Russia May Not Join Global Deal on Climate Change
Poznan, December 15, 2008 - Russia may not join a new global deal to fight climate change if it is against Moscow's interests and will set a national mid-term target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions next year, an official said on Friday.
"If the conditions for the international agreement are not favorable for us we may not join such an agreement," Alexander Pankin, deputy head of the Russian delegation at UN-led December 1-12 climate negotiations in Poland, told Reuters.
If a new UN climate pact meant to be agreed in Copenhagen at end-2009 was unfair and failed to set comparable commitments for countries according to their economic and social standing, Russia would not sign, he said.
planetark.org: Russia May Not Join Global Deal on Climate Change

After dangerous lull, war on climate change faces crunch year
Poznan, December 14, 2008 - After a year in which it nearly lost its compass, the campaign against climate change heads into 2009 needing top-level political commitment, creative thinking and a deep well of money.
www.terradaily.com: After dangerous lull, war on climate change faces crunch year
www.bbc.co.uk: Climate talks hit stumbling block

Poznan: Survival is not negotiable
Poznan, December 14, 2008 - IYD: Next global climate agreement must safeguard survival of all countries, all peoples.
gristmill.grist.org: Survival is not negotiable

Rich-poor rift adds hurdles to climate deal
Poznan, December 14, 2008 - World leaders led by President-elect Barack Obama may be needed to help agree even a modest U.N. climate treaty in 2009 after a rift deepened between rich and poor nations over funds and new goals to cut emissions.
www.alertnet.org: Rich-poor rift adds hurdles to climate deal

Satisfaction, anger at outcome of Poznan talks
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - Industrialized European nations haven't set carbon emission levels low enough to end global warming, say environmentalists at a U.N. conference. The U.N. climate conference in Poznan, Poland, ended Friday with sharp criticism of the European Union countries by environment groups who contend wealthy nations have not shown enough ambition, the BBC reported. "Yet again the rich countries, who carry the historical responsibility for climate change, have failed to offer sufficient cuts," Tim Jones of the World Development Movement told the British broadcaster, putting into few words the objections of many environmental groups at Poznan. But EU officials disagreed, saying the negotiations to build on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol were successful, and had actually advanced the agenda of last year's conference in Bali. There, U.N. delegates unveiled an expanded protocol deal committing industrialized countries to deeper emission cuts, perhaps by 2020, as well as a longer-term universal agreement, the BBC said. "The conference enabled us to make real progress on every topic on the Bali road map," Martin Bursik, environment minister of the Czech Republic, which assumes the EU presidency in January, told reporters. "All the elements exist for us to reach an efficient and equitable agreement in Copenhagen (next year)."
www.terradaily.com: Satisfaction, anger at outcome of Poznan talks

Decisions adopted by COP 14 and CMP 4

Poznan, December 13, 2008 - The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan' on Saturday 13 December with a clear commitment from governments to shift into full negotiating mode next year in order to shape an ambitious and effective international response to climate change, to be agreed in Copenhagen at the end of 2009. Parties agreed that the first draft of a concrete negotiating text would be available at a UNFCCC gathering in Bonn in June of 2009.
At Poznan', the finishing touches were put to the Kyoto Protocol’s Adaptation Fund, with Parties agreeing that the Fund would be a legal entity granting direct access to developing countries. Progress was also made on a number of important ongoing issues that are particularly important for developing countries, including: adaptation; finance; technology; reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD); and disaster management.
A key event at the Conference was a ministerial round table on a shared vision on long-term cooperative action on climate change. Ministers gave a resounding commitment to achieving an ambitious and comprehensive deal in Copenhagen that can be ratified by all. The next major UNFCCC gathering will take place next from 29 March to 8 April next year in Bonn, Germany.
unfccc.int: Decisions adopted by COP 14 and CMP 4

Oxfam analysis of the Poznan Conference outcomes
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - The conference in Poznan was meant to be a key milestone between the start of negotiations in Bali last year and their conclusion at Copenhagen next year. But it has exposed a shameful lack of progress. By Poznan, developed nations (Annex 1) were meant to have submitted proposals on emissions reductions, finance and technology; they have failed to do so. They have tried to delay, shift the blame, and in the case of Canada, renege on their climate change obligations.
www.oxfam.org: Oxfam analysis of the Poznan Conference outcomes

