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Bob Wallace

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #100 on: December 19, 2014, 08:38:17 PM »
The OCO-2 satellite should let us get a good fix on where CO2 is being emitted.  That will make it harder to cover up problems.

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/NASA-OCO-2-satellite-launch-CO2-17706

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #101 on: December 19, 2014, 09:59:01 PM »

The first maps from the OCO-2 satellite are now in -- showing springtime biomass burning in the Southern Hemisphere.
Quote
"Where OCO-2 really excels is the sheer amount of data being collected within a day, about one million measurements across a narrow swath," Frankenberg said. "For fluorescence, this enables us, for the first time, to look at features on the five- to 10-kilometer scale on a daily basis." SIF can be measured even through moderately thick clouds, so it will be especially useful in understanding regions like the Amazon where cloud cover thwarts most spaceborne observations.

The changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide that OCO-2 seeks to measure are so small that the mission must take unusual precautions to ensure the instrument is free of errors. For that reason, the spacecraft was designed so that it can make an extra maneuver. In addition to gathering a straight line of data like a lawnmower swath, the instrument can point at a single target on the ground for a total of seven minutes as it passes overhead. That requires the spacecraft to turn sideways and make a half cartwheel to keep the target in its sights.

The targets OCO-2 uses are stations in the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON), a collaborative effort of multiple international institutions. TCCON has been collecting carbon dioxide data for about five years, and its measurements are fully calibrated and extremely accurate. At the same time that OCO-2 targets a TCCON site, a ground-based instrument at the site makes the same measurement. The extent to which the two measurements agree indicates how well calibrated the OCO-2 sensors are.
http://www.nasa.gov/jpl/oco2/nasas-spaceborne-carbon-counter-maps-new-details/
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Laurent

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #102 on: December 19, 2014, 10:11:31 PM »
You may want to look at that video if you haven't already :
FM14 First results from NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory OCO 2 PressConference

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #103 on: January 06, 2015, 03:03:16 AM »
Flying to climate conferences?  Why not meet online?  It's happening more and more. Live stream the talks; offer chat rooms for spontaneous "hallway" discussions.

@EricHolthaus: In-person scientific conferences are unethical in an era of constrained carbon emissions. @ametsoc & @theAGU should stream online. #AMS2015

@theAGU: @EricHolthaus We already stream as many sessions as we can http://t.co/Op3Qa3n9IG ([registration required], but fee waived)
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #104 on: January 13, 2015, 09:13:09 PM »
Here we go!  The Royal Meterological Society is running a trial on-line streaming of its next conference.
http://www.rmets.org/events/stratosphere-troposphere-coupling-earth-system-where-next
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #105 on: January 13, 2015, 09:17:39 PM »
Fascinating lecture by Christiana Figueres on the Climate Change Negotiating Process.
Why Paris 2015 will be much different than the Copenhagen summit.

http://www.cop21makeitwork.com/2015/01/lecture-by-christiana-figueres-on-the-climate-change-negotiating-process/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #106 on: January 19, 2015, 03:49:35 PM »
Quote
The chief executives of Saudi Aramco, Pemex and Total will face questions about their future in a warming world at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week.

Crumbling oil prices and soaring greenhouse gas emissions feature heavily in the agenda for the annual event in the Swiss Alps, which attracts national leaders, heads of business and civil society representatives.

According to the WEF, the fossil fuel chiefs will be joined by Abdalla Salem El Badri, head of the OPEC oil cartel and will discuss, among other issues, the impact of falling oil prices on climate change.
...
A draft version of a global climate deal, due to be signed off in Paris at the end of 2015, includes references to a complete phase-out of fossil fuels by 2050.

Research from UK scientists published this month suggests a third of oil, half of gas and nearly all coal reserves will have to remain below ground if the world is to avoid dangerous temperature rises.

Private sector

Central to the 2015 WEF meeting are efforts to encourage business leaders to embrace low carbon energy sources and a “circular economy” – where resources are reused rather than binned.

Quote
  According to a major economic study released last year and backed by seven governments, an estimated $90 trillion will be invested in infrastructure by 2030. How that money is spent will determine whether the world avoids dangerous levels of warming.

