Key to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP17, in Durban last November was creating a long-term post-Kyoto climate policy regime as the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. A decision was finally reached, spearheaded by the EU Climate Action Commissoner Connie Hedegaard, committing all parties to develop a new universal legally binding framework to be concluded in 2015 coming into force by 2020.

AOSIS, the Alliance of Small Island States, and LDCs, Least Developed Countries along with many NGOs consider the outcome of Durban too little, too late. Scientific evidence indicates that global emissions need to peak before 2020 to limit a climate-induced temperature rise of only 2 degrees. But in order to bring on board the more reticent countries, India and China as well as the US, compromise was necessary.

Although the agreement reached at Durban is in effect putting off making the hard decisions, it does represent a strong symbolic breakthrough. Quibbles about recognising common but differentiated responsibilities (developed countries carrying the greatest burden due to past majority emission outputs) are still present. But as developing countries, led by China, are estimated by 2020 to be responsible for around two thirds of global emissions, the balance of responsibility will change. Leading, hopefully, to more inclusive action on climate change mitigation in the future.

On the positive side Durban signifies not the end but rather the beginning of a new, proactive phase in international climate policy - potentially resulting in a legally binding framework with ambitious emission reduction targets. On the negative side words of agency still outweigh actual action; leaving some vulnerable parties still vulnerable to the early impacts of climatic change.


What happens in the next three years, culminating in 2015, will show whether there is any meat on those words.

Sources

EU Commission for Climate Action
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/hedegaard/headlines/articles/2011-12-14_01_en.htm

The Guardian newspaper
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/13/europe-global-climate-policy-durban

IISD, International Institute for Sustainable Development
http://www.iisd.org/climate/

Events

COP18 is planned to take place in Nov/Dec 2012 in Doha, Qatar. See http://unfccc.int

Check out this alternative advent calendar: 24 case studies on sustainable development in practice with daily quizzes
and ideas for sustainable christmas gifts.

http://www.advent-calendar.info/

We are pleased to inform readers that the VELUX Foundation has agreed to provide DKK 1 million to ICIS, in collaboration with the organisation Ducks in a Row, for the development of SEED, The School for Education in Environment and Diversity. Funding has been earmarked for a year-long pilot project to establish the strategic and tactical framework for the establishment, implementation and operation of SEED.

SEED will become the much needed educational platform for teaching sustainability, especially in terms of developing and applying practical implementable solutions. Aimed at people active in the workforce, the goal of SEED will be to explore creative and innovative sustainable solutions across a broad set of topics from food production to virtual environments.

Mali is one of eight countries targeted for investment under the renewed Gates Foundation Agricultural Development Program. At a recent seminar held at the International Food Policy Research Institute, the division's deputy director, Prabhi Pingali, emphasised that the Gates Foundation has a "deep conviction that unless you solve the problem of low agriculture production systems you are not going to create sustainable change in hunger and poverty reduction."

According to SciDev Net, since the programme began the Foundation has directed US$1.7 billion into agriculture research towards smallholder agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Pingali said at the seminar that the foundation wants to understand the entire value chain "from molecule to mouth" and "look at ways in which you can sustainably improve productivity growth. [Specifically looking at] environmental, social and economic trade-offs as you improve the intensity of small-holder farming".

The rush to acquire farmland in Mali could threaten and worsen the country's food security, suggested a report published by the US-based Oakland Institute and the Malian national farmers organisation. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 175 out of 187 countries in this year's UN Human Development Index. The question is whether land grabbing could be a potential impediment to human development.

According to an article by the Guardian on the report, investment in arable land in Mali by private foreign agri-investors has increased by 60% between 2009 and 2010. The report estimates that the bulk of land acquisitions could support more than half a million small farmers. The Guardian notes that "40% of the recent large land deals negotiated in Mali have been flagged for the production of agrofuels, despite government assurances that such investments were to strengthen food security and transform the country into a major food supplier for the region."

The report has coincided with the "International Peasant Conference: Stop the Land Grab", which took place in Selingue at the weekend. Co-ordinated by the Malian national farmer's organisation and the international peasant's movement La Via Campesian, the aim of the conference was to develop strategies to end "land grabbing".

According to the Guardian newspaper, recent research by Oxfam suggests that "nearly 230m hectares of land - an area the size of north-west Europe - have been bought or leased, largely in Africa, mostly by foreign companies, in thousands of secretive deals made since 2001".

