September 23rd, 2009 @ kadraoui // No Comments
UNITED NATIONS: Chinese President Hu Jintao announced new goals yesterday to slow the growth in his country’s carbon dioxide emissions while US President Barack Obama warned time was short to act on global warming. The two men, whose countries represent 40 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, sought at a climate change summit to reinvigorate stalled UN talks to reach an international deal to fight global warming.
Hu laid out a new climate change plan for China. Obama outlined his administration’s efforts so far this year but did not offer new proposals. Hu said China would vigorously develop renewable and nuclear energy and promised emissions would grow slower than economic growth in future.
“We will endeavour to cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by a notable margin by 2020 from the 2005 level,” Hu said. He also outlined ambitious goals of planting enough forest to cover an area the size of Norway and generate 15 per cent of its energy needs from renewable sources within a decade. The pledge, while short of an absolute cap on output, was seen as an attempt to counter critics, especially in Washington, who say Beijing is doing too little.
Obama said the US had done more over the eight months of his presidency to reduce carbon pollution than at any time in history and urged all nations to act together. “Our generation’s response to this challenge will be judged by history, for if we fail to meet it – boldly, swiftly, and together – we risk consigning future generations to an irreversible catastrophe,” Obama said.
“The time we have to reverse this tide is running out.”Activists hoped the US and China would inject momentum before 190 nations gather in Copenhagen aiming to complete a deal to slow climate change. But environmentalists were upset at the lack of specifics in Obama’s first presidential speech to the UN.
“We are very, very disappointed about what Obama has said,” said Thomas Henningsen, climate co-ordinator for Greenpeace International.
“It is more of a step back than a step forward,” he said, adding Obama had not spelled out any concrete steps compared to what other nations were prepared to do.
Europeans, who had welcomed Obama’s commitment to fight climate change as a positive development after his predecessor George W Bush, are growing impatient.
A climate change bill mandating cuts in US emissions is unlikely to be passed by the US Senate by December.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said talks were moving too slowly. “Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen would be morally inexcusable, economically short-sighted and politically unwise,” he said.
Talks leading to the December 7-18 meeting have put developed and developing countries at odds over how to distribute emissions curbs.
September 23rd, 2009 @ kadraoui // No Comments
شارك وزير الخارجية الشيخ خالد بن أحمد بن محمد آل خليفة في قمة تغيير المناخ ممثلا لعاھل البلاد جلالة الملك حمد بن عيسى آل خليفة والتي ترأس اجتماعاتھا بنيويورك الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة بان كي مون والتي شارك فيھا رؤساء الدول والحكومات.
كما شارك وزير الخارجية في اجتماع المائدة المستديرة في إطار قمة التغيير المناخي والتي ترأس اجتماعاتھا دولة الكويت وفنلندا، وقد شارك الوزير في مداخلة خلال الاجتماع أوضح فيھا أن قمة تغيير المناخ تعتبر خطوة مھمة في التمھيد إلى مؤتمر كوبنھاغن الذي يھدف للتوصل إلى اتفاقية عالمية شاملة لمعالجة التخفيف من الانبعاثات الحرارية لجعل العالم أكثر أمنا وسلامة واستدامة، كما شدد وزير الخارجية في مداخلته على ضرورة مساھمة كل دول العالم الصناعية في معالجة الاحتباس الحراري العالمي والالتزام بالاتفاقيات الدولية في إطار التغيير المناخي وعلى وجه الخصوص بروتوكول كيوتو ويشارك في اجتماعات الأمم المتحدة بنيويو وصل وزير الخارجية الشيخ خالد بن أحمد بن محمد آل خليفة أمس الأول (الاثنين) إلى الولايات المتحدة الأميركية لترؤس وفد مملكة البحرين في اجتماعات الدورة 64 للجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة بنيويورك وسيجرى وزير الخارجية لقاءات مع عدد من وزراء خارجية الدول الأعضاء بالأمم المتحدة تتعلق بتعزيز التعاون الثنائي والمتعدد الأطراف. كما سيشارك الوزير في اللقاءات الجانبية على ھامش اجتماعات الجمعية العامة التي ستعقدھا عدد من المجموعات الإقليمية لأجل تعزيز وتطوير التعاون الإقليمي فيما بينھا، إضافة إلى مناقشة عدد من القضايا والبحث عن حلول لھا ويتوقع أن يلقى وزير الخارجية كلمة مملكة البحرين السنوية بالجمعية العامة التي سيتطرق فيھا إلى إنجازات المملكة ھذا العام وإلى القضايا المطروحة على الساحتين الإقليمية والدولية
September 21st, 2009 @ kadraoui // No Comments
BAHRAIN’S residents are being invited to give “a wake up call” to world leaders for further action on climate change. They are being urged to attend a gathering today at Bahrain City Centre at 4.30pm. Participants will all hold their phones in the air at a specific time and come together to be photographed and filmed as they join other groups around the globe.
The picture and clip will be sent to world leaders by a US-based global network of environmental activists spearheading the campaign. More than 1,000 similar events will be held in more than 88 countries to deliver a resounding “wake-up call” ahead of a key meeting on climate change being held in New York tomorrow. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is holding the one-day summit, where US President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao will be among the speakers.
Leaders of the Group 20 will also meet in Pittsburgh from Thursday to discuss ways to finance the fight against climate change among other issues. Experts say a UN climate pact in Copenhagen in December risks failure unless world leaders revive boggeddown negotiations this week. The global initiative is spearheaded by New York-based e n v i r o n m e n t a l activist group Avaaz (meaning voice in various Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European languages) and organized here by Bahrain member Anisa Asaad. Ms Asaad encourages everyone to join the campaign, which she says will only last a few minutes, but will hopefully have a significant impact on world leaders.
“The idea of a global climate wake-up call is snowballing into a massive mobilisation of millions who want leaders to do more to stop runaway climate change,” she said.
“Bahrain’s residents are taking part to help show the huge level of public concern that climate talks move far and fast, enough to deliver a deal that will avert climate catastrophe and unleash a green economy.
“We will send pictures and a video to Avaaz, who will then forward all the clips from around the world to leaders at the climate change meeting in New York.” As an early childhood and family educator, Ms Asaad believes it is important to teach children about the principles of environmental protection. “The environment is a big issue for Bahrain and we must raise awareness about how important it is and pass this onto our children. We need to be environmentally aware,” she said. “If we continue to raise children who are not informed, future generations will really suffer.” Abroad coalition of major environmental and antipoverty organisations as well as faith, civic and youth networks – called the TCKTCKTCK campaign for the ticking- clock urgency of climate change – is backing the effort.
Talks
Film and photographs from the day’s event will be compiled and shown to world leaders as well as at the US premiere of climate film Age of Stupid, to be shown in more than 400 cinemas simultaneously. Audiences will also take part in calling their government to get climate talks on track and deliver a “fair, ambitious and binding” new climate treaty.
For more information visit www.avaaz.org/en/tcktcktck_ map.
becky@gdn.com.bh