No, these guys are saving the world apparantly!
Well they all use a Jet each to get there, which uses god knows how much emissions, not only that but they fly aides out there and security who all fly out seperately!!

They sit down and eat a 14 course meal whilst complaining that we, the little people, waste too much food each day.
Sorry Mr Brown, I must confess to not eating the core on my corn on the cob last night! Perhaps one of your council spies will fine me!!
How dare he turn to us, people who are at the moment struggling to put food on the table at all, and say we waste too much.

I bet the leftovers from that meal ran into the value of hundreds of pounds, which is disgusting when you think he is complaining that people waste up to £400 of food a year!!  Well done Mr Brown you just achieved that with one meal!

The other thing bugging me is his comments on cars.

We will be petrol free by 2020 he says!

Well Mr Brown get your arse back down to earth and see the reality here.
The motor companies have had the abilty to do away with the combustion engine for 20 years or so, but know it would be cutting there own throats. Even though costs of mass producing electric or hydro powered vehicles is hugely cheaper than that of producing a petrol or diesel vehicle from scratch, they price the vehicles so that little old me will never be able to afford one!

But hey it must be the way to go because George Clooney drives one! Right?

And whilst I am on the subject of cars, there's a plan to tax me several hundred of pounds for the tax of my little 1.4 rover! Whilst Jimmy "The Old Chav" Jones who lives down the road can drive his Ford Capri, which kicks out  huge plumes of smoke every time he starts it, for free! yes it's a classic car and he has to pay bugger all money for it!

So it appears, unless I am earning enough money to buy a new car every few years, or willing to drive a car that was crap when it was new but is now listed as a classic I'm going to be screwed over! thanks Mr Brown I'll just go and make my kids eat the shells off their boiled eggs then tell them there's no holiday this year kids because I can't afford to put them on a plane becasue of fuel taxes !!

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Ayer, para variar, tuve un interesante cambio de profesión por un día: fui un grano de maíz en el acto de calle sobre los biocombustibles de Oxfam.

A medida que la cámara me filmaba, me sentía como una gran estrella, pero al mismo tiempo me daba un poco de susto. Todos los demás estaban resguardados de las cámaras con sus “cabezotas”, mientras que yo estaba desprotegido a la vista de todos. También fue bastante cansado porque tenía que estar agachado todo el tiempo. Al final, mi foto salió en Yahoo News y otros canales de noticias, pero lamentablemente nos definieron como “anti G8” y no me gustó que me vieran de esa forma.

En mayo comencé en Oxfam Japón con un convenio de prácticas, así que he estado solo dos meses trabajando aquí. ¡Parece que fuera mucho más!. He estado súper ocupado con la campaña y debo de haber hecho un millón de llamadas telefónicas para la preparación logística del G8.

Cuando vine a Sapporo para nuestras acciones del G8, no tenía ni idea de lo que sería esto. Pensé que algunas de las actuaciones serían imposibles, porque nunca había visto nada similar en Japón, pero todo salió bien: conseguimos gran cobertura de los medios y estoy seguro tendremos mucha más aceptación de la audiencia japonesa. Lo cual es algo bueno porque en Japón la sociedad civil no tiene tomada ninguna posición muy definida. ¡Todavía!

Todavía soy estudiante, pero en el futuro me gustaría realmente conseguir trabajo en alguna ONG, si bien es bastante difícil obtener uno. Personalmente, me gustaría trabajar en temas de la salud en una campaña como “Yo también”, porque sin salud no se puede trabajar y sin trabajo, no hay ingreso económico. Ese es mi mensaje para los líderes del G8.

"Atentat în faţa Consulatului SUA din Istanbul, 6 morţi"

Articolul menţionează, citând Reuters, că trei poliţişti şi trei atacatori au murit în urma atacului armat, conform unui bilanţ dat publicităţii de guvernatorul oraşului.

Incidentul, care a durat mai puţin de zece minute, s-a declanşat în jurul orei locale 11.00 (11.00, ora României), în faţa misiunii americane, extrem de bine păzită. Clădirea, un complex amplu inaugurat în 2003, este situată în cartierul Istinye, pe malul european al Istanbulului, cea mai mare metropolă din Turcia, potrivit CNN-Turk şi NTV.

Potrivit martorilor citaţi de televiziuni, persoane aflate într-o maşină albă au deschis focul asupra poliţiştilor în apropierea unui post de poliţie de lângă misiunea americană, iar poliţia a ripostat.

Agenţia de presă semioficială Anatolia informează că poliţia caută cel puţin doi dintre agresori, care ar fi reuşit să scape.

Este incredibil. Pentru mine e şocant. Chiar nu-i mai potoleşte nimeni? E un fenomen pe care eu nu-l mai înţeleg. Trăim în secolul 21 şi ne confruntăm cu probleme din secolul 18.

Pot înţelege, până într-un punct, conflictele rasiale şi conflictele religioase. Tot până într-un punct pot înţelege şi ura popoarelor arabe faţă de americani. Dar atât. Aici se opreşte înţelegerea mea. De ce trebuie să ne luptăm? De ce trebuie să moară oameni nevinovaţi?

La fel cum, să zic şi pe partea cealaltă, nu-i înţeleg pe americani. Conduşi de o maimuţă, americanii cred că totul se rezolvă prin război. Distrug civilizaţii în numele păcii. Distrug oraşe în numele democraţiei.

Dar chiar nu se mai opreşte odată vrajba asta? Chiar credem că suntem pe cele mai înalte vârfuri ale diplomaţiei şi ale democraţiei şi oamenii mor pe capete?

În Japonia se desfăşoară G8, cea mai importantă reuniune economică şi politică la nivel mondial. Păi cei mai puternici oameni ai lumii se întâlnesc să discute probleme de resurse energetice, financiare, încălzire globală şi alţi oameni mor pentru raţiuni pe care toţi refuzăm să le înţelegem şi să le acceptăm?

