Young Internationalist

Number games: 2 degrees Celsius, 2050 and the G8. But does it all add up?

Christopher Baan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:19:33 +0000

G8 leaders have come out with a land mark climate change agreement on the back of meetings in L’Aquila in Italy (read the full communiqué here).

Is this good news? In a word, yes.

Is it jump for joy and do an embarrassing dance kinda news? In another word, no.

Why? Well, the answer lies in the numbers.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and US President Barack Obama during the G8 working session today, 08 July 2009, day 1 of the L’Aquila G8 Summit. G8website/Ansa photo by: Ciro Fusco

The essentials in Copenhagen

Christopher Baan — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:23:33 +0000

Rather than getting every small detail of a new global climate treaty done in Copenhagen, UN climate chief Yvo de Boer hopes the conference will reach agreements on four political essentials.

Breaking out of the Prisoner’s Dilemma

Christopher Baan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:29:19 +0000

With six months left to the Copenhagen climate negotiations the world faces multiple crises. All are a direct or indirect result of an economic policy that stimulates value creation on the short term with disastrous effects on the medium or long term. Sustainable development forms the core of the solutions for these crises.

Between 1992, when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was singed, and 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol’s objectives must be realised, 7300 days have passed and worldwide CO₂ emissions have been reduced by 5,3%. Between December 2009 and 2020, which is 3650 days, the world should lessen over 30% in their CO₂ emissions. That means that in half the time we must realise six times more emission reduction than in the twenty years before. These figures show that if we want to solve the multiple crises we need to act now.

There have been attempts to speed up this process but all failed. One of the most important reasons was the enormous distrust between nations to implement and execute the proposed plans. The USA are waiting for countries like China, India and Brazil to take action, but these countries are waiting for the USA to take the first step. This ends in a deadlock of ‘show me the money’ versus ‘show me the action’.

This deadlock is a classical example of the prisoner’s dilemma in which people act on self-interest combined with rational considerations. Here ‘rational’ means acting according the logic of the ‘homo economic’: maximum gain for the lowest cost. People take conscious decisions in each others disadvantage. This implies that we will always tend for the second best option. The risk that the other party involved will betray you is simply too big; in the case of climate negotiations this suggests free rider behaviour. When you take responsibility yourself, it is possible for the other party to resist taking action. So when you think of it in a ‘rational’ manner, the USA and China will never come to a consensus since it’s is in their self-interest to keep polluting the environment even though it works in their disadvantage on the long term.

The only way out of this deadlock is via the reinsurance of mutual trust between countries and their representatives. Only then countries will choose the best option based on the presumption that the other party will do the same: they have faith in the fact the other party wont betray them. The problem is not longer a problem of different interests but one of the same interest and only one option: the best.

Facing the current multiple crises there is great need for reinforcement of global trust. The only way we can achieve that is via diplomacy: the global, intercultural and only manner in which all countries of the world communicate with each other. We can’t solve the current problems alone, we need to work together and we need to act now.

Based on ‘Het milieu is een prisoners dilemma’ by Rob Wijnberg.

Read more at Maayke Damen’s website…

HOME: It’s Too Late To Be A Pessimist

Christopher Baan — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 21:26:37 +0000

‘If we can improve the images of the world, perhaps we can improve the world’

Wim Wenders

Wim Wenders’ words have perhaps never been more relevant to a movie than in the case of Home.

Following directly on from Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Home is, of course, a film with a message that sets out to shift people’s perceptions, make us aware of the tectonic movements at work and incite us to act. Although there is a general trend in our societies towards an awareness of ecological issues, concrete action is still too little, too slow—which constitutes in some ways the creed of the movie: It’s too late to be a pessimist.

But Home is more than a documentary with a message, it’s a magnificent movie in its own right. Every breathtaking shot
shows the Earth—our Earth—as we have never seen it before. Every image seems to be saying, “Look how beautiful the Earth is, look at what we’re destroying, and above all look at all these wonders that we can still preserve.”

When I started working on the project with Yann, I was convinced that the idea of shooting a movie entirely from up in
the sky, without interviews or archive footage, was the right one, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. One conversation enlightened me: “From the sky, there’s less need for explanations.” Absolutely! One’s vision is more immediate, intuitive and emotional. That’s what sets Home apart from all the other movies on the environment—which are all equally necessary in this crucial period
for humanity. Homeimpacts directly on the sensibility of anyone who sees it, bringing us to awareness, through emotion initially, in order to change the way we see the world…

It’s probably the “less need for explanations” that also enables the film to come through on its original aim of embracing the major ecological issues that confront us—and showing how everything on the planet is interconnected—in under two hours. And as the film was shot without a script, that was quite a challenge.

