Tag: climate change

If a country sinks beneath the sea, is it still a country, asks NYT

Rising ocean levels brought about by climate change have created a flood of unprecedented legal questions for small island nations and their neighbors, writes Lisa Friedman in the New York Times.

Among them: If a country disappears, is it still a country? Does it keep its seat at the United Nations? Who controls its offshore mineral rights? Its shipping lanes? Its fish?

And if entire populations are forced to relocate — as could be the case with citizens of the Maldives, Tuvalu, Kiribati and other small island states facing extinction — what citizenship, if any, can those displaced people claim?

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Newsweek labels Nasheed ‘Green Guru’ for climate change work

The second largest weekly magazine in the United States, ‘Newsweek’, has awarded President Mohamed Nasheed the title of ‘green guru’ and placed him second among nine other world leaders who have ‘’won serious respect’’ in different global fields.

“As president of an island nation imperiled by rising sea levels, Mohamed Nasheed has become a hero among environmentalists,’’ said Newsweek. “In the run-up to last year’s United Nations climate-change meeting, Nasheed attracted global attention by hosting a cabinet meeting underwater.’’

The paper said that former Vice President of the US, Al Gore, who is also an environment activist, had taken to quoting President Nasheed on matters relating to the human cost of climate change.

‘’In April, the UN elected [Nasheed] one of six “2010 Champions of the Earth,’’ said the magazine.

Achim Steiner, director of the UN Environment Program, praised Nasheed as a politician who is “showcasing to the rest of the world how a transition to climate neutrality can be achieved and how all nations, no matter how big or small, can contribute.”

Britain’s new Prime Minister, David Cameron, tops the list of ‘best world leaders’ in the political magazine, which has a global circulation of 1.5 million.

Newsweek also names President Nicolas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India, President Lula da Silva of Brazil and President Lee of South Korea in its list of top world leaders.

Image: Newsweek magazine

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Changing ocean conditions driving marine species away from tropics

A crucial marine species called phytoplankton, which forms the base of the marine food chain, has declined by 40% since 1950, reports a three year study by Canadian scientists. Rising sea surface temperatures and changing ocean conditions are the most likely cause.

“What’s likely to happen is that as the oceans warm, species may move away from the equator, northwards and southwards to maintain their water conditions,” says the report’s leading author Derek Tittensor.

Phytoplankton generate around half of all organic matter on the planet and produce half the world’s oxygen.

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See also:
2009 was one of Australia’s hottest years on record

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Island growth in Maldives may counter rising sea levels: Speigel Online

The Maldives may be growing with the rising waters, say a team of six scientists studying the sediments and growth of Maldivian islands.

“We take climate change very seriously,” says Paul Kench, a geologist from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. “But in order to correctly predict the real consequences for the atolls, we first have to understand how they will actually respond to rising sea levels in the future.”

The Maldives attained their current form about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, according to the scientists’ research. Even natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami, which killed at least 82 people in the Maldives, do not destroy the islands, Kench claims. On the contrary, the Indian Ocean tsunami even added new sediments. “We’ve measured up to 30 centimeters of growth in some places,” he says.

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Cartagena group pledges “ambitious outcome” at COP16

The newly-founded Cartagena group, a collection of 27 countries seeking ambitious outcomes from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and low carbon output domestically, have concluded a two day meeting at Bandos Island Resort.

Participating countries include Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Samoa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, UK and the European Commission.

In hosting the event, the Maldives hopes to take a leadership role in presenting small island nations and developing countries as a unified front to the COP 16 meeting in Mexico.

“We want to see an action-oriented outcome from Cancun,” said Maldives Minister for the Environment, Mohamed Aslam.

He said the Cartagena group would hold a third meeting in a few months in Costa Rica.

During the meeting President Mohamed Nasheed praised developing countries for leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for climate change.

“These developing countries are pursuing low carbon growth and green development because it is in their fundamental economic and security interests to do so,” Nasheed said. “When those with the least start doing the most, it shows that everyone’s ambitions can be raised.”

Special envoy of climate change for Mexico Luis De Alba thanked the Maldivian government for its leadership in climate change and for providing the opportunity to discuss the climate change issues.

”It was particularly productive to identify the specific decisions and actions to be taken,” he said. ”We are looking for a very ambitious outcome and are very ready to play a leadership role.”

