Simon

Photo credit: World Economic Forum In an article in the New York Times, titled "The Climate for Change," Al Gore lays out his climate and energy plan, which he says is needed "to begin an emergency rescue of human civilization from the imminent and rapidly growing threat posed by the climate crisis." In the article Gore points out that IPCC has after years of detailed study and four unanimous reports now said that the evidence for man-made climate change is "unequivocal." Climate change deniers need to "wake up" and that "our children and grandchildren need you to hear and recognize the truth of our situation, before it is too late." Gore says his five-part energy and climate plan, where USA commits to produce 100% of the electricity from carbon-free sources within 10 years, will help solve the climate and the economic crisis while creating "millions of new jobs that cannot be outsourced". Here is a summary of Gore's five-step plan: 1. Large-scale investments in incentives for solar thermal plants in the Southwest, wind farms stretching from Texas to the Dakotas and advanced geothermal plants in known hot spots. 2. $400 billion over 10 years for a unified national smart grid that would transport renewable energy from the rural areas where it's generated to the cities where it's needed. It should include smart features that would allow consumers to conserve electricity and reduce bills. 3. Help the automobile industry, both the large automakers and new start-ups, to convert to plug-in hybrids that utilize the smart grid. 4. A nationwide initiative to retrofit buildings with better insulation and energy-efficient windows and lighting. He asks that the initiative be coupled with the proposal in Congress to help Americans with mortgages that are more expensive than the value of their homes. 5. Put a price on carbon and lead world efforts to come up with a more effective replacement to the Kyoto treaty. Gore also lashed out at the "clean coal" lie saying its "dirtier", "more expensive" and "too imaginary": "If we could only increase oil and coal production at home, they argue, then we wouldn’t have to rely on imports from the Middle East. Some have come up with even dirtier and more expensive new ways to extract the same old fuels, like coal liquids, oil shale, tar sands and "clean coal" technology." "But in every case, the resources in question are much too expensive or polluting, or, in the case of "clean coal," too imaginary to make a difference in protecting either our national security or the global climate. Indeed, those who spend hundreds of millions promoting "clean coal" technology consistently omit the fact that there is little investment and not a single large-scale demonstration project in the United States for capturing and safely burying all of this pollution. If the coal industry can make good on this promise, then I’m all for it. But until that day comes, we simply cannot any longer base the strategy for human survival on a cynical and self-interested illusion." Hopefully Barack Obama will listen to Gore's energy and climate plan and put an end to this insane inaction that has plagued politics for too long.

[caption id="attachment_677" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Action on the Maasvlakte: activists plant 18 flags, one for each nationality at the camp"][/caption] As part of their global Quit Coal Campaign, Greenpeace activists from 18 different countries have today occupied the construction site of a new E.ON coal fired power plant on the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The construction of the plant has halted and the activists say they will stay until the coal plant is cancelled. "E.ON is ignoring all science around climate change by insisting on plans to construct eight new European coal fired power plants. The plant in Rotterdam is intended to be the first, even though it has not yet been granted the necessary permits. The previous evening the activists put up tents, next to the building site, to bear witness to the unfolding climate disaster. Then at first light they moved onto the site, paralysing the construction of the plant." The activists have locked themselves onto strategic points at the construction site and occupied the building cranes. "Civil disobedience, like occupying a building site, is completely justified when compared to the impact on the climate of a new coal plant. The consequences for the climate from this coal plant would be so dramatic, that urgent action is needed now," said Meike Baretta, Head of Climate and Energy campaign Greenpeace Netherlands. Greenpeace and other climate and anti-coal organisations have been strengthen by the British "landmark global warming trial" in September which acquitted six activists who tried to shut down the Kingsnorth coal plant in the UK. The jury "found their actions justified when considering the damage to property caused around the world by CO2 emissions from the plant". Greenpeace is currently trying to put pressure on E.ON to commit to reducing its CO2 emissions. And today’s occupation is just one of several recent actions by Greenpeace targeted E.ON coal operations in Europe. Greenpeace recently led a flotilla against Kingsnorth, occupied the site of a proposed coal fired plant in Antwerp and halted the loading of an E.ON owned coal plant in Sardinia. Greenpeace warns that coal-fired power stations will undermine European targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020. EON has so far remained silent and continued its climate wrecking operations. Update: The Greenpeace activists managed to halt the construction of the new E.ON coal plant for 10 hours before they were all arrested by police. Special police cut their chains and neck locks and removed everyone from the site by the end of the day.

