creating commons under the sun

This blog has moved

2007-08-05T21:30:00.000-05:00

Hello! My blog has moved, it is now at http://changingclimates.info
Over the next year, i will completing a Watson fellowship. find out more in at my new blog!
Thanks
j

Graduation Speech

2007-06-22T14:02:00.000-05:00

I have been quiet. I graduated two weeks ago, and I have been readjusting. I am also getting ready for next year, when i will completing a fellowship on climate adaptation (more details soon).

For now, some people have asked me to share my graduation speech, here it is.... feel free to make comments (good and bad)

6/2/07
I first applied to COA five years ago, but I got rejected - which actually gave me another
full year to think about it.
Maybe everyone should have to apply twice
But I applied again; I realized that COA had exactly what I wanted, but I just wasn’t sure
that I could move to the US. The five months between the day I was admitted to COA and
when I actually arrived in Maine were full of questions and doubts.

When I decided I wanted to come to the US for college, I was not too confident with my decision. I came to the US with many assumptions, assumptions based on how the US is perceived in the world. I thought that everyone was rich, and that the wealth of the nation made its citizens oblivious to the social or environmental issues beyond national boundaries. I thought that McDonalds and KFC were the icons of American cuisine.

I was wrong.

The past four years have showed me that the Us portrayed in the media is very different from the US I have seen with my own eyes. I have come to see a nation of hardworking people,
Hard working people who can empathize with the harsh realities faced by many in the
world, Hard working people who hope for a better world for all.

But If this is the US I have seen, then why isn’t that the image reflected in the rest of the world? Why is the US government so different from the people that it is supposed to represent? From my perspective, the distance between American people and the American government and the setback in the exercise of democracy in the United States is not an issue of public or foreign policies. I believe that distance is due to a market-driven approach to freedom of speech that does not allow Americans to be informed of the cost associated with their choices, nor to question the price, roots, and implication of the policies that rule them.

The public space to challenge discourse has been reduced to what is catchy for the nightly news, making news coverage of Paris Hilton’s last spring break partying more profitable and suitable than critical coverage of the debate and lies surrounding the war in Iraq.

With great surprise I have seen that the politics of fear disseminated through the mass media are undermining the ability of the American people to question the policies that rule them. Democracy is in danger; freedom of speech and critical thinking could become a footnote in history books.

But today I feel hopeful, honored, and fortunate.
I feel hopeful of the tremendous potential of my peers and friends to make use of the democracy inherited from the Founders of this nation,
I feel honored to share this stage with my class,
I feel fortuned to have worked for the past four years in an environment where we are
encouraged to ask the uncomfortable questions that guide us to the truth.

Although we all graduate with the same degree, we are all ready to face different challenges, challenges that will require our ability to be critical thinkers; challenges that will help us find our own truths.

When I look back, I realize that I could have gone to some other school to concentrate on international relations or economics, but I would have missed out on one of the most valuable skill I have gained at COA: The ability to work with others, who might otherwise be classified as artists, biologists, designers, or whatever other tag you can think of. Us, the human ecologists integrating our skills and experiences has given me new hope. If we can collaborate for common goals, we can challenge the current paradigm of democracy handicapped by fear, a paradigm that limits debate and discussion to a series of prefabricated messages, messages that are rendering democracy useless.

I am proud to be a human ecologist, and I believe we can work for common goals. I know that today, when we leave this stage, we will all walk in different direction, but that will not stop us from sharing common visions. We will continue to find our own truths, to try to understand our world better, we will continue to be critics and visionaries able to solve the dialectical opposition between social convention and individual libertarianism.

My time in the United States is coming to an end.
I am not sure if the admissions office regrets having accepted me the second time I applied,
but I am thankful for their decision.

Coming to COA fundamentally changed the way I see the world. Not only I have realized that there is more to the US than McDonalds and KFC, but I have come to strongly believe that all of us, American people and those of us who are not from this land, can collaborate and take global leadership to critically shape how we relate to our world. Critical judgment is needed, and I am proud to know that there are 50 new human ecologists walking away from this institution today ready to engage in that challenge. I believe in the potential for change in this room.

I like to share the words of Arundhati Roy, an Indian writer who has inspired my work at
COA:

“Another world is not only possible, she’s on her way.
Maybe many of us won’t be here to greet her, but on a quiet day,
if I listen very carefully, I can hear her breathing.”

Class of 07, I am honored to have grown with you for this past four years. Thank you,
and good luck.

The Road to Bali: So much at stake

2007-05-21T22:31:00.000-05:00

The next meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change/Kyoto Protocol will be taking place in Bali, Indonesia in December. Bali will determine the future international policy on climate change, and youth must make their voice heard. Between now and December, youth from across the globe will organize to bring a sense of urgency and rationality to the meeting. The future of the UNFCCC process is up for debate, and with it the future of international action to stop climate change. If the UNFCCC cannot respond to the urgent conclusions contained in the report of the IPCC, the ability of the international mechanism to respond to global challenges might become irrelevant.

The euphoria following the recent IPCC reports and the end of the current Convention Dialogue process point to Bali. Without continuous public pressure between now and December, politicians might forget that the purpose of the UNFCCC is the "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system", and not to develop a profitable, but useless, carbon market.

Failure in Bali could take us in the direction of other other 'voluntary' initiatives, such as the Asia-Pacific Partnership or a ninformal Emissions Trading Scheme linking carbon brokers outside of a multilateral deal. In addition, unless the world agrees on the pressing issues of adaptation, capacity building and technology transfer at Bali, vulnerable groups and communities will continue to suffer the impacts of the climate change without any source of support or form of redress.

The road to Bali is filled with challenges, meetings, hopes, and rhetorical diplomacy.With over 5 high level ministerial meetings on climate change between now and December, another session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on post-2012, and other informational consultations, it is imperative for global youth to prepare for long fight in Bali. More information will be shared on global youth efforts towards Bali.

The Oceans have had Enough

2007-05-19T13:16:00.000-05:00

Science Magazine just published a peer-reviewed article with some scary findings. The southern ocean has slowed its natural process of carbon absorption. The reason: climate change and ozone depletion. The breakdown in efficiency of these sinks was a expected, but not for another 40 years.

Because of feed-back mechanisms, the decline of Antarctica's Southern Ocean carbon sink means that atmospheric CO2 levels may be higher in future than predicted.

Oceans are vital as they absorpt excess CO2 from the atmosphere, slowing down climate change. But they cannot keep up the pace of our greenhouse emissions. The rate of absorption has stayed the same for the past 24 years, while global emissions have increased in 40% during that time.

The oceans have had it – maybe we should stop thinking of stuffing our biosphere and oceans with carbon sinks and actually start reducing emissions.

Cross posting with Itsgettinghotinhere.org

Thinking of Tomorrow: A call to rationality

2007-05-18T12:51:00.000-05:00

After hours of work, i want to share this little rant of mine. This writing is part of my thesis. Comments are welcomed and encouraged. All Rights Reserved.

The horizon for adaptation for climate change is not positive. While we continue to hold political debates on the subjects at stake, we are sacrificing the life of many – exclusively the life of those who cannot come to the bargaining table to make their voice heard. To change the course of action on adaptation to climate change, a consensus that recognizes that as the most advanced species on earth, and also the one responsible for the current state of our planet, we need to modify our life styles for a sustainable way of producing and consuming.
Reducing the risk associated with climate change will require of immediate action, action for which we have the resources and knowledge. In history, we could the generation that, because of the political unwillingness to agree on action to respond to the needs of vulnerable groups, -particularly in Africa-, allowed for the devastation of entire regions; our political unwillingness could make our generation responsible for a massive genocide, a genocide that we could have been stopped but that we choose to ignore while comfortably relishing in a carbon-intensive world.
The window of opportunity is still open, but it closes with every tonne of carbon we keep trying to stuff in the atmosphere. Global leaders will be meeting again in a few months to continue discussing the future of the Adaptation Fund and post-2012 action to mitigate climate change. This meeting represents yet another opportunity to put things back on track, to agree on effective mechanism to focus action. The lessons learned to promote an effective adaptation operational strategy are clear, and they only require of political willingness and the recognition we are passed ‘no regrets’ measures. Protection our future will require of more than market-led strategies. The options for effective action are available; the political game has to end.
For millennia, humanity has adapted to the changes in the environment to secure survival. That capacity to adapt has been the result of our more advanced evolutionary skills, which allow us to make informed, conscious decisions to respond to challenges that jeopardize our survival. Those skills, however, could be questioned vis-à-vis our heinous and wicked response to the environmental challenges ahead of us. The science of climate change is clear, the information and solutions are available, but we continue to pursue an outrageous political model that could cost the life of millions. While we concentrate on debates over the role of market vs. government in combating climate change, we all responsible for the proliferation of what would the most lethal threat to humanity. Weather of Mass Destruction is on the horizon. The time to act is now.

Discussing: AOSIS at the CSD

2007-05-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

The 43 members of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) are a coalition of small island and low- lying coastal countries that share similar development challenges and concerns about the environ- ment, especially their vulnerability to the adverse effects of global climate change. Me and good friend, Chris Kyriacou, as part of the Outreach Issues team of SDIN/SF spoke with AOSIS Chairman, Ambassador Angus Friday of Grenada, about the group’s concerns and goals at CSD 15. (photo: ENB, Ambassador Friday)

What are your feelings about the proceedings so far at the CSD? Is the Commission helping to advance the priority of SIDS?

What is most interesting is that the CSD is the mandated intergovernmental body for dealing with the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation (MSI) which embodies some of the key issues for SIDS. From a policy point of view, SIDS, LDCs and LLDCs are dealt with in quite a special way throughout a lot of the deliberations here, particularly in terms of the four thematic clusters. The CSD is mandated to deal with it

When it comes to negotiating the outcome document, as you can appreciate a lot of people make statements that AOSIS puts it points across. Once the Chairman has produced his text, as many of our members are in the G77 we work through this group to express our opinion and negotiate the editing of the document. My observation of the CSD is that it is a hugely energetic process, and as a newcomer to the UN and multilateral system I wonder whether there isn’t another approach which could help to save time and energy? I’m not saying I know what the answer is I’m just looking at the huge amount of energy that goes into the CSD and the cost of all these sessions at $200-1000 per day per delegate. It takes a lot of energy, so we must ask ourselves if were doing this in the right manner.

Are these words being translated into provisions for action in the final text?

In the final text we’ll see significant reference to SIDS – our partners and other bodies ensure that they continue to be high on the agenda and are well represented in the document. In terms of follow up and implementation this is where we move toward the multilateral process and the UN bodies and also implementation through bilateral arrangements. A number of countries, such as New Zealand, are especially good at follow up.

AOSIS have been pushing for the establishment of a Global Renewable Energy fund. How do you envision such a fund operating?

The fund we are proposing needs to be a fund of funds – a large pool money that is then directed toward smaller dedicated funds. These would be funds dedicated to grant oriented R&D, funds toward technology transfer, funds for the commercialisation of new forms of renewable energies and another that simply deals with the large scale implementation of big renewable energy projects. In each case, they represent a different type of financing, which may be grant, soft loan, project mezzanine of equity financing.

This might begin to sound complex, but this fund should not be something that is just done through the UN. There are large philanthropic organisations that have significant levels of funding who can contribute to this type of fund. Below the level of the fund of funds, private institutions should also be involved in helping toward commercialisation and project finance This will become possible as they can rely on the fund of funds to guarantee backups.

Has the idea for a Global Renewable Energy fund been well received?

There are already renewable energy funds that are available, but the problem with a lot of these, such as the Renewable Energy Fund and the Global Environmental facility is that these funds have very high transaction costs. It costs lots of money just to develop a proposal to apply for funds, which acts as a huge barrier to entry.

Also, where countries then need to apply matching funding there simply aren’t the local funding sources to meet that. There are no local financial institutions with a mandate to become involved with untried technologies.

