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Developing countries have threatened to walk out of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen if rich nations did not commit to greater reductions of greenhouse gas emissions and more funding for climate costs.

While I can understand being  frustrated by talk that the United States and other heavy emitters may not commit to a binding, enforceable climate treaty in December, I don’t think a walk-out is an effective way of dealing with the forestalling.  Read the rest of this entry >>

Barbados, West Indies, Caribbean

With less than two months to go before COP15, the U.N. climate summit in Copenhagen, TakePart continues to cover a breadth of relevant and compelling topics. One topic of particular interest to me is how climate change is impacting small island-states. Nations like the Maldives, for instance are extremely vulnerable. Like many islands in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific, they are getting a lot of media attention, and for good reason.

Far rarer in news headlines (with the exception of Haiti), however, is how small island-states in the Caribbean Sea basin are being impacted. Climate scientists say the Caribbean region is among those regions most at risk from the effects of global warming. Aside from threats to public health and the natural environment, the globe’s rapidly changing climate will cost many Caribbean countries an estimated $11 billion US dollars by 2080, or 11 percent of the gross domestic product. Read the rest of this entry >>

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If the UN Climate Change Conference this December fails to produce a legally binding global climate deal, Norway and Sweden are pushing for a follow-up conference in early 2010 to finalize a new treaty.  While having a back-up plan seems like a good idea, especially considering the United States may unfortunately need more time, I’m reticent to shift focus from the significance of this December’s talks and I think we should continue to push for an agreement as soon as possible. Read the rest of this entry >>

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Climate change could kill 250,000 children next year alone, and the numbers are likely to rise in years to come as climate-related famine, disease and other dangers escalate, according to Save The Children.

The new report from the international charity is certainly one of the most devastating and heart-wrenching predictions concerning climate change, and should serve as a major wake-up call to the world that we need to take serious action to cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the ramifications of a rapidly changing planet.  Read the rest of this entry >>

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Nepal’s Cabinet plans to hold a meeting at the base camp of Mt. Everest to highlight the threat of climate change and rising global temperatures, which is causing glaciers in the Himalayas to melt at an alarming rate.

The climate summit just below the world’s highest summit will hopefully draw international attention to the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions, just as the Maldives’ recent underwater meeting dramatically signaled the need for action at the upcoming UN climate conference.  Read the rest of this entry >>

Moms Against Climate Change wants to remind world leaders that the fate of the world’s children depends upon them taking decisive action to curb greenhouse gas emissions at the UN climate summit this December.  As we discuss the future of our planet, it’s imperative that we keep in mind the future generations who will be most affected by the decisions made today.

The Canadian-based organization invites parents to send in photos of their children, which will be projected on a wall near Parliament Hill in Ottawa where Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, will be reminded daily of his enormous responsibility.  Moms Against Climate Change has also created one of the most inspiring and heart-melting climate action videos I have ever seen, which reminds all of us: “If our children knew the facts that we do, they’d take action.  Shouldn’t you?”   You gotta see this: Read the rest of this entry >>

The Senate’s version of the climate change bill is kicking around in the Environment and Public Works Committee right now, and Committee chair (and Democrat) Barbara Boxer wants to get the bill voted on and approved in the Committee as soon as possible, mainly to show domestic progress on the issue to give a boost to the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change in December.

Now, even if the seven Republicans on the Committee vote “no,” or refuse to vote, the bill can still pass. However, if the Republicans on the Committee simply boycott work sessions prior to any voting, Senator Boxer wouldn’t be able to hold said sessions, and thus a vote couldn’t even happen. And, as Reuters reports, that’s exactly what the Republicans are thinking about doing.

A “boycott is on the table as an option,” said Matt Dempsey, a spokesman for Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “We’re certainly heading in that direction.”

The boycott would delay the climate change bill’s vote in the Senate proper, which could mean the United States would go to Copenhagen without a framework in place. Read the rest of this entry >>

A new interactive climate change map launched by the Science Museum of London, reveals the devastating consequences that an average four degree rise in global temperatures would have on the planet, which is likely to occur if we fail to adequately cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The map uses the latest peer-reviewed science from the Met Office Hadley Centre and other climate experts, and offers an excellent tool to help educate the public on the importance of taking action on climate change as we approach the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.  Read the rest of this entry >>

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This past Saturday was the International Day of Climate Action organized by 350.org, when people from 181 countries gathered at 5,200 events worldwide to call for serious action and bold leadership for the climate crisis.  Photographs and videos of the day’s events continue to be sent in by participants, and the beautiful and inspirational images give me hope that as a united planet we can turn the tide on climate change.

You’ll notice the number 350 appears in all of the images because leading climate scientists agree that if we can reduce the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 350 parts per million, we can avert a climate disaster.  Read the rest of this entry >>

You may recall the recent post by TakePart’s Ciara O’Rourke who wrote about evidence that the Arctic could lose its summer ice cap in as little as ten years.

Well, the Arctic continues to make headlines. Last Thursday, the U.S. issued its Arctic Report Card. The report says that global warming is melting glaciers and sea ice at much more drastic rates than just five years ago, and at rates faster than predicted.

Aside from the conspicuous effects on wildlife habitat, such as that of polar bears, walruses, caribou and reindeer, changes in Arctic ice have consequences for the rest of the world.

The Arctic is a key regulator in the amount of heat stored in the world’s oceans, as well as its ice. Richard Spinrad, head of research for NOAA, told MSNBC.com that, “the loss of sea ice is messing with the thermostat for the globe.” Read the rest of this entry >>