The Cochabamba Accord stemming from the objectives of the Peoples’ Summit in South America this last April and seen as a counterbalance for the dismal Copenhagen meetings and ”the much promised and nothing delivered” Copenhagen Accord; have just received an even greater boost than simply the fact that ”unofficial” Peoples’ delegations from 115 countries, signed on it in Cochabamba this year.
The Cochabamba Accord objectives have now also been approved by the majority of the official negotiating delegations from nations meeting – under the UN umbrella organization of the Conference of the parties – in Bonn at the UNFCCC preparatory rounds of the COP16. That means the Cochabamba Accord will be discussed in the UNFCCC Mexico round of talks, the COP16.
The Cochabamba Accord and the World Peoples Climate Change targets, will therefore be discussed properly in China, and once digested into ”acceptable text” will be attached to the declarations for discussion and voting this December in Mexico’s COP16.
This is a significant if small step in the right direction. And as all great steps, it didn’t happen because of sheer luck alone. Nor did it happen because of the sudden enlightenment of these otherwise grouchy bureaucrats and career diplomats. And certainly didn’t come about because of the largesse of the developed world’s government’s and their white collar stiff negotiators…
Not at all.
Mr Pershing and Mr Xsia haven’t caved in. They are still up to their old tricks… But the Climate has changed. Yes the big Momma has kicked their butt.
Just now people sit up and take notice that our Environment has changed too much. And not in a positive way. This New reality of a warmer planet and it’s associated bleak effects are getting harder and harder to dismiss by the day…
Just see the news: Floods, droughts, hottest temperatures on record, wildfires, earthquakes… and all of that often within the same day in the very same country… So now, people and governments have to wake up. Negotiators got to soften their harsh stance. And maybe earnestly look for a Climate deal. And all this because of the environmental disasters ravaging our world consistently now.
From the coldest snow winters, to the hottest and wettest July and August…
And from the wheat harvest killing drought of Russia to the fires burning in and around Moscow, the flooded Pakistan and hottest month on record and the melting Arctic, all these once in a lifetime events, are now becoming commonplace and are the new norms and realities of everyday existence in the life of the people.
Pakistan has been the latest victim, as irreversible damage continues to mount in the wake of the country’s worst-ever flood with death tolls upwards of 7,500 people and a staggering twenty million people displaced. Do you think the Talib are as great a threat for Pakistan’s existence as natural hazards can be? What about the US? Where is the National Security intelligence Crowd now mouthing off on this issues?
These natural disaster events are going to happen more and more and affect each and every one of us. Believe it or not, it’s just a matter of time. Although some ”far away” events, like the floods of Pakistan, will cause the poorest and most ”distant people” to feel it first and still other distant peoples like the Chinese to feel it later – it is the cyclical nature of time and place events like these – taking place in the Atmospheric Commons and the common Climate Change, that will guarantee you and I, will feel and live these destructive events soonest.
And even that some American people don’t understand that Katrina didn’t happen in a far distant land but here in the nation’s heartland because of our Climate Change and environmental indifference and willful destruction of the local barrier to the Gulf storms. The cutting up and the destruction of the protective swamplands Ecosystem by the oil companies, made Katrina a completely man made ”Boomerang”effect of a usual yet more frequent storm. And even though the bad luck of Louisiana seems to make it another country all together, it truly isn’t that way at all. The devastation of Katrina happened, in the heartland of the USA, not in the developing world. And the Climate Change denier President of the time, didn’t even care to respond to the people’s pleas for help. Let’s see how we fight the next disaster. For it will certainly happen again because the US isn’t making any effort to reduce its habitat destruction, it’s ecosystems disintegration and it doesn’t rein in their greenhouse gases.
And guess what – nobody else is going to be doing it either. This isn’t like not paying your taxes or your church tithe. There isn’t anybody else here to pick up the slack…
Therefore: What are the chances that the US will act on Climate Change before Cancun? Nearly zero. Am not a pessimist by a long shot. Yet realistically the US won’t act. The recent Senate decision to drop even the lousy bill that was in front of them and at a minimum would mandate caps on carbon emission of the Power and Utility industry, suggests so. And because we know that as the Mexico talks draw nearer, the pressure is on for concrete decisions and action. And this year no amount of American Theatrics with a Super Hero President – Peace maker to the stars – swooping in to save the day will mean anything. We’ve seen that movie and it didn’t end well…
We only have one chance. We must take actions now to avoid a very dark future for all Peoples.