At the beginning of this CSD you outlined 11 ‘areas of emphasis’ for the effective implementation of sustainable development, but what about adaptation?

In all the things we’ve talked about we’ve put a heavy and particular emphasis on adaptation. We’ll continue to press for legislation for mitigation strategies, but from a practical point of view, we have to focus on adaptation because that is what will make a difference on the ground in many of our constituent states between this and next year.

Has adaptation been welcomed in the negotiating text as much as it should?

There is a lot of talk of adaptation at CSD, but we’re not convinced that, left on its own, we would have many more adaptation projects between now and this time next year. The role of AOSIS is to actually implement the outcome document by lobbying the UN system, partner countries and various agencies, and our focus between now and next year is to put in place a program of activity to ensure that this happens. The number one priority is to make sure that financing is available to do all of the things we have spoken about at CSD, in terms of developing strategies to put in place local legislative frameworks, and actually implement renewable energy and adaptation projects in SIDS.

We are actually putting a program into place to ensure that this process is not just about meetings. This will compile a list of all the ideas we’ve heard at CSD and ensure that actual projects can start on the ground, for example projects that convert sewage into energy, help to build reefs faster, or harness geothermal and tidal energy.

On the mitigation side, as SIDS we can only have a very small impact on the global picture, so it is the developed countries who need to focus on their mitigation strategies. We are the most vulnerable countries - the canary in the coalmine - and the first affected are the first to focus on adaptation strategies and projects.

Much has been said recently about the connections between sustainable development and adaptation, especially in the latest IPCC report. Since much of the management on this is coming from the UNFCC, is enough guidance coming from the CSD?

That is difficult to answer as we’re not yet at the end of the process – I would prefer to wait until the end of the CSD before I can give a more balanced and thought-through answer. I’m not sure it’s the role of the CSD to give direction to the UNFCC. If anything else I think the CSD looks to the UNFCC for guidance on critical issues. In terms of adaptation plans and strategies it’s then up to the relevant UN agencies and member countries to go forward and multiply, which we’ll be doing in conjunction with UN Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States (OHRLLS). We will hold a three monthly review to ensure that our adaptation plans are implemented and monitored.

The critical point for us is that we’d like to see the Mauritius strategy of implementation being promoted and reviewed in both the review and the policy year of the CSD. Currently it is only reviewed in the review year which means we have to wait 2 years to know how successful we’ve been. It’s important to review progression on an annual basis and if we’re able to do that our adaptation strategies would be happening more quickly.

Sustainable Development: More than Inspiration

2007-05-09T17:16:00.000-05:00

An article co-authored by Jennifer Peer and myself for CSD15

Actions for realising the contribution of trade to sustainable development, as detailed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI)’s means of implementation chapter, are simply a form of “guidance” and the JPOI is a mere “inspiration” for Member States.
Actions for realising the contribution of trade to sustainable development, as detailed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI)’s means of implementation chapter, are merely a form of “guidance” and the JPOI is a mere “inspiration” for Member States. At a side-event held yesterday on “The WTO and Sustainable Development” these and similar statements about sustainable development and trade were expressed. After this barrage of pro trade statements, it seems clear that the CSD, the UN’s highest level commission on sustainable development, needs to be able to address issues related to trade and sustainable development.

As the CSD struggles to conclude this cycle with policy recommendations that advance sustainable development, it is time to ask ourselves: Should the WTO, an organisation that barely contributes to the CSD dialogue, dictate the scope and usefulness the CSD agenda? The answer is no. By ignoring important issues for the implementation of Agenda 21 and the JPOI, the CSD is unfulfilling its mandate to avoid disturbing the big trade giant. The CSD must realise its potential; it must take the chance to serve a trust-building policy forum to create far-sighted policies that do not centre on economics. Sustainable development is not an 'inspiration', it's a promise we have made to future generations

Trade is considered by many to be the engine of growth. In many cases, however, such growth prioritises economic benefits at the expense of social and environmental capital. We know that sustainable development requires a balancing of environmental, social, and economic concerns. The WTO founding documents define sustainable development as an overarching objective of the WTO. Ministers in Johannesburg pledged to “promote open, equitable, rules-based, predictable, and non-discriminatory multilateral trading and financial systems that benefit all countries in the pursuit of sustainable development.” Given these explicit links of trade and sustainable development in both international sustainable development agreements and international trade agreements, one would expect to see a WTO that is upholding and promoting sustainable development.

To date, however, this has not proved possible. After almost two years of working towards a CSD outcome that favours sustainable development, and hearing time and time again at CSD 14 that fair trade practices are necessary and that energy subsidies are distorting the global market, we are now faced with a text that excludes any recommendations on trade policy or trade-related practices. The text has been watered down to avoid any conflict with the WTO, as though the global trade policies that have led us into this current state of unsustainability do not need to change. The CSD has chosen to stay on the sidelines, making only superficial and tangential policy recommendations, while letting the WTO define the scope and meaning of the policies that are supposed to get our world on a sustainable track.

Given the current deadlock in the WTO, this is a potentially deadly approach for sustainable development. Though the speaker at yesterday’s event did highlight potential areas of progress for the sustainable development agenda, she focused only on areas where we can anticipate a positive outcome for environment in the Doha Round, namely: fishery subsidies, the liberalization of environmental goods, and the defining of the relationships between multilateral environmental agreements and trade rules. Yet, there are more areas where a positive agreement is desperately needed (agricultural subsidies, non-agricultural market access, and special differentiated treatment)—areas of critical importance to the promotion of sustainable development, and where the CSD must exercise leadership.

The relationship between industrial development and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) is a case in point. Our cautious approach to industrial development at this session has weakened any policies calling for tariff reductions for developing and least developed countries. As though there are no links between trade and industrial development, Commission Members have avoided speaking on the fundamental social and environmental aspects surrounding issues of non-agricultural good and market access. Policy recommendations to provide guidance for poverty reduction and industrial development are hopeless because the CSD has surrendered its power while waiting for the WTO to conclude negotiations on NAMA.
Looking ahead to the next cycle of the CSD, the potential for trade sensitivities to weaken the outcome is high. Focusing on agriculture, rural development, land, and Africa, CSD 16/17 will address issues that strike at the heart of the current Doha impasse. The WTO has, to date, failed to deliver an agreement that promotes principles of sustainable development in these areas. We have yet to see a definition of “special products” that addresses Africa’s food security, livelihood security, and rural development needs. Similarly, the “early harvest” in the cotton negotiations, called for by the ‘Cotton 4’ (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali), has not yet materialised. In light of this, we must not shy away from putting the critical issues for agriculture and sustainable development on the table at CSD16/17. Furthermore, in the absence of progress at the WTO, we need to create space for ‘confidence building’ between developed and developing countries on sustainable development and agriculture. The CSD offers a forum for this and shoul not e wasted. the JPOI is not a token inspirational reference: it is a blueprint for achieving sustainable development.

Youth prepare for climate and development negotiations

2007-04-26T01:55:00.000-05:00

The fifthteen session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) will meet at UN Headquarters in New York next week and youth will take the floor to lay out the future that we envision. As this implementation cycle, CSD-15 will review progress in the area of Energy for Sustainable Development; Industrial Development; Air pollution/ Atmosphere; and Climate Change.

In preparation, Youth climate leaders from around the world will converge on the Youth Energy Blast in New York on April 29, 2007 at Columbia University with the mission of sharing their skills and preparing for the 15th Session UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD-15).

The purpose of the Youth Energy Blast is to empower our generation-
wide movement to confront the energy crisis. The goals of the Blast
are to provide information and training for leaders around the CSD and
provide a space for youth to share experience and knowledge
implementing climate solutions and participate in decision-making at
the international level.Visit www.SustainUS.org or www.youthcaucus.net for details

Some humor

2007-04-24T00:22:00.000-05:00

agua/water/eau

2007-04-15T16:26:00.000-05:00

It has been almost a week since I arrived to Buenos Aires, and I am starting to realize that my trip is about to end. I have had an amazing time in Buenos Aires –good food, beautiful people, lots of time to reflect and dream of days to come.

The Youth Summit on water was extremely rewarding, and I have met some amazing people. It has been inspiring to learn of the work of committed people around the world to secure the right to water. It is always comforting to learn that other people are working on the same values and vision in different corners of the world, but that have never met each other. It gives hope to the dream that deep down, in the grassroots world, a revolution has started to secure a better world to future generations… a revolution that redefines progress with a vision of fair world.

Buenos Aires has given me hope. As I near the end of my current stage in life (ie life at COA), I have come full circled in my vision of a better world. The need of new energy, water, and food paradigm will shape my life and future work. As I prepare to depart Buenos Aires, I salute the silent soldiers doing everything they can to secure access to global commons

Tango, Water, and Me

2007-04-10T08:01:00.000-05:00

After returning to Maine from Costa Rica last week, I had no choice but to keep my bags out. I arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday morning for the First youth summit on water. You can find out more here.
The meeting does not start until tomorrow, so I am mostly working on my senior project for now. However, This has been a daunting task—Buenos Aires is a truly beautiful city and there is a lot to do. I am trying to balance work and leisure, with glasses of red wine in the intervals! Last night I went for dinner to a beautiful care on 9 of July Avenue, and I am for now staying in a hostel a few steps away from the iconic Argentinean ‘Obelisco’
I promise I will have more news and photos sometime soon

Climate Change- A global security threat

2007-04-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

The United Nations Security Council, the supreme global body on issues of security and peace, will debate climate change for the first time on April 17. The United Kingdom wants the issue to be considered a matter of global concern, and will have Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett preside over the debate. In March, when the UK announced their intention to bring the issue to the agenda,China and Russia expressed some opposition to the holding the debate.Meanwhile, the United States had no opposition to considering the issue at the Security Council.
In preparation for the debate, the UK has circulated a concept paper arguing that climate change could provoke new wars, change borders, disrupt energy supplies and force mass migration. The paper outlines six areas where climate change could affect global security: border disputes, migration, energy supplies, other resource shortages, societal stress and humanitarian crises--with some estimates that up to 200 million people could be displaced by the middle of the century. (Image source: AP)

Stakes are Rising- Anybody Listening?

2007-04-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

This morning the IPCC, the supreme global scientific body on climate change with scientists from all over the world, released their 4th assessment report examining the expected impacts of climate change based on all science available. The report stresses on the potential extinction of hundreds of species, the increased risk of coastal damage, extreme weather, and implications of different degree scenarios to food supply and health. Ironically enough, the reports also finds that countries in northern areas, the countries emitting the majority greenhouse gases, are likely to enjoy of better agriculture and other benefits due to warmer winters. No wonder why so many industrialized countries are doing as little as possible to stop what will be a disaster for poor and vulnerable communities in the world.

Next month, the IPCC will be releasing its updated report on options to mitigate climate change. Hopefully, out of empathy, those who need to listen to stop thinking of their pockets and realize that we have one climate and one chance to do things right. Is anybody listening? I truly hope so.

You can find the full report at www.ipcc.ch, or follow press coverage by most major media sources worldwide.

IDA- The Costa Rican race to the bottom

2007-03-23T22:06:00.000-05:00

While Costa Rica continues arguing over the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, the central government sets up the stage for the treaty –a treaty that they insist will take Costa Rica up the ladder of development… unfortunately nobody knows yet where the ladder goes, or who builds the steps. The government is considering closing one of the last institutions supposedly helping Costa Rica farmers, the Institute for Agrarian Development (IDA- Instituto de Desarrollo Agrario).
The institute has not had any guidance or attention from the government from the past fifteen years, and now corruption scandals and reckless mismanagement has come to the public scrutiny. The government response, instead of addressing the problem and trying to correct the work of the institute, threatens to demolish one of the last institutions supposedly helping shape rural development. This comes in a time when agriculture is perceived as the odd child of the development agenda, a time when the few support mechanisms promote export crops over the very basic food for the poor.
The original mandate of IDA was to support small farmers with land, credits, and other programs. Although the institute has been terribly job, closing the institute will leave the needs of the rural poor up the air.
This is not the first time food supply is exchanged for money crops- the exchange of maize and beans for exotic ferns and frozen vegetables that Costa Ricans cannot afford. The National Production Center (CNP) and the Ministry of Agriculture have disappeared in the last decade. The Center was never replaced, and the Ministry was replaced with the Ministry of Production- which pays lip attention to agriculture.
With this in mind, Costa Rica continues to define its vision of progress. Selling its coast to foreign investors to make fishermen become construction workes –like its the reality in the Pacific coast of Guanacaste-, and pushing farmers out of the land to… to do whatever they can keep their families alive in the shadows of the informal economy.
Costa Rica, PURA VIDA!!

