What is at stake in Copenhagen

Leonardo Boff
Theologian
Earthcharter Commission
Leonardo Boff
(Spanish version follows English)
Representatives of 192 nations face something irreversible in Copenhagen: the Earth has already warmed excessively, due to our manner of production, of consumption and of treating nature. We can only adapt ourselves to the changes and mitigate their perverse effects.

A lake lies on its deathbed

Daily Nation
By WANJIRU MACHARIA

Drought and human activity join forces to drain off 85 per cent of  Lake Elementaita
The short rains that pounded the larger Nakuru District for a few days in August, September and November were greeted with a sigh of relief.
For a while, residents and tourists marvelled at the replenished Lake Elementaita that had [...]

Patching up after Copenhagen leak

guardian.co.uk
Danish officials may play down a document implying a stitch-up between rich nations. But their impartiality as hosts looks shaky

The Guardian’s publication of a leaked Danish government paper has made headlines on the pages of Danish newspapers. It has also provoked sharp reactions from Danish and international environmental NGOs. Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF’s [...]

Copenhagen Climate Summit in Disarray after ‘Danish Text’ Leak

Developing countries react furiously to leaked draft agreement that would hand more power to rich nations, sideline the UN’s negotiating role and abandon the Kyoto protocol
by John Vidal in Copenhagen
The Guardian
The UN Copenhagen climate talks are in disarray today after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be [...]

Church challenged to broaden its moral scope

By: Ellen Teague
The Catholic Church has been urged “to get away from being a church primarily involved in sexual morality” by Baroness Shirley Williams of Crosby. Speaking to an audience of around 1,000 supporters at CAFOD’s annual Pope Paul VI Memorial Lecture in London on 27 November, she called for church leaders nationally and regionally [...]

Climate ‘is a major cause’ of conflict in Africa

BBC
By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
Climate has been a major driver of armed conflict in Africa, research shows – and future warming is likely to increase the number of deaths from war.
US researchers found that across the continent, conflict was about 50% more likely in unusually warm years.
Writing in Proceedings of the National Academy [...]

What They Really Believe

New York Times Editorial
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Published: November 17, 2009
If you follow the debate around the energy/climate bills working through Congress you will notice that the drill-baby-drill opponents of this legislation are now making two claims. One is that the globe has been cooling lately, not warming, and the other is that America simply can’t [...]

Putting a Price on Trees

Center for Investigative Reporting
Helpful Videos:
Cap and Trade
Brazil: the Money Tree
In the new economy created by global warming, forests are turning into a valuable commodity. Promising not to cut them down is one of the most popular ways companies would like to offset their emissions. Correspondent Mike Schapiro follows the trail of one of those [...]

Brazil pledges deep emission cuts in ‘political gesture’ to rich nations

The Guardian

Brazil will take proposals for voluntary reductions of 38-42% by 2020 to the Copenhagen climate change conference next month, chief of staff says

The Brazilian government is preparing to pledge a big curb in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 as a “political gesture” aimed at pressing rich nations into agreeing to large cuts [...]

CLIMATE CHANGE: Dark Clouds Gathering Over Copenhagen

Analysis by Sanjay Suri
ST. ANDREWS, Nov 7 (IPS) – It has been a bad week for the climate change summit in Copenhagen next month. During the week the last meeting in the formal round of pre- Copenhagen talks collapsed in Barcelona. Then, meeting here on the weekend, the G20 finance ministers put the seal on [...]