Here's my shortlist of today's essential reads from beyond the major press outlets, on what's going down at the climate treaty negotations in Copenhagen. Enjoy!
Is Copenhagen Melting Down? On Monday, negotiators from African nations temporarily halted the climate talks. The issue: A schism over legally binding commitments to cut emissions. Industrial and major developing countries want the promises to be voluntary; most other nations want them to be legally binding. Kate Sheppard reports for Mother Jones.
Missing the forest for the trees Deforestation is one of the leading causes of human-propelled greenhouse emissions. Leading up to the Copenhagen talks, things looked promising for a deal on curbing deforestation in developing countries, with financing from the industrialized nations. But poor nations are balking at demands by rich ones that mechanisms be put in place for monitoring how developing countries spend these funds. Robert S. Eshelman reports for The Nation.
What should we watch for during the climate summit's final days? Grist poses the question to its "panel of smarties" -- an enviro journalist, a student activist, and a few environmental policy wonks. Truth to tell, no one's extraordinarily upbeat, but the week is still young.
Rajendra Pachauri at Copenhagen: Attempts to Discredit Climate Science "Will Not Work" (Video Interview) The head of the UN's climate group tells Treehugger's Alex Pasternack that the hacked emails from climate scientists -- more specifically, ongoing attempts by climate action opponents to use them in discrediting the science -- are having little impact at the Copenhagen talks.
"ClimateGate" Continues to Expose Anti-Science Tendencies on the Right Wing "It continually astounds me just how much some conservatives live in an upside-down world with respect to modern science," writes Chris Mooney on The Intersection at Discover.com. "They fear a thing that does not exist; they demonize the unknown. I simply don't understand how they could talk about "ClimateGate" in the way they do...if they had any serious sense of the realities of trying to conduct science while under fire, in a politicized area like climate research."
See more of Emily's reports from Copenhagen as part of OnEarth's ongoing coverage.
Yvo De Boer and the leaders of Copenhagen Climate Change Conference are engaged in "the good fight" at the last, best opportunity for human civilization to save the planet for the children and coming generation as a fit place for human habitation. Years ago I was told that my generation had a duty to leave the world a better place than what is was when it was given to us by our forefathers and foremothers. It goes without saying that my not-so-great generation of greed-mongering elders will fall woefully short of discharging its responsibilities. Come what may for the children. Too many arrogant and selfish leaders in a single generation have recklessly chosen to fight wrongful wars for wrongheaded reasons, at a cost of blood and treasure that is as astounding in its stupidity as it is incalculable to measure.