Since we plan to spend that money anyway...  Spend it green!

http://www.rtcc.org/2015/01/16/oil-majors-face-climate-grilling-at-world-economic-forum/#.dpuf
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #107 on: January 19, 2015, 07:15:59 PM »
Quote
The richest 1 percent are likely to control more than half of the globe’s total wealth by next year, the charity Oxfam reported in a study released on Monday. The warning about deepening global inequality comes just as the world’s business elite prepare to meet this week at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The 80 wealthiest people in the world altogether own $1.9 trillion, the report found, nearly the same amount shared by the 3.5 billion people who occupy the bottom half of the world’s income scale. (Last year, it took 85 billionaires to equal that figure.) And the richest 1 percent of the population, who number in the millions, control nearly half of the world’s total wealth, a share that is also increasing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/business/richest-1-percent-likely-to-control-half-of-global-wealth-by-2016-study-finds.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #108 on: January 19, 2015, 07:37:21 PM »
United Nations appoints the first-ever UN Assistant Secretary-General on Climate Change.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49821
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #109 on: January 20, 2015, 03:00:52 AM »
@EricHolthaus: Pope Francis to address Congress in September, and call for climate action at the UN: http://t.co/byVlLumNnD
http://t.co/8OXSvYxrUf
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #110 on: January 22, 2015, 07:41:01 PM »
From the World Economic Forum at Davos:
Quote
Financiers have gone from masters of the universe to pariahs to punching bags at the World Economic Forum over the past decade. This year they’re a sideshow as policy makers dominate the debate.

While the global banking industry is still grappling with the consequences of the financial crisis and atoning for past misconduct, its travails are overshadowed at this year’s conclave in the Swiss Alps by oil, new terror threats and the European Central Bank’s plan to start buying government bonds to revive inflation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/bank-ceos-a-davos-sideshow-as-the-ecb-oil-grab-spotlight.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #111 on: January 22, 2015, 07:48:46 PM »
The World Economic Conference goes "climate."
Quote
The president of the World Bank has urged the international community to help developing nations cope with a warming planet as the first day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos was dominated by calls to make 2015 a year of action on climate change.
...
Former Vice President Al Gore had started the first full day of events at the annual gathering in Davos by telling delegates: “This is the year of climate”.

Speaking against a backdrop of images intended to show the impact of climate change, Gore launched his plans amid criticism at the WEF of delegates arriving in private jets to attend the conference in 5,000 feet up in the Swiss Alps. The organisers of WEF urge delegates not to fly by private jet and use the train instead. Some attendees are transported in electric buggies.
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/21/davos-world-bank-chief-climate-change-al-gore-pharrell-williams
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #112 on: January 22, 2015, 08:42:54 PM »
Here's a video of Al Gore's presentation at Davos.  (30 min)
   First half highlights the extreme global weather, up to January 2015; second half shows the incredible growth in renewables around the world.  (In 2012, 62% of clean energy investment, $224 billion, was from private sources.)
   Plus, an announcement about a global digital/broadcast event for this June 18: Live Earth: Climate Action, to support progress in Paris next December.
http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/al-gore-explains-in-davos-whats-next-for-climate-in-2015/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #113 on: January 23, 2015, 09:49:43 PM »
Laurent Fabius introduces Paris 2015 - COP21/CMP11 :  http://t.co/LfDdiDcBR2
(French, with English subtitles.  Two minutes.)

@UN_ClimateTalks: .@LaurentFabius: "We are under threat of appalling climate disruption"
#Paris2015 @COP21

http://t.co/VLZYg2kojn
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Jim Hunt

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #114 on: January 23, 2015, 10:11:27 PM »
Ségolène Royal:

Quote
This challenge is a chance to rethink our development model, to bring well-being to people throughout the world.

Personally I'm not optimistic. Can France fill the gaping hole that Obama optimistically says the US will?

http://econnexus.org/the-climatic-state-of-the-union/

Quote
I've said this before, far too often, but I'll say it once more. Actions speak louder than innumerable fine words, and despite Barack Obama's stated "determination" the evidence of his first 6 years in office suggests that both American leadership and international action will continue to be sadly lacking.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

Laurent

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #115 on: January 24, 2015, 10:35:57 AM »
French politician are like most of politicians, they don't know much in technology so they are easily driven by lobbies and money.
Segolene Royal our minister of "Ecology" declared recently that we will build more nuclear plants...
For CO2 we will play like germany saying a lot but in reality doing even less !

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #116 on: January 25, 2015, 01:00:31 AM »
Exclusive interview of President Obama by India Today.
Quote
Obama: ...And even as we recognise that our economies are at different stages of development, we can come together with other nations and achieve a strong global agreement this year in Paris to fight climate change. Every nation is being impacted by climate change, and every nation has a role to play in combating it.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/barack-obama-shekhar-gupta-exclusive-interview/1/414805.html
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Jim Hunt

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #117 on: January 25, 2015, 02:23:07 AM »
Exclusive interview of President Obama by India Today.

The headline reads:

Quote
We have to make sure words are matched by deeds

Quite so!

"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #118 on: January 25, 2015, 02:55:08 PM »
A look at India's energy plans, in advance of Obama's visit.  Coal is still seen as a major player -- but its poor logistics may make adoption of alternatives higher than expected.
Quote
But the worst may not come to pass, analysts say.

Troubles in India's coal industry have already driven investors to the solar market, and many of the approved new coal projects are stalled thanks to lack of financing or coal supplies.

"The truth is, the coal industry has become the climate advocate's best friend, simply because it's such a mess," Guay of the Sierra Club said. "It's a race between old and new technologies over who can actually get power to the people, and solar is winning hands down."
http://www.freep.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/23/india-climate-obama/22248511/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #119 on: January 26, 2015, 12:28:36 AM »
The India-China announcement has happened:
Quote
President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Sunday that the two countries will work together to fight global climate change, laying out a set of goals that the two countries hope “will expand policy dialogues and technical work on clean energy and low greenhouse gas emissions technologies.”

While not a concrete emissions reductions agreement like the one Obama reached with China this past November, the deal includes efforts to cooperate on reducing emissions of fluorinated gases, invigorate India’s promotion of clean energy investment, and partner to reduce the debilitating air pollution that has plagued many of India’s cities.

The agreement also emphasized that the countries would “cooperate closely” for a “successful and ambitious” agreement at the Paris climate talks at the end of the year.
...
As ThinkProgress reported last week, there was very little expectation among analysts that the U.S. would achieve a deal like the one it achieved in China, wherein the country would actually pledge to reduce its overall carbon emissions. ...Many said that it would be unfair to expect India — the world’s third largest carbon emitter behind the U.S. and China — to announce a similar target, considering the hundreds of millions of rural poor.

Still a developing country, climate change stands to impact India more severely than other parts of the world, according to the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. India also has a particularly bad air pollution problem — a recent World Health Organization report found that India has 13 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world with the capital, Delhi, being the most polluted of all. The report also found that Delhi had six times the level of airborne particulate matter considered safe. Another investigation found that the levels could be up to eight times higher in heavily trafficked corridors.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/01/25/3615232/us-india-climate-agreement/

Details here:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/25/fact-sheet-us-and-india-climate-and-clean-energy-cooperation
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jbg

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #120 on: January 26, 2015, 01:45:34 PM »
Might be helpful to start amassing the "will they, or won't they, sign a significant treaty in Paris" comments under one thread.

Here's the latest proposal:

Quote
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States wants to broker a global agreement on climate change that would contain some legal elements but would stop short of being legally binding on an international level, the country's top diplomat on climate change issues said.

Todd Stern, the State Department climate change special envoy, addressed one of the thorniest issues in ongoing talks to secure a global plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions – its legal form.

Stern said a recent proposal by New Zealand for countries to submit a "schedule" for reducing emissions that would be legally binding and subject to mandatory accounting, reporting and review offers an approach that could get the buy-in of countries like the United States that are wary of ratifying an internationally binding treaty.

