Rio +20: Earth Mover or Green Economy Carnival?

From my post at AllVoices on next year's Earth Summit, Rio +20:

When we go to Rio De Janeiro in June next year, lots of emotional capital will be invested in the success of the Rio +20 Earth Summit. It’s the twentieth anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Brazil’s iconic city. This time those two elements are brought together as the World Summit on Sustainable Development. 

...Rio +20 needs to be more than a dream. It must come up with more than a platform to negotiate an agreement. It must deliver more that the bare bones ‘institutional framework’.
The summit can be a game changer, an earth mover. It’s over to you!
Rio +20: Earth Mover or Green Economy Carnival

Global Voices Online: Who We Are

Global Voices: Who We Are from Global Voices on Vimeo.

A message from Georgia Popplewell:

'2011 has been an extraordinary year for online content. 

Global Voices has been there as revolutions happened, dictatorships fell, and network effects rippled through the cities and neighborhoods of our contributors reporting from around the world. 

You can help our 530 authors do even more in 2012: globalvoicesonline.org/donate
Thanks in advance for your support. 

This video was created, edited, and produced by Global Voices Managing Director Georgia Popplewell. CC Images were sourced with the help of many, many Global Voices contributors - that's how we roll.'

PS. I am a GV author.

Durban Youth: Get it done!

 

COP17 Durban:

 'Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, addressed the conference on behalf of youth delegates. Just after her speech, she led a mic-check from the stage -- a move inspired by the Occupy Wall Street protests.

"It always seems impossible until it's done. So, distinguished delegates and governments around the world, governments of the developed world: Deep cuts now. Get it done," Appadurai says.' Democracy Now

For more from youth activists: Durban: Gen Y women doing it for the planet

Gen Y Women Champion Climate Justice

One of my posts at AllVoices: Durban: Gen Y women doing it for the planet:

This week in Durban young citizen journalists are challenging the popular stereotype of Generation Y. Gen Ys are supposed to be: self-obsessed; apathetic; disengaged; with limited attention spans; shallow online chatterers and gamers; little concerned for the future of the planet they’ll be inheriting. 

Move over baby boomers! The twentysomethings are at the gates, in particular a new generation of committed and skilled young women activists. Many of them are in South Africa to cover the current United Nations COP17 climate change conference. 

These web warriors are not just reporting the story. Increasingly they are the story, as they lobby to bring about climate action. Meet three of them.

Please click the link to meet Andrea, Kodili and Gemma in Durban.

Across Africa: John Vidal's Road to Durban

From Democracy Now:

Interview with The Guardian's Environment editor, John Vidal, about his trip from Egypt to COP17 in Durban South Africa.

What Global Carbon Emissions? Just Brainfarts!

The National Journal clearly anticipated the latest global emissions news:

The impact of the global financial crisis on reducing carbon dioxide emissions was short-lived, with emissions quickly rebounding to a record level. 

Emissions from fossil fuel burning and cement production grew by 5.9 per cent last year to a record high of more than 9 billion tonnes of carbon, preliminary figures show. This increase overwhelmed the 1.4 per cent reduction recorded in 2009.
Emissions hit record as effect of financial crisis eases (The Age 4 Nov 2011)

I've been looking for a definition of a brainfart - certainly found a perfect illustration of the collective version.

COP17: Fossils of the Day in Durban

 

Awarded to the countries who do the most to block the UN Climate Change talks. Hosted by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition.

Climate Change and the Food Crisis: ActionAid

 

 The message: support women farmers. 

Climate Change and the World Food Crisis: A Solution is an ActionAid video:

The UN Climate Conference in Durban needs to support women farmers in order to tackle the growing global food crisis. Agriculture is being increasingly threatened by climate change. 

Small scale farmers produce half the world's food and most of them are women. With access to training, technology, financial services and markets - the number of people going hungry could be cut by 15%. With 7 billion people on the planet this year, this solution is more important than ever.

For more, visit HungerFREE or visit the Activista bloggers.