Unde greşesc? Ce nu înţeleg eu? De ce avem nevoie şi nu se găseşte? Se poate cumpăra de la piaţă? Este soluţia în faţa noastră? Atât de în faţă încât n-o vedem?

昨天是七月八日，八國峰會的第二天。經過之前一晚馬拉松式會議，與日本人吵得面紅耳熱的一班黑衣歐洲人不是已離開營地便是計劃了當天離開，餘下的百多名各地的行動者早上八時半左右抵toyoura營地的大閘前，磨拳擦掌的再出發。一早便知道第二天是要走一條二十公里的遊行路線，但百萬行渣打馬拉松毅行者等筆者都沒參加過，半馬拉松是多少筆者完全沒有概念。

與第一天不同，這次的行動是已預先申請了的。因此，從起步那刻開始，已經有少量警察在旁不知做甚麼，據稱是維持秩序。但他們沒有甚麼阻撓，只是與在札幌和東京的遊行時一樣，在隊伍的右邊排人牆。二十公里的路不短，但奇怪的是，這會不會是傳說中天下最美的一條遊行風景線？

營地不錯是在一個森林公園裡的，附近的地方是郊區也屬理所當然。我們先經過海灘，旁有有一支支直插上天的大石，隊伍中的人立即趁小息（對！遊行中是有break的！）弄潮十分鐘，一時間沙灘上熱力迫人。走著走著，到了一處充滿歐陸風味的小鎮，那裡人都唔多個，或者是男人都上班去了，除了散步種花的公公婆婆，就是拖著小狗或孩子的日本婦女。沒辦法，那邊見樹多過見人，兩方碰面都不禁熱情揮手歡呼。

越走越上山，暗斜走了一兩個小時便入了森林。兩旁都是古木參天的森林，空氣又好，邊走邊叫口號也特別精神。原本的警察大軍也放棄了守在兩旁，不知是否放飯去。午餐時間又是另一個break。在山路的一小段上，全隊人散坐一地，算是把山路堵塞了。其實沒所謂，因為除了風，那應並沒有甚麼會經過。吃過飯便落斜，走到半路有行動者指著左首邊大喊，聽不明白說甚麼，睁開眼看也會見到射之導彈也不會打得中的遠方，山頂上便豎立著大家朝思晚想的洞爺湖溫莎酒店。層層的煙霧重重包圍，說是仙境也不過份，如此的渡假酒店，坐勞斯萊斯也不夠級數，不坐直升機去check-in可能還不讓進哩。

再從下走，到了一個小懸崖，韓國和日本的朋友拿著大橫額，以溫莎酒店為背景，停下來大喊口號和唱歌，不僅隨行主流及獨立媒體記者爭相拍照，就連已經走了十多公里的行動者都紛紛在這謀殺菲林的位置拍個不停。這就是全程的高潮。繼續走多個多小時，走出了山路，進入了豊浦火車站的小城，原來警察都休息夠，正在重新迎接遊行隊伍。在鎮內又是繼續兜，穿過天橋底和橫街窄巷，終於在四時許抵達豊浦火車站。前前後後廿公里盛惠七個小時，路線並沒有把反對g8的行動者帶近會場，這刻即使坐火箭到溫莎酒店，會也散了。

之前一晚還吵得面紅耳熱，吵抵達火車站後幹甚麼好：有人提議直衝會場，有人提議三步一拜，有人提議其他。在這刻都已沒有意義，大家都吃著雪糕上車了。

小時候聽過一條不懂回答的IQ題，問為甚麼由聖誕到新年，只需一星期，但由新年到聖誕，卻幾乎要整整一年？遊行結束後，組織者安排了大旅遊巴送大隊離開，旅遊巴開得不特別快，但十五分鐘後已火速回到營地了。有洞爺犬說，這肯定是警察與日本旅遊局合作策劃的路線，有助振興日本經濟。洞爺一行七犬，前前後後掏了十皮野，原來最終的成就是振興了日本經濟，嘆盡了北海道的極品風景。

風景線上的好風光，容筆者歸隊後補上。

By Nick Beams
www.wsws.org
9 July 2008

Facing what is arguably its most serious crisis since the end of the Second World War, the global capitalist economy has never been in greater need of co-ordinated policies from the world’s major national governments.

But unity and collaboration in the face of the mounting problems posed by climate change, oil and food price hikes and the ever-present threat of recession, have been conspicuously absent from the meeting of the G8 major industrial nations being held in Hokkaido, Japan, this week.

Nowhere were the divisions more apparent than in yesterday’s statement on climate change. After much behind the scenes negotiations, the G8 meeting finally agreed to a communiqué in which the major industrial powers agreed to a “vision” of “achieving at least 50 percent reduction of global emissions by 2050.” However, in order to secure agreement from US President George Bush, who has refused to name any target in the absence of commitments from India and China, the statement added a rider “recognising that this global challenge can only be met by a global response, in particular, by the contributions from all major economies.”

The statement was dismissed by scientists as lagging far behind what was needed to arrest global climate change.

...continued

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Madrid - Atocha - binari - foto di Musa disoccupata

Mi spensiero da sola di solito.
Come spettinarsi. Quando te lo fanno ti dà ai nervi, quando è gesto soggettivo è liberatorio, quasi imprescindibile.
Spensierarmi non è facile.
Quando qualcuno ci prova a volte mi innervosisco anche, come per scostarmi la polvere dalle spalle, come quando la sigaretta del tuo vicino è troppo carica di cenere e vorresti chiedergli di sgrullarla e ti mordi le labbra per non dire niente.