Now in Costa Rica

2007-03-12T12:45:00.000-05:00

I have arrived. A pretty straigtforward trip and lots of plans for the next three weeks. I shall write more later. I will for now try tyo find my way of getting involved with the ongoing political struggles surrounding CAFTA (central american free trade agreement with the US), and envision the dream of finding a job here for after graduation. We shall see!

Frustrated

2007-03-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

I wrote the statement below with my friends from Third World Network. It reflects my frustrations with UN processes right now

Chair’s Text Rings Death Knell for the CSD

The Chair’s draft negotiating document miserably fails to provide substance and direction to the current thematic cluster. Without any substantive overhaul—if not a complete re-writing—CSD-15 will be remembered in history as the session that has put the final nail in the CSD coffin.

The first sentence of the Draft Text sets the tone for the entire document: fossil fuel is here to stay, so let us just make it cleaner without any strong commitment to genuinely changing the unsustainable production and consumption patterns and shifting to environmentally sustainable alternatives that are already available. The Chair completely ignored the resounding voices of developing countries that dependence on expensive fossil fuel is making them poorer and preventing them from meeting the MDGs.

Rather than addressing this pressing problem by highlighting the calls for strong commitments to shift to renewables, the smorgasbord of options and possible actions on energy sifted by the Chair from the (un)interactive discussions selectively focuses on pushing for an energy mix that prominently features “cleaner fossil fuels”, with only weak references to renewable energy. If there is any urgent call for action in the text, it is towards moving for upscaling and deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies— but nothing about the need for sustainability criteria for biofuels that could provide sensible direction to all the excitement on the creation of an international market on biofuels.

The section on Industrial Development barely addresses the fundamental barriers raised by developing countries, such as tariff walls and subsidies in developed countries, monopolistic intellectual property rights that impede technology sharing and transfer, and the failure of developed countries to meet their commitment in increasing ODA levels.

LPG is the most prominent alternative to health-damaging traditional cooking and heating methods mentioned in the text, with not a single reference to other affordable, locally-available, and culturally-appropriate technologies raised by a host of developing countries. The LPG industry has been very successful in their lobbying at the IPM.

Despite of the desperate calls from the SIDS for decisive and immediate action to address climate change, the Chair’s Draft Text only offers market-based solutions anchored by public-private partnerships. It reeks of market fundamentalism that even queerly considers strengthening the carbon market as a long-term strategy to address Climate Change.

Effectively overhauling the Chair’s draft text could give CSD a new lease on life. An overwhelming majority of the developing world —those who do not depend on petro-dollars - have said that dependence on fossil fuel must stop in order for sustainable development to proceed. Sustainability criteria must be adopted to guide the current craze over bio-fuels. Genuine efforts that promote sustainable consumption and production must be exerted by the world community, not as a showcase but as a lifestyle. As a lone voice from the oil-producing world, Venezuela said it beautifully: what the world needs is not market fundamentalism, but collective action and solidarity.

The CSD owes it to the world and the next generation. Pump some life into the CSD. Dump the Chair’s draft text.
neth/hira/juan
2March07

Energy Efficiency: A win-win approach for Sustainable Development

2007-02-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

My contribution to the SDIN Issues Journal today...

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Energy Efficiency: A win-win approach for Sustainable Development

Meeting the energy needs of the world requires a comprehensive framework that not only seeks to increase energy supply, but also improve the allocation and use of energy while reducing energy demand. Increasing and improving energy efficiency can deliver benefits in all of the issues address at the CSD15, and policy options to exploit its potential must be reflected in the outcomes of the commission. Improvements in energy efficiency offer win-win solutions to the needs of the developing and the developed world.

Energy Efficiency: What can it bring to the CSD?

It can ….
Improve energy use with financial gains for different sectors using new and cutting-edge industrial technologies.
Reduce current energy use, in some countries, by 70% by improving building.
Reduce energy use by 10% improving stand-by use, or energy leakage.
Reduce industrial energy use, in some countries, by 17%-33% through improving production processes by 2050.
Reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 45%- 53% through improving production processes by 2050.

Energy efficiency is a win-win scenario –it must be a priority for a sustainably powered world. n some countries improving production and productions processes, such as new recovery technologies, higher efficiency of material use, performance standards, as well as other improvements

Improving energy efficiency in the developing world requires technology transfer from developed countries; the CSD must create a framework that allows developing countries to access the benefits of energy efficiency. Public-Private Partnerships is one option; further action is needed to promote a sustainable approach to energy use. Developed countries, in the spirit of the Monterey Consensus, must assist developing countries in leap-frogging to energy efficiency technologies and capacity building.

Some Policy Priorities for Energy Efficiency

Residential use: More regulations for new buildings and retrofits of old infrastructure can reduce cost and deliver savings to homeowners. Policy regulations can prescribe energy performance thresholds through MEPS, energy information labels, and subsidies for energy efficient appliances, building codes, and other methods to promote savings according. Because many appliances are imported to the developing world, it is important to harmonize references to performance standards observing international trade regulations.

Industrial use: We need to set benchmarks, energy auditing, and standards for industry, and these can deliver further benefits with far-sighted and transparent public-private and private-private partnerships. MEPS need to be set and enforced by governments, and these can be enhanced promoting voluntary measures through savings programmes.

Transportation: There are many policy options, and different measures and policies can help shape consumer behavior. Some of these are MEPS for national fleets, and improvements in public transformation. Improved technologies can help cut fuel use, and these technologies can be promoted through tax incentives

Making the case for sustainable energy at the United Nations

2007-02-26T18:57:00.000-05:00

Representatives of the youth caucus of the United Nations Commission for Sustainable at attending the preparatory meetings for the policy session of the Commission. Below is the statement I made at the UN Plenary on Monday morning...
***
Children and youth, as the future generations, do not wish to inherit a toxic, radioactive, dirty, and carbon-driven world, and call on the CSD to take action to guarantee that we have a future to look forward to. Providing more than 6 billion people with energy will require concrete action to ensure that we meet the needs of the poor and not only industry.

We firmly believe that renewable energy is the key to a sustainable future. Small-scale renewable energy projects offer a sustainable solution to energy access, providing local, context-sensitive solutions that preserve the environment. Youth have been essential partners in implementing small-scale projects; such contributions need further support.

A clear, universally recognized definition of sustainable energy must be agreed on, which must take into consideration principles stated in the JPOI. It is -evident that nuclear energy and “clean” fossil fuels are not viable options for truly sustainable development; subsidies supporting their exploitation must be phased out and used to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Global climate change is the most pressing issue of our generation. We need immediate action; we cannot rely on partnerships and short-term political maneuvering. Successful measures to mitigate and adapt to climate change demand innovative policy solutions encompassing multiple sectors.

We strongly believe that corporate social responsibility and accountability must be emphasized; while the JPOI highlighted this need, it was not mentioned at CSD14. A framework for business and industry to operate responsibly is needed, and it is needed now.

Cleaner production should be matched with sustainable consumption. Market approaches cannot ensure the best economic allocation of resources alone. Subsidies, when required, need to be used to secure access to energy for the poor.

Children and youth want healthy air. Pressing air pollution issues include the need for a collaborative and functional international policy framework. The costs of unsustainable transportation should be internalized. Fiscal policy should be used to promote public transportation, fuel efficiency, and multiple user initiatives.

There is a lot work to do between now and May.

Measurable targets and timelines are required. While achieving targets needs cooperation from all stakeholders, government accountability must also be stressed.

Given its potential for change, we insist that the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development be heavily emphasized at CSD15.

Recalling UN General Assembly 60/2, the inclusion of youth delegates in the international decision-making process should be facilitated. Governments must fulfill their commitment to include representation of youth.

What i am up to!

2007-02-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

it has been more than a week since i wrote here, but i think i have a good excuse. Last Friday i left frozen bar harbor to Washington Dc to attend a weekend retreat for SustainUS, and then i traveled back up to New York yesterday to join a team of NGOs at the UN Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the Commission for Sustainable Development (IPM-CSD). Its has been an exciting time already, I published my first article on the SD Issues today, and I just presented a statement to the Plenary on the Priorities for sustainable development and energy. After presenting my statement, i was interviewed with the UN Chronicle for their next edition... and i still have a week ahead of me.
Exciting!
I will try to have updates occasionally.

Spring Breakkkk!!

2007-02-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

It's official! i am going to Costa Rica for spring break. I am arriving in San Jose on March 11th and returning to Maine later that month (only to stay here for a week and then go to Argentina).

Ahh... Home sweet home!

This trip to Costa Rica promises a lot. I will be visiting some places where i am interested in working after graduation, and also saying good bye to my land in the case that end-up moving to some other place after i graduate. The thought is a little nerve-racking, but i rather face it as truth.

I am also planning on having some good fun! I invited a bunch of friends to come down, and one of my best friend took up the invitation. John is going to be in traveling with me for a week, which i hope to use to travel to some of the coolest spots in the country: arenal, monteverde, santa rosa, coyote, cabo blanco, etc... yeay! I will be also reuniting with some good odl friends, and enjoying life 'pura vida' style!

happy birthday kyoto!

2007-02-18T16:20:00.000-05:00

On February 16th the Kyoto Protocol passed its two-year anniversary since coming into effect in 2005. On February 16th, 2005 the Kyoto Protocol became binding law after Russia ratified it, becoming the fifty-fifth nation bound under the Protocol. Up to now, one hundred and sixty-nine nations are parties to the treaty, with the regrettable exception of the United States and Australia.

The Kyoto Protocol has come a long away since its creation in 1997, but, in the midst of the second anniversary, there are dark clouds overcastting compliance with the global 2008-2012 targets. Most of members bound to reduce emissions during 2008-2012 have already passed their targets beyond a point of no return; some members have even attempted to forfeit efforts to meet their duties. However, there have been some accomplishments; the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), one of the Kyoto flexible mechanisms for countries to meet their targets through reductions abroad, has recorded remarkable steps. Between 2008 and 2012 more than 1 billion tons of CO2 will be reduced through clean development in more than 500 projects worldwide, and the number keeps increasing. This, unfortunately, will not be enough to meet the Kyoto targets—unless developed countries take meaningful steps to reduce emissions at home.

On its second birthday, I wish Kyoto a stronger compliance mechanism for its post-2012 life, stronger additionality criteria for its mechanisms, political will for reform from its friends, and fruitful reconciliation with currently absent large greenhouse gases emitters. Join me wishing Kyoto a happy birthday; leave your comments with birthday wishes on this blog!

Global Average Temperature For January Highest On Record

2007-02-17T11:03:00.000-05:00

NOAA reported today that the combined global land and ocean surface temperature was the highest for any January on record. According to the NOAA National Climatic Data the most unusually warm conditions were in the mid- and high-latitude land areas of the Northern Hemisphere. The combined global land and ocean surface temperature was 1.53 degrees F (0.85 degrees C) warmer than the 20th century average of 53.6 degrees F (12.0 degrees C) for January based on preliminary data, surpassing the previous record set in 2002 at 1.28 degrees F (0.71 degrees C) above the average.