Besides the content, the movie’s specificity lies just as much in the manner of its distribution. Yann is a generous man, whose deepest desire from the outset was to share the movie with the whole world, for it to be seen by as many people as possible on every continent and, therefore, that it should be free!

When he told us of this aim at our first meeting—with my partner Marie de Masmonteil—I thought that it was simply impossible. His reference point was his exhibition “The Earth From The Air”, which—eight years after it first opened—is still being shown free of charge around the world and has so far been seen by over 100 million people. But the cost of producing a movie is far removed from that of a photo exhibition! Moreover, movies can only exist thanks to the revenue that they gene-
rate. How would it be possible, in that context, to show the movie free of charge except by appealing to very generous donors, which takes time, a lot of time? But the man is as impatient as he is stubborn and the battle to save the planet is urgent, an absolute priority… He is also persuasive and inspires trust. So I committed myself to this adventure, not really sure where we were headed, but genuinely converted to the cause and absolutely convinced that the film should be made, even though everything could come to a halt as fast as it had got moving.

The incredibly spontaneous commitment of Luc Besson made the project credible and viable. It was indispensable for a film studio of international standing to be involved in the operation from the get-go. It was the commitment of François-Henri Pinault and every company in the PPR group that enabled us to realize the unthinkable aim of the film being virtually free all around the world. And it was the determination and drive of Yann Arthus-Bertrand that brought so much energy and talent together to win this incredible challenge for the common good, for the good of our planet and all its inhabitants. It’s probably a drop in the ocean compared to the task that awaits future generations, but I am sincerely convinced that it is our duty to make our contribution, however large or small. “Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth,” claimed Archimedes. My only wish today is that Home will give millions of people on every continent a place to stand.The incredibly spontaneous commitment of Luc Besson made the project credible and viable. It was indispensable for a film studio of international standing to be involved in the operation from the get-go. It was the commitment of François-Henri Pinault and every company in the PPR group that enabled us to realize the unthinkable aim of the film being virtually free all around the world. And it was the determination and drive of Yann Arthus-Bertrand that brought so much energy and talent together to win this incredible challenge for the common good, for the good of our planet and all its inhabitants. It’s probably a drop in the ocean compared to the task that awaits future generations, but I am sincerely convinced that it is our duty to make our contribution, however large or small. “Give me a place to stand and I will move the Earth,” claimed Archimedes. My only wish today is that Home will give millions of people on every continent a place to stand.

(from producer’s note by Denis Carot, Elzévir Films)

Watch the movie now on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/homeproject

Good 50×70 poster contest: Climate Change

Christopher Baan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:23:47 +0000

Ever thought you can’t combine a serious topic like climate change and biodiversity with beautiful design? Here’s the proof you can!

Good 50×70 called out a poster design contest on climate change. Click here to watch the results…

Using Human Rights Law to Address Climate Change

Christopher Baan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:56:16 +0000

What are the legal and human rights implications of climate change?

As the evidence becomes stronger and the science more serious, people in countries, companies, institutions and professions everywhere are taking up the issue of climate change and sounding the alarm.

Among these concerned global citizens are lawyers and legal professionals. To gather this community together, law students at the University of Washington organized a conference called Three Degrees: The Law of Climate Change and Human Rights Conference. On May 28 and 29, members of the legal community and others came together to further explore the possibility of using human rights law as a way to address climate change. According to the conference organizers, “the application of both codified and customary international and national human rights law will be critical in addressing the massive humanitarian crises ignored by technical market solutions to climate change and moderate political reforms.”

Green growth is essential to any stimulus

Christopher Baan — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:39:41 +0000

By Ban Ki-moon and Al Gore

Economic stimulus is the order of the day. This is as it must be, as governments around the world struggle to jump-start the global economy. But even as leaders address the immediate need to stimulate the economy, so too must they act jointly to ensure that the new de facto economic model being developed is sustainable for the planet and our future on it.

