Rich-Poor, North-South Divide Marks COP15’s Opening Week11 Dec 2009As debates between rich and poor nations over emission cuts and funding continue on this fifth day of the COP15 climate summit here in Copenhagen, we begin with an overview of the week’s developments. The rich countries have proposed a climate fund of $10 billion a year from 2010 to 2012 to help developing countries adapt to climate change. Poor countries say that is too little. We hear from the climate negotiators from India, China, and Association of Small Island States, and get analysis from Kate Horner of Friends of the Earth. [includes rush transcript]
“Keep the Oil in the Soil”: Ecuador Seeks Money to Keep Untapped Oil Resources Underground11 Dec 2009As delegates discuss various ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, our next guest has a simple message: keep untapped oil in the ground. Ivonne Yanez is an environmental activist from Ecuador, one of the larger oil producing countries in Latin America. Ecuador is believed to be sitting on an oil reserve of hundreds of millions of barrels. But the oil is located in the Yasuni National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Ecuador has launched a unique campaign to have the international community compensate the country in exchange for keeping the oil in the ground.
Ahead of Major Climate Protests, a Rare Glimpse at Activist Preparations in Copenhagen11 Dec 2009Here in Copenhagen, tens of thousands of people are expected to take part in a march Saturday protesting the failure of world leaders to address the climate crisis. Saturday’s march is just one of a series of major demonstrations scheduled over the week. Activists from around Europe and the world are flooding into Copenhagen. Meanwhile, the Danish police have launched its largest security effort. Last night, Democracy Now! got a rare tour inside several of the key convergent spaces where protest organizers are preparing for the demonstrations.
Rich-Poor, North-South Divide Marks COP15’s Opening Week11 Dec 2009As debates between rich and poor nations over emission cuts and funding continue on this fifth day of the COP15 climate summit here in Copenhagen, we begin with an overview of the week’s developments. The rich countries have proposed a climate fund of $10 billion a year from 2010 to 2012 to help developing countries adapt to climate change. Poor countries say that is too little. We hear from the climate negotiators from India, China, and Association of Small Island States, and get analysis from Kate Horner of Friends of the Earth. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for December 11, 200911 Dec 2009US Criticized for Rejecting Climate Reparations, Study: Ocean Acidification to Rise Absent Emissions Cuts, Thousands Protest Obama Outside Nobel Ceremony, Report: Blackwater Played Key Role in Rendition, Iraq-Afghanistan Raids, Pakistan: Jailed US Citizens Sought to Join Militant Groups, Ecuador: US Aided Colombia in 2008 Attack, Egypt Builds New Border Wall on Gaza Border, Hunger-Striking Western Sahara Activist Urges US Support, Pentagon Declared in Contempt of Court in Gitmo Case, Senate Bill Permits Insurers to Limit Medical Coverage, US, Mining Giant Reach $1.79B Environmental Settlement, “The People Speak” to Air in US
Citing Its Survival, Pacific Island of Tuvalu Interrupts Copenhagen Summit to Call for Binding Climate Commitments10 Dec 2009The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu has taken a firm stand at the climate talks here in Copenhagen, citing its very survival as being at stake. Tuvalu is among the world’s most vulnerable to rising sea levels due to climate change. On Wednesday, Tuvalu tried to get the full conference to consider a legally binding new protocol that would require more aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and a more ambitious climate target than is being considered.
