Climate Change

Activists Surprise Dam Lobbyists at Barcelona Climate Talks

Climate activists protest dam lobbyists at Barcelona climate summit
Climate activists protest dam lobbyists at Barcelona climate summit On November 3rd, at the Barcelona climate summit (the lead-up to the much anticipated climate talks in Copenhagen this December), officials from the dam industry and negotiators from the UN Conference on Climate Change received a rude awakening at dinner. Activists from corporate and climate watch groups, including our climate scientist Payal Parekh, "greeted" officials from the International Hydropower Association (IHA) at an official dinner hosted by IHA to, as the protestors claim, lobby climate negotiators.

California Climate Bill Vetoed But Not Forgotten

Arnold, the Green Bill Terminator, is back
Arnold, the Green Bill Terminator, is back http://healthtrain.blogspot.com/ After several months of in-district meetings with legislators, op-eds, letters, calls, and action alerts by over 90 stakeholder groups and their members, the campaign to pass Assembly Bill 1404 achieved what few at the beginning could have hoped for -- it passed the state legislature. According to Erin Rogers of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which spearheaded the campaign, one of the Senators who was on the fence until about 2:00 a.m. the morning of the final vote (who did end up voting in favor) told

New Dams Proposed in California

Thursday, February 1, 2007
From February 2007 World Rivers Review Water pundits claim that the era of big dam building is over in the United States, but someone forgot to tell California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schwarzenegger is proposing to invest $4 billion in general obligation and revenue bonds to build the Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley and the Temperance Flat Dam on the San Joaquin River Gorge. His proposal promises to renew an ongoing battle between dam proponents and those who would like to see the state invest more wisely in water efficiency and recycling. Governor Schwarzenegger

Call to Copenhagen: Hear Our Voices

Around the world, climate change is already melting glaciers that feed major rivers, drowing islands, feeding forest wildfires, and threatening the water supply and river resources of billions of people. Out of the global calamity, a growing international movement is gathering to send a message to the governments convening in Copenhagen this December. International Rivers will be there, standing in solidarity with those most impacted by climate change. Watch a video on the human impact of climate change around the world, which was produced by TckTckTck's human voices project:

Development: NGOs Question World Bank's Clean Energy Roadmap

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The World Bank's 2010 World Development Report (WDR), released Tuesday, calls on the developed world to lead global efforts to cut carbon emissions, but some civil society groups remain highly sceptical of the bank's role in brokering climate finance. The report sets out the annual development priorities for the World Bank and its affiliates, and has the potential to affect negotiations at a key meeting convened by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. "Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change – a crisis

The CDM: Kyoto's Carbon Offsetting Scheme

Allain Duhangan Dam in Himachal Pradesh, India
Allain Duhangan Dam in Himachal Pradesh, India Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter, 2009 International Rivers’ experience in monitoring CDM projects has shown many serious flaws in its theory and application. Project proposal documents are marred by misleading and often patently false claims. International Rivers and others have explained these problems in numerous comments on specific hydro projects submitted during the CDM project approval process. Fudges, Fraud and Storytelling Many of the projects proposed (and many of those approved) for CDM credits are “non-additional.” This means that th

California's AB 1404 Offsets Bill Hits the Senate Floor

By limiting the use of offsets, AB 1404 will ensure that polluters invest in solutions here in California.
By limiting the use of offsets, AB 1404 will ensure that polluters invest in solutions here in California. Bill Pottinger Sometime this week, the California Senate is expected to vote on a bill that addresses the role of offsets in the state's landmark global warming policies. The bill, AB 1404, limits offsets to no more than 10 percent of the emission reductions expected to be achieved through market mechanisms in each compliance period of implementing AB 32, California's 2006 global warming bill. It would also exclude the CDM as an option for California's polluters, thereby

U.S. Climate Legislation

2 billion offsets are allowed in the both the House and Senate bills
2 billion offsets are allowed in the both the House and Senate bills On May 21, 2009, the Energy and Commerce Committee approved H.R. 2454, "The American Clean Energy and Security Act" (ACES), by a vote of 33 to 25. The House of Representatives passed H.R. 2454 by a vote of 219-212 on June 26, 2009. This legislation, introduced by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Edward J. Markey, seeks to create millions of new clean energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America's energy independence, and cut global warming pollution. The legi

Coalition Letter to Senator Barbara Boxer on Offsets

Barbara Boxer Official Photo
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Barbara Boxer Official Photo Chairman Barbara BoxerSenate Environment and Public Works Committee410 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Boxer: We respectfully ask you to limit total offsets in Senate climate and energy legislation to a constant 10 percent of the emissions cap. Although we believe that offsets should not be included in climate and energy legislation and recognize the particularly problematic nature of forest-based offsets, it is apparent that they will be a part of the bill emerging from your committee this fall. We understand that passing climat

Protect Trees, Not Polluters

Tall trees
Tall trees Maury McCown, Flickr The Wall Street Journal came out with an article Friday on the potential carbon offsets market around forests, A New Fight Over Pollution Curbs Takes Root. In a (mostly) even-handed look at the issue, the author describes one scenario where a Truckee airport saved a track of forest from home developers. However, while the airport recognizes the ecosystem services of forests (storing carbon among others), it is now considering selling carbon credits (or offsets) from the forest to polluters so that they can continue polluting, with these carbon offsets counting

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