The content of the schedule itself and the actions each country pledges would not be legally binding at an international level.
http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKCN0I409X20141015
Anything that the U.N. does, just about, defies rational description. The organization is hopelessly inefficient and corrupt.

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #121 on: January 26, 2015, 02:10:28 PM »
Anything that the U.N. does, just about, defies rational description. The organization is hopelessly inefficient and corrupt.

You would think, after such a long hiatus, you could have developed some better and more relevant talking points.   :o

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #122 on: January 26, 2015, 07:46:01 PM »
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi changes his tune on climate change action.

Quote
After a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in New Delhi, the prime minister said that his nation along with all others has an obligation to act on reducing the fossil-fuel emissions blamed for damaging the climate.

The remarks represent a shift in India’s tone on global warming. It previously emphasized the historical responsibility of industrial nations for creating the problem, and the Indian government has been ambiguous about whether it will adopt domestic targets for reducing greenhouse gases. Modi’s comments suggest he’s ready to work with Obama on a deal in Paris in December that would for the first time require all nations, rich and poor alike, to restrain emissions.

“When we think about the future generations and what kind of a world we are going to give them, then there is pressure,” Modi said in a news conference with Obama on Sunday. “Global warming is a huge pressure.”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-25/modi-shifts-on-climate-change-with-india-renewables-goal.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #123 on: January 26, 2015, 09:55:17 PM »
Obama & Modi Link Zero Carbon and Zero Extreme Poverty
Quote
The same people who are talking about a target of zero carbon emissions from energy are talking about a target of zero extreme poverty in the world.
http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/20150126/obama-modi-link-zero-carbon-and-zero-extreme-poverty
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viddaloo

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #124 on: January 26, 2015, 10:04:15 PM »
The good news is it's absolutely doable!

The bad news is they call it planning for extinction.

But think about it: How wonderful wouldn't it be to eradicate poverty to zero and at the same time have a zero emission of anthropogenic carbon? Too bad no–one will be around to celebrate.
[]

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #125 on: January 31, 2015, 11:57:04 PM »
UN Climate Chief Figueres:  Four Conclusions from the World Economic Forum at Davos
Quote
Davos 2015 accelerated the understanding of the economic desirability and the technical ability to meet the climate challenge.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/christiana-figueres/conclusions-from-davos_b_6548208.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #126 on: February 01, 2015, 12:00:00 AM »
Deadline for Paris
The co-chairs of the UN climate talks have told diplomats that they must finalise the draft version of a 2015 Paris deal this February.  Diplomats from around the world will meet in Geneva 8-13 February for the first time since Lima.
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/01/30/pressure-on-to-finish-draft-paris-climate-deal-in-february/
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GeoffBeacon

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #127 on: February 01, 2015, 02:22:08 PM »
Will Paris be soft on farmers and frackers?

Last week, a report on UK GHG emissions was uploaded to the website of the Department of Envionment Food and Rural Affairs. The report, "Assessment of the impact of changes to guidelines on the UK Greenhouse was Gas Inventory" was commissioned by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and is dated 31 July 2014. http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/reports.php?report_id=803

This explains that the "new" GWP values to be used from 2015

Quote
From 2015, all Annex I Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change will be required to report national greenhouse gas emissions inventories using
updated reporting guidelines... These were formally adopted at COP19, and set out how Parties
are to report, incorporating new sources and methodologies set out in the 2006 IPCC
Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories
. The Guidelines also set out which set of
Global Warming Potential (GWP) values to use for reporting inventories, and a revised data
reporting structure (the CommonReporting Format, CRF)
This means that the GWP of methane is assessed as 25 - the GWP given in 2006 by IPCC AR4 for a 100 year time horizon.

In 2013, IPCC AR5 updated methane's GWP to 34 for a 100 year time horizon and 86 for a 20 year time horizon. It must be a relief to farmers and frackers to know the methane emissions they cause are measured in inventories at a GDP of 25 rather than 84.

I am in a bit of confusion over methane, not having yet done the homework Chris Reynolds set me some months ago, but I find it shocking to see these time lags dragging through these climate negotiations.