Photo credit: davetrainer Trevor Reichman over at TreeHugger asks why GM and the other corporate giants in the auto industry seeks $50 billion in public funding, while no one mentions help for public transportation. Reichman points out that the demand for fuel in USA is decreasing and that an increase in travellers on public transportation shows that "Americans are willing to drive less". So why should the US government even think that a "wasteful and economicly demanding invention from last century" is needed when there are other and better alternatives available. "Instead of handing over 50 billion dollars to an industry that cannot be sustained at its peak level, public funds can be better used to fund rails, buses, and bicycle pedestrian projects that have already been engineered, already been proven, and are just waiting for funding. While GM and friends seek roughly $165 per American, there is no clear or specific plan for how that money will be used to benefit the public or save jobs." Reichman says that the "automobile giants have successfully lobbied to derail mass transit infrastructure around the world for many decades", and that "now is not the time to further subsidize them." "Commuters have spoken, through actions, that the use of public money is better spent on public services than on private industries. Shifting jobs from the automotive sector to the public transit sector may hurt the elite few who sit at the top of a decades long monopoly over transit infrastructure, but the millions it would almost immediately benefit is something to consider before a decision is made." I completely agree with Reichman. GM and the other auto giants that now face a financial crisis and their own impending death have themselves to blame. These auto companies have resisted and done everything in their powers to stop stronger compulsory MPG and CO2 emission standards, denied climate change and their promises that they could cut their greenhouse gases voluntarily have all failed. As a result the average car sold in USA today is less efficient than the Model T Ford from 1908. In Sweden the auto giant Volvo is also facing a financial crisis and many people are loosing their jobs. The Swedish Government foolishly tries to help by pouring tax-money into these doomed companies. They all ignore the fact that these companies are failing today because they have for year's resisted sane technological change. The best thing for everyone is to let these "foot-dragging, planet-eating spongers" to go under.

The global grassroots climate movement, 350, asks for your help to invite President-elect Barack Obama to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poland this December. So far over 48,000 "invitations" have been sent. Sign the invitation, click here! Dear Sen. Obama I'm writing with a simple request: attend the UN Climate Meetings this December and rejoin the world's fight against the climate crisis. The need for an international deal has never been greater. NASA's top climate scientists have said that to avoid disaster the planet needs a plan both to cut carbon emissions sharply and immediately, and to steer a long term path back below 350 parts per million Carbon Dioxide. And time is running out. The UN Climate Meetings mark a one year countdown to finish crafting an international climate deal. I call on you, as President-elect, to commit to going to the UN meeting in Poland in December 2008 to: *Commit the US to mandatory reductions of Greenhouse gas emissions that meet the urgency science calls for and transition the US to a clean energy economy. *Commit to helping developing countries reduce their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change, and to transfer the technology that will help bring the world to more sustainable economies. Sending this strong signal to the world will help spur the negotiations so that a genuine global agreement meets the seriousness of the problem. The world is ready for action. Thank You. Watch the video: ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349">

In light of the United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Poznan, between 1st - 14th of December, Greenpeace have set up a "Climate Rescue Station" on the edge of a coal mine. The four storey tall station "will be used as a platform to tell the world that we can save the climate, but only if we quit coal, the most polluting of all fossil fuels". The Climate Rescue Station, which is powered by wind and solar energy, will have representatives from 15 different countries and is part of Greenpeace's global Quit Coal campaign. The campaign is led by the flagship the Rainbow Warrior, who is currently urging governments and energy companies "to give coal the boot". During the climate talks in Poland the station will be moved to Poznan Wolności square. There it will continue to bash coal and put pressure on the delegates attending the climate talks to "get serious about climate change, quit coal and work towards a meaningful deal to save the climate". Watch the Climate Rescue Station being built below: ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"> ...Or watch it on YouTube.

Sony Ericsson recently released a new eco-friendly concept phone called the GreenHeart. According to Sony Ericsson the phone is made from bio-plastic housings, recycled plastic keypads and will come with an "environmentally conscious packaging" (see the picture to the right). The phone will have a zero charger with 3.5mW standby power. The manuals to the phone will no longer be printed on paper and will instead be offered as HTML based e-manuals that you can read on your computer. With the phone Sony Ericsson also wants to ship a game style educational application called "Ecomate". GreenHeart is still just a concept. So there are really no guarantees that this version of GreenHeart will be the one that finally gets released to the market. "This concept has been shared with a few selected partners in the industry, whose response has been extremely positive. Sony Ericsson will therefore take this concept and initiate a two-way conversation with customers on what features they believe should be implemented in future phones and in what priority." You can also take a look at Nokia's more futuristic-looking eco-friendly phone concept, or their 3110 Evolve, an eco-friendly phone that you can actually buy now.