Representatives of 76 indigenous peoples said they reject market-based mechanisms as a false solution to the climate crisis at a recent international conference.
They said UN-backed carbon trading schemes such as Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD), 鈥渁re offered as solutions but have negative impacts and cause divisions among indigenous peoples, whose access and control of forest resources are eroded鈥.
Simon Butler
If at first you don鈥檛 succeed, redefine success. This phrase has become the unofficial motto of this year鈥檚 United Nations climate conference in Cancun, Mexico.
A week out from Cancun, which runs over November 29 to December 10, there is little hope of meaningful progress. Yet key players have sought to throw a shroud of official optimism over the looming failure.
Few Western politicians want a repeat of last year鈥檚 Copenhagen climate conference. They consider it a public relations disaster.
Climate deniers love banging on about media bias. It鈥檚 a favourite theme.
They claim media outlets suppress the debate, peddle global warming hysteria and refuse to give deniers an equal hearing.
Indeed, the evidence (always a knotty issue for deniers) shows that there is a glaring bias in the way the Australian media covers climate change. But it鈥檚 a bias for climate denier propaganda, not against it.
Take the Rupert Murdoch-owned media empire: Australia鈥檚 largest. The editorial line of its flagship broadsheet, the Australian, is notorious for its climate denial.
Divisions about a carbon price are hardening among Australia鈥檚 big businesses. Two distinct positions seem to have emerged in the corporate boardrooms.
Some corporate groups are backing the federal government鈥檚 call for a price on carbon because they say it will allow for a more certain environment for investment.
Nine CEOs of big Australian fund managers and superannuation companies linked to the Investor Group on Climate Change have formed a new panel to lobby the government for a carbon price.
Not so long ago, the polar ice sheet made it almost impossible to circle the North Pole by sea. But in June, two boats set off to do just that. By mid October, both returned to port successful 鈥 the first ships to sail around the pole in a single summer season.
Australia鈥檚 big banks would like you to think they care about climate change and the environment. But don鈥檛 believe them.
A new report by Greenpeace Australia has revealed the 鈥渂ig four鈥 鈥 Westpac, ANZ, Commonwealth and NAB 鈥 are investing billions of dollars in Australia鈥檚 dirty coal boom.
Burning coal for energy is Australia鈥檚 single biggest contributor to climate change, making more than a third of the country鈥檚 greenhouse gas pollution. Australia is also the world鈥檚 biggest coal exporter 鈥 and the export trade is growing fast.
No legally-binding agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions will be made at this year鈥檚 big United Nations climate conference in Cancun, Mexico from November 29 to December 10. And that鈥檚 just the way the rich nations want it.
Few world leaders are even expected to turn up to the Cancun talks. For months, key players have tried to dampen down public hopes that the summit will mark a shift away from business as usual.
The British Guardian columnist George Monbiot wrote on September 20 that it was time for climate action campaigners to accept the UN process was dead.
It鈥檚 close to an article of faith among environmentalists that using less energy is a big part of the solution to climate change. Energy efficiency is often said to be the 鈥渓ow hanging fruit鈥 of climate policy.
On face value, the benefits seem obvious.
The knowledge needed to make big gains in efficiency already exists. Using less energy will save consumers and industry money, whereas other policies will be costly. And most importantly, lower energy use could make a big dent in global greenhouse gas emissions.
On the surface, Labor PM Julia Gillard appears to have done an about-face on climate change in the weeks since Labor scraped back into government. Immediate action on climate change 鈥 especially setting a carbon price 鈥 is back on the agenda, she says.
The Labor minority government has given in to a Greens demand for a new parliamentary committee on climate change. In doing so, Labor appears to be backing away from its pre-election promise to delay new climate legislation until 2013.
91自拍论坛 Weekly鈥檚 Simon Butler asked five Australian climate activists for their thoughts on the current state of the movement. Phillip Sutton is the convenor of Melbourne鈥檚 Climate Emergency Network and co-author of the 2008 book Climate Code Red. Adam Lucas is coordinator of Beyond Zero Emissions Sydney and lectures in the Science and Technology Studies Program at the University of Wollongong.
Thankfully, no lives were lost in the September 5 earthquake that hit the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. But it has caused vast damage, up to half the buildings in the region need repairing.
As I watched the evening news report about the disaster, I was struck by a comment a local resident made to reporters. Half jokingly, he said the good news was that the rebuilding effort would help pull New Zealand out of recession.
Socialist Alternative鈥檚 Corey Oakley thinks many on the Australian left have got the federal election wrong. There is nothing positive about the balance of power being held by four independent MPs and one Green, he wrote in an August 27 article on the Socialist Alternative website. He said the left should be fearful of the independents, but some activists were wrongly celebrating the new role of these reactionary politicians.
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