Spensierarci è il mestiere più usato. Il mestiere dei pubblicitari, dei sociologi, dei politici.
Spensierarci, come se non pensare alle cose possa farcele vedere nel giusto modo.
Liberare la mente. Così da farci pensare che poi tutto sommato non siamo così malaccio, che anche se desideriamo di andare lontano poi quando ci guardiamo allo specchio troviamo sempre qualcosa per cui riinnamorarci di noi.
Delle nostre buffe cose, delle nostre strade, della nostra casa, per piccina ch'essa sia.
E ci ripiaciamo.
Come quando si mette a posto un rapporto.

E anche se non capiamo davvero come è possibile stare in narcosi contenti, ci restiamo.
Guardiamo il mondo che sa da dentro all'acquario.

Credo ci siano strade che continuano anche dove non le vediamo. Tocca solo imboccarle, come i binari immaginari. Prenderle al volo e voltarsi solo quando il varco è sparito. E indietro non si possa tornare.
(E.)

Meine Welt

"Ich finde die Menschen sollten sich besser um die Erde kümmern, denn irgendwann wird es im Sommer zu heiß und im Winter zu kalt. Um das zu verhindern, würde ich Autos nicht mit Benzin, sondern mit Wasserdampf bedienen.
So würden wir viel Erdöl sparen. An Stelle der Atomkraftwerke würde ich zum Strom erzeugen nur Windräder benutzen. Wenn wir das so tun würden, könnten wir verhindern, dass die Luft nicht weiter so verschmutzt wird, und dass sich daher die Erde nicht weiter erwärmt.

Auch Pflanzen haben mit der Klimaerwärmung zu tun, z.B. die Bäume. Wenn wir weiterhin so viele Bäume fällen, wird es nicht mehr genug Sauerstoff geben.
Die Menschen sollten natürlich auch auf die Tiere achten. Wenn die Menschen alle Thunfische leer fischen, wird es so viele Quallen geben, dass man im Meer nicht mehr baden kann. Deshalb würde ich vorschlagen, dass für alle Fischarten eine Fischpause eingelegt wird. In dieser Pause könnten sich viele fast ausgestorbene Fischarten vermehren. Da nicht nur Fischarten vom Aussterben bedroht sind, würde ich das selbe auch für die anderen Tiere tun.
Nach dieser Pause, damit das nicht noch mal passiert, muss man ab da an der Wursttheke Fleisch und Wurst bestellen. Auf diese Weise kann man verhindern, dass das nicht gekaufte Fleisch weggeworfen wird, denn es werden dann nur Tiere getötet, wenn etwas bestellt wurde. Normalerweise werden so viele Tiere geschlachtet, wie nur geht.
Ich hoffe, dass die Welt in ein paar Jahren so geregelt ist. Also, unternehmt was!"

Of course, George W. Bush, calls this meeting a 'very productive' one and points at some important progressions like the succesful climate agreements. Huh? I think we might have missed something over here..which successes is Mr. Bush talking about?

Because the participating countries still don't agree on a mutual implementation concerning the emission of greenhouse gasses and how to act on climate changes, this will be the topic of the next G8 meeting. The differences between countries will make it even harder to develop a new global treaty on climate and environment. This new treaty should be signed and agreed on by the end of 2009 in Copenhagen as a the replacer of the Kyoto protocol which ends in 2012. At least that's the plan. Globalina wonders when all countries will make less false promises and take more action..

Today, the third and final day puts the summit in a better light. The G8 commitment on Africa was reinterpreted with a more positive shine. After the draft communiqué left out the promised figure from the Gleneagles 2005 summit – new aid to the tune of $50 billion with $25 billion of that figure going to Africa – the final text did contain the original amount. Although NGOs such as Oxfam and ONE remained highly critical of the summit for its laggardness on the health agenda, it did give credit to the G8 on several counts. One was the agreement to expand the number of health workers in developing countries to a World Health Organization recommend minimum level of 2.3 per 1000 people. The G8 agreed as well to progress reports at the 2009 Italian summit on education and on water.

After a frustrating first day of talks between the G8 and the group of ‘outreach’ African countries on Zimbabwe, the revisiting of this issue on Wednesday in closed session allowed the appearance of a more coherent if more narrowly constituted approach. Russia was persuaded (largely it seems to show that it was a good club member amidst all the talk of Russian regression to a managed democracy) to go along with the decision to move towards targeted sanctions against the Mugabe regime.

An even bigger advance came on the highly controversial issue of climate change with regard to the serious consideration of halving CO2 emissions by 2050. The details of the deal of course are still fraught with all sorts of difficulties including no start date, compliance mechanisms nor mid-term targets. Yet, amidst the skepticism, a number of positives jump out. Whereas U.S. President Bush and Russian President Medvedev resisted setting the “50/50” target at the 2007 Heiligendamm summit, in 2008 they were pushed onside with the G8 consensus.

However the negotiations on emissions play out, the die has been cast, encompassing both the G8 and the G5, or alternatively another variation of the Major Economies (or emitters) stretching the partners up to an evenly matched 8 and 8. China and India in particular have stuck to the argument that they release far lower emissions than the G8 countries on a per capita basis, and that in any case they have been victims of industrial emissions over a longer time span.

Nonetheless, for all the technical and political obstacles a tentative new compact is beginning to look a likely option. This will mean a trade off between the big emerging countries – and especially the G5 countries – taking on greater modes of responsibility for CO2 emissions along with the G8. But in return they will be given accentuated forms of representation at the apex of power. Already the Italian government has indicated that both climate change and the G5 will be given a larger role at the 2009 summit. Not only will the G5 be invited to the second day but they will also be invited as part of the morning of the third day. These representational questions remain a work in progress. However, with the other forms of progress made in the functional arena, this move signals that the G8 still remains the barometer for the reorientation of global governance architecture.

With only a few weeks to go before the 2008 Olymics, officials in Beijing have ordered the Home Guard to fire Silver Iodide into the smoggy air above the capital in a desperate attempt to seed rain clouds.
Air Quality is so bad here that these antiquated anti-aircraft guns have been hauled out of their dust sheets to do a job that seems almost impossible.
But the problems are only just beginning for Beijing. For within a generation, Beijing will 'cease to exist,' according to China's leading environmentalist Dai Qing. To quote:
"We won’t have the ancient capital any longer and the ugly modern Beijing would disappear too. Unfortunately, government officials and Beijing residents are equally unaware of how serious the water crisis is."