I believe the IPCC is behind the game e.g. Lennart van der Linde's comment on "Conservative Scientists & its Consequences" thread
Quote
Ok, but what do you think of Brysse et al 2013 ('erring on side of least drama') and
Anderegg et al 2014 ('risk of type 2 errors')? And about IPCC itself stating that
it's SLR-projections beyond 2100 are probably under-estimates and that carbon feedbacks
are not (fully) included in their models?
So underpowered climate results are being used in Paris. Underpowered because the IPCC has underpowered results and the negotiators plan to use results that they must know are even more underpowered.

Is the game lost before the starting whistle is blown?
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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #128 on: February 01, 2015, 06:43:29 PM »
Is the game lost before the starting whistle is blown?

If you scroll back up to my link to econnexus you will note that I very much fear that is indeed the case.
"The most revolutionary thing one can do always is to proclaim loudly what is happening" - Rosa Luxemburg

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #129 on: February 05, 2015, 03:09:31 AM »
Even the Architects of the Next U.N. Climate Change Agreement Are Pessimistic
By Eric Holthaus
Quote
This is further evidence that the action on climate change will shift to what are currently perceived to be radical solutions. Absent meaningful action by governments, it’s up to individuals to demand change: non-violent direct action and mass protest, a rethinking of capitalism—in short, a revolution in culture and society—are suitable to the job of limiting climate change to levels that don’t threaten entire ecosystems and thus human prosperity. Just because this sort of change is unlikely doesn’t mean it isn’t necessary.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2015/02/04/u_n_paris_climate_talks_even_the_architects_of_the_agreement_are_pessimistic.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #130 on: February 05, 2015, 02:18:48 PM »
Never mind the UN talks:  Big Business leaders ("The B Team" ;) ) call for net zero emissions by 2050.
There's even a Twitter hashtag:  #ZeroBy2050

Quote
Governments should set a clear target of making the world’s economy free from carbon emissions by mid-century, Sir Richard Branson and a group of other prominent businesspeople have urged.

The goal – of eliminating the net impact of greenhouse gases, by replacing fossil fuels and ensuring that any remaining emissions are balanced out by carbon-saving projects such as tree-planting and carbon capture and storage – is more stretching than any yet agreed by world governments. The G8 group of rich nations has pledged to cut emissions by 80% by 2050, and some developing countries to halving emissions by then.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/05/richard-branson-net-zero-emissions-target-businesses


Quote
  Geneva, 5th February, 2015 – Today, Leaders of The B Team running some of the world’s largest companies, called upon world leaders to commit to a global goal of net-zero greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 – and urged business leaders to match this ambition by committing to bold long-term targets.

http://bteam.org/the-b-team/business-leaders-call-for-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-2050/


This is particularly interesting because it doesn't require the will of the general public -- voters -- or government partisanship, to get started.  If business comes to see clean tech as preferable, a relatively small number of people (CEOs) can, as we've seen with other technology, change the world -- and in only a few years.
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viddaloo

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #131 on: February 05, 2015, 03:03:45 PM »
Yup, this is Big Business' best argument for BAU — Business–As–Usual: Saying we'll fix this and have ZERO emissions in 2050 (when most of our readers are dead anyway), and then worry about the actual cut 'detail' when we see the year 2050 on our calendars. Then it will be a matter of hiring an exceptionally good PR company that can explain any survivors how and why that target was impossible.

People are hardwired to forgive such 'white' lies as long as it gave them some hope along the way.
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JimD

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #132 on: February 05, 2015, 03:40:18 PM »
OMG are you trolling us?

Quote
This is particularly interesting because it doesn't require the will of the general public -- voters -- or government partisanship, to get started.  If business comes to see clean tech as preferable, a relatively small number of people (CEOs) can, as we've seen with other technology, change the world -- and in only a few years.

Please don't be so desperate for a miracle that you fail to exercise basic common sense and recognize when you are being fed a story designed to manipulate your ability to think clearly.  These people are NOT your friends and do not have your better interests at heart. 