President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize: ?The Instruments of War Do Have a Role to Play in Preserving the Peace?10 Dec 2009President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize today in Oslo, Norway, less than two weeks after he ordered 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. In a possible attempt to avoid questions about the Afghan war, the White House has canceled the traditional press conference held by Nobel Peace Prize winners. In addition, the White House has canceled other events held every year, including a dinner with the Norwegian Nobel Committee, a television interview, appearances at a children’s event promoting peace, as well as a visit to an exhibition in his honor at the Nobel Peace Center. [includes rush transcript]
Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace on Obama’s Peace Prize, Obama’s War, Copenhagen and Climate Debt10 Dec 2009Longtime South African activist Kumi Naidoo was recently appointed the new executive director of Greenpeace International. In 1986 Naidoo was forced to go underground after he was arrested for violating the apartheid government’s state of emergency regulations. He later became one of the founders of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty. We speak to Naidoo about Obama’s Nobel Prize, the status of the Copenhagen summit, climate debt, and how his days resisting the apartheid government have influenced his current fight for climate justice. [includes rush transcript – partial]
Headlines for December 10, 200910 Dec 2009Obama Receives Nobel Peace Prize, Top General Predicts Rise in Afghan Violence, Rep. Kucinich Unveils Measure for AfPak Withdrawal, Obama Continues Bush-Era Rejection of Biological Weapons Inspections, US “Categorically Rejects” Climate Reparations, Island Nation Halts Copenhagen Session, Danish Police Raid Activist Site, Zelaya Cancels Exit to Mexico, 5 US Nationals Arrested in Pakistan, Kuwait Prisoner Released from Gitmo, Activists Launch Bolivarian Continental Movement, Dems’ Rejection of Public Option Boosts Insurers’ Stocks, Mayors: 26% Rise in Food Aid Needs, US Prison Population Hits All-Time High, Wall St. Bailout Extended to 2010, SF State Students Occupy Building, Sentences Reduced for Two of Cuban Five
Climate Justice Activists Enter Day 34 of Hunger Strike9 Dec 2009A group of international climate justice activists have entered Day 34 of a hunger strike. The strike began on November 6, the final day of the Barcelona climate talks. On Tuesday, Democracy Now! producer Mike Burke spoke with one of the hunger strikers here at the climate summit in Copenhagen.
Naomi Klein and Martin Khor on the Growing North-South Divide in Copenhagen over Kyoto, Climate Debt and Emission Targets9 Dec 2009The secret draft climate agreement leaked to The Guardian newspaper yesterday sets unequal limits on per capita carbon emissions for developed and developing countries in 2050. This means that people in rich countries would be permitted to emit nearly twice as much as those in poor countries. The document also proposes a $10 billion a year fund to help developing nations cut emissions and tackle the effects of climate change. But the fund is far smaller than what many delegates [includes rush transcript]
Negotiations over the World’s Rainforests Hang in the Balance9 Dec 2009We speak with Miguel Lovera, the chief negotiator for Paraguay, who has played a key role in negotiations over the world’s rainforests that many expect will be one of the few deals to be actually finalized at the climate summit here in Copenhagen. It’s called REDD, or Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation, and a final text is expected as early as this weekend.
“We Are Not Begging for Aid” – Chief Bolivian Negotiator Says Developed Countries Owe Climate Debt9 Dec 2009One of the countries leading the call for just climate reparations here at the COP15 talks is Bolivia. We speak with Bolivia’s chief climate negotiator, Angelica Navarro. “Twenty percent of the population have actually emitted more than two-thirds of the emissions. And as a result, they have caused more than 90 percent of the increase in temperatures,” Navarro says. “We are not begging for aid; we want developed countries to comply with their obligation and pay their debt.”