Much of the available information about this pending crisis is top secret of course, but there is an underlying theme here. Available water resources will not match demand. Period.
Climate changes are upon us all, with the Far East set to become beset with water wars.
Sadly, the G8 summit is becoming an annual bureaucratic hand-squeeze, with little to offer the planet save for a mediocre resolution about halving greenhouse emissions by 2050.

Too little too late.
One can only feel sorry for the athletes who compete in Beijing this year as their lungs struggle to cope with a particulate soup that is likely to harm them. The gold medals will come with a health warning.
Mankind simply cannot continue belching out cloud-loads of effluent into the atmosphere without consequences, and seeding clouds with silver iodide will be unlikely to clear the air for long.

Da ciò che si legge sulle pagine dei giornali, quanto scritto nella biografia americana circa il nostro capo del Governo  sembrerebbe piuttosto appartenere ad un dossier della CIA che descrive il curriculum di un criminale internazionale ancora a piede libero...
Ovviamente sono arrivate, con una certa celerità, le scuse scritte da parte del portavoce della Casa Bianca, il quale ha cercato di mettere una pezza alla figuraccia fatta, affermando che: “Una biografia non ufficiale del primo ministro italiano Berlusconi, inclusa nel materiale stampa, utilizza un linguaggio insultante sia nei confronti del primo ministro Berlusconi che del popolo italiano. I sentimenti espressi nella biografia non rappresentano le vedute del presidente Bush, del governo americano e degli americani. Ci scusiamo con l'Italia e con il primo ministro per questo errore davvero sfortunato. Come tutti coloro che hanno seguito il presidente Bush, il presidente ha per il premier Berlusconi e per tutti gli italiani la più alta stima e riguardo».

Alta stima? Le opinioni espresse non rappresentano il punto di vista del presidente Bush e degli americani?
Ma allora chi è stato che ha messo nero su bianco quelle considerazioni? E poi, si possono fare affermazioni come quelle contenute nel fascicoletto senza pensarle?

E’ stato un "errore sfortunato"? 
Siamo autorizzati a tradurre la frase nel seguente modo: "quel testo non doveva essere reso noto, pur circolando sulle scrivanie degli uffici dello staff di Bush"?
Quindi era un documento segreto?

Era una biografia non ufficiale?
Acc.. Ma allora era davvero un dossier dei Servizi segreti americani!!

Zimbabwe's government said on Tuesday that the G8 leaders' rejection of President Robert Mugabe's legitimacy and threats of financial measures against his regime were racist and an insult to African leaders.

And guess what? It usually worked! The party on the receiving end goes into a stupor trying to demonstrate their non-racist pedigree and the real issue is never dealt with properly.

Guess what again? This race card nonsense is loosing its effectiveness and actually achieves the opposite, it is degenerating to those it is supposed to help. The irony is that those playing the race card are making assumptions about the mentality of the other race.

"They want to undermine the African Union and (South African) President Mbeki's (mediation) efforts because they are racist, because they think only white people think better," said Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga.

So Minister Bright Matonga (Bright indeed nudge nudge wink wink) plays the race card (based on stereotypes) instead of addressing the real issue.

...the real issue of how the Zimbabwean government,which he is part off, ruined a once prosperous country based on racist policies and naked greed... in effect re-enforcing every stereotype that exists about Africa and black people in general.

Reality contradicts everything this bright minister has to say.

Bottomline: The race card is intellectually bankrupt.
Technorati Tags: Zimbabwe, Bright Matonga, Mugabe, G8, Racism, Sanctions

-Toyako, Japan (Rueters)

In what is the latest of a long list of gaffes committed during his political career, President George Bush, in Japan attending the 34th G8 Summit, vomited Tuesday on a number of world leaders.

The President was enjoying a breakfast—which according to various sources consisted of pancakes, bacon, sausages, potatoes, and grits—when, after briefly mentioning that he did not feel well, he began to expel a thick, chunky orange fluid onto his and adjacent tables. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were reportedly covered in President Bush’s vomit.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also apparently hit.

After the incident, President Bush, who in the past has lost consciousness after choking on a pretzel, wiped his mouth and exited the dining area in preparation for a meeting on African development.

"TOYAKO, Japan, July 8 (Reuters) - G8 nations, papering over deep differences, said on Tuesday they would work toward a target of at least halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but emphasised they would not be able to do it alone.

From the Economist (some days ago)

"But what is the point of their discussing the oil price without Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest producer? Or waffling about the dollar without China, which holds so many American Treasury bills? Or slapping sanctions on Robert Mugabe, with no African present? Or talking about global warming, AIDS or inflation without anybody from the emerging world? Cigar smoke and ignorance are in the air."

Everything as predicted, the world is fucked and they don't give a shit.

Have a nice day. Esperando la ultima ola.