Last month's record was greatly influenced by a record high land-surface temperature, the fourth warmest global ocean-surface temperature was in the 128-year series, and a moderate El Niño episode that began in September 2006. In the contiguous United States, the monthly mean temperature was near average in January.

The presence of El Niño, along with the continuing climate change trend, contributed to the record warm January. NOAA reported that the monthly mean temperatures more than 8 degrees F above average covered large parts of Eastern Europe and much of Russia, and temperatures more than 5 degrees F above average were widespread in Canada. The unusually warm conditions contributed to the 2nd lowest January snow cover extent on record for the Eurasian continent.

Hikin' Dorr

2007-02-14T09:53:00.000-05:00

In conclusion to the climate summit this past weekend on Sunday, my friends and I went for a long afternoon hike . We hiked Dorr Mountain, the second tallest mountain in Mount Desert Island. Temperatures were on the -10/-15 C range, and were surprised by the ice and the accumulated snow. Check out some of the photos, they are awesome!
We were blessed with the company of my good friend Rob Niven from Montreal, who joined us for the Summit and presented on carbon capture. We also had the good company of Seth from Chewonki and Julia Thomas from MECA.

Thanks for the good company, and, of course, thanks to Blanco for his guidance!

The Maine Climate

2007-02-09T02:01:00.001-05:00

Once again, the blog has been quiet. I believe there has been a good reason, besides for a busy winter, the organization for the climate summit has been taking a lot of my spare time. To learn more about the summit, please click here.
I will have more updates soon.
Photo: Conference of Youth in Nairobi, Kenya in preparation for the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

Scientists and trading partners have spoken: Is the US listening?

2007-02-02T01:21:00.000-05:00

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is releasing its Fourth Assessment Report expressing the global consensus on climate change trends. Released in Paris, France today, the report concludes that it is 90% likely that climate change is due to human activities. Meanwhile, Jacques Chirac, president of France, has warmed that if the US does not take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, products exported from the United States could be taxed to enter the European market. While industries in Europe have to invest in reducing their emissions, industries in the US continue to emit gases without any control. This is unfair to European industry, and, unless the US takes serious action to reduce emissions, it could be faced with a carbon tax if it wishes to continue trading with its largest export market.

Although such a tax could be disputed at the WTO, France is supportedby the rest of Europe if it was to implement such a measure. The US Federal government has ignored the concerns of millions of citizens, but perhaps it might listen to the concern of its own industry. The science is clear, the cost of inaction is escalating, the time to act is now.

Cold Birthday

2007-01-22T02:14:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday I celebrated my 23rd birthday. It was a very special one for many reasons: I was surrounded by my closest friends, received some very creative and intriguing gifts, and it all happen in the midst of one of the coldest days of the winter. While I was enjoying good sushi, pad-thai, and wine next to the fire in my living room, the temperature outside reached - 27 C!

Many things to remember! I start this new year with great hopes and expectations, including spending my next birthday in a warmer climate.

Thanks to all my friends for their effort to make my day a very special one, I love you all. And, in addition, thanks to NOAA for providing me with weather information to catalogue this birthday as the coldest one ever!

(image: photo taken from the NOAA website the night of my birthday. Notice the outside tempeture and the temperature with the wind. Considering how windy Bar Harbor gets, the latter temperature matters the most to me!)

Politics of World Trade

2007-01-10T13:46:00.000-05:00

Trade, some say, is the engine that moves the world. As an engine, it sucks the energy out of a source to produce something, whatever that something might be. However, resources -labor or capital- do not move around markets with magical hands, and powering the engine of trade is sucking the developing world dry, while keeping comfortably fresh a small portion of the world. The mistakes leading to the current disparities in our planet have been the result of narrow-minded theories and assumptions of economics sitting at their big desks in Washington and London. While these economist rewrite their theories and models realizing that 'test sites' have collapsed, millions and millions of people starved in slums around the developing world.

This term, my last term of classes, I enrolled in an advanced seminar class on politics of world trade. I am very excited, and partially overwhelmed already. We have been discussing some of the issues with market reform during the 1980s and 1990s and I am experiencing flashbacks to the structural reform horrors in Costa Rica... banks closing, thousands of workers fired every Friday, and the common excuse of fiscal austerity to justify limiting social security and health care to those who had so-rightfully deserved.

For the first part of the term we will analyze the current processes at the World Trade Organization, particularly the Doha Rounds for trade and development. Although the talks collapsed last year, we will look at the some alternative policies suggested by economist around the globe, including Joseph Stiglitz in his most recent publication "Fair Trade for All" -which I strongly recommend. The second part of the term will allow me to concentrate on current trade treaties outside of the WTO, including NAFTA and CAFTA.

I will try to share thoughts and reactions now and then, and encourage you share your responses to my thoughts and concerns.

New Year

2007-01-03T22:55:00.000-05:00

This year, my last year in Maine, I have decided to enjoy Acadia National Park. Since I came back from Kenya, I have decided to go on the trails nearby every day, and do at least one big hike every week.

Today I went out for a big hike. I left my house early in teh morning and biked up the Cadillac Mountain to get to the Eagle Lake. Once at Eagle Lake, I went hiking around the lake and got a change to run the east shore of the reservoir.

Like I have said before, I have no idea where i am going end up next year. So, i better enjoy the fresh air now.

Photo above: View from Cadillac Mt, taken from ANP website.

Breaking the silence- Back to the Blog

2006-12-28T18:46:00.000-05:00

Alright, I have been meaning to update the blog for weeks, but I have been meaning to write a long blog and I keep putting off. So, I figured I should just get it done and write get to blogging.

The past two months have been beautiful, and perhaps that justifies my silence. Last time I blogged I was preparing to leave Nairobi in a backpacking adventure on the East Coast of Africa. What a trip!

The most noteworthy experience of the trip, and raking high amongst the most noteworthy experiences of my life, was my trip to Mount Kenya. Mt Kenya is the second highest mountain in Africa, with over 5300m (16 000 ft). I had never done high-altitude hiking, and it was amazing, challenging, and beautiful. I hiked up the mountain with two old friends, Alex F and Virginie, and two new ones, Whit Jones and Rob Niven. A great team!(Photo: sunrise in Mt Kenya - by Virginie Lavallee-Picard)

Mt Kenya is located on the Equator, and, like most other places in the world, is losing its glaciers and snow-caped peaks because of climate change. I had never seen a glacier, and it was really inspiring to see and touch the places that I seek to protect. The scenery was beautiful, and I invite you to check more photos here! You can also see more photos from our time in Kenya here

Before coming back to the US, I also had chance to visit my friend Alice Wilkinson in Watamu, near Mombassa and Lamu. We met with another groups of good friends from College of Atlantic working in East Africa. Odd place to meet friends!

So, I am back in the US. Very excited to be here actually. I spent Christmas at my best friend’s place in Topsham, Maine, and now I am preparing to start my last term of classes before I graduate in June. This term poses exciting challenges, starting with very interesting classes, and my senior thesis – which I will write more about later. I will also be collaborating with the Northern Alliance for Sustainable Development and the Third World Network in preparation for the UN Commission for Sustainable Development. So, recurring trips to New York will be on my agenda for the winter!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I promise to write more often now. I had also stopped blogging because I was planning on changing to a new blog host, but that will have to wait…

Off to the real Africa

2006-11-18T00:27:00.000-05:00

Over the past few weeks I have been working with a group of amazing people in Nairobi, Kenya for the Meeting of the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The meeting ended last night, and i know move on to see some of AFrica.

The kKilimanjaro, Mt Kenya, The Zerengeti, Masaai Mara, Zamzibar, and Mombasa figured among the possible destinations. I will out of touch for a while, but i hope to have a updated when i return to the United States in a few months.

Until then, Jambo rafiki!

Engaging climate leaders

2006-11-16T11:35:00.000-05:00

The past few hours have been intense. We have been engaging leaders from around the globe on their position on climate policy. While I write this blog, some Canadians friends meet with the high commissioner of Canada in Kenya and Rona Ambrose. An hour ago we held at meeting with Nicholas Stern to question some of his ideas on the Stern Report, while others were meeting with the Minister of New Zealand, Germany, Indonesia. We have been approaching delegations all day, but there still a lot of work to do. Tomorrow will be the closing of the high level segment and we are preparing a powerful statement to present at the closing of the negotiations. We are running out of time, and we are committed to leave Nairobi with a sense that something has been done to secure our future.
(photo: meeting with Sir Nicholas Stern)

Public apology

2006-11-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

I promised this to a good friend, and was coerced to do it by another individual.
So, I hereby wish to apologize for saying that Jessica Duncan tends to ruin photos.

I hope that my good friends Jessica and Rob can accept my apologies; I particularly hope that Rob will stop his methods of peace-making.

On a similar note, I wish to point to Rob as prone to ruining photos. Go two step!

COP12: The last two days, a plea for action

2006-11-16T04:04:00.000-05:00

Decisions of different working groups are being forwarded to the supreme body of the convention, the Conference of the Parties (COP) for final approval. Most of the decisions are fancy words plastered on paper, and the ytouth delegation refuses to let minister leave Nairobi without hearing our concerns. These mediocre decisions will affect us, it is our future they are negotiating. For the next two days the youth at COP12 will approach every country member of the United Framework Convention on Climate Change, and express our disappointment and suggestion on each of the issues neglected at COP12. 48hrs, more than 150 countries, our last chance…

In addition to approaching them, we will be handing them out a letter with our views on this meeting and our demands for action for next year. Please find a copy of the letter below, and wish us luck!

Read the letter

More...

Dear Ministers at the COP12/COPMOP2:

As the negotiations of the high level segment of COP12/COPMOP2 come to a close, we, the youth, are concerned that little has been accomplished. The decisions agreed to by this body concern all of us; it is our future you are negotiating. Over the past two weeks, we have been presented with varied excuses for inaction. You made a step forward in Montreal, but that does not justify the stagnation of the past two weeks. The outcomes of this COP must, in the very least, result in a compromise that leads to a tangible, time-bound, and effective decision for a post-2012 mandate at COPMOP3.

Over the next year, action is required on the part of all parties. The principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ must guide the efforts of the UNFCCC while ensuring a long-term vision encompassing short-term goals. Several issues need to be addressed and put into operation.

This conference in Nairobi, in sub-Saharan Africa, has the severity of impacts on vulnerable regions. We know that some impacts of increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations are unavoidable, that human populations will suffer immediately and that natural disasters will be compounded and have lasting effects. We applaud the efforts of delegates to define the principles and modalities of the Adaptation fund that will eventually deliver some of the resources needed to adapt to these effects, but this is just the baseline and greater work lies ahead.

We need an operable fund by COP/MOP3. This requires undertaking a great deal of work in a very restricted amount of time. We ask that you give your negotiators good direction and spur on their efforts. Delegates require the autonomy to move beyond heavily politicized rhetoric to create a strong fund with clear priorities, managed by a fair and transparent institution.

Parties are committed to protecting forests under Article 4.1(d) of the Convention, however this commitment is not enough. Domestic and unilateral initiatives in the conservation and sustainable management of forests have shown progress and provide insight into best practices; yet the need for an international regime to stop Tropical deforestation and prevent the emissions from land use and land use change is irrefutable. Trees are falling, biodiversity is disappearing, ecosystems are failing, access to water is decreasing, the climate is changing: people are suffering.

Tropical forests have repeatedly failed to receive the protection they require. Correspondingly, we must resort to market mechanisms: we must assign economic value to the carbon-storing capacity of trees. Compensation for the environmental services of forests must be provided through carbon credits within the Protocol as well as through financial incentives outside of the Protocol. It is also imperative that we take into account socio-economic factors; we must support communities that rely on forest services and we must compliment other IEAs. In order to create the demand and generate the funds necessary for such a scheme, we require deep and far-sighted reductions immediately.

