Seville to Vancouver

Liveable cities and all that... and velo city in Vancouver, Canada in 2012...

Persuading in democracies

The climate change debate now focuses on why we did not take advantage of the clear majority for action in 2009 - and now in 2011 face a real problem building any majority for action in the USA and Australia. I still think that the cataclysmic approach does not work and that too many scientists (or their interpreters) became policy advocates - and that has meant that the science is increasingly questioned. I also understand the frustration that scientists had when they felt that their views were being ignored. The New Republic has a good overview of other views: in the end, it will become a classic case of public policy failure...

Simulating the future

As they say in this trailer, "your decisions change the face of the world", though I could do without the "either-or" approach. Surely it will be a clever mix of both. And hands-up who want to be the evil industrialists:

And yet, while Australia is all over the place on this issue...

Australia is at the start of a particularly dismal debate on the proposed emissions tax (which is still complex and difficult to explain to the general public). I am not optimistic for the outcome. China? Well, they may be cracking down on dissidents - sorry, harmonising society - but their carbon focus is undeniable. Reuters reports:

China will launch pilot emissions trading schemes in six provinces before 2013 and set up a nationwide trading platform by 2015, Thomson Reuters Point Carbon said on Monday, citing a senior government official.
Sun Cuihua, the vice-director of the climate change department at the National Development and Reform Commission, told conference that the trading schemes will begin in the cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Tianjin and the provinces of Hubei and Guangdong.
"We hope to roll out the pilot regional schemes before 2013 and scale up to a national scheme from 2015," she was quoted as saying.
China has pledged to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of GDP -- known as carbon intensity -- by 40-45 percent by the end of 2020, compared to 2005 levels.
To meet the target, the government said last month that it would cut energy intensity by 16 percent and carbon intensity by 17 percent over the 2011-2015 period.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection said provinces and regions have already been issued local targets, but the figures have not yet been released to the public.
Sun said emissions trading would be based on provincial-level energy consumption targets, with Beijing expected to impose a gross national energy cap of 4 billion tonnes of standard coal by 2015.
Guangdong has already submitted plans to cap the energy use of cities in its heavily populated Pearl River Delta region and allow them to trade consumption permits with one another.

Meanwhile the crackdown continues...

From the Guardian, a group of concerned citizens are worried about the recent detention of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei:

We write as a matter of urgency regarding the arbitrary detention of the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (Report, 7 April). We and many Chinese and other friends are very concerned at the Chinese government's behaviour towards its own citizens. Ai Weiwei's position is that he firmly believes in the freedom of speech and the right to speak up on behalf of others who have been brutally silenced for their efforts to change society for the better.
As an immediate priority we urge governments to exert strong pressure on China to treat its citizens with respect as a matter of basic justice and humanity. At this stage of China's development as a country taking an increasing part in world affairs, it is crucial that we make it clear that China's credibility in the world is at stake if it does not significantly improve its human rights record.
For example, another artist, Wu Yuren, was released in Beijing on 3 April after being detained for nearly 11 months without trial. His wife and child were left in a state of great anxiety for his safety and welfare and he had committed no crime. Liu Xiaobo has been handed an 11-year sentence as a writer who expressed the need for constitutional reform in the Chinese political system. He has effectively been removed from society for more than 10 years for expressing his views.
We are concerned that the same fate awaits Ai Weiwei. We urge the UK government to treat this case as an urgent priority and to press for his immediate release.

Not alarmed just prepared

Adaptation planning is one of the most difficult business cases to make: beyond the planning to the spending of money...but some Councils are doing pretty well. The ABC reports that

Lake Macquarie Council has been named a "Champion of Climate Adaptation" for its proactive response to planning for rising sea levels.The Council is one of only three organisations across Australia to receive the recognition, awarded by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility.
The Council's Sustainability Manager, Alice Howe says Lake Macquarie was one of the first Councils in the country to begin planning for rising sea levels.
"In relation to our sea level rise policy, we adopted that in August 2008," she said.
"That was two years before the State Government policy and was almost exactly the same measure, so we feel that we've provided a leading edge to the State Government in this area."
Council says its proactive approach to rising sea levels will ensure that the risk to property and residents is minimised.
Ms Howe says Council has time to plan for the impact.
"What we need to be doing is thinking about the long-term," she said.
"Making sure that the decisions that we make today, put us in a better position to deal with these impacts into the future.
"So I don't think people should be alarmed, but they certainly should be prepared."