We have to fight to avoid the darkness descending upon all human beings.
Somewhere along the way we’ve crossed the threshold called Berkeley line. And we didn’t even notice…
And now with our fancy negotiators we are doing what we do best when we are feeling like Super Powers.
Mutually Assured Destruction is what the lack of Climate Progress will ensure. Worst than an Atomic war. The Climate Change will be and feel like the total nuclear war once it sets off in earnest…
You think You can survive that?
Living in a CO2 heavy atmosphere and a warming planet with negatively changing climate isn’t going to be as easy as we had it thus far.
We need reinvigorated climate efforts and we need the Cochabamba Accord that aims squarely at those negative outcomes for discussion and a Political Agreement in Mexico…
Because in the most recent series of climate talks in Bonn where, as has been the case with most post-Copenhagen climate discussions, no decisions were made and no promises upheld by anyone…
Nobody can say I’m going to solve this problem alone. Or inside my borders. Or unilaterally acting. That’s not possible. If there is no global agreement, there is no solution.
No Empire is strong enough to solve this thing alone. And even if it were it wouldn’t be long lasting… The goal of the Bonn conference was to address plans to decrease global emissions, primarily amongst the industrialized countries, and to close the gap between the Kyoto Protocol’s inception in 1997 and decisive action which has yet to be seen in 2010.
The lack of responsibility by developed countries is an eyesore. In last year’s Copenhagen conference, which was only eight short months ago; the industrial world pledged $100 billion per year until the year 2020 for Climate mitigation and adaptation Aid to the developing world. This comes to just about $20 a year per person from the donor countries. These flows haven’t started yet. Nothing. Ziltch. Nada. Zero. This promise has not yet materialized in earnest, nor in capital, nor in commitments.
The Bonn conference brought to light anew the immense and pressing need for a global climate treaty.
Even the far seeing leaders are powerless in front of the magnitude of the Climate problems. One could go as far as to limit their own Carbon outputs and even go to the stage of having zero emissions in one’s own country – but if others keep polluting the air – then at the end, you’re going to suffer the same consequences, even though you’ve made a big effort. There has to be a global responsibility and a global agreement. The industrialized world polluted the Atmosphere for two hundred years before they discovered what’s what, and decided to address the issue. And now what do they do?
What?
Nothing.
Nothing is what we got out of Bonn.
Critics say: Well what do you expect in Germany?
I expected a whole lot of action.
Unfortunately, a global agreement seems really distant at this point.
The results of the Bonn Conference were less than conclusive and merely outlined the next opportunity to continue talking about the issues.
We’ll do this in November, yet with the addition of some really cool language in the texts to be discussed, come Mexico…
But first off to China and the last preparatory round.
Here it goes:
UNFCCC BONN MEETINGS RESULTS IN ADOPTION OF COCHABAMBA ACCORD FOR DISCUSSION IN CHINA & MEXICO
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Las propuestas del “Acuerdo de los Pueblos” en los textos para la negociación de Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático
Después de una semana de negociaciones, las principales conclusiones de la Conferencia Mundial de los Pueblos sobre Cambio Climático y los Derechos de la Madre Tierra (Cochabamba, abril de 2010) han sido incorporadas en el documento de Naciones Unidas sobre Cambio Climático, que ahora ha sido reconocido como un texto de negociación por los 192 estados que se congregaron en Bonn, Alemania, durante la primera semana de agosto de 2010.
Los puntos más relevantes que han sido incorporados para su consideración en la próxima ronda de negociación previa a Cancún, que se realizará en China, son:
+ La reducción en un 50 % de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero por parte de los países desarrollados para el segundo periodo de compromisos del Protocolo de Kioto del año 2013 al 2017.
+ Estabilizar el incremento de la temperatura a 1 C y 300 partes por millón de Dióxido de Carbono en la atmósfera.
+ Garantizar una distribución equitativa del espacio atmosférico, tomando en cuenta la deuda climática de emisiones de los países desarrollados para con los países en desarrollo.
+ Pleno respeto a los Derechos humanos y a los derechos inherentes de los pueblos indígenas, las mujeres, los niños y los migrantes.
+ Pleno reconocimiento a la Declaración de las Naciones Unidas de los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas.
+ Reconocimiento y defensa de los derechos de la Madre Tierra para alcanzar la armonía con la naturaleza.
