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Sunday 21 February 2016

Climate Change: Focus COP 21

The European Green Journal has a collection of provocative pieces:
Futures Forum: Transition Initiatives: a critical assessment

This series looks at life after the UN Conference on Climate Change:


FOCUS COP 21

A series of pieces by various climate actors












The Paris Climate Conference – COP 21 – began on the 28th November, ending on the 12th December 2015. After the failure of world leaders to take action in previous COP’s, such as in Copenhagen in 2009, momentum had been gathering up to this crucial point, and the need for bold measures on climate change heightened sharply as experts consistently warn us of the irreversible environmental damage caused by our actions. The importance of mobilising the public has never been greater: mass citizen mobilisation necessary to exert pressure on our decision makers to ensure climate justice succeeds.
The following pieces are a series of articles and interviews with Green political actors, NGOs and civil society groups sharing their views, concerns and hopes in the run up to and following the most important climate talks of our time: COP21.

THE PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT: EMPTY DECLARATION OR WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY?










By Juan Behrend
Did the agreements that came out of the December 2015 COP 21 in Paris really hold any meaningful weight? A few weeks later, now that the dust has settled, it is time to critically assess what came out of the climate agreement and what it will mean for countries, civil society and the planet.

THE COP 21 IS OVER… OR IS IT ONLY JUST BEGINNING?












By Michel Genet
And so, the COP 21, the Paris talks on climate change which have been on everyone’s mind for the past 15 days are over but already registered in limbo for some. Will these talks really go down in history as Hollande has repeatedly claimed?

FROM SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO DEGROWTH: STRATEGIC CONCEPTS IN A TIME OF DOWNTURN












By Jakub Rok
It is vital now to distinguish between the terms “sustainable development” and “degrowth”, as while one has lost meaning, another is more relevant than ever. Written before the start of COP  21, this piece sets apart the two and highlights the importance of changing our view of what constitutes a healthy, climate-friendly economy.

RACING TO SAVE THE EARTH: WILL POLITICS CATCH UP WITH PUBLIC OPINION?













An interview with Bas Eickhout, Dutch Green MEP
The EU cannot be a credible leader on climate change when its decision makers are aware of the risks and the alternatives available, yet still refuse to take the actions needed. How much longer can we wait for politicians to catch up to the mood among civil society?

THE CAMPAIGN THAT TOOK OVER THE WORLD: FOSSIL FUEL DIVESTMENT












An interview with Danielle Paffard and Melanie Mattauch from the UK and EU branches of 350.org
The divestment movement has been one of the most vibrant and successful campaigns in the fight against climate change. The ripples of one of the fastest growing movements since the anti-tobacco and anti-apartheid campaigns have spread around the world – and have sparked real fear in the fossil fuel industry, which has seen investors from city councils to universities abandon their stakes in the beleaguered industry.

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR












An interview with Jon Bennett from Client Earth UK
Air pollution is the greatest cause of over 400,000 premature deaths in the EU every year. In Britain, politicians lag behind this evidence and public opinion, and a lack of political action against climate change and continued environmental degradation means that civil society groups are now ensuring measures within a legal framework are being taken to meet this end…

LIKE STEPPING STONES IN A RIVER: HOW RENEWABLES CAN HELP US WIN THE CLIMATE BATTLE












An interview with Claude Turmes, Luxembourgian Green MEP
The much anticipated Paris Climate Summit is only weeks away. Although there are many obstacles to securing a binding agreement in Paris, Green MEP Claude Turmes feels there are reasons for optimism, such as the changes taking place at the local and regional levels towards an energy transition. Now Europe has to be brave and show real leadership on technology and renewables.

CLIMATE EXPRESS: A CAMPAIGN ON THE MOVE












An interview with Laurien Spruyt from Climate Express
Climate Express has set out to make sure a mass mobilisation is present in Paris, to keep the pressure on the negotiators and leaders during the climate conference. But can this form of collective movement really affect the outcome of the COP 21?

THE TWO REVOLUTIONS THAT ARE CHANGING THE CLIMATE GAME












An interview with Yannick Jadot, French Green MEP
A series of transformations are revolutionising the fight against climate change: the initiatives of ordinary citizens determined to avert disaster, and the capacity of renewables to be rolled out on an unprecedented scale. But with the result of COP 21 all but determined, will these developments be enough to persuade negotiators to adopt an agreement with enough ambition?

“WE ARE LIKE FROGS IN BOILING WATER – ONLY SHOCK WILL SAVE US”













An interview with Johan Van Den Bosch and Lambert Schoenmaekers from Klimatzaak
Climate action has come to a political standstill, and in spite of mass mobilisation efforts, the general public still have not grasped the urgency of the situation. Will it really take something drastic to bring about real change? As more people begin to ask this question, some stop waiting for the answer and take control: by bringing climate change to the courtroom.

EUROPE MUST URGENTLY MAKE THE LINK BETWEEN CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATION












An interview with Bodil Valero, Swedish Green MEP
The response of the EU to the arrival ‘en masse’ of refugees in need of a safe haven has left much to be desired, and some leaders have used the issue of security threats as an excuse to avoid taking up their responsibilities to provide humanitarian assistance. But until European leaders and citizens join the dots between the complex but interlinked issues of migration and climate change, a secure environment will remain out of reach for all of us.

Focus COP 21 - Green European Journal

See also:
Futures Forum: Climate change: "COP21: a new world order?" >>> Monday February 8th at 7.30pm >>> the Norman Lockyer Observatory
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