Leed up to Bali climate change negotiations.

The Bali climate talks are just around the corner and meetings between nations, between environmental and wider civil society groups, and between people who care, are underway around the world.

This post is going to be the place for updates related to the talks as and when it comes to my attention.

News so far:

1. Kevin Rudd is the new PM of Australia. He has stated that he will attend Bali and that siging Kyoto is his 'number 1 priority'. This is a boost to talks which clerly need all the energy we can give them!
2. Canada has managed to destroy a Commonwealth consensus on tough and binding targets on emissions cuts therby becoming my own personal least favourite national govornment.
3. The IPCC summary for policymakers is out in time for the conference, and sobering reading it makes...but will its warning be heeded?
4. The International Crop Research Agency predict an agarian crisis as a result of climate change in a recent report.
   
5. Israel has decided not to send a delegate to the talks!
6. Nancy Pelosi, majority speaker of the house, will be leading a Democrat delegation to Bali (it is rumoured).
7. The WWF has published a report outlinging the potential financial saving that china could make by increasing energy efficiency and embracing clean energy.
8. France and China have signed an agreement to improve cooperation on climate change adaptation and mitigation.
9. 2007 UN development report states that the poor will pay the price of a weak climate deal.
10. Brazil joins Indonesia in agreeing to limit deforestation if the wealthy nations of the world will fund the project.
11. US announces it's negotiation team and it's full of Neo-Conservatives including Paula Dobriansky and James L. Connaughton. Great.
    
12. EU warns member states, aviation must be included in climate policy.
13. New Zealand prime minister Hellan Clarke has given a determined speech in Germany about the importance of climate change and sustainablity as global issues this century.
14. In the run up to the UNFCCC climate talks Indonesia has started the planting of 79 million trees, which it aims to complete over the next few years. The general view of conservation groups is that a halt to active deforestation of biodiverse rainforest areas should be the priority.
15. Brazil has made clear its aversion to taking on binding targets. This can hardly be suprising as the wealthiest nation on earth still havent agreed to this! However, we will fail without this bitter pill being consumed. Funding for this clean develoment strategy will be required from the 'North'.
16. The Woods Hole Research Center is announcing technology that enables rapid analysis of estensive areas of vegetation. This makes a deal on deforestation avoidance more practical therefore acceptable to the international community.
17. It's time to save peatbogs and rainforests, in 1997 these two made up 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions! Surely these are the cheapest savings on the planet behind energy efficiency?
18. Climate change and trade dominate EU-India summit.
19. More than 150 major global companies have signed the 'Bali Communique' as created by the UK Prince of Wales' Corporate Leaders Group on Climate Change.
20. German Chancellor Merkel has stated that Germany must take a lead on climate change according to the International Herald Tribune."Merkel said Germany is prepared to announce a raft of measures it will undertake itself, and has set an ambitious goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2020."
21. Dealing with illegal logging is key to fighting climate change according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
22. The Red Cross and Red Crecent have released there position, and also a very substantial report on the threat that climate change presents there mission with.
    
23. Greenpeace have release a briefing on Bali and the broader climate negotiations.
    
24. "Climate change is posing imminent threat to Viet Nam’s progress in human development, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)"
25. International Institute for Environment and Dvelopment (IIED) publish a report on asian development and climate change 'Up in smoke? Asia and the Pacific'. Asia, due to its large population of small scale farmers is perticularly at risk from climate change.

(Photo:Up in smoke? Asia and the Pacific' ) Deforestation is a major contribution to climate change, to increased flooding risk, and in fact to a whole range of environmental and social problems.


Related: Bali climate talks covoured in depth daily by the professionals and by bloggers.

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