New Zealand Ambassador for international climate change negotiations Timothy John Groser, said the Maldives had “punched above its weight on climate change.”

”I think Maldives have played a very important leadership role climate change negotiations,” said Groser. ”It is very difficult to move forward, [because] the two giants, the US and China who are together responsible 40 percent of atmospheric emissions, must also show leadership.”

Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Dr Baldwin Spencer said the meeting was effective.

”I think everybody [present] has brought a sincere and burning desire to get to a position where we can arrive at a workable and adaptable solution regardless of whether you are developed country, undeveloped country or developing country.”

“We all in this together. This meeting here in the Maldives must go down as a successful meeting,” Spencer added.

Dr Tewolde Egziabher, the Director-General of Ethiopia’s Environmental Protection Authority, pledged that Ethiopia would become carbon neutral by 2025.

Dr Egziabher said his country of 80 million people would meet its target by switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy, in particular hydropower, and by implementing a vast reforestation scheme.

Faumuina Tiatia, the Samoan Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, also pledged that his country would become carbon neutral by 2020.

“Cutting fossil fuels from our economy will benefit both the climate and our financial bottom line. It is much cheaper for us to generate electricity from renewable sources than to import increasingly-expensive oil,” he said.

The minister added that he hoped other countries would follow this ambitious pledge.

The Marshall Islands pledged to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2020, from a 2009 base year.

“In 2008, the Marshall Islands declared a state of emergency because a spike in oil prices meant we almost ran out of money to pay for fuel imports. We are moving away from imported oil in order to improve our energy security and play our part in the fight against climate change,” said Phillip Muller, the Marshall Island’s Ambassador to the United Nations.

The Maldives and Costa Rica also reaffirmed their commitment to carbon neutrality, by 2020 and 2021 respectively.

“As a developing country we are committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2021. We are working on establishing a robust measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) system to set an example for countries that seek low emission development strategies. In future, we also hope to establish an international standard for countries who wish to share the carbon neutral goal,” said Andrei Bourrouet, the Costa Rican Vice-Minister of Environmental Management and Energy.

Speaking towards the end of the meeting, President Mohamed Nasheed praised fellow developing countries for leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, which are responsible for climate change.

“These developing countries are pursuing low-carbon growth and green development because it is in their fundamental economic and security interests to do so,” the President said.

“When those with the least start doing the most, it shows that everyone’s ambitions can be raised,” he added.

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Children would do better than World leaders on Climate Change action: President Nasheed

“Many people around the world have criticised their leaders for behaving like children. But perhaps our critics give us too much credit. If we took 191 children from each corner of the globe… if we explained the climate crisis to these children, I suspect they would act more sensibly than we do,” said President Nasheed at the ‘Cartagena Group / Dialogue for Progressive Action’ being held on Saturday and Sunday at Bandos Island resort near the Male’.

“I cannot accept that the Maldives must disappear, so others can carry on polluting,” he said.

“Deep divisions” obstructed progress at Copenhagen, Nasheed claimed. “[We] must start in Cancun by reaching agreement across all core issues, especially the inter-related issues of mitigation, finance, and monitoring, reporting and verification.”

Nations need to change the way they present the issue of climate change action to their domestic electorates, according to the President.

“Cutting carbon should not be considered a burden that will destroy jobs and hamper economic growth,” he said. “Instead, going green should be seen as the greatest economic opportunity since the Industrial Revolution.”

Transcript of President Nasheed’s speech

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Sea Levels Rising during Maldives ‘Winter Season’: Prof. Weiqing Han

Winter season data shows a “significant sea level rise’ for Maldives, according to Professor Weiqing Han, leading author of a study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder USA.

The study combined sea surface measurements going back to the 1960s and satellite observations. It’s findings suggest that climate warming is amplifying regional sea rise changes in parts of the Indian Ocean, threatening inhabitants of some coastal areas and islands.

Other areas, such as the Seychelles, are experiencing lower sea levels.

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‘Climategate’ scientists cleared again

A six-month independent inquiry has cleared climate scientists accused of manipulating their data, but criticised them for being too secretive and defensive about their research.

The inquiry panel said it had not found any evidence to undermine the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

It is the third inquiry into the email affair, dubbed ‘Climategate’, and clears the head of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia and his colleagues of the most serious charges.

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