สาเหตุส่วนใหญ่ของการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศเกิดขึ้นจากกลุ่มประเทศอุตสาหกรรมชั้นนำ ซึ่งเป็นผู้ปล่อยคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์ที่สะสมอยู่ในชั้นบรรยากาศในปัจจุบันในสัดส่วนมากกว่าร้อยละ 80 กลุ่มประเทศเหล่านี้ยังเป็นผู้ปล่อยคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์มากกว่าร้อยละ 40 ของปริมาณการปล่อยคาร์บอนไดออกไซด์ทั้งหมด ทั้งๆ ที่มีประชากรรวมกันเพียงร้อยละ 13 ของประชากรโลก

ผลกระทบทางเศรษฐกิจและสิ่งแวดล้อมจากการเพิ่มขึ้นของราคาน้ำมันและถ่านหิน และการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศที่กำลังเกิดขึ้นจริง ทำให้พลังงานหมุนเวียนที่สะอาดเป็นหนทางเดียวที่จะหลีกเลี่ยงผลกระทบที่ร้ายแรงที่สุดของการเปลี่ยนแปลงสภาพภูมิอากาศและรับประกันความมั่นคงทางเศรษฐกิจ

ผู้นำ G8 และธนาคารโลกจะประกาศกองทุนปกป้องสภาพภูมิอากาศใหม่ที่เมืองโทยาโกบนเกาะฮอกไกโดของญี่ปุ่น กองทุนนี้ไม่ได้ให้คำนิยามถึง “เทคโนโลยีสะอาด” ที่ชัดเจน กลุ่ม G8 จึงเป็นส่วนหนึ่งของปัญหาไม่ใช่ทางออก และกองทุนดังกล่าวนี้ท้ายที่สุดแล้วก็จะนำไปอุดหนุนทางเลือกพลังงานที่สกปรก ที่สุดนั่นคือ ถ่านหิน จะต้องไม่มีการสนับสนุนถ่านหินเพราะไม่มีสิ่งที่เรียกว่าถ่านหินสะอาด

การอุดหนุนให้สร้างโรงไฟฟ้าถ่านหินโดยอ้างว่าเป็นการแก้ปัญหาโลกร้อนคือความบ้าคลั่ง กรีนพีซ ชุมชนในเอเชีย และ กลุ่มประชาสังคมต่างๆ มีจุดยืนร่วมกันในการคัดค้านกองทุนนี้

ผลกระทบต่างๆ ของระดับน้ำทะเลที่เพิ่มสูงขึ้น

ถ้าเราไม่ควบคุมการปล่อยก๊าซเรือนกระจกให้ลดลงมากที่สุด ทั้งพืดน้ำแข็งกรีนแลนด์และพืดน้ำแข็งแอนตาร์กติกาตะวันตกอาจทำให้โลกต้องประสบกับระดับน้ำทะเลที่เพิ่มสูงขึ้น 13 เมตร (43 ฟุต) ระดับน้ำทะเลที่เพิ่มขึ้นแม้เพียงเล็กน้อยนี้จะเป็นหายนะต่อเศรษฐกิจและ มนุษยชาติ

หากระดับน้ำทะเลเพิ่มขึ้นแม้เพียงเพียงเล็กน้อย จะทำให้เกิดน้ำท่วมใกล้ชายฝั่ง พายุรุนแรงขึ้นทำให้สร้างความเสียหาย ชายฝั่งถูกกัดเซาะ น้ำอุปโภคบริโภคถูกน้ำทะเลปนเปื้อน พื้นที่ใกล้พื้นที่ชุ่มน้ำและแนวเกาะถูกน้ำท่วม และ การเพิ่มขึ้นของความเค็มที่ปากแม่น้ำ นอกจากนี้ เมืองและหมู่บ้านตามชายฝั่งที่อยู่ในระดับต่ำจะได้รับผลกระทบด้วย ยิ่งไปกว่านั้น ทรัพยากรที่สำคัญยิ่งต่อประชากรบนเกาะและตามชายฝั่ง เช่น ชายหาด น้ำจืด การประมง แนวปะการังและเกาะหินปะการัง และ ถิ่นที่อยู่ของสัตว์ป่า ก็กำลังตกอยู่ในภาวะเสี่ยง

นี่คือภาพจำลองเมืองต่างๆ หากระดับน้ำทะเลสูงขึ้นในอีก 50 ปี ซึ่งเป็นผลมาจากภาวะโลกร้อน ซึ่งทำให้น้ำแข็งขั้วโลกละลาย นำไปสู่น้ำท่วม

เริ่มจากแมนฮัตตัน , นิวยอร์ก สหรัฐอเมริกา
เป็นศูนย์กลางทางธุรกิจที่สำคัญของอเมริกา ไม่ว่าจะเป็นตึกระฟ้า สำนักงานใหญ่บริษัทต่างๆ หรือตลาดหลักทรัพย์ วอลล์ สตรีท

รัฐฟลอริดา สหรัฐอเมริกา

ภาพเมื่อถูกน้ำท่วม คนเป็นล้านจะต้องอพยพออก

ต่อมาคือ ปักกิ่ง ประเทศจีน

เซี่ยงไฮ้

กัลกัตตา อินเดีย

ซานฟรานซิสโก ในอเมริกา

และเนธอร์แลนด์ ซึ่งเป็นประเทศที่พื้นที่ส่วนมากของประเทศอยู่ต่ำ (มีพื้นที่บางส่วน ต่ำกว่า ระดับน้ำทะเล ด้วยซ้ำ)

หายไปเกือบครึ่งประเทศ

นี่เป็นแค่ส่วนหนึ่งเท่านั้น ของพื้นที่ที่ได้รับผลกระทบจำนวนมากบนโลกแห่งนี้

กรีนพีซเรียกร้องให้ผู้นำกลุ่มประเทศอุตสาหกรรมชั้นนำ 8 ประเทศที่กำลังประชุมที่ญี่ปุ่นผลักดันแนวทางเพื่อรักษาระดับอุณหภูมิเฉลี่ยผิวโลกมิให้เพิ่มมากไปกว่า 2 องศาเซลเซียสเมื่อเทียบกับระดับก่อนยุคอุตสาหกรรม

ติดตามการเดินทางของเรือเรนโบว์ วอร์ริเออร์ได้ที่ http://www.greenpeace.or.th/quitcoal
ลงชื่อในจดหมายเรียกร้องการปฏิวัิติพลังงาน

The US gas garrison While not quite the 100 years that McCain wants, but disturbing nonetheless.

