Blog: Climate

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex - 21 July 2001 at 12:00am - Comments

Under threat - polar bear

Update: 21st July

The highlight Saturday outside the conference center, was a massive lifeboat organised by Friends of the Earth, constructed with planks covered in messages from all over the world, and towed throughout the city of Bonn and eventually into the Robert Schumann Platz at the conference center. A party atmosphere prevailed throughout the demonstration, and a good time was had by all.

Inside, Chairman Pronk outlined the process that he planned to use to get us through the final stage of negotiation, which is complicated enough to not bear repeating.

Suffice it to say that his plan called for a series of working groups which would report back to him. Then he would write up a text for consideration by the different groups. This was to happen sometime late in the afternoon. The paper finally arrived some time after 11 PM, so Greenpeace and all the other organisations got hold of copies and rushed off to put together commentary on it.

Article tagged as: climate change, COP, friends of the earth, kyoto protocol

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

Update: 20th July

The US Greenpeace students staged a mock wedding between Donny P (Perlman) and US Head Delegate Paula (Dobrianski), demonstrating for those who still had any doubt that the love between the US government and the fossil fuel industry is the kind that of love that only money can buy.

We also sounded the climate alarm today, reminding delegates of the urgency of the problems they are trying to solve.

However, police stopped Greenpeace from relieving delegates from the ear splitting siren in front of the conference centre. Just as the banner was taken down signalling the end of the intended short, sharp climate alarm, the police took away the activists who could have switched the siren off. Oh well, so the police had to drive the truck through Bonn with a very loud alarm still screaming. At least they gave it a police escort with flashing lights!

Article tagged as: climate change, international policy, kyoto protocol

Pacific nation fears devastation from the ocean

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

wave energy: a green and sustainable energy resource

A tiny South Pacific nation is planning to evacuate the islands because of rising sea levels. Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand for help in resettling its 11,000 people. The government says the islands may be engulfed in 50 years.

A Tuvaluan government spokesman says New Zealand has agreed to help but there have been no guarantees from Australia.

Article tagged as: australia, climate change, impacts, new zealand, sea levels, south pacific, tuvalu

Greenpeace say "good morning" to President Bush

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

In the early hours, George Bush got a dawn wake up at Chequers when a micro-lite, trailing a "George W Bush - International Outlaw" banner, buzzed the house around 10 times.

George Bush and Tony Blair have flown out to Genoa for the start of the G8 summit today. G8 will bring together world leaders to debate globalisation.World Meteorological Organisation

Article tagged as: climate change, g8, george bush, kyoto protocol, peace, star wars

Melting ice threatens blue whales' food supply

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

Whale tail

Melting polar ice is threatening the main food source for Antarctic blue whales and could lead to their extinction, an international environmental group said yesterday. The whales feed on small sea creatures known as krill, which in turn eat microscopic marine algae. These live in sea ice and are released in the summer when the ice melts.

Article tagged as: blue whales, climate change, conservation, impacts, krill, oceans, sea ice, WWF