The crisis can be an opportunity to rethink the global economy

Christopher Baan — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:16:55 +0000

Interview with Jacques Weber by Meriem Bouamrane

With the financial and economic crisis tightening its grip around the world, many researchers, organizations and institutions are being galvanized into action. Terms like Green Deal or Global New Green Deal are circulating and, with natural resources becoming scarcer, there is talk of creating a tax system based on ecosystem services. Here, the economist and anthropologist Jacques Weber, Director of Research at the International Centre for Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD) in France, analyses the ins and outs of an idea that is gaining ground: a shift towards green economics, to ensure that the global economy emerges from the crisis on a surer footing than before.

What is your analysis of the current crisis?

[...] The current crisis is indubitably financial in origin and would have happened sooner or later. But the fact that it came after steep price rises for petrol, minerals and food suggests that the crisis is one of objective rarity of non-renewable and renewable natural resources. It is the expression of this crisis that is financial.

Could the crisis be a blessing for sustainable development?

If the crisis is a result of the growing scarcity of natural resources, the ailing economy can be an opportunity to tackle this scarcity directly to make sure the problem doesn’t recur. It can be an opportunity to rethink both the global economy and national economies, and to redefine international institutions to serve the cause. [...]

Continue reading the interview in this extract [.pdf] from “A World of Science“, Vol. 7, No. 2, April-June 2009

Related links:
:: A World of Science (full version, Vol. 7, No. 2, April-June 2009)
:: A World of Science (UNESCO’s quarterly science journal)

Source:A World of Science
02-04-2009

Green Economy Initiative

Christopher Baan — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:46:22 +0000

Mobilizing and re-focusing the global economy towards investments in clean technologies and ‘natural’ infrastructure such as forests and soils is the best bet for real growth, combating climate change and triggering an employment boom in the 21st century.

On 22 October 2008, UNEP and leading economists launched the Green Economy Initiative (GEI) aimed at seizing an historic opportunity to bring about tomorrow’s economy today. The GEI, which will initially run for a period of two years, has three key elements: the Green Economy report, that will provide an overview, analysis and synthesis of how public policy can help markets accelerate the transition towards a green economy; The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), a partnership project focusing on valuation issues; and finally the Green Jobs report, published in September 2008, that looked at employment trends.

Earth Hour

Christopher Baan — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:17:45 +0000

Tomorrow, from 8.30 PM onwards for one hour, the world will cast a first truly global vote: between the planet or global warming.

Last year, 2.2 million people and several companies in Sydney switched off their lights for one hour, resulting in an equivalent of 48.000 cars being taken off the road and saving 10,2% energy in the city. This year again…?

Read it at voteearth2009.org

A green economy is a healthy one

Christopher Baan — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:14:18 +0000

MPs highlight need for UK to work towards creating an ambitious climate change, and a modern and sustainable economy

Brief aan Balkenende

Christopher Baan — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:45:30 +0000

(published in NRC: 14/3/2009) – in Dutch

Geachte minister-president Balkenende,

De kredietcrisis leidt tot een noodzaak aan nieuwe investeringen, die een in het slop rakende economie van de ondergang moeten redden – daar bestaat momenteel veel consensus over. Echter, over waarin wij als samenleving moeten investeren is veel debat.

Als vertegenwoordigers van de jongere generatie – een generatie die nog volop dromen heeft over alles wat het leven te bieden heeft; een generatie die zelf net kinderen heeft of daar nog over nadenkt – willen wij aandringen op het maken van duurzame keuzes: keuzes die bijdragen aan een radicale vergroening van de Nederlandse economie en een optimistisch toekomstperspectief rechtvaardigen.

Wij zijn, wordt wel gezegd, de eerste generatie die het niet beter maar slechter krijgt dan onze ouders. De problemen die onze toekomst overschaduwen zijn van een enorme omvang, en de meest pregnante van al deze problemen is klimaatverandering, met potentieel desastreuze gevolgen voor biodiversiteit, voedsel- en waterzekerheid en daarmee de mondiale stabiliteit. De ernst van de kredietcrisis die nu alle gemoederen beheerst, is, hoe omvangrijk en bedreigend ook, slechts relatief vergeleken bij de vele verwoestende gevolgen van klimaatverandering.

Desondanks praten we al maanden met veel meer ernst en zorg over de crisis van ons geld, dan over de crisis van ons klimaat, en daarmee in zekere zin de crisis van ons bestaan.