Al Gore: World cares more about Paris Hilton than saving the planet
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - Al Gore has accused the world of having more interest in Paris Hilton, OJ Simpson and Anna Nicole Smith than saving the planet.
As key international talks on climate change drew to a close in Poland with little progress on a global deal and anger against the EU for failing to lead the way on targets, the Nobel Prize winner attempted to get efforts to stop global warming back on track.
www.telegraph.co.uk: Al Gore: World cares more about Paris Hilton than saving the plane

Mood mixed as climate summit ends
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - The UN climate summit has ended with delegates taking very different views on how much it has achieved.
Western delegates said progress here had been encouraging, but environment groups said rich countries had not shown enough ambition.
news.bbc.co.uk: Mood mixed as climate summit ends

U.N. climate talks progress on aid fund
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - A U.N. conference made progress on Friday toward agreeing on a fund to help poor nations cope with the impacts of climate change, at the end of a two-week meeting overshadowed by fears about economic recession.
www.reuters.com: U.N. climate talks progress on aid fund

Light REDD: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests
Poznan, December 13, 2008 - Should carbon markets pay for rainforest logging? Using carbon funds, the world's governments are poised to subsidize ancient forest logging, claiming it benefits the Earth's climate. REDD's potential support of "low impact" logging of ancient forests, and conversion of natural forests to tree farms, fails the climate, biodiversity and biosphere.
www.climateark.org: The Looming Tragedy of Carbon Markets Paying to Destroy Ancient Forests

Rich nations to blame for climate inaction and rejection of rights
Poznan, December 12, 2008 - After two weeks of negotiations, United Nations climate talks are closing with rich industrialized countries squarely to blame for failing to live up to their obligations.
www.foei.org: Rich nations to blame for climate inaction and rejection of rights

UN poised to agree action to halt rainforest destruction
Poznan / London, December 12, 2008 - Britain is brokering the world's first agreement on curbing the enormous contribution tropical deforestation makes to climate change, which is likely to be signed at the UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland, later today.
www.independent.co.uk: UN poised to agree action to halt rainforest destruction

UN talks set programme to landmark climate pact in '09
Poznan, Poland (AFP) December 12, 2008 - The world's forum for tackling climate change on Friday agreed a programme designed to culminate in a treaty that would expunge the darkening threat to mankind from greenhouse gases. The 192-member UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) set a schedule of work in 2009 designed to conclude with an historic pact in Copenhagen next December.
www.terradaily.com: UN talks set programme to landmark climate pact in '09

Analysis: Al Gore pushes the limits
Poznan, December 12 2008 - Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore Friday called on world leaders to become more involved in hammering out a global climate deal, amid hopes that the United States will take the lead starting next year.
Gore said heads of state should get "personally involved" by meeting "several times" over the coming 12 months to ensure that an ambitious climate-protection treaty is signed at a U.N. summit in late 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
www.terradaily.com: Analysis: Al Gore pushes the limits

Call for no delay on climate deal
London, December 11 2008 - As ministers begin two days of talks on climate change, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the world's financial woes must not block climate progress.
news.bbc.co.uk: Call for no delay on climate deal

UN Secretary-General at Poznan' Climate Change Conference Calls for a Green New Deal
Poznan, December 11 2008 - UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo do Boer and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 11 December 2008: Speaking at the opening of the High-level Segment of the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, taking place in Poznan', Poland, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed the urgency to take action, and called for renewed global solidarity to tackle the financial and climate change crises, calling the latter “the defining challenge of our era.”
www.climate-l.org: UN Secretary-General at Poznan' Climate Change Conference Calls for a Green New Deal

CBD Executive Secretary Stresses Mountain People’s Vulnerability to Food Insecurity and Climate Change
International Mountain Day 11 December 2008 - On the occasion of International Mountain Day, celebrated on 11 December, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), delivered a message on food security in the mountains.
www.cbd.int: Food Insecurity and Climate Change