The decisions of the ad hoc Working Group on Further Commitments by Annex I Parties are of utmost importance to us. The post-2012 period not only represents a major challenge for the international community, but also an enormous opportunity – a chance to improve and build upon the Kyoto protocol in order to meet the real and pressing need for climate stabilization. For us, these challenges and opportunities are not abstract. They are very real.

This is our future. As such, we insist that our voices be heard. For the security of our livelihoods, environments and cultures – and those of our brothers and sisters around the world – we demand the following from the immediate post-2012 process:

1. That a firm goal be agreed upon by all parties to remain below a 2˚C rise above pre-industrial temperatures. This level is not without its dangers, but surpassing this point will bring with it significant and irreversible damage. In keeping with this target, we believe that atmospheric concentrations of GHGs must be stabilized at 450ppm CO2e.
2. In order achieve this goal the AWG must complete its plan of work by no later than 2008 to assure that a mandate for the second commitment period can be adopted at COP/MOP5. This will require substantial and sustained efforts commensurate with the task at hand.
3. It is crucial that the review under article 9 be conducted in a comprehensive and timely manner. The review of article 9 must allow for the AWG to draw on its conclusions and have a post-2012 mandate by 2008 in order to ensure the absence of a gap between the first and second commitment periods. Therefore, we insist that a broad article 9 review be concluded by COP/MOP3. To this end, the COP must leave Nairobi with a strong and effective work plan capable of delivering on this rigorous timeline.

The effects of climate change are severe and demand immediate international cooperation to avoid humanitarian and economic crises. We worry that the lack of direction and leadership at COP12 negotiations will delay a timely response to the climate crisis. We urge you, Minister, and your delegations to adopt a spirit of goodwill and cooperation in order to establish a post-2012 mandate. The ongoing process of the Kyoto mechanisms, such as the CDM and the emissions trading system, demand market certainty, made possible by a strong mandate to develop effective tools to mitigate GHG emissions and fund adaptation projects.

The world wants and needs a strong plan to stabilize our climate. We ask that you consider this request now, at the negotiation table next year and in the interim, with of the goal of creating a mandate for a post-2012 regime. We uphold the international youth declaration signed in Montréal 2005.

The world has learned a lot since COP3, and those lessons should help us expedite the process for further action for a regime post-2012. We must avoid getting caught up in politics and rhetoric. The science is clear; we have learned from our mistakes and triumphs, and we know what needs to happen.

The costs of inaction will fall upon your children, it will fall upon us.

This is our future – the time to act is now.

Do not turn your back on us.

-The International Youth Delegation at COP12/COPMOP2

Time is running out, youth organize in Nairobi

2006-11-14T06:49:00.000-05:00

With only 4 days for the closing of the UNFCCC negotiations, the North America youth delegation has doubled efforts to press for outcomes from this meeting that will safeguard help us combat climate change. Over the next 24 hrs we will be organizing a press conference, a meeting with the minister of environment of the United Kingdom, while meetings with the European Union, United States, Japan, Canada, and Uganda are also on the agenda for today. Als,o We will be organizing demonstrations, and lobbying delegates from the G77 and China, as well as collaborating with the international network of organizations members of the Climate Action Network. The UN complex looks like a beehive right now. Ministers are arriving in the next 24hrs to close the deals negotiated over the past few days. Kofi Annan, Sir Nicholas Stern, and other high level commissionaires are expected to join the High Level Plenary tomorrow, and youth are organizing demonstrations to stress the urgency of this issue to the 6000 people gathered in Nairobi. Youth are currently writing their statement to be delivered on Friday, and will continue to do everything they can to make the ministers realize they it is our future they are negotiating.

Busy days ahead of us… back to work

Plantations are not forest: Biodiversity for sale & the carbon market

2006-10-16T19:43:00.000-05:00

Earth First! and Rising Tide North America took to the high seas today to protest monoculture industrial timber plantations and demanding a ban on genetically engineered trees.

Image: Boat Protest in Charleston, SC (U.S.) Against Timber

Stakeholder groups demonstrated against timber plantations and forest biotechnology during the kick-off event for a conference on fast growing plantations in South Carolina. Banners read “ArborGen: No GE Trees or Plantations in US South or Brazil” , and, in Portuguese, another read “Eucalyptus Plantations Are Not Forests.” A third Spanish banner read “We demand protection for native forests and respect for the Mapuche people.”

Dont be deceived, tree plantations to offset emissions are not a win-win solution to climate change.

Some biotech plantations have displaced communities and wildlife and fauna as projects of the Clean Development Mechanism -a mechanism to reduce carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol- projects aim to obtain carbon credits for the world largest emitters of greenhouse gasses.Countries offset their emission funding plantations in the developing world, though Normal tree plantations hold up to 90 percent less specie diversity than the native forests they replaced, leading many to label them as “green deserts.”

Moreover, a plantation containing genetically engineered trees poses the high risk of genetic contamination of the surrounding natural forest with traits such as weakened structural integrity and cellular pesticide production.

Popular industry theories claim plantations will help address climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This ignores the fact that tree plantations absorb a quarter of the CO2 as intact natural forest. Furthermore, tree plantations are logged at an early age thereby releasing the stored CO2. Offseting carbon emissions through forest is a tricky business, and not as sound as growing carbon business would like us to believe. The additionality and leakage of reforestation poses questions, specially as many of the forest, or carbon sinks under the Kyoto Protocol, can be monitored and there is little understanding of the details of the carbon cycle.

Fall in Maine

2006-10-01T22:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to go out canoeing with my some good friends in one of the beautiful spots of the Union River Watershed in Hancock County, Maine.
Falls in Maine are breath-taking, and yesterday afternoon was the best time to be out in the water.
yeay for Maine!
Pics: My good friend Brett enjoying the wonderful afternoon.

Below: Ken and a COA prospective student canoeing away

Left: Amy and Jasmine - a dangerous team

More photos here!

Waldron Street: No Vacancy

2006-09-30T22:45:00.000-05:00

This previous weekend our house was blessed with the company of three good friends. Hannah McKinnon and Michael Cameron visited us from Canada, and Mark Moroge visited us from North Carolina.

Good times!

I have been moving around for seven years now, and sometimes i fear that this constant mobility wont allow me to reconnect to any of the people that have shaped my life. This weekend, however, proved me that i have nothing to fear. It was particularly good to see Mike after 3 years. Mike is a brother to me and seeing him again was refreshing and inspiring.

To our visitors, thank you! it was great to have you here.

Mark is currently moving to Spain where he will be completing his studies in Ecology and Spanish.
Hannah is moving to El Salvador for a while on work-related matter for CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency).
Mike goes back to New Brunswick in Canada where he is completing his BA.
Good luck to you all, you make me proud!
More photos, here
i wish to dedicate a song that will remind me of the weekend forever....

una sangre, by lila downs

la punta del oeste carga, gente de cualquier nación
de china hasta puerto rico cargamos el mismo patrón
pisando la tierra firme se suelta la bestia al cañón
que emana este fuego eterno, que busca revolución

somos una sangre, una sangre somos
polvo de la tierra sentada a la mesa de nuestra ilusión
somos una sangre, solamente sangre
con el alma en la boca y la sangre caliente en el corazón

el hijo duerme tranquilo, su sueño cuidado esta
su madre le dio este mundo porque ella no pudo volar
bailamos todos a un ritmo, a un ritmo de humanidad
de sangre del polvo al polvo
de tierra se vuelve mar

somos una sangre, una sangre somos
polvo de la tierra sentada a la mesa de nuestra ilusión
somos una sangre, solamente sangre
con el alma en la boca y la sangre caliente en el corazón

home sweet home

2006-09-14T23:16:00.001-05:00

as promised, some pictures of my new house! (picture on the right: home sweet home with the kat's prius outside waiting for new adventures!)

this is my senior year at college of the atlantic, so my roommates and i made sure we get the coolest house in town: the waldron house.

an interesting year ahead of us, hectic nights writing final projects, human ecology essays, and developing a concrete strategy to survive to all the work to come. After all of that is done, a nice break chilling in the yard.

of course, this isn't any house. the appliances have been changed to meet high energy efficiency standards, we purchase green energy, and buy local and organic food as available. The least you can expect from graduating COA seniors!

the flatmates: Alex Flecther, Virginie Lavallee-Picard, John Deans,Peter Lavigne..and of course.

honorary flatmates: many, but Elsie Fleming, Kate Tompkins, Eric Bernstoff, Kat Zarate, and Oliver Bruce are frequent visitors.

everyone else is welcome to come visit of course! See more photos here

Left and right: my room!

Left: living room at night, right: living room and study room during daylight

Left: spider outside the house

Left: the kitchen, right: people gather to watch the Daily Show

Left: Living Room Right: Brunch time in the back yard

COA- Davis Scholars Dinner

2006-09-14T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday I had dinner with Mr Shelby Davis, the Generous man that has allowed to attend College of the Atlantic under his support. Below is a pictures from the dinner the rest of the students from Lester B Pearson United World College of the Pacific at COA had with Mr Davis.
in the photo- left to right-: Mauro Carballo (Uruguay), Virginie Lavallee-Picard (Quebec, Canada), Oliver Bruce (New Zealand), Mr Shelby Davis, ME! (Costa Rica), Eric Bernstorff (Denmark), Alex Fletcher (Canada), & Michelle Soto (Ecuador).

SustainUS Information Session

2006-09-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

Last night we had an information session in Bar Harbor that broke all records in COA history: 70 interested students showed up!
Here is an video created for this session.
Awesome! you, me, us, SustainUS

Leaders warming up: Children gathering in Malaysia

2006-08-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

Over two hundred children have gathered in Putrajaya, Malaysia to voice their concerns and provide their ideas to protect the environment over the past week. The children, from over 67 countries, attended the United Nations Environment Programme International Children Conference with the goal of learning from each other and forming a coalition of youth environmentalists taking firm steps to protect the world's environment.

The 2006 Children Conference focused on protecting biodiversity, and allowed children to nourish their perspectives through exchanging ideas and concerns with their peers. The children gathered in Putrajaya are leaders in the communities and will bring back to their home countries a sense of hope. As the future leaders of the world, these young entrepreneurs renew the hope of the older generations. They also remind us that , if 200 children from 67 nations can come together to collaborate, adults need to bring up the child within them to solve the problems that affect our world today and that will affect generations to come.

The International Children Conference and the UNEP Children Board are part of the UNEP Tunza Strategy, an ongoing effort to engage children and youth in the policy making and implementation of UNEP's work.

You have me, You have us, you have SustainUS

2006-08-27T19:20:00.000-05:00

This past weekend SustainUS had its annual retreat at the Black Rock Forest Lodge, upstate New York. The retreat served to energize the work of our organization and to give a sense of direction to the amazing programs we have successfully developed since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.

An intense weekend, no question of that. Concrete ideas for actions ranging from local energy efficiency campaigns run by high school students to international coalitions meeting in the heart of Africa.... All of it organized by a youth network of people committed to advance our fight for a more sustainable world.

SustainUS has been the most influential organization in my life. It has empowered to make a change and to become an active youth leader. I feel I ought a lot to SustainUS, and I will have the opportunity to give back tot he movement this coming year serving as the External Relations and Partnership Coordinator. My job includes developing and maintaining relationships with a diverse assortment of current and potential partner organizations. I will also get to work closely with Communications, the Agents of Change and Citizen Science Coordinators, and the National Programs coordinators. I am particularly excited because, along with the Chairperson, the External Relations coordinator is the “Face and Voice” of SustainUS, and represents the organization to governments, the UN, potential funders, and other outside organizations. So, an exciting year ahead of me. Sustain what? SustainUS!!!
Pictures above: Picture One- A working group during the afternoon session on Saturday afternoon talking about National Programs.
Picture Two- Dinner session to discuss local projects and outreach.
Picture Three- one of my best friends, Mark Moroge, who spent the entire retreat eating watermelon.
Picture Four- Michael Gale taking notes during the Communications session of the retreat.