Check out the latest post in the Must Read topic thread.  It is a perfect takedown of this kind of non-critical thinking. 
We do not err because truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because this is more comfortable. Alexander Solzhenitsyn

How is it conceivable that all our technological progress - our very civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal? Albert Einstein

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #133 on: February 05, 2015, 07:40:49 PM »
Off-shore-oil-rich Norway matches EU goal of 40% cut on emissions by 2030.
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/02/04/norway-reveals-40-carbon-cut-goal-for-2030-matching-eu-target/
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viddaloo

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #134 on: February 05, 2015, 07:46:47 PM »
Off-shore-oil-rich Norway matches EU goal of 40% cut on emissions by 2030.
http://www.rtcc.org/2015/02/04/norway-reveals-40-carbon-cut-goal-for-2030-matching-eu-target/

Interesting spin. I do agree it seems positive when viewed from this very special angle. In real life, however, Norway wants to switch from the fraudulent UN carbon quotas to the EU ones, meaning we'll go on emitting exactly the amounts of GHGs that we want, while paying someone else abroad to make 'cuts' (that may or may not be real cuts).
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #135 on: February 05, 2015, 07:51:12 PM »
OMG are you trolling us?
...

If by "us" you mean: those who believe business and industry can't possibly come up with solutions to adequately address climate change -- then, yes.
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jai mitchell

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #136 on: February 06, 2015, 07:00:27 AM »
A recent landmark study of U.S. polls, compiling over 35 years of consistent data, showed that the general population's interests influenced U.S. domestic and international policy by a "statistically non-existent" margin.

however, this same study also showed that the overwhelming bias of polls and policy effects was determined by the desires of the wealthy or very-wealthy in the United States.

In this it is then clearly understood that, at least for the last 35 years, the U.S. has been a functional Plutocracy.

Once this has been determined and finally accepted as the political-economic truth.  Then we realize that the very wealthy may or may not decide to engage climate change mitigation efforts in a meaningful way.  So, will they? 

It is likely that the very wealthy are the least likely to either believe in the effects of climate change (see:  "Cool white dudes")  or if they do believe in it, will be more likely to believe that their wealth and resources will allow them to have an "escape plan"  (see: "davos wealthy airfields escape")

There is a fantastic potential for real global-level solutions, however, this solution will not look like modern capitalism.  I sincerely fear that as the global wealth inequality and the effects of climate change continue to unfold, we will see an increase in anti-capitalist rhetoric from the environmental community and when it becomes a main cause, we will see the mechanisms of the police state that has been growing in America engage, far beyond what has been seen so far.
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #137 on: February 06, 2015, 09:05:54 PM »
Joe Romm argues that, like the ozone crisis, Paris is not the be-all, end-all on climate change.  One agreement does not finalize action.  But that's OK.

Paris Climate Talks Won’t Keep Warming Below The Dangerous 2°C Limit
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/02/05/3619717/paris-climate-talks-2c/
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #138 on: February 06, 2015, 09:19:48 PM »
People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #139 on: February 07, 2015, 01:12:00 AM »
B Team Leaders Call for Net-Zero Greenhouse-Gas Emissions by 2050
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Businesses are already incurring the costs of climate change, with increasing supply-chain disruptions from extreme-weather events, rising sea levels and ocean acidification, falling crop yields and increasing desertification. At the same time, the world’s poorest and most vulnerable – who are disproportionately affected and least equipped to cope – are being hit the hardest.

As business leaders, they view the transition to a net-zero GHG emissions economy as an historic opportunity that, if managed responsibly, fairly and collaboratively, can bring economic benefits to countries at all levels of income, including new jobs, cleaner air, better health, lower poverty and greater energy security.