Het is al vaak gezegd, maar het kan niet vaak genoeg herhaald worden: deze crisis biedt ook een kans. Het dogma van de ‘groei van de groei’ is plotseling doorbroken en mogelijk ontdekken we daarin een nieuwe, andere levenskwaliteit. We ondervinden de lol van de kringloopwinkel en worden ons bewust van de schoonheid in eigen land, in plaats van in het vliegtuig te stappen voor een exotische vakantie naar Thailand. Er wordt minder gebouwd, geproduceerd en geconsumeerd, en dus ook minder CO2 uitgestoten, minder afval geproduceerd, minder aanspraak op onze natuurlijke hulpbronnen gemaakt en minder van onze schaarse landschappelijke ruimte opgeofferd voor exploitatie. Zonder het lijden en de ellende van deze crisis te willen bagatelliseren, zoals voor de vele mensen die momenteel hun banen verliezen, moeten we dus óók erkennen dat deze crisis positieve effecten heeft.

En deze effecten zijn geheel in lijn met de voornemens van uw eigen kabinet, dat duurzame ontwikkeling tot één van haar pijlers heeft gemaakt, en heeft aangekondigd concrete stappen te willen zetten naar een duurzame samenleving.

De vraag die zich nu opdringt is: Hoe kunnen we de kansen die deze crisis biedt benutten en tegelijkertijd effectief onze economische problemen oplossen en de groeiende werkeloosheid terugdringen? De menselijke neiging bestaat om nu in een maar al te vertrouwde reflex de oude economische structuren, met al hun maatschappelijke kosten en vervuiling, weer uit de kast te halen en nieuw leven in te blazen. Maar dan benutten we de geboden kansen niet, maken we de bovengeschetste positieve neveneffecten ongedaan en leren we niet van de fouten uit het verleden. Immers: biedt deze crisis niet de uitgelezen kans voor een groene revolutie, een economische herstructurering in duurzame richting, waarvan we toch weten dat deze onvermijdelijk is? En hoe verantwoord is het om de ‘consumptiemachine’ te willen stimuleren, terwijl we weten dat juist dat desastreus is voor ons klimaat?

En is het niet juist de dominantie van het korte-termijn perspectief en een uitermate beperkte visie op financieel gewin geweest, zonder inachtneming van en verantwoordelijkheid voor de maatschappelijke kosten en risico’s, die ons zo diep in de problemen heeft gebracht?

Het is een bekende wijsheid dat de oplossing voor een probleem nooit te vinden is in het probleemdomein zelf. In de vaak geciteerde woorden van Einstein: “We can’t solve problems by using the same way of thinking as we used when we created them”.

Wat nodig is, is dus iets nieuws en veelbelovends, iets dat in veel opzichten een breuk met het verleden betekent. In onze ogen is dat een groene economie, waarin maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen de norm is. Veel duurzame bedrijven hebben in deze moeilijke tijden bewezen steviger met beide benen in de reële economie te staan dan hun niet-duurzame collega’s. Dat banken als ASN en Triodosbank, die gecommiteerd zijn aan het stimuleren van duurzame ontwikkeling, deze crisis niet alleen goed doorstaan, maar er zelfs profijt van ondervinden, spreekt boekdelen. En terwijl de auto-industrie wereldwijd instort, is de zonne-energieindustrie, met name in Duitsland, aan een opmars bezig. De tijd is dan ook rijp om grootschalig te gaan investeren in die nieuwe, groene economie, die overal om ons heen, vol levenslust en creativiteit, aan het ontluiken is.

Mogelijkheden voor groene investeringen zijn er te over. Het World Watch Institute heeft becijferd dat groene banen een sleutelfactor zullen zijn in de economische ontwikkeling van de 21e eeuw. De wereldeconomie klimaatbestendig maken vergt grootschalige investeringen in nieuwe technologieën, uitrusting, gebouwen en infrastructuur, die een belangrijke stimulans zullen zijn voor de benodigde nieuwe arbeid, evenals voor behoud en transformatie van bestaande banen. Daarnaast is voor een economische opleving veel energie nodig: energie die groen moet zijn, willen we de volgende oliecrisis niet in de hand werken en de klimaatcrisis verder laten escaleren.

Daarnaast is de samenleving het ook moreel verplicht aan de toekomstige en jongere generaties. De recente ingrepen in het financiële systeem zijn ten laste van de staatsschuld gekomen, en daarmee voornamelijk ten laste van ons. Deze toch al aanzienlijke last mag niet nóg verder verzwaard worden door de investeringsimpuls voor de economie te laten domineren door een economische korte-termijn agenda. Investeren in meer asfalt, beton en steen zal misschien tot snelle economische resultaten leiden, maar afbreuk doen aan onze toekomst, en die van onze kinderen.

