Category: Climate politics

Polish Government and Big Coal kick own goal in Warsaw

Greenpeace banner on Polish Ministry of Economy. Photo: 350.org
Greenpeace banner on Polish Ministry of Economy. Photo: 350.org

I’m not sure if the Polish Government really meant this to happen.

In the run-up to the climate talks, they had scurried round and found a bunch of largely fossil fuel and car sponsors to help them out.  Thanks to these sponsors, we’ve all been given coal-coloured bags with a big oil service company logo on it. Such a contrast from Durban where we had lovely cloth bags made from recycled fabric, made by people from villages across South Africa.

But in Warsaw today, he Polish Government and the coal industry must have been so pleased with their idea of setting up the World Coal Association “Coal Summit” at the same time as the climate talks. They even managed to persuade the UN Climate Convention’s Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres to speak at it, much to the fury of the youth, whose invitation she turned down.

But that’s when it all started to unravel. Continue reading “Polish Government and Big Coal kick own goal in Warsaw”

Westward Ho: Day 5 – we chased them off

News today that the drill ship is 50 miles off New Plymouth, having passed wide of us in the night and headed south. Seems likely they had planned to rendezvous with the supply ship we saw yesterday morning and do customs clearance out here, but thought better of it when they saw us. All we know is that the supply ship turned around and went back to the site where the Ignoble Bob now is and they are apparently doing customs clearance there.

We’ve just had word that they expect to arrive at first light tomorrow. Whatever, we’ll be here.

Continue reading “Westward Ho: Day 5 – we chased them off”

Welcome to the Carbon COP

The Polish National Stadium
The first week here at the climate talks in Warsaw kicked off with the super typhoon Haiyan hitting the Philippines in a terrible tragedy, brought into the meeting by the country’s lead negotiator Seb Yano, whose fast has been joined by many from civil society. The plight of his people has been a rallying call around the world as we all look at the aftermath of this storm with horror.  Is it a direct result of climate change? What we do know is that the sea surface temps were 1.5degC above normal, and that we can expect more intense cyclones as the earth’s temperature warms.  But  as NCAR’s Kevin Trenberth wrote:

“The answer to the oft-asked question of whether an event is caused by climate change is that it is the wrong question. All weather events are affected by climate change because the environment in which they occur is warmer and moister than it used to be….”

As we’ve been all walking around in circles of the Polish National Stadium, trying to stay sane, looking at the images from the Philippines and the campaigning by their government to get a stronger outcome, it seems several governments have kept their eyes firmly OFF the ball, instead  taking the opportunity of the occasion to walk away from their commitments. Continue reading “Welcome to the Carbon COP”

Westward Ho: Day 4 – we wait, and wait…

We are now on Vega and Bunny and I have taken over as co-skippers. Vega is much smaller, older and wooden — a lovely craft but you feel the rolling much more than on Tiama. Fine if you stay up on deck. Very proud to be part of the tradition of peaceful protest on the waves. This is the boat that went to Moruroa in 1973 and helped create the climate of public opinion that stopped French nuclear testing there in 1996. We don’t have 20 years to stop this one.

We got the call at 5.20 this morning. A support boat had left New Plymouth late last night and was about an hour away. We confirmed our position and got ready. Soon we could see it on the horizon – not a graceful vertical line like our sailing boats but a square blob.

Then it turned around and left — back to New Plymouth we assume. A long way to come just to take a look at us over the horizon and run away. We have no idea how far away the Ignoble Bob is but when they get here we will be here.

Another gorgeous day and quiet sea but the time now passes quite slowly. A great morning tea on Baltazar who had made pinwheel cinnamon scones and good coffee where we all speculated on what was happening. Would be nice to have a bird’s eye view. Our radar goes 24 miles, which is enough, but only a dot in the ocean. These social gatherings are tough on the person left behind on each boat. Nothing to tie them up to!

I’ve done a media interview on Radio Live and Bunny has done one with the Waikato Times. We fooled around this afternoon getting the boats in various combinations for great photos — Pascale up the mast again.

If there’s no news tomorrow I probably won’t bother you – but hey, Harry, if you are reading this, it would be nice to hear from you!

Jeanette

Westward Ho: Day 3 – the reception committee

What a welcome. Another smooth night, up at dawn, then reached the spot marked ‘x’ at 8am to find ourselves encircled by a pod of at least ten Right Whales. They came really close, blowing and breaching as whales do and swam alongside us as though escorting us to the spot, then suddenly they weren’t there anymore. You can’t tell when they leave – you just realise they haven’t been to the surface for a while.

What an amazing omen. The guardians of the sea, right on the drill spot, then handing over to us. We all felt the thrill of their wildness, their hugeness, and their vulnerability,despite their grandeur, to the risk of an oil blowout and to the reality of climate change and acid seas damaging their food sources.

No sign yet of the Ignoble Bob.

As the morning went on we watched one after another, five sails appear on the horizon and move towards us – Baltazar, Vega, Ratbag, Friendship, Shearwater II. By the appointed 12 noon we were all on site – not bad for a bunch of small sailing boats over a wide ocean. Henk picked up folk off each boat for a lunch party on Tiama and James cooked up a pasta storm with a sauce of every conceivable vegetable and we all told stories about our various journeys.

Then our adventurous videographer, Pascale, climbed the mast for a few shots of all of us grouped around the “Free the Arctic 30” banner to send them some hope and support from the other side of the world. Different companies, different countries thousands of miles apart, but the same issue, the same oil risks, the same climate, the same planet.

I salute them; their course is so much harder than ours.

Jeanette