This will require businesses to join forces with governments to help drive the transition, by setting clear national targets and developing enabling policies to shift capital toward carbon-free alternatives, to help drive sustainable, inclusive prosperity for all.
http://bteam.org/the-b-team/business-leaders-call-for-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-2050/
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viddaloo

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #140 on: February 07, 2015, 01:18:22 AM »
B Team Leaders Call for Net-Zero Greenhouse-Gas Emissions by 2050

You posted the exact same hopium link 2 days ago, Sigmetnow?
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Sigmetnow

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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #142 on: February 07, 2015, 03:09:25 AM »
David Victor is optimistic about the Paris agreement.  Here's why.
http://tcktcktck.org/2015/02/david-victor-climate-consensus-signs-new-hope-road-paris/66359
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JackTaylor

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #143 on: February 07, 2015, 08:32:06 AM »
~~
"as the global wealth inequality and the effects of climate change continue to unfold, we will see an increase in anti-capitalist rhetoric from the environmental community and when it becomes a main cause, we will see the mechanisms of the police state that has been growing in America engage, far beyond what has been seen so far."
~~

bold emphasis is my add and somewhat off topic

Yes, in a country such as the United States we are progressing towards a "Police State".  It will be business as usual (BAU) as long as Law Enforcement and Military/Reserve/National Guard personnel believe their existence, role in society, and well being are dependent on serving those calling the shots (instituted government - "ruling hierarchy").

   Stop and give these some thought.  The number of people supporting law enforcement: local police departments, constables-marshals, county/parish sheriff departments, state troopers, state bureau investigation agencies, with all the excess (surplus) military equipment - hardware.  Then add in all the people in federal agencies.   Loyal to their leaders to a fault?

   Sounds like a plan is being steadily being implemented,
( my version of paranoia ).

   There are so many people supporting the "ruling hierarchy" we will continue as is - until a catastrophic event occurs.

   When conditions disturb sufficient numbers of people to cause them take action for change is when the real clash will occur and things get nasty.

   Without an event to cause the overwhelming majority of people to simultaneously take action against BAU - ALL the good intentioned rhetoric will only make for some lively discussions.

   The dimwit gun activist with their individual firearms don't stand a chance at protecting against an oppressive (police state) government.  Their claims of Second Amendment Rights are plain and simple paranoia unless they are members of a large "state supported" - and well organized - militia.

   Don't worry, when the remaining majority of the population is forced into obtaining (producing) food, the police state will go away for awhile.

damn, what a pessimistic post



Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #144 on: February 13, 2015, 08:16:03 PM »
NYT:  Surprisingly, a Voluntary Climate Treaty Could Actually Work
Quote
... It is tempting to long for an internationally binding treaty that guarantees emissions reductions. However, except under extraordinary circumstances, all treaties are ultimately voluntary. Further, any benefits that could come with a more binding commitment must be weighed against the possibility that they could deter some countries from setting goals for emissions reductions.

If history is a guide, whether this treaty’s goals are met will depend on the extent to which countries make mitigation of climate change a domestic priority. This means that even after the hard work of negotiating the Paris treaty is completed, the hardest work will still be in front of us, wherever we live.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/15/upshot/surprisingly-a-voluntary-climate-treaty-could-actually-work.html
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #145 on: February 15, 2015, 02:55:30 PM »
Recent UN climate negotiations in Geneva (to develop a draft treaty) focused more on listening to countries, rather than dictating demands to them.  But that still represents progress, participants and environmentalists agree.
http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/13022015/draft-treaty-aims-fossil-free-future-many-pages-few-answers
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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #146 on: February 16, 2015, 06:48:25 PM »
The Carbon Brief examines the 15 options for net-zero emissions in the Paris climate text.
http://www.carbonbrief.org/blog/2015/02/briefing-the-15-options-for-net-zero-emissions-in-the-paris-climate-text/
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AbruptSLR

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #147 on: February 18, 2015, 04:58:06 PM »
The linked article indicates that the USA's ability to sign a COP21 - Paris agreement could become derailed due to US Congress activity:

http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060013553
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Laurent

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Sigmetnow

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Re: UN Climate Agreement - Paris 2015 and beyond
« Reply #149 on: February 23, 2015, 06:06:04 PM »
Your Life, Your Climate Agreement
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moller-/your-life-your-climate-agreement_b_6725828.html?utm_hp_ref=green&ir=Green

This:
Quote
Climate change is a threat to our very existence. Wherever we live and whatever we do. We all contribute to it. And we all have a responsibility to do something about it.
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