U heeft dan ook een enorme maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheid om nu te kiezen voor herstructurering van de economie in duurzame richting: om te investeren in energiebesparing, duurzame energie en schone technologie, natuur- en landschapskwaliteit, een levendige kenniseconomie en een goede kwaliteit van onderwijs.

Als we deze keuzes nu niet maken, stelen we de toekomst van onze kinderen.

Deze brief is getekend door jonge mensen die allemaal op hun eigen manier een bijdrage proberen te leveren aan een leefbare wereld voor henzelf én voor hen die na ons komen.

Initiatiefneemster:

Annick de Witt (Instituut voor Milieuvraagstukken, Vrije Universiteit / Stichting wAarde)

Mede-ondertekend door:

Harry van der Molen (CDJA, CDA-jongeren);

Ijmert Muilwijk (PerspectieF, ChristenUniejongeren);

Rob Jetten de Goeij (Jonge Democraten);

Kido Koenig (Nationale Jeugdraad);

Tofik Dibi (GroenLinks);

Job van den Assem (Jongeren Milieu Actief);

Don Gerritsen (VN jongeren ambassadeur voor duurzame ontwikkeling);

Christopher Baan (Morgen, hét studentennetwerk voor een duurzame toekomst);

Jaap van Netten (Woeste Land, de jongeren van het IVN);

Imke Gilsing (IUCN NL);

Egbert-Jaap Mooiweer (Vereniging Nederlands Cultuurlandschap);

Sander van Cranenburgh (Builddesk);

Timothee Manschot (INSID);

Thomas Vaasen (Realize!);

Aart van Veller (Wij Zijn Koel);

Mirjam de Groot (Radboud Universiteit);

Tobias Stöcker (duurzaamheidsadviseur);

Maria Hage (milieubeleidsadviseur);

Bram van der Hulst (Kees Boekeschool);

Karin Jacobs (Radical Dreamers);

Jinke van Dam (Copernicus Instituut, UU);

Vivian Siebering (ViSie Training en Advies);

Michiel de Krom (Wageningen Universiteit);

Nienke Kwikkel (Amsterdams NME Centrum);

Martin van Harten (advocaat);

Stefan Bakker (klimaatbeleidsonderzoeker);

Jaap Rohof (Stichting wAarde).

NB: Vanzelfsprekend zijn wij bereid met u mee te denken over hoe deze herstructurering richting een (meer) duurzame economie gestalte kan krijgen!

Why Economists Are So Often Wrong

Christopher Baan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:45:53 +0000

They simply don’t understand we have instincts that go beyond money. Things like coffee shops and conviviality.

What is called “economics” is really psychology on steroids. It starts with a model of human nature and extrapolates an entire scenario for how the world works from that. The model is homo economicus,the myopic protoganist of the economics texts. This hypothetical person has no social affinities, no lapses of judgment or hang-ups, no capacity even for thinking about anyone besides him or herself. He goes through life with an unfailing and relentless calculus of personal loss and gain.

Elkouria “Rabab” Amidane wins student peace prize

Christopher Baan — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 00:10:35 +0000

Today, students are playing crucial roles in opposition movements throughout the world, fighting for democracy and the implementation of human rights. Though they often are the first ones to climb the barricades, sadly they are also the first ones to be forgotten. The purpose of the Student Peace Prize is to make their voices heard, their sacrifices known and contribute to their cause in any way we can.

The Student Peace Prize 2009 is awarded the human rights activist Elkouria “Rabab” Amidane from Western Sahara. Amidane is awarded the Prize for her work for human rights, students’ rights and peace in Western Sahara.
Amidane is contributing to inform the world about the discrimination and the violence that the Sahrawis are exposed to by the Moroccan government. Even though Amidane uses peaceful means in her fight for human rights, she has been exposed to torture and arrested by the Moroccan police several times.

Tackling Climate Change, Reducing Poverty

Christopher Baan — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:27:46 +0000

It a time of rising unemployment and economic insecurity, some argue that protecting the environment is a ‘luxury’; but a new report, Tackling Climate Change, Reducing Poverty shows that tackling climate change actually offers a huge opportunity to boost the economy and tackle UK poverty at the same time. For example, government investment in home insulation, public transport and community projects to improve local resilience would not only cut carbon emissions, they would also create new ‘green collar jobs’ and help those living on low incomes. The report, from a new coalition of leading UK environmental and social justice groups (convened by Oxfam and nef, including Friends of the Earth and the Royal College of Nursing) called on government to take a joined-up approach to tackling climate change and poverty.