+ Garantizar el cumplimiento de los compromisos de los países desarrollados a través de la constitución de un Tribunal Internacional de Justicia Climática.
+ Rechazo a los nuevos mecanismos de mercado de carbono, que traspasan la responsabilidad de la disminución de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero de los países desarrollados a los países en desarrollo.
+ Promoción de medidas que cambien los patrones de consumo de los países desarrollados.
+ Adopción de las medidas necesarias en todos los foros pertinentes para que se excluya de la protección de los derechos de propiedad intelectual a las tecnologías útiles y ecológicamente sostenibles para mitigar el Cambio Climático
+ Los países desarrollados destinarán el 6 % de su producto nacional bruto para acciones relativas al Cambio Climático.
+ Manejo integral del bosque, para mitigación y adaptación, sin mecanismos de mercado y garantizando la plena participación de los pueblos indígenas y comunidades locales.
+ Prohibición de la conversión de los bosques naturales en plantaciones, puesto que las plantaciones de monocultivos no son bosques, sino se debe incentivar la protección y conservación de los bosques naturales.
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The proposals of “Peoples Agreement” in the texts for the United Nations negotiation on Climate Change in China and Mexico
After a week of negotiations, the main conclusions of the World Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Right of Mother Earth (Established in the Cochabamba Accord of April 2010) have been incorporated in the document of the United Nations on Climate Change, and have now have been recognized as a negotiation text for the 192 countries which have congregated in Bonn, Germany, during the first week of august of 2010.
The most important points that have been incorporated for consideration in the last round of negotiations before Mexico, that will take place in China, are the following:
• 50 % reduction of greenhouse gasses emissions by developed countries for the second period of commitments from the Kyoto Protocol years 2013 to 2017.
• Stabilize the rise of temperature to 1 C and 300 parts for million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• To guarantee an equitable distribution of atmospheric space, taking into account the climate debt of emissions by developed countries for developing countries.
• Full respect for the Human Rights and the inherent rights of indigenous Peoples, women, children and migrants.
• Full recognition in front of the United Nations with the Declaration of the Indigenous Peoples Rights.
• Recognition and defense of the rights of Mother Earth to ensure harmony with nature.
• Guarantee the fulfillment of the commitments from the developed countries through the building of an International Court of Climate Justice.
• Rejection to the new mechanisms of carbon markets that transfer the responsibility of the reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases from developed countries to developing countries.
• Promotion of measures that change the consumption patterns of the developed countries.
• Adoption of necessary measures in all relevant forums to be excluded from the protection of the intellectual property rights to technologies and methods that are ecologically sustainable and considered useful to mitigate climate change.
• Developed countries will allocate 6% of their national gross product to actions relative to Climate Change.
• Integrated management of forests, for mitigation and adaptation, without market mechanisms and ensuring the full participation of indigenous Peoples and local communities.
• Prohibition of the conversion of natural forests for plantations, since the monoculture plantations do not constitute a forest, but instead we should encourage the protection and conservation of natural forests and pristine old habitats.
Yours,
Pano
PS:
What the Bonn Conference and it’s negotiators attendees did agree on, was a need for action.
According to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change - UNFCC – the Co2 levels in the atmosphere, must be reduced by up to 40 percent by the year 2020, and another 80 percent by 2050. If these cuts are not made the global temperature would rise by more than the 2 degrees Celsius, resulting in even more frequent and devastating Climate disasters.
Either way we look at this – with eyes from the North or from the South – in the language of the developed or the developing people of the Americas, one thing is clear.
There has to be consensus for ACTION, that factors in all of the Peoples.
A deal has to be made amongst all peoples of the globe.
PS2:
And we can learn something from the first nations of this earth.
And the indigenous Peoples of North and South America are already in agreement about the Human and Environmental Rights.
And those rights they assign to Mother Earth or Gaia or what have You; as being the same with your home and your country and your Atmosphere; and that they ought to be protected.
If the Government politicians get in line and understand the gravity of the New realities of Life as it now stands; we have a good chance of living through this…
PS3:
If not and if we don’t get a clear and binding global Climate agreement in Mexico this year,
we might as well start looking for the magic underground and start to adapt to living in extreme conditions.
Some theorizing scientists from Cambridge think we would do well living as rats and adapt as other slimy creepy creatures…
That is if the Darwinian adaptation process can outrun the fast Climatic Changes coming immediately as soon as we hit temperature increases of 2C .
Can you live thus?
