Architecture 2030

I`ve been doing quite a bit of reading about building movements, and messaging, one interesting if unsprising commonality of largescale movements is the involvement of wider constituancies. For example outspoken scientist and business leaders in the case of the clean air act. It is these non-traditional activists that really signal a movement has a chance. In the UK I have been interested in how active MedAct has become on climate change, development charity ChristianAid has likewise become involved in climate change. Bellow is an editorial from Architechture 2030, a growing organisation of Architechts who are taking measure to lower the carbon footprints of buildings. I find this kind of thing very encouraging.

Architechture 2030 Update.

"Over the past several months Architecture 2030 has been busier than ever. We set some very challenging goals for ourselves, and with enormous support and commitment, we achieved much of what we set out to accomplish. Our team, accompanied by four very influential speakers, joined forces with some of the most powerful names in the industry to produce a live web-cast that would inform more students, professionals and community leaders than we could reach in a lifetime by traveling and lecturing.

On February 20, 2007, Architecture 2030 hosted the 2010 Imperative Global Emergency Teach-in, which was sponsored by the Home Depot Foundation, American Institute of Architects, US Green Building Council, New York Academy of Sciences and many other generous supporters. The event, web-cast live from New York City for three and a half hours, reached over a quarter of a million participants from 47 countries worldwide. Over 1200 AIA members participated for continuing education credit and hundreds of universities across the globe hosted exciting events with remarkable turnouts.

Now the word is out: Global warming is happening and the educational and design communities have an obligation to join others worldwide in the battle against catastrophic climate change. The 2010 Imperative offers students, faculty and administrators a historic opportunity to lead our nation in this time of crisis, and The 2030 ˚Challenge offers professionals and policymakers a simple, achievable strategy to reduce fossil-fuel consumption and the carbon emissions that are currently a by-product of the built environment."

To recieve regular updates from Architechture 2030 go here.

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Two Climate Links

I just recieved an email from Jane Marsching about a project that she is coordinating. Called "climate commons" there are an interesting range of people involved, from Comedians to Climatologists and other Creative types.

Check out the site here. It is interactive so leave your comment.

Another link worth checking out is the Climate Change Action mailing list/forum.

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REDD -- REDucing emissions from Deforestation

I recieved the following email in the daily round of notices form the IISD's Climate-L mailing list. If you are interested in climate policy you should probably tollerate the high traffic and subscribe, there is lots of interesting info available.

Dear climate-l readers,

we would like to make you aware of an
article discussing recent developments regarding the issue of reducing emission
from deforestation (REDD). The publication also provides estimates for the
potential market value of an international mitigation scheme and for potential
incomes of individual countries.

The article - entitled “Nairobi talks made progress on forest conservation for global warming emissions credits - is available at on here.

The research paper analyses key implications of different international policy approaches for the environmental effectiveness of an agreement on REDD, as well as for its economic and political attractiveness to different stakeholders. It also addresses potential co-benefits of carbon trading solutions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, suggests ways to maximise synergies, and considers solutions to several unresolved negotiation issues.

Comments are highly welcome!

Johannes Ebeling Consultant EcoSecurities Direct +44 (0)1865 264 010 Mobile +44 (0)770 799 2110 Tel +44 (0)1865 202 635 Email johannes.ebeling@ecosecurities.com www.ecosecurities.com

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Newsletter of the week: World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Just a few higlights from the past week (via WBCSD)...and my thoughts on some of them.

The first two stories both stem from the recent Clinton initiative annual meeting.

1.Yale is to train corporate directors on climate change.

This decision by Yale is certainly welcome but its woth noting that Hardvard has been doing a similar thing with congressmen for some time. I`m pleased this is happening but untill that congressional education pays off and political leadership is in place the opportunities for big business to move are limited by policy measures. Damn me for my pessimism...business leaders are notoriously creative, lets all hope that this has a real impact!

2. Branson pledges investment in biofuels for aviation.

Talking of creative business leaders Richard Branson has announced that the proffits fromhis transport firms Virgin Trains and Virgin Atlantic (planes) will be invested in biofuel research and development companies. Now unfortunately this isn't as great as it may sound...great greenwash, the public love it but the environmentalists seem to be scared. Grain stocks are declining for the first time in years, deforestation in the amazon is increasing again, peat fires are increasing in frequency and scale. All of these are due to the rapid expannsion of biofuels (at least in part). Once all the ethanol plants in the US are built they will consume the entire us corn stock every year...the biological impacts are terrible the climate impacts are far from amazing and the prospect of expanding biofuels to aviation dosent fill any environmentalist with joy!

3. China set to lead the world in energy efficiency and low impact energy generation.

The way China chooses to develop will determine the future of the planet. There are many signs that our fate may not be a posotive one...a new coal fired power station a week being a pretty good example. Before looking at the posotive side of development in China is is worth noting that this development would be no more than the development that Europe and the USA have already undergone and would be perfectly just with regards the developed nations and yet another injustice for the poorest countries of the world. There reasons for optimism are hower, not difficult to find. With two billion people and a huge scientific and technological research base China is an enormous centre of inovation. The recently announced goal of 2% energy intensity reduction per year for the next 10 years is no small commitment. The list of green policies goes on and on...as it must. China is loosing its biodiversity, its natural welath and its economic power due to environmental degredation. The rate of development has been and continues to be astonishing. There is an enormous struggle going on in china right now and although the situation could hardly be more severe, the signs of hope are stronger there than in may of the worlds developed countries where progress is painfully slow and inertia seems to rule.

4. Energy efficiency the crucial first step to real emmisions reductions.

At the ENDS energy efficiency conference in Brussels the pre-eminence of energy efficiency in our fight against climate change was re-iterated yet again. Saving energy is cheaper than producing and distributing it...long live the negawatt.

5. Bush talks alternative energy again.

Being an oil man you can never take Bush to seriously when he talks about diversification of energy supply: the facts talk louder than his rhetoric. Being a politician however you can take something seriously, his motives for using the rhetoric. Energy diversity, security of supply and climate change are emerging issues--people are starting to care Bush's language therefore is acting as an indicator of the progress of these progressive issues in the mainstream political discourse. Its encouraging stuff, its just painfully slow.

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Climate Group Dec Update

The climate group has just released it newsletter for Dec2005 and its review of 2005.

The climate group was set up in 2004 :



"The organization was founded in 2004 by a diverse group of companies, governments and supporters who saw the opportunity to create new momentum in the international effort to stop global warming"

The "year in review" is facinating, it shows just how much has been happening in relation to climate change during 2005.
POSTSCRIPT: Climate Change, InternationalA, NewslettersA

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