With temperatures as low as -20°C, energy security is a pressing concern for Poland this winter, especially for the millions who rely on coal for electricity and heating. Over 2 million households are now facing the prospect of energy poverty as their energy bills are expected to consume more than 10% of their household income. With…
Tag: Climate Change
My thoughts on UN COP22, Marrakech
Climate change has once again become the focus of global diplomacy last week as countries gathered in Marrakech, Morocco for the UN (United Nations) climate body’s (UNFCCC) 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22). I was lucky enough to be chosen as a delegate to the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) AlterCOP22 climate camp. Attending…
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…
UNFCCC Conversations: the Lookout #FYEGClimateDel
During the UNFCCC Intercessional we’ve noticed that a lot of our fellow youth know a lot about this process and we thought why not share their expertise with everyone? Norway is an interesting country that is in an awkward position of being one of the biggest financial contributors to combating climate change, while also being…
Art of necessity V art of possible
During the discussions towards the end of the recent Climate Action Network side event, the European Union delegate stood up and delivered a speech, offering insight into the rather alarming and unambitious ‘commitments’ of the EU. During the speech, he mentioned the following: “It’s not about the art of necessity but about the art of…
Q&A with AWG-LCA Chair
AWG-LCA = Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention Question: “During the open LCA meetings there seems to be a serious lack of cooperation and too much focus on structure instead of the substance of the negotiations which has lead to a worrying lack of progress. For example the lengthy expenditure…
STOP PRESS: Annex 1 marries Kyoto Protocol in emotional ceremony
Speech from the ceremony witnessed by members of the UNFCCC secretariat, delegates, observers and the press: “Dearly Beloved, We are gathered here in the presence of the UN to witness and bless the exchanging of vows that will bind Annex 1 and the Kyoto Protocol together in the covenant relationship of marriage. When this ceremony…
COP16 to be another disaster?
A number of FYEG delegates attended the contact group meeting this afternoon on Annex I Parties’ emissions reductions. When we arrived at 15:00, the start of the session, no delegates were present, only the Chair of the meeting. Eventually the discussions started thirty minutes late with less than half the delegates present. I’m finding it…
Learning from indigenous peoples
Another interesting side-event today at the climate change conference: “Learning from indigenous people on traditional forest management and REDD plus”. The organizer – Tebtebba (Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education) – wants to bring community experiences to the core of the discussions, showing why we have to increase the value of indigenous…
Global Climate Change: The FACTS
Just to remind you all of where we are regarding the science of global climate change, I have selected a few rather depressing facts, ironically all taken from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change which uses the International Panel on Climate Change as its source: Climate change is already happening, is unequivocal…