Poorest need $1 bln for urgent climate projects
Poznan, December 11 2008 - Rich nations will be asked to contribute $1 billion to a fund to help the poorest countries implement urgent projects to adapt to climate change, a top official said on Wednesday.
Boni Biagini, who runs the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) which was set up under U.N. auspices in 2001, said funds would be raised based on an evaluation of plans from 38 of the world's poorest countries.
planetark.org: Poorest need $1 bln for urgent climate projects

Poznan: It’s all a pregame show
December 10 2008 - Strip away the mind-numbing complexity of this week’s high-level, multinational negotiations over a UN global climate change treaty and you are left with a simple question, no pun intended: Whose ox will get gored?
www.marcgunther.com: Poznan: It’s all a pregame show

Earth Hour to be huge call for climate action
Poznan, December 10 2008 - Dozens of events around the world today marked the launch of the campaign for Earth Hour 2009, a global climate event for which 74 cities in 62 countries have already committed to switch off their lights at 8:30pm on March 28.
www.enn.com: Earth Hour to be huge call for climate action

Climate change: A battle for the planet
Poznan, December 10 2008 - The Polish city of Poznan, host of this week's vital climate change summit, may become known as the place where the Earth was saved – or doomed.
www.independent.co.uk: Climate change: A battle for the planet

Climate Summit: emissions from peat soil ignored in REDD decision
Poznan, December 10 2008 - The UN climate summit (UN-FCCC) currently taking place in Poznan is crucial for the question whether the huge emissions from degraded peatlands will finally be addressed. Today however, the working group on the methodologies for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) has decided to only deal with above ground biomass, ignoring carbon rich soils. This decision will therewith so far ignore or even worsen the emissions of 2000 Mt/CO2/yr from peatland loss in developing countries.
www.wetlands.org: Emissions from peat soil ignored in REDD decision

We need to turn carbon into gold
Poznan / London, December 9 2008 - Little meaningful progress seems to have been made at the UN climate summit in Poznan, Poland, says Oliver Tickell, author of Kyoto2. In BBC's Green Room, he calls on world leaders to back a deal that will raise the serious funds needed to deliver a low carbon future.
news.bbc.co.uk: We need to turn carbon into gold

UN climate chief downbeat about a complete deal for 2009
Poznan, December 9 2006 - The UN's climate chief Yvo de Boer sounded caution over hopes that a new treaty to tackle global warming would be fully wrapped up by the end of 2009.
The executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said it was possible only "the key political issues" would be nailed down by this deadline and further talks would be needed to complete the details of the accord.
www.terradaily.com: UN climate chief downbeat about a complete deal for 2009

California dreaming: Selling green in Detroit and Poznan
Poznan, December 8 2006 - The movers and shakers in the world of climate change may have come to Poland this week for the United Nations’ annual climate jamboree, but their eyes are on America. At the same event next year, it is hoped, the world will agree on a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, the UN’s treaty to curb global warming. Everyone assumes that securing a new deal requires America’s enthusiastic participation. So while the official proceedings will consist of impenetrable debates about “avoided deforestation” and “common but differentiated responsibilities”, the talk behind the scenes will focus on what America’s next government will be ready to do in December 2009.
www.economist.com: California dreaming: Selling green in Detroit and Poznan

Countries, Cities, Companies and Organizations Pledge Climate Neutrality at UN Climate Conference in Poznan
Poznan/Nairobi, 7 /8 December 2008 - As nearly 200 governments are meeting to move forward a new global deal to address climate change at the UN climate conference, an increasing number of countries, cities, companies and organizations are committing to a low-carbon future by joining the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net).
www.unep.org: Countries, Cities, Companies and Organizations Pledge Climate Neutrality at UN Climate Conference in Poznan
www.climate-l.org: UNEP Releases Report on Construction, Buildings and Climate

Poznan climate summit crucial for peatlands
Wageningen, December 5 2006 - The UN climate summit in Poznan , Poland (1-12 December) is a key opportunity for addressing the huge greenhouse gas emissions from peatland degradation. A team of Wetlands International attends the summit to advocate policies that will address the loss of the worlds peatlands.
Emissions due to the loss of the carbon rich soils of peatswamps are currently not accounted for. These emissions total 3000 million tonne carbon dioxide per year: more than 10% of all global emissions.
www.wetlands.org: Poznan climate summit crucial for peatlands