The Costa Rican Circus

2006-08-23T12:24:00.000-05:00

An unofficial wrap-up for Costa Rica 2006.
i will miss you guys!
-jp

Dude, where are the golden toads?

2006-08-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Costa Rican cloud forest, Monteverde, where the legendary Golden frog used to exist. I entered the cloud forest with some good friends from the UN University for Peace trying to discover the wonders of this very specific type of wilderness.
Unfortunately, it did not take us long to realize that the cloud forest is no longer the cloud forest. Deforestation and climate change have already changed the microclimate so much over the last few years that many species have disappeared and the forest has turned into an entirely new ecosystem.

Though still a forest, the change in temperatures in the atmosphere and wind patterns has changed the average elevation of clouds by several hundred meters. Now, instead of mist and clouds, you have tropical downpour. The cloud forest is similar to the rain forest, but its unique location immerses the vegetation in clouds coming from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, reducing the solar radiation and outgoing longwave radiation, and increasing humidity and water inputs from mist and direct depositions of cloud droplets (Lawton, 2001). The change in climate and the deforestation of the Atlantic Coast has made the precipitation and temperature change, and reptiles and amphibians used to cloud forest don’t have a place to go.

However, kids have been taking action! There are two reserves created through the efforts of children from around the world to protect the cloud forest. The Children Eternal Forest, for example, was founded with the donations coming campaigns around the world to save the forest. So, next time you see someone raising funds to protect the rain forest, know that funds are being used to provide a home to small and unique climate refugees…. Like the family of the disappeared golden frog! We need to take action, some creatures are not able to adapt to climate change (and other anthropogenic non sense) on their own.

On a more cheerful note. Monteverde was a lot of fun. Hiking in the tropics is very different from the hiking in Acadia. Plus, we got to do a canopy tour that left some breathless trying to pull ourselves to the next trees (verdad doctor?).

I had very illustrious and notable group of friends joining me in the forest, starting with the infamous Molly Cheatum (aka molichiton, who is absolutely insane and would do anything to see me suffer), the Lauras (who lost their notion of morality weeks ago), Paula (who left her Spanish passport and decided to turn Japanese with her video camera), Amy (David’s wife, who is wicked cool and knows everything about bugs and makes 45 minutes hikes turn into 2 exciting hours of your own Discovery Channel), and David (who clearly didn’t get his PhD crossing the canopy). Fun times…. In fact, a little too much fun! More Photos, here

That night we also went to hang out at the local pub where my value system collapsed again thanks to my distinguished Spanish friends.

My time in Costa Rica is coming to an end. In a few hours I will present my research with Paula (a good new friend who I will miss dearly, just like Laura -even if she is a callejera-) to the community of Llano Grande. We are very nervous and we are hoping that the community will embrace our work and make it theirs.

The next days few are going to be hectic and beautiful. For my last weekend in Costa Rica we have planned a nice group dinner on Friday, white water rafting on Saturday followed a crazy night of house music at a trendy bar in the capital. Sunday will include some well-deserved rest and then a going-away gathering for my distinguished Spanish friends at my cuate’s house, David (another one on the “miss dearly” list…. God, so many awesome people around the world that always have to say good-bye to… I hate my life).

I hope to have more news after my presentation tonight.

Ps- I am purposely omitting the fact that I got stomach sick in Monteverde and that Carlos and Elizabeth ditched us.

Videos: Tarzan swing and Monteverde wrap-up.

my 'to-do' life

2006-08-09T19:31:00.000-05:00

Hello friends,
I normally like to keep my page updated for friends and others to stay informed of my doings and whereabouts. Unfortunately I won’t be able to update my page for a while, or at least until I have reduced my “To-Do” list to half its current size. After that, I will share exciting experiences from the Monteverde Cloud Forest.

To-do list until I leave Costa Rica on august 25th:

Finalize housing document for the Guidos Slum in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Finish emissions baselines for biodigestors project.
Finish reforestation plan for reforestation project
Complete the strategic plan for Llano Grande.
Finish policy report on energy and climate change for UN Secretary General.
Prepare input for UNEP meeting in Malaysia.
Get ready for SustainUS National Retreat in New York.
Organize North American conference call for COP12 in Kenya
Enjoy my last week in Costa Rica with awesome new friends
Prepare article for UN UPeace
Blog on Its Getting Hot in Here
Blog on my own blog again….

See you then
(picture above: Children's Eternal Rain Forest in Monteverde... a new take on community managment)

"we are the peoples, not the market"

2006-08-02T16:22:00.000-05:00

I am currently chairing a policy review on behalf of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) Youth Caucus for the Secretary General review of Energy and Climate Change Policy for Sustainable Sevelopment.

I came across a statement I made at the UN a few months ago during the a plenary session and I got inspired to keep revising policy for a few more hours. I thought i should bring the essence of the statement to this page. For the full statement, please visit the UN website.

....We have come to review work, not to anchor profit at the center of our efforts. We believe in
environmental justice and encourage to remember that, as embodied in the Rio Declaration,
"Human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development".
We believe the private sector can play a role in achieving more sustainable development, but
only if governments take leadership, and provide them with the policy framework and incentives
to make that possible. In addition, we must recognize that the goals of Agenda 21 will never be
accomplished entirely by the private sector. Government delegates do not ignore the
responsibilities which you signed on to in Rio, and affirmed in Johannesburg.
Fellow human beings - indeed - we are the peoples, not the market. ...

My contribution to reducing GHG…

2006-07-30T13:53:00.000-05:00

Dumping 1116 liters of pig manure per week into your local water source tends to become a problem, especially when you add land degradation and heavy chemical use. This is the case of the town of Jaris de Mora, a rural community in the highlands of Costa Rica.

Last Wednesday I was at the official event announcing a strategy to reduce water pollution and land degradation, and provide alternative means for production. For over a month I have joined a group of people working to find a local strategy to solve this problem without sacrificing local livelihoods. This has been a joined effort of the Ministry of Agriculture, the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environmental Facility SGP, and the UN University for Peace.

What are we doing?

We will be implementing biodigesters to capture all the manure going to the rivers. The biodigesters will capture the methane for cooking and for heating and produce organic fertilizer to be used in sugar cane production. The town has been slowly switching their production methods to export organic sugar cane, and fertilizer created in the community will allow to reduce production cost. Also, the biodigesters will, hopefully, allow women to save time by not having to go out looking for wood for cooking and reduce the health problems related to indoor air pollution.

What I have been doing…

In order to mainstream this type of efforts, the GEF needs clear indicators of the gains of this type projects. For the last month I have been compiling information to create baselines to measure the success of the project in a year. Thus, I have spent a significant amount of time measuring gas emissions and inspecting pig farms. I have developed simple indicators to measure water use, gas emissions, energy use, methane production, and improvements in infrastructure.

I swear it is more fun than it sounds… Fun times!

I am also working on a different project not too far from Jaris, which aims at protecting the local watershed with community efforts. More to come soon…

The Lora snake strikes back

2006-07-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had the the opportunity to visit Manuel Antonio National Park with some wonderful friends. Manuel Antonio is located on the Costa Rican Pacific Coast, and it contains a breathtaking combination of tropical forest, beaches and coral reefs. White sand beaches are backed by exotic rain forest that grows right up to the high tide line, and it is inhabited by awkwardly friendly fauna. For example, the Lora Snake (Leptophis depressirostris)...

The Lora snake strikes back

I thought it was the apocalypses. It was a peaceful Saturday morning, we were crossing the rain forest taking only pictures and leaving only footprints -except for the occasional tree bark bite (yes David, corteza!)-. All of the sudden, a weird noise came from sky. Branches breaking, leaves falling, and a hasty commotion on the tropical floor less than 12 feet from us. What´s it? It is snake. A Lora snake, one of the most poisonous snakes of the Costa Rican rain forest.
Yes, right there. The adrenaline rush made us hectically approach the snake with video cameras and with other devices to assure that the discovery was real (yes, Japanese style). Amusement.. nervous laughter...bewilderment at the idea that we could have worn the green beauty as a deadly collar.

A few seconds later...

Wait? what is that new noise? It is a cat.. no, it is a bird.. NO, it is a another Lora snake falling 4 feet from us, and less than 10 feet from the other one. The enchanting noises of the rain forest were suddenly mixed with louds puta madre, hijueputa, joder, and other nuisances proclaiming our dispathy to the rain forest. Snakes falling over us. We ought to run!Soon we realized that the snake was eating a frog, and the struggle made the snake impact against the floor from its comfortable branch 60 feet above us. The scene was of National Geographic profile, and we stayed around for a few minutes!
Enough is enough, time to leave the trail.

Later we realized that we had actually seeing a fake Lora snake, a non-poisonous one. I like to think, however, that it was a real one . Also, I am truthfully happy that the apocalypses calls for frogs raining from the sky, and not fake Lora snakes.

Manuel Antonio is buckets of fun, and the local fauna is worth the trip... except for the more-or-less poisonous snakes that approach girls on the dance floor to ditty jingles of reggaton - a mix of Panamanian reggae with chants from hell, and Sodom and Gomorrah. See more photos...

Climate Change Threat to Pacific Ocean Mangroves

2006-07-19T11:07:00.000-05:00

Coping Strategies for Coastal Zone Managers Outlined in New UNEP-Backed Report

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today studies indicating that some islands in the region could see over half of the mangroves steadily lost by the end of the century, with the worst hit being American Samoa, Fiji, Tuvalu, and the Federated States of Micronesia.
Action is needed to conserve mangroves in the Pacific amid concern that rising sea levels, linked with climate change, are set to drown large areas of these precious and economically important ecosystems.

The study, which has assessed the vulnerability of the 16 Pacific Island countries and territories that have native mangroves, finds that overall as much as 13 per cent of the mangrove area may be lost. It makes a series of recommendations to coastal planners. These include several adaptation tools, such reducing pollution from land-based sources in order to make existing mangroves more healthy and resilient, alongside restoring lost or degraded mangroves wetlands.

Setting back coastal infrastructure and development to allow mangroves to spread inland may also be possible along some sections of Pacific island coastlines, says the report.
Achim Steiner, UNEP’s Executive Director, said: “Industrialized nations must meet their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, the international emission-reduction treaty, as a first step to the even deeper cuts needed to stabilize the atmosphere”.
“There are many compelling reasons for fighting climate change–the threats to mangroves in the Pacific, and by inference across other low lying parts of the tropics, underline yet another reason to act” he added.
“But there is also an urgent need to help vulnerable communities adapt to the sea level rise which is already underway. This report provides sensible and sound advice on management regimes needed to boost the health and resilience of coastal zones and coastal ecosystems like mangroves in the face of current and future threats,” said Mr Steiner.
The new report, “Pacific Island Mangroves in a Changing Climate and Rising Seas”, has been compiled by the Regional Seas Programme of UNEP, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) based in Apia, Samoa, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council in Honolulu, United States, and well over a dozen additional agencies and organizations from the Pacific Islands region.
They underline that, in common with other terrestrial and marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves provide an array of valuable goods and services upon which local people and industries like tourism depend.The true economic value of ecosystems like mangroves is now starting to emerge as a result of landmark reports such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the work of some 1,300 scientists and experts.
According to some estimates, the goods and services generated by mangroves may be worth an average of $900,000 per square kilometer, depending on their location and uses. Roughly half the world’s mangrove area has been lost since 1900 as a result of clearances for developments like shrimp farms. 35 per cent of this loss has occurred in the past two decades.

A round trip to the mountains

2006-07-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

yesterday Paula and myself traveled all the way to the heart of Mora County for a meeting with a local development association to find out that the meeting was cancelled. Here is our rant after traveling under the rain for 4 hrs ...

