On Wednesday the 9th of November, most of us woke up shocked and disappointed by the US election results. And of course, many of us feared the Paris Agreement and all global climate action is threatened. My guess is the climate will be fine, but other values might be at stake. The election of Donald…
Month: November 2016
Expectations for COP22
I am Mitja from Finland and also a part of the FYEG delegation to the climate negotiations of COP22 at Marrakech in Morocco. My expectations towards the negotiations are focused on action – what needs to be done to stop global warming? This year is heralded as the year of action yet during the first…
Growth driven society and the illusion of climate change mitigation
Sustainable development has been the focus of all the contemporary climate negotiations. All the environmental agreements and media releases mention the words “sustainable development”, however the COP22, as many other socio-political arenas, are rooted on the definition of economic growth as the route to development. Article 10.5 of the Paris Agreement set out that “Accelerating,…
COP22: The Newcomer
I’m new to COP, here’s a brief update on what it has been like so far. My name is Danika Formosa and I am the International Secretary of the Maltese Young Greens. I am part of the Federation of Young European Greens delegation attending the first session of the Conference of the Parties serving as…
Trump trumps climate – climate trumps Trump?
Actually, this should have been an article about expectations for this year’s UN Climate Talks after a few days of negotiations. It was prepared for the election of Hillary Clinton as 45th President of United States. But then Donald Trump was elected – a sexist, a racist, a homophobe. And when it comes to science:…
Direct democracy: the case for an organic civic/political education
When hearing the word “democracy”, what usually comes to mind is “government by the people”. However, in most cases this usually refers to decision-making by elected representatives. Direct or “pure” democracy would be a more accurate term for direct voting by citizens on policy initiatives, which can most famously be found in the Swiss governmental…
Young Greens Oppose Heathrow Airport Expansion
Yesterday the UK Government approved plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport, and the Young Greens of England & Wales are standing strong and transparently against this decision. We are being sold the myth that a third runway is a necessary feature of growth in our country, but like with so many of…
The story of Emilio: how volunteering changed his life from passion into action
When we face the toughest challenges of the society, it may seem that our small actions can hardly have great impact. However, this is not the case of Emilio Beladiez, a Spanish – young – vegan – social entrepreneur that will inspire our curious minds. It could not be otherwise, I met him at…