Obama climate goals not enough: China, India
Poznan (Poland), December 4 2008 - President-elect Barack Obama's goals for curbing greenhouse gases to 2020 are inadequate to fight global warming, Chinese and Indian delegates told Reuters at U.N. climate talks on Wednesday.
www.reuters.com: Obama climate goals not enough: China, India (Dec 4)

'The Finance Crisis Will Affect Climate Policies'
Berlin, November 18, 2008 - In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, discusses how the current financial crisis will dampen national initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions and why he still has hopes Kyoto targets can be reached.
www.spiegel.de: The Finance Crisis Will Affect Climate Policies'

Obama vows climate 'engagement'
London, November 18, 2008 - US President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to "engage vigorously" on climate change, ahead of next month's UN summit on the issue.
Mr Obama will not be at the talks in Poland but said the US would "help lead the world" once he has taken office.
> www.bbc.co.uk: Obama has pledged to "engage vigorously" on climate change
> news.yahoo.com: Schwarzenegger opens climate summit with Obama
> www.350.org: Obama Commits the U.S. to Climate Action!

Rising industrialized countries emissions underscore urgent need for political action on climate change at Poznan' meeting
Bonn, November 18 / 17, 2008 - Two weeks ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan, Poland, the UN Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn has reported that greenhouse gas emissions in industrialized countries continue to rise.
Data submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) shows that emissions of 40 industrialized countries that have greenhouse gas reporting obligations under the Convention remained in 2006 below the 1990 level by about 5%, but rose by 2.3 percent in the time-frame 2000 to 2006.
> www.cnn.com: Industrialized countries' emissions on the rise
> www.iht.com: UN finds emissions leveling off among industrialized
> www.planetark.com: Ex-Soviet Bloc Leads CO2 Emissions Rise Since 2000
> www.sciam.com: From Bad to Worse: Latest Figures on Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions
> www.spiegel.de: Industrialized World Falling Short of Climate Goals
> news.yahoo.com/afp / Climate change: emissions from industrialised world still high
> unfccc.int: Rising industrialized countries emissions underscore urgent need for political action

Obama's message to the world: we will act quickly on climate change
Washington, November 13 2008 - Barack Obama, who has spent much of the time since his election closeted with his advisers in Chicago, sent a strong signal yesterday that he plans a decisive break with George Bush on environmental policy once he moves into the White House.
www.guardian.co.uk: Obama's message to the world: we will act quickly on climate change
www.enn.com: UN climate chief seeks Obama input in December talks

UN climate chief seeks Obama input in December talks
Paris, November 5, 2008 - The UN climate chief said Wednesday he was "very encouraged" by Barack Obama's stance on global warming, and said he hoped the US president-elect would join in key talks in December before taking office.
news.yahoo.com/afp: UN climate chief seeks Obama input in December talks

Financial Crisis Could Hinder Climate Talks
Berlin, October 1 2008 - Global financial turmoil will make it harder for international partners to reach important agreements on climate change in the coming months, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Tuesday.
www.planetark.com: Financial Crisis Could Hinder Climate Talks

UN Secretary-General Appoints Two New Climate Change Envoys
New York (US), September 18 2008 - The UN Secretary-General has appointed Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana, and Srgjan Kerim, outgoing President of the UN General Assembly, as Special Envoys on climate change. They will join two other Special Envoys that were appointed in May 2007, Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Norwegian Prime Minister, and Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former President of Chile, and will support the Secretary-General in his consultations with heads of State and government and push for progress in the Poznan Climate Change talks in December 2008.
www.un.org: Two new UN envoys chosen to spearhead progress on climate changee

UN Chief Warns Against Waiting for Climate Deal
GENEVA, September 1, 2008 - The world should not wait until next year to cobble together a new climate change pact, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Sunday.
Ban, addressing diplomats and officials at a ceremony for the 20th anniversary of the UN climate panel, said countries negotiating a successor deal to the Kyoto Protocol should aim for a meaningful breakthrough in Poznan, Poland, in December.
www.planetark.com: UN Chief Warns Against Waiting for Climate Deal