BRUSSELS, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of European Union (EU) members reiterated their stance on climate change at a summit here on Thursday, but failed to put forward the exact amount of a "fast-starting" fund to help developing countries tackle climate change.
...European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso also called on other nations to take action and reach an agreement in the ongoing UN climate talks in Copenhagen, saying it was "less expensive" to repair the world now than later.
He explained the EU's stance on climate change, saying it aims to put pressure on other key countries and urge them to take concrete actions, which could lead to a success in the Copenhagen conference.
However, although more than half of EU members have pledged to make contributions, the EU leaders didn't reach an agreement on the exact amount on the "fast-starting" funding to help the world's poorest nations to tackle climate change from 2010 to 2012.
2. EU scrambles through the night to find climate cash
BRUSSELS – European Union (EU) officials scrambled through the night to secure six billion euros in pledges Friday to help the developing world tackle climate change and provide a boost to United Nation (UN) climate talks in Copenhagen.
The first day of a European summit broke up late Thursday with the Swedish EU presidency still short of its goal but confident that more money could be squeezed out of the 27 assembled heads of state and government.
The leaders are determined to underline the EU's leadership role in fighting climate change and set the tone for the on-going global warming talks in Copenhagen, where money is a hot topic.
3. EU seeks to preserve united front
BRUSSELS —
Western European nations struggled to convince their poorer eastern neighbors Thursday to present a united front on climate change by helping pay developing nations to cut emissions and adapt to climate change.The European Union casts itself as the world’s leader of efforts to combat climate change. Two years ago, it was ahead of the pack when it pledged to cut 20% of emissions from 1990 levels by 2020 and to increase that to 30% if other big polluters made similar promises.
Japan and Russia have now outpaced Europe with 25% cuts and diplomats said EU leaders will discuss Thursday raising their own bar to 30%—even if climate talks in Copenhagen fail to agree a new treaty.
Eastern EU nations are reluctant to participate in costly emissions cuts or to offer help for a fund intended to help developing nations cope with the effects of global warming and start curbing emissions before a new climate treaty being negotiated in Copenhagen comes into force in 2012.
5. give back in boom times -- they think they should throw the people a little bone after all that money they stole
BRUSSELS - EUROPE on Friday urged the IMF to introduce a 'social' tax on banks, insurers and markets to repay taxpayers' support during lean years with a slice of boom-time profits.
Leaders of the European Union backed a fresh call by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, supported by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to examine a global so-called 'Tobin' tax.
The 27 member states said that an 'economic and social contract' needs renewing 'between financial institutions and the society they serve... ensuring that the public benefits in good times and is protected from risk.
read more @ straits times6. Japanese emperor to grant audience to Chinese VP Xi -- what's this all about? sounds important.
TOKYO —
The Imperial Household Agency announced Friday that Emperor Akihito will meet with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping on Tuesday, an arrangement finalized after considerable wrangling over the political implications of the decision. According to the government, the exceptional meeting was arranged in light of the importance of bilateral relations.A written request is customarily submitted for the agency to arrange a meeting with the emperor at least one month before. But China made the request on Nov 26.
Shingo Haketa, chief of the agency, told a news conference that he received the request from Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano and told him that granting a meeting ‘‘will generate considerable concern about the role of his majesty (as a symbol of state).’‘
The agency was thought to be initially reluctant to accept the request because it would go against the rule of protocol.
Asked if it would lead to political exploitation of the emperor, Haketa told the press conference he cannot brush aside such a view, saying, ‘‘I feel pain (about the development).’‘
read more @ japan today
7. they'll blind us with science: Hamburg unveils world's most powerful supercomputer
Scientists in Hamburg on Thursday unveiled the world's most powerful weather supercomputer that they hope will provide critical data on global warming for international efforts to combat climate change.
read more @ the local
8. and an 'electronic egg' is to be buried deep under the ice to 'reveal secrets' of global warming. oooh.
A hi-tech 'egg' to be buried deep beneath the Greenland ice sheets should reveal how high sea levels are set rise, climate scientists said today. The wireless 'Cryo-Egg' will be developed over two years, and is set to probe the changing behaviour of the ice sheets as the global warming takes hold. The University of Bristol won £225,000 in funding to build the egg which will be placed on the ice sheet bed and have "free range" of the environments it encounters.
read more @ daily mail9. further discrediting of the truth shall be accomplished by linking loathsome sociopathic airheads like Sarah Palin to the global warming resistance
At a critical time, the uproar over stolen e-mails suggesting scientists suppressed contrary views about climate change has emboldened sceptics — including U.S. congressional Republicans looking to scuttle President Barack Obama’s push for mandatory reductions in greenhouse gases.
The e-mail brouhaha dubbed “Climategate” by doubters comes as U.S. delegates to the international climate conference in Copenhagen are trying to convince the world the United States is determined to move aggressively to rein in heat-trapping pollution. To counter the delegates, a group of Republican lawmakers is going to Copenhagen to argue against mandatory greenhouse gas reductions.
The climate sceptics gained political momentum when former Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin said Mr. Obama should boycott the negotiations in Denmark and “not be a party to fraudulent scientific practices” — a clear reference to the purloined e-mails from computers belonging to scientists at a British climate research centre.
read more @ the hindu10. blinding stupidity
2 comments:
Desperation brings out plans C, D .....
Is 'Blinded' the theme song at Cop? TD should be getting royalties.
yeah it's a pretty good fit haha.
Post a Comment