2009

Christopher Baan — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:52:44 +0000

Bridges over the Moldau in Prague in early afternoon. December 2008

A bright New Year!

Coming soon:

• the year 2008 in review from a young internationalist perspective

• the best – and worst – list of 2008

• a brief preview of the possible, probable and impossible of 2009

In the mean time, take a look at this wow! video (by Famous). Thank you anothercompany

Horizon

Christopher Baan — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:04:56 +0000

Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road.
Dag Hammarskjold

Best wishes for a happy Christmas (to whom it may concern), and a bright (green) future!

60 Years

Christopher Baan — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 23:28:30 +0000

Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Some places you should definitely take a look:

You couldn’t have missed this great video, ‘The Price of Silence’ :

How our economy is killing the Earth

Christopher Baan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:15:56 +0000

The graphs climbing across these pages (see graph in detail, or explore the data) are a stark reminder of the crisis facing our planet. Consumption of resources is rising rapidly, biodiversity is plummeting and just about every measure shows humans affecting Earth on a vast scale. Most of us accept the need for a more sustainable way to live, by reducing carbon emissions, developing renewable technology and increasing energy efficiency.

But are these efforts to save the planet doomed? A growing band of experts are looking at figures like these and arguing that personal carbon virtue and collective environmentalism are futile as long as our economic system is built on the assumption of growth. The science tells us that if we are serious about saving Earth, we must reshape our economy.

This, of course, is economic heresy. Growth to most economists is as essential as the air we breathe: it is, they claim, the only force capable of lifting the poor out of poverty, feeding the world’s growing population, meeting the costs of rising public spending and stimulating technological development – not to mention funding increasingly expensive lifestyles. They see no limits to that growth, ever.

Read the full article in The New Scientist…

Global Climate Action Day

Christopher Baan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:30:26 +0000

Today, hundreds of people are gathering in Poznan to show their commitment to successful climate negotiations at the 14th Conference of Parties (COP14). The 6th of December is announced as Global Climate Action Day. At YouTube, The Big Ask posted this great video:

On 10th August, more than 6,000 people took part in the recording of The Big Ask-video clip at Oostende on the Belgian coast. This was the largest event against climate change ever organised in Belgium. The film clip was made possible due to the engagement of volunteers from Friends of the Earth, and many film industry professionals including award winning director Nic Balthazar, film crews, production houses, actors, … Music has been supplied by Hooverphonic.

350.org, is also helping coordinate a wide range of activities. They are a great organisation that are spreading awareness about carbon levels and climate safety. All around the world communities are taking action to spread the number 350 ppm, the safe level of CO2 in the atmosphere measured in parts per million, and make sure world leaders are on course to reach that target.

Read more at 350.org, at The Big Ask… or check the Climate Change Series in The Financial Times…

The Climate for Change

Christopher Baan — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:23:37 +0000

- by Al Gore

Op-Ed Contributor Ny Times

The inspiring and transformative choice by the American people to elect Barack Obama as our 44th president lays the foundation for another fateful choice that he — and we — must make this January to begin an emergency rescue of human civilization from the imminent and rapidly growing threat posed by the climate crisis.

The 100 Day Action Plan to Save the Planet

Christopher Baan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:46:10 +0000

When the 44th President of the United States is elected, he will face urgent crises on three major fronts: the American economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the growing threat to the world environment caused by climate change.

This short, powerful book shows the way forward: a clear action plan for the new President’s first 100 days, that if implemented will set America on course for dynamic job creation and economic growth, reduce our conflicted dependence on foreign oil, and produce energy that is green, affordable, and renewable.

Backed by sound science and based on the best ideas of America’s experts, The 100 Day Action Plan to Save the Planet outlines practical steps that include:

Launch a “clean energy surge” and create a powerful new workforce of green manufacturing, supply, technology, management, and support jobs.
End carbon subsidies that make fossil fuels much cheaper than their actual cost.
Create a market by requiring all federal buildings, facilities, and transportation to be fueled by renewable green energy.
Reward innovation and early adoption of renewable energy in the private sector.
Work constructively with other nations for global solutions to the climate crisis.

