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Climate Change

Will the mother of all deals be on sinks?

There is disquiet in the air. Everybody is moving around, looking so busy. But nobody knows what is being negotiated. Old hands will tell you that deals are being made behind closed doors. Conference chairperson, Jan Pronk, an experienced politician is expected to move things on. Somewhere there will be a deal to clinch all deals.

Consenting adults in a hot world

November 17, 2000 Back to Basics by Anil Agarwal Why is equity so important for mitigating climate change? Very simple: because we are all human beings. Not Americans, Europeans, Japanese or Chinese. Or more intelligent or less intelligent. We are humans. Just humans. Full stop. Now we have to decide whether we want to be like a bunch of raucous kids or a group of consenting adults.

The far side

November 17, 2000 A visitor to the Congrescentrum would never guess it, but there is only one reason why we are here: the Western model of economic development which is heavily dependant on carbon-based fossil fuels has turned out not to be such a good idea after all, and we need an alternative. Fast.

Small country, big example

November 17, 2000 St Lucia shows the way "My small country is taking the lead to invest in renewable technology. We challenge others to bite the bullet," said Kenny Anthony, prime minister of St Lucia, speaking at the meeting on Contraction and Convergence: From idea to deal? Organised by the Global Commons Institute (GCI), GLOBE, CSE, Climate Network Africa and Counterpart Europe, the meeting brought together a group of politicians and NGOs calling for the need for equity in climate negotiations.

Small country, big example

November 17, 2000 St Lucia shows the way "My small country is taking the lead to invest in renewable technology. We challenge others to bite the bullet," said Kenny Anthony, prime minister of St Lucia, speaking at the meeting on Contraction and Convergence: From idea to deal? Organised by the Global Commons Institute (GCI), GLOBE, CSE, Climate Network Africa and Counterpart Europe, the meeting brought together a group of politicians and NGOs calling for the need for equity in climate negotiations.

Touchy Technology

November 15, 2000 The mention of technology transfer usually results only in a barrage of words at the climate negotiations, as in almost all other environment negotiations. Yet, transfer of environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) from industrialised to developing countries is a commitment under article 4.5 of the climate convention, and an important tool to control carbon dioxide emissions.

The infection that the South must avoid

November 15, 2000 Fungibility? Is it a pasta dish? No. Is it a fungus then? Yes. It is a new fangled mushroom. It grows on a thing called the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It means that that the Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) once bought from developing countries can be traded, transferred or exchanged. Good business.

Negotiating the future

November 15, 2000          We at Equity Watch are probably among the most arrogant people on earth. We are the rich of the South, trying to represent the poor of the South. We still haven't decided whether we should also represent the poor of the North. Perhaps one day we will. But we hope our readers will pardon this arrogance. It is an arrogance with a cause. An attempt to give a voice to the voiceless, a ear to the unheard and an eye to the blinded.

Carbon colonialism

October 25, 2000 Cheap Fix: The rush to make profits out of carbon-fixing engenders another kind of colonialism

NGOs in glass houses

October 25, 2000 Should Northern groups be pushing international financial institutions to stop funding fossil fuel projects in the South?