BlueGreen Alliance Reception

 The labor-environmental partnership is made real with the ability to create jobs from clean energy and energy efficiency projects.  Members of Congress joined national leaders from labor unions and environmental organizations at a reception to call for a clean energy jobs bill. 

In the East Bay, this partnership is getting off the group with the Oakland Apollo Alliance, convened by the Ella Baker Center and IEWU, where I participate on the steering committee as a representative of Sierra Club and EBMUD.  We are working towards the Oakland City Council passing a Energy & Climate Action Plan that will focus clean energy, efficiency, and green jobs efforts. 

Dave Foster, head of the BlueGreen Alliance, calls for green jobs.

Speaker Pelosi, with Congressmembers Markey, Waxman, Miller, Rangel

Andy Katz with Congressman Waxman, co-author of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

Copenhagen: Day 7

Local Government Briefing - The Bella Center was closed today – I attended a briefing by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) held by the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). Local officials from around the United States heard about the latest climate science, and discussed the goal of including in the resulting treaty text a preamble or Shared Vision reference to local and sub-national efforts to mitigate climate change. From knowing how strong a model California’s forward-reaching policies can be, I hope this reference is included so that ongoing efforts are encouraged.

Some examples: 1) California tailpipe emission standards, now extended nationally by President Obama, 2) California 20% Renewable Energy Standard by 2010 and stepping up to 33% by 2020, 3) local land use, smart growth, and public transit efforts, and 4) EBMUD moving to recycle food waste into renewable energy.

I later joined a meeting of U.S. Youth organizing for the U.S. Congress to act. I am continually impressed with the enthusiasm of my generation to lead on climate action.

Copenhagen: Day 3
I think the issues from Day 3 are best summarized by the Center for American Progress Wonk Room.  My brief synopsis follows:

Key Event- Tuvalu, and other small island states, are staring at the brink of survival when considering the outcome of international action to stop climate change.  Tuvalu moved to form a new "contact group" to begin talks on a parallel protocol to the Kyoto Protocol.  While many developing nations supported this, Saudi Arabia, China, India, and others opposed, with the US, EU, and Australia and others silent.  After this effort was blocked, Tuvalu moved to suspend the COP negotiations, and without consensus, they were suspended.  This question of process remained unresolved. 

Key Issues:
1. "Ambition," - The scale of emissions reductions by developed countries.
2. "Differentiation," Whether some developing countries will be pressured to take direct targets.
3. "Support"  To what extent the developed countries will provide financing and technology transfer to the developing countries to reduce their emissions.

There are real advantages to opening up these issues with a new protocol.  The Bali Action Plan from last year requires the United States to take on targets that are "comparable" to Japan and the EU, but doesn't address targets for India and China.  The US also lacks firm commitments for emission reductions and international aid.