Business as usual is no longer an option when it comes to carbon emissions. At a press conference following the release of the IPCC’s “Doomsday” report, panel chair Hoesung Lee commented that “limiting warming to 1.5 is not impossible, but … Continue reading “Academia and Climate Change”
As we wound down this dossier on Hurricane Sandy and NYC, Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda struck the Philippines a devastating blow. The still-unfolding tragedy is a stark reminder of the fact that climate change is not experienced evenly. While Hurricane Sandy … Continue reading “Combined and Uneven Disaster”
Cities are the cradles of human civilization, and they are also the testing grounds for humanity’s future. Over 50% of human beings now live in cities, and that percentage is going to accelerate rapidly as the megacities of the global … Continue reading “Bird on Fire”
Phoenicians starved for their city’s self image will find critical satisfaction in Andrew Ross’s Bird on Fire. As a Phoenix resident for nearly 20 years, I know all too well how we have long been deprived of the kind … Continue reading “That Which Is Not Inferno, Or, The Pleasure of the Urban Text”
On one side of town, there would be ecological ‘haves,’ enjoying access to healthy, morally upstanding green products and services. On the other side of town, ecological ‘have-nots’ would be languishing in the smoke, fumes, toxic chemicals, and illnesses … Continue reading “The Future is Now: Climate Change and Environmental Justice”
I think today must go down in history as the moment when humanity collectively failed to secure its own future. It also has to be seen as one of the greatest crimes of the rich and powerful of the world … Continue reading “Failure”
This is the final session in a two-day workshop organized by the Transnational Institute, a group that bills itself as “a worldwide fellowship of scholar activists.” The overarching theme of the workshop was Defying Dystopia: Struggle Against Climate Change, … Continue reading “People's Alternatives”
Rosa Gonzalez of Green For All in Oakland was the facilitator of this session. She began by talking about the talks. They’re very challenging. On the way into Joburg, she got into a conversation with a cabbie that underlined people’s … Continue reading “Oral Testimonies from the Climate Wars”
Sunday, December 4 To put some perspective on the passionate calls for systemic change that I’ve been detailing in this blog, an article just ran in the New York Times announcing that “global emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning … Continue reading “We're fucked!”
Saturday, December 3 Today was the Global Day of Action against the UN COP17. Here in Durban, a large and very spirited crowd wound through the city towards the site of COP17 negotiations. Here are photos of the day, all … Continue reading “Global Day of Action”
Friday, December 2 The day’s activities began with a Climate Justice Tribunal. The model here, of course, is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which became a model for conciliatory justice after hearings in the transition to democracy during the mid-1990s … Continue reading “Climate Justice Tribunal”
Friday, December 2 Kamoji Wachiira (Kenyan-born senior fellow with the Canadian International Development Agency) presented this evening on contemporary land grabs. According to Wachiira, it is estimated that an area the size of Europe has now been grabbed in Africa … Continue reading “Land Grabs”
Thursday, December 1 This session was organized by groundWork, a South African environmental justice and service organization. The panel began with a presentation by Mithica, a worker with the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance, a coalition of African civil … Continue reading “groundWork – building social movements in and beyond Durban”
Thursday, December 1 It’s pouring down rain with a tropical vengeance at the moment after several days of clear skies and fierce heat. This rain reminds me that it’s important to remember what climate change means for the 99% here … Continue reading “And the rains came…”
Wednesday, November 30 What is Climate Finance? The idea behind this is that the wealthy, polluting nations of the world need to pay poorer, less polluting countries – which also happen to be the ones getting it in the neck … Continue reading “Climate Finance”
