by John Wiseman Lester Brown is the well-renowned author of the Plan B series and recent book World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse. His distinguished career, spanning agricultural policy, international development and environmental analysis, has seen him found two major environmental research institutes – the WorldWatch Institute in 1974 and [...]
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today. – Chinese Proverb By Bhavani Prakash What is this life if full of care, we have no time to plant a single tree? And what better way to express our gratitude to Mother Nature, compensate for [...]
By Bhavani Prakash This has been a week of climate pessimism. First, The Guardian on Wednesday, 9 Nov 2011 quoted the International Energy Association (IEA)’s warning that the world is headed for irreversible climate change in only 5 years. The article says: “If the world is to stay below 2C of warming, which scientists regard as [...]
by Bhavani Prakash Millions of people face the risk of being dislocated from their homes due to the effects of climate change. However there is no global framework to handle the humanitarian and political crisis when it explodes. Should UNHCR, UN’s refugee agency expand its definition to include “climate refugees” or do we need an [...]
by Bhavani Prakash Why have the past climate negotiations including the one at Copenhagen in December 2009 been inadequate to deal with the serious climate crisis facing the planet? What is the model that allows for an equitable transition to a zero carbon future – probably the only model that will ensure climate justice and keep the [...]
The Climate Scoreboard is a new tool (using the C-ROADS model created by Sustainability Institute, MIT, and Ventana Systems) which represents the long-term climate impacts (till 2100) of proposals which are currently under consideration in the Copenhagen negotiations to produce a global climate treaty. It shows the Business as Usual scenarios, current proposals and the goals for target emissions. This scoreboard [...]
Why do businesses and governments need to develop a new paradigm to tackle the climate change challenge? Can they be green and still grow? What strategies will help an inclusive growth that promotes economic development while preserving ecosystems, and how can they be prioritized? What are the stumbling blocks in the path to greening the [...]
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 1990s, capitalism was seen as the ultimate model of success. A quick look however, at the environmental crisis facing the world today and the social inequalities that continue to persist, reveals that as an economic model, it has failed to secure planetary and human well-being. We’re beyond [...]
With only about 2 weeks left for Copenhagen at the time of writing, let’s take a pause and look at how we got here: Climate talks timeline: From 350 to Kyoto to Copenhagen and beyond on Dipity. If I had to choose one historic day on this timeline, it could well be the one that [...]
Today’s Guest writer is Chris Tobias, Celsias Editor-at-Large and Lead Strategist at Forward. He has been creating a positive future for our planet in the sustainable development/CSR space for five years. The upcoming climate negotiations in Copenhagen have highlighted an interesting dilemma. Nations worldwide are trying to shirk their responsibilities around emissions and [...]
