Make A Call Tomorrow!

As you may know, climate legislation has been stalled in the Senate for months. But now, with the health care debate subsiding, it's time to show the Senate that there is significant public support to pass climate legislation this year.

Our first action in 2010 will be tomorrow, Tuesday, January 12th. Thousands have already pledged to call their senators. But we still need your voice!

Sign up today to call your senators during business hours:

http://www.1sky.org/call-in

With your help, we can send a strong message to the Senate on the eve of the 2010 campaign season: We won't stand by idly while you sacrifice our future to political expediency or wealthy lobbyists. Together, we will flood every single Senate office with phone calls and let them know that without their support for a bold climate bill they shouldn't be expecting our support in this year's election or elections to come.

Register now and you'll receive special instructions for your calls. Two calls to your senators will be a fast, easy, and effective way to let your voice be heard. Sign up today to make your calls.

International Womens Week

Do you or anyone you know have an interest in attending International Women’s week in DC? It will be March 8-10. We are recruiting Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors throughout the nation to attend, 2 from each state. Email us at chicago@oxfamactioncorps.org if you had any suggestions on people we could recruit in the state to become an Ambassador and attend the event for Illinois. Oxfam will be paying for their transportation there. We are looking for Faith Leaders, Business Owners, Community Leaders, Academics, possibly local elected officials. Drop us a line!

Copenhagen COP OUT

The ‘climate deal’ on the table in Copenhagen today is a triumph of spin over substance says Oxfam International. The deal – which has been announced by the US, India, China and South Africa - has not been endorsed by the EU and many other countries.

The deal provides no confidence that catastrophic climate change will be averted or that poor countries will be given the money they need to adapt as temperatures rise. Leaders have also put off agreeing a legally binding deal until the end of 2010.

Oxfam said the agreement must be endorsed by all countries and demanded that it be a floor not a ceiling on action.

Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International said:

“This deal barely papers over the huge differences between countries which have plagued these talks for two years.

“The deal is a triumph of spin over substance. It recognizes the need to keep warming below 2 degrees but does not commit to do so. It kicks back the big decisions on emissions cuts and fudges the issue of climate cash.

“Millions of people around the world do not want to see their hopes for a fair, binding and ambitious deal die in Copenhagen. Leaders need to get back round the table in early 2010 take the hard decisions they copped out of in Copenhagen.”


The deal

$100bn a year in climate cash for poor countries

This is an aspirational goal not a commitment – poor countries will have no confidence that they will receive the money they need to reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate.

$100bn is only half the money needed. The shortfall could mean that health workers in South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa will not get the $1.5bn they need each year to prevent climate induced deaths from malaria and diarrhoea.

There are no assurances that the $100bn will be additional to existing aid commitments. This means aid for education and health care could be diverted to pay for flood defenses.

The $100bn will not all be public money. Unless climate cash comes from public sources, there are no guarantees that it will reach the right people, in the right places, at the right time.

Spin

Global temperature rises kept below 2 degrees centigrade

Reality

The absence of any emissions reductions targets means there is no guarantee warming will be kept below 2 degrees centigrade. Climate science is clear on the need for deep emissions cuts by 2020. Specific targets are essential.

Shorbanu Khatun, a climate migrant at the summit with Oxfam said: “I came all the way from a displaced persons camp on the flooded coast of Bangladesh to see justice done for the 45,000 people made homeless by cyclone Aila. How do I tell them their misery has fallen on deaf ears?”

Copenhagen 101

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/12/07/business/1247465985669/copenhagen-101.html

Check out this video (linked above) where the NY Times's Tom Zeller Jr. and Andrew C. Revkin, along with some people in Times Square, discuss the science and diplomacy behind the climate conference.