Category: Food & climate change

Addressing the UN Climate Summit in Durban, South Africa on behalf of Climate Action Network (a global coalition of climate organistions), I was excited, a little nervous and keen to play my part. This is what I said: Thank you Madame Chair. I am speaking on behalf of the Climate Action Network. We’d like to […] Read more »

The biggest spike in global greenhouse gas emission in recorded history occurred last year. After a brief easing of emissions in 2009, generally accredited to the global financial crisis, a lift in economic activity produced a staggering 564 million more tons of CO2 in 2010, beating the previous year’s output by 6%. That’s according to […] Read more »

“A camel is a horse made by committee and the Green Climate Fund needs to come out of the blocks like a race horse and start helping poor people”. This was the comment from Singapore in the opening negotiation session on the Green Climate Fund late Thursday at the UN Climate Summit in Durban, South […] Read more »

The climate negotiations currently underway in South Africa are particularly interesting for Australia, as we are attending with a carbon emissions tax in place. I met with Louise Hand, Australia’s Ambassador at the UN Climate talks in Durban to discuss the position Australia is taking at COP 17. This gave her the opportunity to outline […] Read more »

Today, thousands of people took the streets of Durban, South Africa demanding climate action. Trade unionists, churches, young people, farmers, women’s groups and NGOs such as Oxfam all marched from downtown Durban to the entrance of the UN Climate Summit singing, dancing and nosily calling for our leaders to make progress in the final week […] Read more »

With key discussions around the Green Climate Fund, set-up to provide life saving assistance to poor countries, and the future of Kyoto Protocol starting to sizzle. What’s more, I just addressed the talks on behalf of the Climate Action Network in a session on what the legal form of a future global climate change agreement […] Read more »

It’s now two years since the frantic campaigning and manic diplomacy that led to the Copenhagen climate change conference, and the blame games that followed its inadequate result. As the next UN climate talks get under way this week in Durban, South Africa, we need a new script to explain what has been achieved since […] Read more »

Shining a light on something often brings opportunities and responsibilities. The role of Australia in tackling climate change was in the spotlight today at the UN Climate Summit in Durban, South Africa. Australia’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Louise Hand addressed the opening plenary on the recent passing of the Clean Energy Future legislation. Quoting Minister […] Read more »

On the evening of November 15 2007 Cyclone Sidr struck the south coast of Bangladesh, thousands of people lost their lives. Full of rivers that meander to the coast, most of Bangladesh is a low-lying flood plain. It’s bursting at the seams and is saturated with water and with people. Photographer Rodney Dekker travelled to […] Read more »

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa (COP 17, 28 November to 9 December 2011), the global shipping industry, Oxfam and WWF have joined forces to suggest to governments how the further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping might best be regulated. Oxfam, WWF and the International Chamber of […] Read more »