?This Text Is an Extremely Dangerous Document for Developing Countries?: G77 Chief Condemns Secret US-Danish Climate Deal9 Dec 2009The UN climate talks are in disarray here in Copenhagen after developing countries reacted furiously to leaked documents that show world leaders will next week be asked to sign an agreement that hands more power to rich countries and sideline’s the UN’s role in all future climate change negotiations. Moments before we went on the air, Lumumba Stanislaus Di-Aping, the Sudanese chair of the group of 132 developing countries known as G77, condemned the leaked document. [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for December 9, 20099 Dec 2009Leaked Climate Text Infuriates Developing Nations, Senate Dems Reach Deal on Abandoning Public Option, Senate Defeats Anti-Abortion Amendment, Single-Payer Advocates to Hold Day of Action at Senate Offices, Study: US Lags in Life Expectancy, Health Costs, US Reaches $3.4B Settlement in Native Land Trust Case, Obama Calls for New Economic Stimulus, Iraq Bombing Toll Reaches 127, Lawmaker: Key Prewar WMD Claim Based on Iraqi Taxi Driver, Eikenberry: No Opposition to Afghan Escalation, US Won’t Renew Contract for Firm Guarding Afghan Embassy, Japan Suspends Talks on US Airbase, Honduras Election Winner Wants Amnesty for Coup Leaders, Report: Brazilian Police Killed 11,000 Since 2003, Admin Seeks Dismissal of Yoo Torture Suit, Dems, GOP Elect Nominees to Run for Kennedy Seat
Nigerian Environmentalist Nnimmo Bassey: The Global North Owes a Climate Debt to Africa8 Dec 2009We turn now to one of Nigeria’s best-known environmental leaders, Nnimmo Bassey. He is the founder of Environmental Rights Action in Nigeria, and he serves as the international chair of Friends of the Earth. He has campaigned against Shell Oil’s presence in the Niger Delta for nearly two decades. Last night he spoke at the opening of Klimaforum09. His forthcoming book is titled To Cook a Continent: Destructive Extraction and the Climate Crisis in Africa.
As EPA Rules Greenhouse Gases Endanger Public Health, a Discussion on Obama’s Climate Change Policies8 Dec 2009The Obama administration has moved a step closer to regulating greenhouse gases. On Monday, the Environmental Protection Agency said six gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, endanger the environment and public health. The move would allow the EPA to take action against greenhouse gases without needing congressional approval. We host a discussion on US climate change policy with Damon Moglen, global warming campaign director for Greenpeace, and John Hickenlooper, the mayor of Denver.
Report: Burma, Yemen and Vietnam Hardest Hit by Extreme Weather in 20088 Dec 2009The World Meteorological Organization announced today that 2009 will likely be the fifth warmest on record and the first decade of this century the hottest since records began. Meanwhile, here in Copenhagen, the environmental group Germanwatch issued a new report ranking the countries hardest hit by extreme weather based on socioeconomic data. For 2008, Burma topped the list, followed by Yemen and Vietnam. The United States ranked fifth, higher than any other industrial nation. [includes rush transcript]
“Would You Commit Murder?” – 15-Year-Old Maldives Climate Ambassador Asks World Leaders to Take on Climate Change8 Dec 2009One the countries on the front lines of climate change is the Maldives. Eighty percent of the land lies three feet or less above the waves. The predicted sea level rise caused by global warming could wipe the country off the map. We speak with fifteen-year-old Maldives climate ambassador, Mohamed Axam Maumoon. On his message to the world, Maumoon says, “On the basis that you know what you are doing is wrong and you can see that the victim is begging for mercy…would you commit murder?” [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for December 8, 20098 Dec 2009EPA: Greenhouse Gases Endanger Public Health, Report: 20% of US Water Treatment Systems Violate Clean Water Act, Activists Open Alternative Climate Summit, Anti-Coal Activists Hold WV Protest, Shell Wins Drilling Permit Off Northwestern Alaska, Senate Dem Plan Would Privatize “Public Option”, Nelson Adds Anti-Abortion Amendment to Senate Bill, Over 100 Killed in Iraq Bombings, Obama to Defend Afghan War Escalation in Nobel Speech, Clashes Erupt at Iran Protests, Ex-Indonesian Officer: Australian Journalists Were Slain for Covering Timor Invasion, 6 Charged in Death of Ex-Chilean President, Chicago Resident Accused of Role in Mumbai Attacks, Hashmi Remains in Solitary Confinement as Trial Delayed, SEC Charges 3 Former Subprime Execs, 29 Arrested Outside Chevron Headquarters
Climate Change and the Global South: A Roundtable Discussion7 Dec 2009We host a roundtable discussion with three guests who have extensively studied how climate change is affecting poor populations around the world: Saleemul Huq, a Bangladeshi-born scientist and lead author on parts of the last two reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Lidy Nacpil of Jubilee South; and Tim Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network.
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