It’s not too late; climate change can be dramatically reversed. Green energy is the key to America’s economic strength and independence—but the nation needs the president to act boldly and decisively, just as Franklin Delano Roosevelt did in his first 100 days in office, during a time of similar urgency.

Cities and new wars: after Mumbai

Christopher Baan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 11:34:49 +0000

The attacks on India’s commercial capital belong to a global frontline of asymmetric urban warfare, says Saskia Sassen.

The Mumbai attacks of 26-27 November 2008 are part of an emerging type of urban violence. These were organised, simultaneous frontal assaults with grenades and machine-guns on ten high-profile sites in or near the central business and tourism district. Also in openDemocracy on the assaults of November 2008 in Mumbai:

This has affinities with the asymmetric street warfare waged by the gangs in Rio de Janeiro that every now and then announce they will take over a major central area of the city from (say) 9am to 5pm: the result is shuttered shops and empty streets. If the police try to respond, it is open warfare, and the police rarely win – this is a challenge for which the police are not trained. After 5pm the gangs withdraw. It is often said that all of this results from inadequate policing or crime waves.

Strawberries & Cream

Christopher Baan — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:59:12 +0000

Strawberries & Cream from Strawberry Earth on Vimeo. Good initiative! Check Strawberry Earth, an online magazine with lots of good stuff about the environment. Beautiful. Thank you Joachim!

Strawberries & Cream from Strawberry Earth on Vimeo.

Buy Nothin Day

Christopher Baan — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:09:26 +0000

What if we had everything and needed nothing else? Today (29th november: international) is Buy Nothing Day. Realizing that you actually have way too much stuff than needed to keep your life running…

Watch the beautiful video here on the ‘good consumer’.

(or read Benjamin Barber’s ‘Consumed’ bestseller – I’m not kidding, you HAVE to consume, or at least buy it…)

Fortunately, the running part of life won’t be associated so soon with overconsumption. I don’t have to feel guilty… I am addicted.

Talking about current and new patterns of wealth is nothing new. Read this inspiring book by Andrew Simms (policy director of New Economics Foundation): Do Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth? (a book that already answers its head question on the first page).

If I could make an exception of buying something, then it would be this state-of-art BMW Gina model… gorgeous!

Tomorrow

Christopher Baan — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:10:30 +0000

Tomorrow is a special day. See it here…

A new chapter for America on climate change?

Christopher Baan — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:35:36 +0000

Watch this address by president-elect Barack Obama and see it yourself. Rather impressive? Or not ambitious enough yet?

World Energy Outlook 2008

Christopher Baan — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 23:30:57 +0000

Is the world facing a supply crunch due to geology or to inadequate investment? What type of post-Kyoto policy framework could stabilise greenhouse gases at low concentration levels? The answers to these burning questions and more are laid out in the World Energy Outlook 2008.

We need a ‘Green New Deal’ to tackle ‘triple crunch’ of credit, oil price and climate crises

Christopher Baan — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:36:02 +0000

The world needs leaders with the vision to forge New Deal-type policies to confront the potentially disastrous combination of climate change, high inflation and economic slowdown, a British research group said.

The recommendation is made in “A New Green Deal,” a report by the New Economics Foundation. It uses the convergence of the credit crisis, climate change and booming food and fuel prices to argue for new economic policies similar to those instituted in the United States from 1933 to 1938.

Read more at the International Herald Tibune, or at the New Economics Foundation. You can download the report here.

Also in The Netherlands, the buzz is in, by Green Party leader Femke Halsema urging for a Green Deal in the Netherlands to revive from the credit crisis and to develop (a.o.) moral codes of behaviour and investment for banks.

Let’s see how this works out in some months, when the big international banks probably fail to stay alive, despite the huge injections from governments in the US and major European countries. Are we ready for a Green New Deal? Or already too late?

Going green is the largest economic opportunity of the 21st Century!

Christopher Baan — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:36:43 +0000

The best way to predict the future…is to invent it!

The second best way is to finance it!

Going green is the largest economic opportunity of the 21st Century!

So make going green your next big thing!

Those who were before us didn’t know about the problem! Those who come after are powerless to do anything about it!

John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentech:

(via WijZijnKoel)

Read more about the recent visit of Al Gore to the Netherlands (in Dutch), where he delivered a speech to 2000 well-paying businessmen with a comparable message…

Take a look at Al Gore’s challenge to repower America:

John Doerr: Seeking salvation and profit in greentech