As a result, the US military has come to serve as a global oil protection service, guarding pipelines, refineries and loading facilities in the Middle East and elsewhere. According to one estimate, provided by the conservative National Defence Council Foundation, the “protection” of Persian Gulf oil alone costs the US Treasury $138bn per year – up from $49bn just before the invasion of Iraq.

Kremlin Fingered in Murder Remember this?

A British security services agent has said the Russian government likely played a part in the 2006 poisoning in London of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko.

The accusation was made just hours after President Dmitry Medvedev and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown met face to face for the first time at the G8 summit in Toyako, Japan.

Saudi's treat domestic staff like slaves Who da thunk it? They rape us over the oil. Think this little topic came up at the G8?

Asian domestic workers in Saudi Arabia face routine human rights abuses that in some cases amount to slavery, with employers often escaping any punishment, according to a new report.

Abuses include months or years of unpaid wages, forced confinement and physical and sexual violence, while some workers suffer imprisonment or lashings for spurious charges of theft, adultery, or "witchcraft", says Human Rights Watch.

Iran threatens to set Israel ablaze I don't know about you, but it appears to me as though some think "Top Gun" is real.

"The first US shot on Iran would set the United States' vital interests in the world on fire," said Ali Shirazi, a mid-ranking cleric who is Khamenei's representative to the naval forces of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards. "Tel Aviv and the US fleet in the Persian Gulf would be targets that would be set on fire in Iran's crushing response," he said.

Mr Shirazi spoke as the Revolutionary Guards launched a new round of war games – dubbed Great Prophet III – to "improve combat capability". The US on Monday launched "Exercise Stake Net" in the Persian Gulf aimed at "ensuring a lawful maritime order".

]]> http://pourquedemainsoit.wordpress.com/?p=251 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:22:16 +0000 Jimmy St-Gelais http://pourquedemainsoit.wordpress.com/?p=251

La récente rencontre du G8 l’a confirmé : les pays industriels développés ne désirent pas s’engager dans une réduction substantielle des gaz à effet de serre.  Au mieux, ils ont fait un vœu pieux en déclarant vouloir réduire de moitié les GES d’ici 2050 en reportant encore une fois les mesures à plus tard, c’est-à-dire en 2009, lors d’une prochaine conférence des Nations Unies au Danemark.

Autrement dit, ils ne veulent rien entreprendre en ce sens et renvoient encore les problèmes environnementaux aux calendes grecques en sachant très bien que l’ONU ne pourra rien résoudre en raison de sa division inhérente entre pays émergents et pays occidentaux.

Le carburant fossile est l’assise de l’économie industrielle et commerciale (transport, transformations…) dont les pétrolières sont les maitres d'oeuvres.

On le constate de plus en plus, la flambée du prix du baril de pétrole échappe au pouvoir politique.  Non parce que celui-ci manque de bonne volonté, mais simplement parce que les partis politiques au pouvoir depuis 20 ans sont carrément au service de l’industrie pétrolière.

Aux États-Unis, on sait très bien que le véritable motif de la guerre en Irak déclenchée par le président républicain G.W. Bush fut la possession des gisements d’or noir de ce pays à l’avantage des pétrolières américaines.

Aussi, au Canada, pendant que le coût du baril de pétrole passa de 11$US en 1999 à plus de 130$US en 2008 et que les profits des pétrolières bondirent de 1300%, on diminua les impôts de ces compagnies de 9% durant la même période!

Il y a évidemment anguille sous roche.  Cette dynamique ne peut être incombée au seul Parti Conservateur que l’on sait très proche des géants pétroliers, mais aussi au Parti Libéral du Canada qui était au pouvoir jusqu’en 2006.

L’influence des pétrolières sur les gouvernements occidentaux est sans commune mesure et celles-ci feront tout pour retarder des plans environnementaux efficaces contre le réchauffement climatique afin de préserver leurs marges bénéficiaires.  C'est ce que ce sommet du G8 confirme encore.

Arrêtons de nous leurrer.  La véritable démocratie s’est depuis longtemps évaporée.  Le vrai détenteur du pouvoir politique mondial est au-dessus des simples citoyens, des groupes d’intérêts et même des nations souveraines : il s’agit aujourd’hui de l’industrie pétrolière transnationale qui transcende toutes les frontières.

The G8 came to the conclusion that the industrialized countries that participate within the group of eight will eliminate emissions in half by 2050, just about the time the troops will get on a time table to return from Iraq.  Environmentalists are disappointed in the group who believe the world needs to eliminate 80-90% of greenhouse gas emissions at current levels to hold off environmental affects.  The New York Times reports:

...there was confusion over whether the cuts would be from current levels or the 1990 levels discussed at Heiligendamm. Mr. Fukuda, in a question-and-answer session with reporters, seemed to indicate it would be current levels.

That prompted harsh criticism. Phil Clapp, an expert in climate change at the Pew Environmental Group who is here monitoring the talks, said, “The science shows that we have to reduce 80 to 90 percent from current levels to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.”

Securing a harsh realization that the countries that run the world are in no hurry to save it.  This is a truly pressing matter and hot button issue for future candidates to take into consideration so it begs the question:

What do the candidate say? 

Barack Obama the flip-flopping electable democrat has been listening to his environmental advisors and states on his website that he pushes to remove carbon emissions by 80% (at 1990 levels) by the time we reach 2050 (Obama site).  Of course, that's not current levels which Mr. Clapp says won't cut it.

John McCain who probably still believes it's a myth but wants to get elected has compromised and wants to follow the same cap-and-trade strategy of Barack Obama but has his goal set 16% higher than that of the G8, stating he would like to lower emissions to 66% of 2005 standards (The Lexington Project).

[Art by Gustave Doré.  Taken from Creationism.org]

"G8 Leaders Feast on 8 courses After Discussing World Food Shortages"

When I read this headline, the first thing that popped to my mind was this: Luke's Gospel, Chapter 16, Verses 19-31.

I've copied the text from the New American version of the Bible, but it should read the same regardless of the version you have access to.  Please read the excerpt, then click on any part of it to be taken to the story about the great feast.

