could be disastrous.
Released on Saturday, the Panel's "synthesis" report summarizes the findings of the three major climate change reports it released earlier this year. The synthesis is explicitly targeted at the policy-makers attending the UN climate conference in Bali next month, urging them to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
The report outlines the very serious climate change impacts we are facing now and will continue to face over the coming decades, including water shortages in Africa, flooding in Asia and heat waves in North America.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon was quoted as saying that the impact of global warming is "so severe and so sweeping that only urgent, global action will do." He also described climate change as "the defining challenge of our age."
Learn more at the IPCC's homepage or read the full report here.
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 19, 2007
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November 16, 2007
Bali 101
Before we get into the nitty gritty of international climate change negotiations, we thought we should start by explaining what the Bali conference is all about.
Let's dip into our mailbag and answer a few of your questions.
"Why is Bali important?"
There are a lot of reasons why Bali is important (and, no, we're not talking about snorkeling, kayaking or surfing). We've reached a critical tipping point in the global fight against climate change. We now know beyond any doubt that climate change is real and that it's happening now.
The world's top scientists have sounded the warning bell and they say that immediate action is needed to prevent the most severe impacts.
Because climate change is a global issue, we need to tackle it on an international level. The first coordinated effort resulted in the Kyoto Protocol, which sets out emission reduction targets for developed countries during the period 2008-2012. The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol will end in 2012. So the Bali conference will launch a process to put a new international climate change deal in place to ensure action is taken immediately after 2012 (the second phase of the Kyoto Protocol). The Bali conference is expected to launch this process.
"What can (and can't) Bali deliver?"
The main goal of the Bali conference is to get negotiations going on a new international climate change agreement. It won't actually deliver a fully negotiated and agreed climate deal but it will set the framework of the deal and get the process going.
Countries need to agree on the key areas the new agreement should cover, such as cutting emissions, adapting to climate change, technology and financing. They also need to agree on when the talks will end so that the new climate change deal can be ratified before the end of 2012.
"What is Canada’s position going into Bali?"
Canada is claiming that it is a bridge between the U.S. (which refuses to take federal action on climate change) and the EU (which is ambitiously trying to tackle climate change). While Prime Minister Stephen Harper likes to talk about climate change and his commitment to take action in Canada, his rhetoric does not match reality.
Canada has not set any mandatory targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, nor has it taken any real action to cut those emissions. (Yes, the Suzuki Foundation is working on turning this around but that’s a whole other blog post.)
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 16, 2007
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November 15, 2007
David Suzuki Foundation launches Bali Blog
Hello and welcome to our brand new Bali Blog. Over the next four weeks, this space will be devoted to all things related to the upcoming United Nations' climate change conference in Bali, Indonesia.
More than 10 ,000 political leaders, journalists and delegates from 190 countries are expected to attend the conference, which runs from December 3rd to 14th.
It's not just big in scale, it's big in scope. The main goal of the Bali conference is to get negotiations going on a new international climate change agreement. The first phase of the Kyoto Protocol will end in 2012. So the Bali conference is expected to set the framework for a new international climate change deal to ensure action is taken immediately after 2012.
In other words, Bali is a big deal. It will set out how the world will tackle climate change and help us move to a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future.
We launched this blog to help you follow the conference as it unfolds without having to wade through the technical jargon, political rhetoric and annoying acronyms. We'll tell you what’s happening and why it matters. We'll try to keep it short and simple.
We will update this blog on a regular basis leading up to the conference, as well as doing a little live blogging during the conference itself. So bookmark this page and check back often!
Posted by Sarah Marchildon at November 15, 2007
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