Copenhagen climate talks
-
![]()
![]()
In last-minute stunner, Obama changes plans to attend final day of Copenhagen talks
On Friday, the Obama administration announced a startling shift in plans: rather than stop by the Copenhagen climate talks on Dec. 9, Obama will be going on the 18th, the final day of the meeting — a notable increase in commitment (and political exposure) from the administration. The first week of every COP meeting consists […]
-
Lessons from fossil-fueled rats
New research from Cairo shows that rats become more belligerent when exposed to gasoline fumes and tailpipe pollution. If the same thing happens to humans, it might explain why the guy in the Escalade was waving his Smith & Wesson on the freeway in L.A. the other night, but it may also highlight the co-benefits […]
-
![]()
![]()
The tough task of evaluating Kyoto
The Kyoto Protocol has taken criticism from all sides over the years. But in fairness, it is important to recognize that, according to almost any estimate, the treaty has resulted in surpassed targets in some nations, significant emissions reductions even in nations that may miss their targets, and a marked improvement over business-as-usual had there been no […]
-
![]()
![]()
‘Climategate’ is a diversion
Magicians divert us with wands and puffs of smoke. Bullfighters fool steers with flashes of cape at just the right moment. Even Shakespeare understood: Things in motion sooner catch the eye than what not stirs. The human brain likes movement, and that makes it poorly equipped to think about climate change. Scientists warn that, on […]
-
Climate scoreboard tracks Copenhagen progress in real time
The Climate Scoreboard is a new, easily accessible tool for understanding and tracking the global climate change negotiations in real time. This new online resource– an embeddable widget, a short video, and a set of graphs, and a table — reports, on a daily basis, the long-term climate implications of proposals to the United Nations negotiations […]
-
A Canadian view of Copenhagen
This is an interview with Tzeporah Berman, Executive Director and co-founders of PowerUp Canada. If you don’t think the U.S. is doing enough, you’ll love what our northern neighbors are (not) doing: Let’s just look at clean energy. This year in the budget, Obama is outspending Canada 14 to 1 per capita on […]
-
![]()
![]()
Hamlet’s lessons for climate negotiators
I’ve been threatening my editors with a post on what Shakespeare’s Hamlet can teach the diplomats gathering next week to draft a new international climate treaty. Hamlet being a fictional Danish prince, and Copenhagen being in Denmark and … OK, it’s a flimsy hook. Don’t care. As I write this, I’ve got 12 hours of […]
-
![]()
![]()
How to explain Copenhagen to a comedian
Photo illustration / iStock images Comedian Eugene Mirman is going to Copenhagen for Grist to cover the international climate talks. Eugene is a fairly well-informed guy (he at least scans Google News looking for reviews of his latest album), but he’s the first to admit that he doesn’t live, eat, and smoke climate policy. At […]
-
Developing country action to reduce global warming pollution: Copenhagen (part 3)
“If only developing countries would take action to reduce their global warming pollution.” That is the refrain that was heard in capitals around the world for years. This was driven partly by a concern over competitiveness in some places (e.g., the U.S. and E.U.). And it was also driven by the reality that global emissions […]