Peace and Much Love.

jw

<Click on any text below to be taken to the story.>

"There was a rich man  who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'

Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.'

He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'

But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'

He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent

Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

*Story [http://preview.tinyurl.com/TimesOnline] courtesy the Times Online.

*Find out more about the G8 Conference here: http://preview.tinyurl.com/G8-Summit

Peace and Much Love.

jw

G8 Leaders Agree to $60B To Help Fight Disease in Africa (Kaiser Network, July 8)

Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations on Tuesday at their summit in Hokkaido, Japan, agreed to spend $60 billion over five years to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa, AFP/Google.com reports. [...]

However, some aid workers and nongovernmental organizations have expressed concern about the aid pledges and say that because the commitments are not legally binding and actual spending is hard to track, the donor countries may fail to meet their promises.

G8 Summit To Address Aid to Africa; Leaders Urged Not To Backtrack on Pledges to Continent (Kaiser Network, July 7)

Although aid to Africa was a focus of the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, where leaders pledged to double aid to the continent to $25 billion by 2010, advocates have accused some G8 nations -- particularly Canada, France and Italy -- of falling short on their contributions (Foster, AP/Yahoo! News, 7/7).

Campaigners Warn G8 Not To Renege On AIDS Commitments (Medical News Today, July 7)

Amid fears that critical AIDS pledges made at previous G8 summits will be reneged at this year's meeting in Japan, over 200 civil society organisations from more than 60 countries have signed a letter to G8 heads of state underscoring the fundamental need to fulfil the promise of universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010.

G-8 discusses system to follow-up on aid pledges (Joseph Coleman, Washington Post, July 7)

An aid group founded by U2 frontman Bono calculates that the Group of Eight top industrialized nations has delivered only $3 billion of the additional $25 billion promised for Africa for everything from AIDS drugs to training peacekeepers.

Now the Africans and their allies want a new system to make sure rich nations come through.

MORE EXCERPTS:

More from G8 Leaders Agree to $60B To Help Fight Disease in Africa:

Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialized nations on Tuesday at their summit in Hokkaido, Japan, agreed to spend $60 billion over five years to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa, AFP/Google.com reports. In a joint statement, G8 leaders set a timeframe of five years to meet the $60 billion target made at last year's summit in Germany. The group also reconfirmed pledges made at its 2005 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to increase aid to Africa by $25 billion by 2010. Leaders also set a goal of providing 100 million insecticide-treated nets to curb the spread of malaria in developing countries by the end of 2010 (AFP/Google.com, 7/8).

However, some aid workers and nongovernmental organizations have expressed concern about the aid pledges and say that because the commitments are not legally binding and actual spending is hard to track, the donor countries may fail to meet their promises. In a statement, G8 leaders said, "We are firmly committed to working to fulfill our commitments." They also said that aid from the group and other donors should be reassessed and might need to be increased after 2010 (Nishikawa, Reuters, 7/8).

According to AFP/Google.com, G8 leaders said they would take "concrete steps" to fight HIV/AIDS, including through "sexual and reproductive health and voluntary family planning programs." [...]

Max Lawson of Oxfam said the G8 "must not break this promise to the world and Africa," adding, "For rich countries, this is peanuts. For Africa, this is life and death" (AP/International Herald Tribune, 7/7). Charles Abani of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty said, "Promises are not being met. We are in a crisis. ... Families have to choose food or education, and food or health" (Wall Street Journal, 7/8). He added that one problem concerning pledges is that countries recycle them, announcing aid in one area such as education and then moving the same money to another area to meet new demands -- meaning the total amount of money promised does not increase.

More from G8 Summit To Address Aid to Africa; Leaders Urged Not To Backtrack on Pledges to Continent:

Last month, the group DATA reported that donors are "off track" in delivering on their commitments and that "with every 'off track' year that passes, fully delivering the commitments by 2010 becomes more difficult" (Washington Post, 7/7). The Africa Progress Panel also released a report last month that said G8 commitments will fall $40 billion short of their targets under current spending plans (Financial Times, 7/7). [...]

Oliver Buston, a spokesperson for ONE, said, "There are good plans being developed. We also know when efforts are made, great results can be achieved. But the problem is these plans are not being backed by serious financing." Buston added, "It is as if the G8 has built a car but they have not put any fuel in it. It is time for that to change" (Financial Times, 7/7). Wole Olaleye, a Pan Africa Policy researcher with ActionAid International, said the threat of the G8 backtracking on its HIV/AIDS commitments is real. According to Olaleye, "G8 funds have made a difference -- the number on treatment has increased dramatically and this is enabling millions more people to keep working, thriving and looking after their families." Olaleye added, "However, the need remains enormous: three-quarters of people who need HIV/AIDS treatment are still not receiving it. Almost 90% of HIV-positive pregnant women are still unable to get drugs that could prevent the virus being passed on to their child" (Ooko, Xinhuanet, 7/5).

During the summit, G8 leaders also intend to include a clause in a set of health-related guidelines that would ease travel restrictions on HIV-positive people, according to sources close to the negotiations.  (See my earlier post on this issue.)

More from Campaigners Warn G8 Not To Renege On AIDS Commitments:

 Calling on the G8 to "honour the AIDS commitments that have already been made" the letter reminds the leaders that ,"This year's G8 summit will leave a legacy. The question is whether this summit's legacy will be one of action appropriate to the challenges of our times or just another meeting filled with more promises postponed."

Three specific pledges are highlighted: ensuring that universal access remains on the G8 agenda, publishing firm plans and timetables to deliver on existing commitments, and establishing a high-level G8 AIDS mechanism to review progress and inform G8 strategy and commitments on health and HIV and AIDS specifically. [...]