A new way to solve problems

2006-07-12T14:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is really funny. Something less serious for this blog.

credits: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js0vOgjBfD8

Blockade of Power Plant in SW Virginia

2006-07-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

This post is from my good friend Liz Veazey from the Southern Energy Network. I am taking her blog from Itsgettinghotinhere.org

Mountain Justice Media press release.
July 10, 2006, Carbo, Virginia - Early this morning, activists with Earth First! and Rising Tide North America set up a non-violent blockade of American Electric Power’s (AEP) nearly 50 year old Clinch River coal fired electric facility. Emitting millions of pounds of pollutants yearly, the Clinch River coal plant threatens the health and lives of thousands of downwind residents and the surrounding environment. Burning coal is not only a primary factor behind global climate change, but also drives the expansion of large scale strip mining. Large scale surface mining destroys forests, streams and communities as it alters the Appalachian landscape forever.
Over 50 activists arrived at AEP’s Clinch River plant at 9:00 this morning. An Earth First!er attached a rope to the bridge and stretched it across the road while another suspended himself below the bridge over the Clinch River. One activist locked himself to the axle of the coal truck.
Earth First! and Rising Tide demand the following:
1. Shut down the Clinch River facility and all aging, dirty coal burning power plants.
2. An immediate halt to mountaintop removal and other destructive forms of strip mining. 3. A nationwide response to the reality of global climate change marked by a move away from fossil fuels, transition towards cleaner sources of energy and vigorous promotion of electricity conservation.

“The Clinch River facility is a symbol of all that is wrong with King Coal. Dirty air, ravaged landscapes and global climate disruption are the legacies of a corrupt, inefficient and destructive industry that kills with impunity” said Patrick Garnett of Lexington, Kentucky.
“The coal industry and its government puppets are ignoring widespread public concern over large scale strip mining, air pollution and global climate change” said Erin Mckelvy of Blacksburg, Virginia. “Concerned citizens are forced to take direct action to call attention to the devastation caused by the irresponsible mining and burning of coal” she added.
The Clinch River coal burner releases 4.25 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the air annually, contributing to an unpredictable change in the global climate. Particulate pollution from burning coal has been proven to worsen asthma for residents across the nation. Mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia has destroyed over 800 square miles of the most biologically diverse temperate forest in the world. Over 1200 miles of streams have been buried by valley fills and mining waste.

“I was born here in southwestern Virginia. The mountains here are part of my soul. They are sacred to me, and also to God” said Ernest Wayne Cantrell of Clintwood, Virginia. “I fight back because I can’t continue to watch the world’s oldest mountains be leveled forever” he continued.

Earth First! is an international environmental action movement focusing on protecting wild nature. Rising Tide North America is part of an international network focusing on the root causes of global climate change.

More information available at www.mountainjusticemedia.org/test.php and www.katuahearthfirst.org,
Contact: Mountain Media Center - Claire Jones - 828-277-8729 or E-mail
mtrmedia [at] gmail.com

Context Matters

2006-07-09T02:23:00.000-05:00

It has been more than a month since I arrived to Costa Rica, and I have miserably failed to maintain track of my own work. I shall attempt to recollect some thoughts of the last two weeks working with the rural development projects with the UN University for Peace and the Global Environmental Facility, operated by the United Nations Development Program.

As my friend Tiffany Elnston said once, “context matters”. The people of Mora consider themselves a forgotten county; Mora isn’t part in the eco-tourism boom blessing most of the country, or being placed in the map of the high-tech industry revolutionizing the country’s economy. But survival is compulsory, and agriculture and food industry are some of the main activities employing the 21 800 inhabitants of the region. The industry, however, is being driven into extinction by food commodities imported from the United States. These imports (corns, cereals, soy, sorghum, etc) are subsidized by the US government and introduced to the market at virtually unbeatable prices. In addition, the Costa Rican government is about to sign the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which will make importing food commodities –amongst others- even easier. The people of Mora are fully aware of their opportunities and threats, and they know they need to act otherwise they will pushed to the cities to work as unskilled workers – feeding the country and living in the countryside is considered barbarian in a world striving to become an homogenous mega urban slum.

So, what am I doing? Before I start my rant, I shall clarify that I am not been deceived to believe that we are going to bring magical solutions. I am working with the 6 communities in the county of Mora: Picagres, Piedras Negras, Jaris, Tabarcia, Llano Grande, and El Rodeo. We are collaborating with the local grassroots development associations to create a strategy to cope with the unavoidable change facing the county. We are organizing community gatherings to facilitate the cognitive process of creating solutions to the threats identified by the community members. From that collaborative process we will draft a strategic plan for each community that will address the environmental and socioeconomic problems and propose solutions conceived by the community as they envision their lifes 10 years ahead. We are trying to connect the GEF operative programs to the strategic plans to carry out the goals of community orchestrated with the goals for the GEF. There are many ideas already proposed by different community members, but it is know a matter of finding a common ground that reflects the common interest of the communities…. It is a matter now of redefining progress.

I am working with group 9 people in the projects, four Spanish, two Americans, one Canadian, one German, and one Chilean. We have a very diverse range of expertise, from anthropologist to environmental engineers in the group, and that has allowed us to use Rapid Rural Assessments techniques to collect information. In addition, we have the support from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment and Energy, and a few local NGOs. There will be a lot more to share as the time goes on, as for now, I want to listen to the voices buried under the development paradigm.

The real cost of a booming economy

2006-06-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

For years China’s economy has enjoyed unstoppable economic growth, but it can no longer hide the impact of a copious 9% economic growth at the expense of the wellbeing of its people and relentless depletion of its natural resources. A recent article by David Barboza from The New York Times reports on the misery brought upon the people of Shangma Huangtou, China, by the 24/7 operation of one of the many Chinese coalmines in the area.
Local water sources have disappeared and acres of land are sinking because of the ravages of underground coal mining, forcing the people to flee their land. Meanwhile, as the already 500 feet tall coal waste pile keeps growing outside their village, the Chinese government refuses to help the villagers find a new home claiming that they are only doing for money.

In the meantime, China expects to see their economy roar while burning the lifes of their people and endangering life on earth as they pump yuans and carbon in the atmosphere. For how long? Hopefully not for too long. In the interest of protecting their economy, China will need to realize that their coal dependency wont take them far, and that damning, burning, flooding, and melting their own people can not be their engine of growth.

Kyoto marks one billion tonne GHG reduction

2006-06-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

The United Nations Climate Change Secretariat recently announced that the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol’s has generated more than one billion tonnes of emission reductions . The reductions are supposed to happen by the end of 2012 and are the equivalent fto the present annual emissions of Spain and the United Kingdom combined. The Clean Development Mechanism was created to help industrialized countries meet their reduction targets by investing in clean technologies in developing counties, thus reducing emission that would have occurred otherwise. Reductions have been accounted for activities ranging from methane capture from landfills to growing cocoa trees in indigenous communities.

Though the 1 billion ton represents an important benchmark for Kyoto Protocol, much more needs to happen to improve the CDM in order to equality distribute the projects between regions and activities. Improvement of the CDM and other incentives to reduce emission in the developing world will be on the agenda at next meeting of the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol to be held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Settling in

2006-06-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I started my internship at the UN University for Peace working with UNDP-GEF Small Grant Projects. The work to come looks promising, and I have been trying to use my time wisely to prepare to successfully carry out for that doesn’t lie in my area of expertise. (Left photo: view from our offices in El Rodeo, Costa Rica).

The next 11 weeks are going to be an opportunity to learn from some of the most skilled researchers and development professionals in rural development working closely with the international institutions mandated to assist rural communities to improve their standard of living. My task is to coordinate the work of five young researchers to create 5 proposals apt for funding under the biodiversity and climate change focal points of the GEF. Creating the proposals isn’t really the core of the challenge, the research is supposed to shine light over ways in which the funding process can be improved to include all stakeholders in the conception, planning, and implementation process of the project. Thus, I have already met in the local leaders at the monthly meeting of the County Development Association. Our idea was well received and we will start working in a few weeks once we have gathered enough data to build a methodology that allows for strategic planning and development strategies to be created by the community members of each district in the county. (Photo right side: meeting of the Development Association). I plan to use participatory rural appraisal as a framework, trying to complete participatory analysis of primary and secondary sources, group interviews and sequence interviews, collaborative trend analysis, participatory mapping and diagramming, scenario building, creation of key local indicators through scoring and ranking and livelihood analysis, brainstorming on planning, budgeting and monitoring, and rapid ecological appraisal. Of course, having a list doesn’t really take me far, I now need to identify how to facilitate the adoption of these methodologies while working under the institutional framework, running between meetings with funders, scholars, stakeholders, and still remain impartial.

Yeap, I am still settling in.

meet the ‘Guanacaste’ tree

2006-06-08T00:29:00.000-05:00

On my way back from the Costa Rican savannah in the north of the country to the capital I had the change to drive by some of the most amazing trees in the tropics: the Costa Rican national tree, the guanacaste (Enterolobium cyclocarpum) The Guanacaste tree isn’t any tree. It is one of the widest trees in the World and serves as the perfect shade for cattle while nurturing the savannah ecosystem
As I got over the amusement, I recalled the current political efforts of the Costa Rican government to obtain carbon credits from “avoiding deforestation” under the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change. Basically, the government, in junction with the government from Papua New Guinea, wants to be paid for not cutting trees.
So, basically it is something like this “ Dear Planet, give me Money or I will liberate sequestered carbon until your oceans boil. Love, Costa Rica”
Costa Rica is an expert at tagging a price to every ‘ecological service’ we can come up with. ‘Avoidance of deforestation” sounds like blackmailing to me, but some point to it as a way to bring in developing countries into the climate debate. Like if we didn’t have enough from turning our virgin forest into eco-museums (aka don’t touch unless you can buy the entire acre) and making ecotourism our second largest industries, we want to be paid for keeping our source of income…

I wonder for how long we will continue to justify inaction under economic terms. Polar bears drawing? Cities underwater? International displaced victims? How much to keep you from eating your guanacaste tree? You name the price…

I landed

2006-06-07T01:39:00.000-05:00

I have arrived to Costa Rica. After an unexpectively long flight, I landed in the central valley last night in the middle of a tropical storm. The dry season is about to end here, and it is time to prepare for another hurricane season.

As I drove into the city I realized that things haven’t changed much. The same sewage manhole in the immigrant neighborhood overflows every storm. The traffic collapses with accidents in every corner in a poorly planned city. There are five more McDonalds and several new Burger Kings between the airport and my father’s house. Newer and shinier rainforest eco-tours billboards welcome travelers to the city in English with dollar prices. People are happy to see where the country is going; we made it to the World Cup and that is all that matters. (WTF?)

I am still trying to figure out if people think we have a chance to win the World Cup opening match against Germany. It seems like people think we do, but I am not sure if this is also a symptom of the same self-denial that makes the country conciliate with the status quo. Things aren’t internally coherent to me, but they never are. It is my Costa Rica. I still love it.

This is a going to be a good summer. I start my internship on Thursday, I will try to write in here on an occasional basis. Please check it out once in a while to spare me from witting emails.

The age of standards

2006-05-23T00:40:00.000-05:00

Climate change posses the most daunting challenge to humanity, and we need to mobilize actors from all sectors to address it. Industry is by far one of the most relevant stakeholders as we challenge our global economy to reduce green house gases. The International Standard Organization (ISO) announced at the most recent meeting of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol (COP11MOP1) their international greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and verification standards (ISO14064). ISO 14064 promises to provide an “unambiguous and verifiable requirements or verifications to support organizations and proponents of GHG emissions reduction projects”. The opportunities behind ISO 14064 are unique. As the emissions trading system develops in the European system and the Chicago Climate Exchange in the Unites States, the need to unify the Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) methodologies has become evident. ISO brings a new aspect to compliance to soft law, as it has been observed with ISO14001. The adoption of ISO14001 in international trade under the “Good Practice for the preparation, adoption, and application of standards” at the WTO provides a reference to the potential of bringing industries in the developed and developing world to the same level. A well-established ISO standard could allow the introduction of carbon credits created by industry. For the establishment of a commonly accepted standard it is necessary to overcome the controversy behind ISO 14001 regarding stakeholder involvement at the Technical Committee 207 (TC207). The work of the TC207 in the development of ISO14001 created a ceiling in accepted practices that has lowered national legislation requirements, and that could be a double edge- sword in the future of CERs. The future of ISO14064 remains uncertain, and its role in filling the gaps in the legal continuum of state and private action in the deployment of norms and regulations needs to be scrutinized. The industry needs standards to move forward, whether under binding or non-binding schemes. International Standards can facilitate the creation of strong international emission trading schemes, but they must be embraced bearing in mind the need to develop revolving systems that push the bar higher and higher. If the transformation of soft law to hard-law continues to happen in the market place, the adoption of ISO14064 deserves profound scrutiny.