See article by the Guardian, "Foreign investment in Mali's arable land jumps by 60%", Claire Provost, guardian.co.uk, Thursday 17 November 2011 17.00 GMT

View Karen Blincoe's recent presentation at the in100y.dk third seminar series:
http://in100y.dk/downloads/presentation-sem3/KarenBlincoe-in100ysem3.pdf

Held at the beginning of the year, the third seminar series entitled "No Fixes, Pal!" focused on sustainability and technology. Other speakers included:
Vaughan Lindsay (uk) : Dartington - A social experiment
Søren Hermansen (dk) : How to get the green energy going
Future mind tours: Acorn falls, it's in the air
Carsten Rahbek, video (dk) : Biology towards 2112
Katherine Richardson (dk) : The planet we call "home"
Wes Jackson, video (us) : The roots that will save Civilisation
Martin Fluri (dk) : Design philosophy of the 21st Century
Martin Lidegaard (dk) : Political visions - starting now
Cindy Frewen Wuellner (us) : Imagining urban futures

The economy must "get beyond the growth-at-all-costs economic mentality we are addicted to."

"The economy is embedded in a social system, a cultural system, which is embedded in an ecological life support system...The economy is about managing the human endeavour so that it produces sustainable well-being."

"Future scenarios can be used to drive policy?If you don't know where you are going you end up somewhere else?We need to be clear about our goals?"

"Scenario planning, or visioning as an exercise [needs to be] built into the whole governance system."

These are some quotes from an interview with Robert Costanza, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions (ISS), during the "Doing Good, Thanks!" seminars held in Copenhagen on 21/22 September as part of the visioning project "in100y.dk - Starting Now". Costanza's talk was entitled Advancing Sustainable Societies. For more seminar materials visit: in100y.dk/cph-seminars/2-doing/from-the-seminar/

Helle Thorning-Schmidt led her Social Democratic Party to a narrow victory on the 15th September winning 92 seats in parliament against centre-right's 87. Now the question for environmentalists alike is whether Thorning-Smidt's new left-wing coalition will polish Denmark's tarnished environmental image left behind from the previous government. Although it is too early to tell, it is generally viewed that the parties endorsing the Social Democratic Party (Socialdemokraterne), namely the Socialist People's Party (SF), far left Red-Green Alliance Party (Enhedslisten) and Social Liberal Party (Det Radikale Venstre) have similar pro-environmental agendas. According to the Danish newspaper Information, based on election campaign messages an ambitious plan could encompass many of the following actions and targets:

Framework

Legally-binding CO2 targets and reduction rates

Targets

Reduction of gross energy consumption by at least 40% before 2050
Fossil fuels replaced with renewable energy in the electricity and heating sector by 2035
Reliance on fossil fuels in transportation phased out by 2050
50% of electricity generated from wind by 2020
CO2 emissions reduced by at least 40% by 2020

Approaches

Planned offshore wind farm at Kriegers Flak brought forward
New coastal and inland wind turbine farms
Increased energy saving requirements of energy companies
Quickened energy saving renovation of public buildings and public houses
Tax deductions on energy saving renovation for homeowners
Production of biogas from manure on all large farms by 2020
Congestion charge in Copenhagen together with improved investment in collective transportation
Implementation of infrastructure for electric cars
Passenger tax on all flights

Source: Danish newspaper Information, "Og vinderen blev det grønne Danmark" (And the Winner is a Green Denmark), Friday 16th September 2011

ICIS Director, Karen Blincoe, gave a TED talk on May 21st at the independently organised TED event TEDxEQChCh in Christchurch, New Zealand. TEDxEQChCh brought together experts, leaders, local business owners and residents to explore issues for developing a shared vision for Christchurch post the 2010 earthquake.

Karen's talk, "Turning Crisis into Opportunity," spoke about the Sustainable City drawing on innovative developments around the world. Besides the environmental, social and economic aspects that must be considered when creating sustainable cities, Karen highlighted the need for the, "The human aspects: the soul (the history), the heart (the people), the mind (consciousness and intelligence), the body (the built environment, infrastructure and activities)."

For more information about the TED talk and its outcome visit the TEDxEQChCh website http://tedxeqchch.com/ and follow TEDxEQChCh on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxEQChCh