Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao, has spoken out over the acute criticism China was subjected to in the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate negotiations. Claiming to be baffled by such criticism, the premier made the comments at the close of the annual meeting of the National People’s Congress.
Wen complained that some people were trying to make the issue about China and countered that climate change is about human survival, the interest of all countries, and issues of equity and justice in the international community. It has also been reported that he considers the Copenhagen Accord to be the best deal that could have been achieved given the circumstances.
Does Premier Jiabao have grounds for complaint? Has the criticism of China been unfair or does China have a lot to answer for?
The work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is to be independently reviewed by the InterAcademy Council (IAC). The joint announcement was made yesterday by the UN Secretary General and the Chairman of the IPCC.
The review will examine every aspect of how the IPCC’s reports are prepared, including the use of non-peer reviewed literature and is expected to be completed by August.
Will an independent review repair the damaged reputation of the IPCC and silence the climate sceptics?
While welcoming yesterday’s European Commission proposals for advancing post-Copenhagen climate talks, Oxfam also brought attention to how major loopholes on climate finance had been ignored. Such loopholes allow rich countries to raid aid budgets and rely on unpredictable private sector finance to meet their climate finance commitments.
Oxfam’s announcement calls on developed countries to provide at least $200 billion dollars a year in public finance to help poor countries adapt to a changing climate and reduce their own emissions and wants the EU to lead the world in closing climate finance loopholes.
The International Monetary Fund has proposed that countries adopt a quota system based on the model that it uses to raise its own money, in order to secure the funding needed to adapt to climate change.
It has been reported that IMF head, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is acting on concerns within the fund about the amount of money needed and the effect that such an amount could have on the global economy. The IMF believes that the proposed system would bring in money faster than an increase of carbon taxes or other fundraising methods could.
Can such a system bridge the gap between now, when money is desperately needed, and the time when carbon taxes are a reliable and sufficient source of income? Will such a time ever arrive?
Should the IMF even be involved in climate financing discussions?
The criticism of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) continues. Climate sceptics still use the hacked emails from the University of East Anglia in an attempt to discredit climate science as a whole. And the public’s faith in the veracity of claims made by well established climate scientists is wavering.
In response, the UK MET Office has just concluded a review of more than 100 scientific studies that track the observed changes in the Earth’s climate system and found that it is an increasingly remote possibility that human activity is not the main cause of climate change.
A Guardian report has backed the research to strengthen the case for human induced climate change in the face of ongoing denial by climate sceptics. It is thought that the 100 studies of sea ice, rainfall and temperature should help the public to make up their own minds and also embolden their confidence in climate scientists.
Will reviews such as this turn the tide against recently rejuvenated climate sceptics?
A new European research project, dedicated to the study of climate change and its social dimensions, began its work last week. CLICO – Climate Change, Water Conflict and Human Security – will conduct research over the next 3 years under the direction of the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology.
Researchers from 14 institutes will analyse the effects that drought, flooding and rising sea level have on social tension and conflicts in 11 regions. Concluding their work, the researches will propose actions to facilitate the peace and security of the populations of each area. This will include an examination of the role played by public institutions in protecting such populations.
The project is said to be the first of its kind and will focus on the impact that climate change has on the mode of subsistence of the most vulnerable populations.
Over the weekend, former US vice president Al Gore weighed in on the debate currently being dominated by climate change sceptics. Publishing an article entitled We Can’t Wish Away Climate Change, Mr Gore highlighted that;
Despite the recent set backs, the overwhelming consensus on global warming remains unchanged.
The last ten years were the hottest decade since modern records have been kept.
The US is trailing China in the race to develop smart grids, fast trains and renewable sources of energy.
There is no obvious alternative for the US policy makers that would be any easier than the proposed cap and trade system.
China will not take serious steps towards an effective climate change treaty unless the US passes meaningful legislation first.
The lags in the global climate system means that we can create conditions that may have destructive consequences long before such consequences become apparent.
Millions of people in the developing world are being hit first, worst and hardest by the devastating effects of climate change – a problem that they did not create. Oxfam Ireland and others campaign for a fair, safe and legally binding climate deal because climate change is an issue of global justice and human rights.
There are many other viewpoints though on why climate change should be addressed. Here is a brief look at a military perspective on climate change and national security in the US;
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, has issued a statement urging rejection of attempts by climate sceptics to undermine efforts to reach a global climate deal.
Ki-moon also offered support for the much maligned Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by calling on environment ministers to disregard the exaggerated shortcomings of the 2007 IPCC report and not allow negotiations to be derailed further.
For all you iPod lovers out there, a handy new app is available for free from Skeptical Science, designed to counter some of the most popular arguments used by climate sceptics.
Oxfam’s Climate Change blog has been nominated in the 2010 Irish Blog Awards under Best News/Current Affairs Blog.
We face some stiff competition from high profile bloggers such as David McWilliams and Edel Coffey but it is fantastic to just be nominated.
The nomination is a welcome pat on the back for everyone involved with the blog and we would all like to say a massive thank you to the readers who nominated us for the award.
Best of luck to all nominees and congratulations to all involved with the awards.