A different beast

2006-05-19T21:26:00.000-05:00

I have been doing research on compliance mechanisms and carbon finance recently. I wont comment on carbon finance right now because there is too much that I am still trying to digest. In relationship to compliance, I have come to concluded that dealing with compliance to climate policy is a unprecedented task. Although the Montreal Protocol offers some insight, the market nature and extensive legal spectrum of climate policy makes it a whole new monster. Someone recommended that compare compliance to the Rotterdam convention on prior informed consent (PIC) to analyze the law creation process. Unfortunately, I was only able to conclude that PIC and Climate policy can only be compared for the sake of showing extreme contrast. The linear history of awareness -raising to binding law in the case of pesticides and other hazardous chemicals shows a very different normative intent. The "common but differentiate responsibilities" nature of climate policy takes the discussion to a new level where players have bipolar roles.

I still see hope in creating incentives for GHG reduction when looking at the case of SO2 in the United States under the Clean Air Act 1990. Unfortunately, the process to reduce GHG is much different from the process of reducing SO2 and, in the GHG world, there is not political willingness to create regulations and incentives such as the ones used to reduce SO2. Although this is an evolving process, current federal behavior suggest that we are far from taking strong steps to phase-out GHG from our environment.

Perhaps we need more drowning polar bears to create a sense of urgency similar to Rotterdam or the Clean Air Act...

Going to Costa Rica!

2006-05-18T09:44:00.000-05:00

I just bought my tickets to go to Costa Rica for the summer! I will be leaving on June 5th and returning on August 25th for the SustainUS retreat. This is going to be an interesting summer indeed. I will be working as an intern for the United Nations University for Peace and the GEF doing research on participatory decision-making for grant allocation of the GEF-UNDP Small Grants Programme. the most exciting thing is that i will be working in a rural community in the southwest of the country - a coffee plantation area-.
yeay for Costa Rica!

Ode to the youth

2006-05-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

I am still in the process of getting my life together, so please don’t expect much from me right now. I have chosen to write this entry on my own page as it has a more personal tone perhaps inappropriate for other more visited pages.The Commission on Sustainable Development has ended, but I do not want to speak of policy like I normally do. A beloved friend of mine just asked me not to be depressed. How could I be depressed? I have been energized by some of the most beautiful people in this world; I have shared dreams and become enlightened by the most sincere advocates of a better future. I have come out of CSD with renewed sense of passion and urgency that reminds me that there is a lot that needs to get done, and that I am not alone.

Working with the youth movement has become one of my reasons to wake up every morning and seize a better day. As my friend Lauren said sometime last week; “ Sustainable Development is not about projects. It is about the way a society works, the way its economy functions, and the way its people live”.

The youth movement keeps bringing insights to my life; the empowerment brought by common causes has allowed me to engage in policy action bearing in mind that our movement must hold environmental justice as guiding principle, a goal and a means.

This movement is made of people who have decided to dedicate their lives to a meaningful cause, people who walk the talk. There are some perspectives that unite us and some that make us critical of each other, but together they create a powerful impetus that makes our fights a unified struggle.

As my friend Michael Gale commonly asks: What have you done for the movement today?

The power is yours. Together we are creating commons under the sun

I hereby thank those who validated my hopes of bringing a youth perspective to climate change and sustainability debate at CSD14
Salut to…
All the AoCs for briging the energy we need to spark hope, Fatema for being a source of wisdom and tranquility,
Dominc and Yochi for their honest hearts and hard work,
Josh Tulkin for being an endless source of guidance and support.
Monika and Elizabeth for bringing the light to the darkness of the UN basement,
Michael Gale and Chloe for unifying the world,
Bernise and Sud for bringing the good news,
Anushka and Erin for all the late nights on the phone,
Josh Arnold and Steve for making the impossible happen,
Amanda for solving millenary puzzles,
Jin and Lauren for priceless advice and guidance,
Elissa and Matthew for coordinating the world,
Mark for being the awesome friend that reminds me that it is good to have fun.

To all you of you, SALUT!

I love you all!

For more pictures, click here

I am alive

2006-05-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, some people have asked me why I have disappeared from my own page. The short reason:
I am coordinating the SustainUS National Programs at the United Nations for the Commission on Sustainable Development.

To follow the details of what I am doing with my life please visit www.SustainUS.org/blog until further notice.

thanks!

UN Reform: not necessarily a tangent

2006-05-01T23:48:00.000-05:00

I am sorry if this blog seems to be a tangent, but an issue keeps coming to my attention and i feel i need to vent. Yesterday i was at an strategy session organized by ANPED and TWN for the Commission on Sustainable Development. Susan Brown from WWF presented (very eloquently!) on the issue of UN Reform and system-wide coherence assessments. I have superficially encouraged the idea of a reform as i am aware of the major issues with the UN System. As i start following the issues now i am realizing that the UN reform might be the most relevant issue of all. The potential changes on the humanitarian, environmental and development branches of the UN might change the course of the already inefficient programs of the UN. The outcomes relating to paragraph 168 of the 2005 World Summit Declaration dealing with environmental governance could affect the capacity that developing countries have to develop their infrastructure to comply with current multilateral environmental agreements. I know the UN needs reforms, but if we disappear the environmental, humanitarian and social branches, who is going to do the international work?

CSD14: In the name of energy and sustainable developmen

2006-04-30T08:21:00.000-05:00

45 youth from 15 countries have gathered at the Earth Institute in Columbia University (New York, USA) in preparation for the fourteenth session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD14). Energy for development, climate change, industrial development and air pollution are the topics to be addressed at the session, and the youth have set clear priorities and goals to be accomplished.

The CSD blast served as an opportunity to share experiences and best practices from different parts of the world in addressing our growing demand for energy and the pressing reality of climate change. The sense of urgency, and the recognition that environmental justice and education must go hand-in-hand with sustainable development were set amongst the principles guiding the youth caucus at CSD14. Over the next two weeks youth will be presenting their vision of renewable energy and clean energy to suit sustainable development through personal experiences and case studies. Its getting hot in here will be following the negotiations, stay tuned!

Commission on Sustainable Development is shaping up!

2006-04-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

CSD has not even started and we are already setting precedent. The US government has welcomed a young delegate on their official delegation, something unseen in the history of CSD.

Elsie Flemings, coordinator of SustainUS Maine, delegate to the UNFCCC and CBD recent negotiations, loyal friend and committed citizen of the world would be serving as the US youth delegate to the CSD!! So exciting! (Picture above: Elsie, Brett, and myself at the COP11 of UNFCCC).

Grassroots renewable energy?

2006-04-26T02:14:00.000-05:00

It is 315am and I have been writing a policy briefing on investment and renewable energy for the UN Commission on Sustainable Development for the last bit.

As I get to wee-wee hours, I have come to embrace the idea that to overcome the energy challenges of our present we need to embrace an approach that fully recognizes the cross-cutting nature of the energy crisis – far beyond just energy generation. (photo: c.cazurro/flickr)

If we want renewable energy to become the engine of our future, we need to join energy policy with other areas with great potential for renewable energy. An integrated approach to energy policy needs true accounting. It is only when we see the real impact of the energy crisis on our daily life that we will realize that action needs to come from every angle of our civilization.
I will sleep for now.

Time for a blast!

2006-04-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

The Commission on Sustainable Development starts next Monday, and we have been working diligently to have an unprecedented youth presence at the meeting. SustainUS, in coordination with GYAN and the CSD Youth Caucus, has organized a youth gathering to create a cohesive youth alliance to rock the CSD!
As Matthew Carroll, CSD Youth Caucus co-coordinator, says, “the purpose of the Youth Energy Blast is to empower our generation-wide movement to confront the energy crisis. The goals of the Blast are to provide information and training for youth participants of the CSD and provide a space for youth to share best practices for implementing climate solutions and participating in decision-making at the international level.”

I am super excited. I know we need more than a youth strategy meeting to sort of the problems out, but this is a first great step to start strong youth voice at the CSD. I will be giving a briefing on how the CSD works and also on how to lobby. Plus, I hope to be able to lead a breakout session with some of the most passionate and committed youth in the world.

Lets get ready to rock n’ roll!

For more information go to the Youth Caucus website

Carbon capture, sequestration and chocolate

2006-04-23T21:44:00.000-05:00

Costa Rican newspaper, La Nacion, featured with great enthusiasm the story of a women group in the indigenous region of Talamanca producing organic chocolate as means to support their families. As I read it I was thinking of the social benefit of passing traditional knowledge to new generations while achieving sustainable development in underrepresented areas of the developing world. Great stuff! ( image: nacion.com)

As I reached the end of the article, I realized that there is a more complex connection to the community development miracle. The project was funded through a carbon capture grant of the World Bank with Japanese funds. The grant is intended to develop a carbon sequestration market based on agroforestry of multi strata perennial crops in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica. This is a pilot project, part of much larger carbon sequestration portfolio of the World Bank.

I cant help myself from having mixed feelings. One part of my is very happy to see indigenous communities received help to overcome the challenges society has imposed on their lifestyles. At the same time, I can not hide my concern over the idea that carbon credits are being created from activities that have questionable additionality. Carbon sequestration from agroforestry in tropical areas poses many questions, and developing a market without a clear understanding of how to measure carbon exchange in the tropical biotas limits the accountatibility of the carbon sequestration portfolios. We can not equate sustainable development to carbon sequestration, even if the outcome is delicious organic chocolate.

its all about messaging...

2006-04-23T20:42:00.000-05:00

Andy Revkin, environmental journalist from the New York Times and friend of the youth movement of climate, wrote a thought-provoking piece on Sunday's paper about the current trends on climate change journalism. I have to admit that I was at first confused when he highlighted issues that still remain unknown on climate debate, giving the impression that we need to water down basis for action to stop climate change. Is Andy suggesting that we need water down our climate messaging? No, he is suggesting that it might be time for messaging change. We have been trying to avoid a negative message, and with that we have avoided talking about adaptation.

It is not time to change our message to "we are all going to die", but to "this is what your negligence is going to cost you and your children". We have focused on mitigation, but we have forgotten that we need to adapt. Even if GW Bush was to let go of his criminal neurosis for oil, we would still be stuck with >300 CO2 ppm for the next hundred years. We do not need to scare people, we just need to tell how much this is already costing us.

Happy Earth Day!

2006-04-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

First of all, happy Earth Day! I am not necessarily a hippie, but I am pretty committed and concerned with some of the ongoing issues affecting our planet. Today is a day to celebrate what we have while looking ahead and thinking of much we can do to keep the 'house' standing for those to come.

I started my day with a great hike in Acadia National Park with some awesome friends. Reaching the summit was fun, though I really enjoyed coming down to our local water source (Echo Lake) from the tip of the mountain. Beautiful way to start the day! ... and there is more to come!

(Picture above: Two of my best buddies, John and Brett, and myself at the summit of Penobscot Mnt)
Happy Earth Day! Engage in new activities, go outdoors, take a moment to enjoy the amazing gifts this gigantic galactic boat has lent us from future generations... and of course, take a minute to think how you are going to take action to protect them.

See Earth Day Pictures!