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In Copenhagen's suburbs yesterday, police fired pepper spray and beat protestors with batons outside a climate conference meeting venue. The violence marked a low point for a climate change summit that's had plenty of low points. The demonstators, who have been active during most of the negotiations, are demanding "climate justice" which means, presumably, firm steps taken......read more
BBC News reports that key states have reached what they call "a meaningful agreement" at the Copenhagen climate summit. In the press conference, President Obama called the agreement a "historic step forward". But no one, including the leaders involved, believe it's enough to halt global warming. Obama said the US, China, Brazil, India and South Africa had "agreed to......read more
At a speech given in Copenhagen earlier today, US President Barack Obama made no secret of his frustration with the lack of consensus at the climate summit. "I think our ability to take collective action is in doubt," he said, adding that it is "in our mutual interest to achieve a global accord in which we agree to steps, and to hold each other accountable for certain......read more
In a move to save the Copenhagen talks from collapse, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced earlier today that the United States is prepared to support a $100 billion financing plan to help developing countries protect themselves from the damaging effects of climate change. There is some hope that the announcement will give a last minute boost to the climate negotiations, which have......read more
With public interest in climate change reaching new highs during the summit in Copenhagen, today's NASA Image of the Day, showing the distribution of black carbon over the earth's northern hemisphere, assumes added relevance. Black carbon, better known as soot, is thought to be the second largest contributor to global warming after CO2. Found globally but concentrated over Asia, black......read more
Despite the likelihood that the 193 countries at the climate summit will leave Copenhagen with an agreement to finish their work either at a June meeting or at the next annual U.N. conference slated for next November in Mexico City, time is of the essence for President Obama and his congressional leaders to pass a domestic global warming bill. The New York Times reports....read more
I recently met Beth Terry, the author of a great blog on plastic pollution called Fake Plastic Fish (the definitive resource on our culture’s obsession with plastics) at a very sobering event – the return from an expedition to Midway Island with photographer Chris Jordan, who traveled there with a film crew to document the “plastic graveyard.†Midway is literally......read more
With all good intentions, the climate talks in Copenhagen illicited less than they might have. There's a non-binding deal to fight global warming, but there was no agreement on binding limits of greenhouse gases linked to climate change. The process is moving forward in long-term goals just enough to enable the president to characterize the talks as not a total loss. He admited it was......read more
This gorgeously produced video from world-renowned artist Maya Lin really packs a punch. We love Maya Lin's work in general - her earth wave at Stormking was something the SHFT team got very excited about. A pile of heavy-hitting doners contributed to this piece, which was produced by Radical Media - one of the top production companies around. Part of Maya Lin's last memorial entitled......read more
Interesting op-ed piece in the Guardian today arguing that China bears ultimate responsibility for failure of the Copenhagen talks. "Copenhagen was a disaster. That much is agreed. But the truth about what actually happened is in danger of being lost amid the spin and inevitable mutual recriminations. The truth is this: China wrecked the talks, intentionally humiliated Barack Obama, and......read more