"The solemn pledge of the 2005 Gleneagles summit that has been reiterated in each of the successive G8 summits, inspired the 2005 World Summit and served to set the benchmarks for the United Nations High Level AIDS meetings of 2006 and 2008" says Marcel van Soest, Executive Director of the World AIDS Campaign. "To abandon this promise now calls into question the credibility of all G8 commitments including the Millennium Development Goals."

Signatories to the civil society letter include labour unions, youth coalitions, women's organisations, positive people's networks, faith based organisations, and international and national development and AIDS organisations.

Here are the letter's text and signatories.

More from G-8 discusses system to follow-up on aid pledges:

The G-8 opened their summit in northern Japan on Monday with a discussion with eight African leaders over the progress in aid increases to the continent _ and how the wealthy countries have fallen short. [...]

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were among leaders who proposed that top Africa advisers in each G-8 country track promises and periodically compare notes with African countries on compliance, a Sarkozy aide said. Aid groups said Japan had floated a similar proposal for aid goals. [...]

At the meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, in 2005, the [G8] laid out an ambitious plan to boost aid to Africa by $25 billion a year by 2010 _ more than doubling aid to the continent compared to 2004. [...]

Bono's aid group, ONE, calculated that the G-8 had delivered only $3 billion of the additional $25 billion for Africa and that development assistance for agriculture _ increasingly important because of rising food prices _ had fallen as a percentage of total aid from 1980 to 2004.

A plan to stop tuberculosis has been significantly underfunded, 33 million African children still do not have access to school, and drugs for HIV/AIDS patients were available to only 30 percent of Africans needing them _ far short of the goal of 80 percent, a report by ONE said.

Siguiendo, de cierta manera, esta moda que se ha creado en torno a la conciencia verde, esta agrupación de mandatarios primermundistas, ha decidido, claro con una gran presión por parte de lxs cuidadanxs de todo el planeta, a comprometerse a reducir la cantidad de emisión de gases de efecto invernadero en un 50%, pero, y como ya estamos acostumbradxs, viene acompañado por un detalle, y este no es ni mas ni menos que, este objetivo esta fijado para el año 2050 y carente de cifras concisas.

Claro, sé que un cambio climático de tales proporciones no se lleva a cabo de un día para el siguiente, pero el hecho de que del planteamiento de esta "solución" hasta ver los resultados prometidos pasará tanto tiempo que, como la peor de las paradojas, el presidente norteamericano tendrá 104 años, da, como mínimo, para pensar. Mas cuando es bien conocida por todxs la porfía que denota Bush en los temas ecológicos y mas cuando debe responder por los grandes daños que se generan en su país y que directamente afectan a todos los que están por debajo de su imperio.

Suena como una broma de mal gusto, que las soluciones que se han exigido durante tanto tiempo y por las cuales han sido detenidxs tantxs manifestantes, estén previstas para cuando quizás estén todxs lxs mandatarixs muertxs, y si han de seguir las condiciones de tal manera, nosotrxs también.

Dudo que se hallan generado seriamente expectativas en torno a tal proposición, ya que bien sabido es el funcionar, en lo referente a promesas, de estas naciones, que recién están tomando con relativa "seriedad" el asunto del calentamiento global... y que pese de la existencia de alternativas generadas por grupos alternativos ecologistas y desames, se ha considerado esta como viable, sabiendo que no quedara nada ni nadie de perpetuarse las condiciones actuales.

Estados Unidos, representado por Bush, maneja un desalentador prontuario en las practicas ecológicas, mas aun si consideramos que esta es la pora seentrega eso?

rimera intervención del industrializado país en las políticas medioambientales, después de desviar la presión por diversos medios y evadiendo gran cantidad de tratados de este tipo.

Entendido por todxs, es que las consecuencias de la reducción de contaminación por parte de USA, y ante el desinterés casi general de buscar alternativas, se vería claramente en lo que es su economía, y por ende da para mucho mas, y da para otro temas aun mas extenso.

Atención a las promesas mediáticas, y que no cesé la presión, que respondan por todo el daño que han causado a nuestro planeta, nuestra fortuna.

While meeting in Japan today the worlds most powerful idiots, clowns and war-criminals tried their hand at what I do for a living. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were there as well, although I didn't see the Indian PM with shovel in hand. Maybe he had gone to fetch a hose to water their plantings in. I wonder if they used any mycorrhizal inoculums? I can tell you that from where I sit the root crown on W's tree looks way too low...

There is a great story in The Daily Mail about the environmental impact of this photo opportunity at:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1033235/G8-leaders-accused-eco-hypocrisy-carbon-footprints-journeys-summit-back.html

and more here:

http://www.carbonfootprint.com

...John Buckley, of carbonfootprint.com, estimated that their travel had produced a total of 8,403 tons of CO2.

For comparison purposes, the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, one of the more modest of the cap-and-trade bills that has been proposed in Congress, calls for a cap in emissions by 2012, a reduction to 1990 levels by 2020, and a 65% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050. The G8 agreement has no short-term goals -- in effect it delays discussion until the 2009 treaty in Copenhagen. It's a very weak "pledge."

Another problem (and I have to keep harping on this because it's an eternal temptation for regulators) is the focus on "sectoral approaches." That is, encouraging the adoption of biofuels and "public-private partnerships" to promote development of new technologies. When you single out industries for specific subsidy, you reduce efficiency and create the opportunity for corruption and regulatory capture. The language is very vague and enabling here. I have to sic Hayek on these people:

When the government has to decide how many pigs are to be raised or how many buses are to be run, which coal mines are to operate, or at what prices shoes are to be sold, these decisions cannot be deduced from formal principles or settled for long periods in advance ... In the end somebody's views will have to decide whose interests are more important; and these views must become part of the law of the land, a new distinction of rank which the coercive apparatus of government imposes upon the people.

The Wall Street Journal makes a good case that the beneficiary of this new distinction of rank is likely to be "clean coal," which is still a long way from the market. What's good for coal is not necessarily so good for clean.