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IPCC treads carefully on geoengineering

Enviado por ETC Staff el

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wound up its expert meeting on geoengineering in Lima, Peru, which included all three IPCC Working Groups, it committed to remain “policy relevant but not policy prescriptive.” Despite getting off on the wrong foot (no transparency), with some of the wrong experts (scientists with financial interests), on some of the wrong topics (governance), the IPCC has now confirmed that it will not make recommendations to governments regarding research funding for the controversial technologies, governance models or the legality of experimentation.

At a press briefing following the close of the expert meeting, the IPCC stated that its focus will be “establishing the scientific foundations for an assessment of geoengineering.” This assessment would include risks, costs, benefits and social and economic impacts, intended and unintended consequences as well as uncertainties and gaps in knowledge and will be based solely on peer-reviewed literature. “Of course, a real assessment of geoengineering will need to be much broader than a scientific peer-review process,” said Silvia Ribeiro of ETC Group from Lima, though outside the meeting. “Civil society organizations have been clear that we do not want these dangerous technologies developed; they are a new threat from the very same countries that are responsible for the climate crisis in the first place!”

Sociedad civil al IPCC: no a la manipulación climática

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Del 20 al 22 de junio de 2011, el Panel Intergubernamental de Cambio Climático (IPCC) realizó en Lima, Perú, un taller de expertos para discutir la geoingeniería: la manipulación a gran escala de ecosistemas, en cielo, mar y tierra, para cambiar deliberadamente el clima. Más de 160 organizaciones de la sociedad civil nacional e internacional escribieron al IPCC demandando sacar de la mesa de discusiones este tipo de propuestas altamente peligrosas, que no van a las causas del cambio climático y podrían incluso empeorar la situación.

Civil Society Organizations to IPCC: Take Geoengineering off the Table!

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125 international and national organizations, representing at least 40 countries from all continents, sent an open letter to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), demanding a clear statement of its commitment to precaution and to the existing international moratorium on geoengineering. The IPCC will hold an expert meeting on geoengineering 20-22 June in Lima, Peru.

¡La geoingeniería NO es una opción!

Enviado por ETC Staff el

Sociedad civil reclama al IPCC

125 organizaciones nacionales e internacionales, representando al menos 40 países de todos los continentes, enviaron una carta abierta al Panel Intergubernamental sobre Cambio Climático (IPCC por sus siglas en inglés), exigiendo que manifieste con claridad su compromiso con la precaución y en favor de la actual moratoria sobre la geoingeniería. El IPCC sostendrá una reunión de expertos sobre geoingeniería del 20 al 22 de junio en Lima, Perú

Carta abierta al IPCC sobre geoingeniería

Enviado por ETC Staff el

Las organizaciones abajo firmantes, escribimos para expresarle nuestra preocupación sobre la próxima reunión conjunta de expertos sobre geoingeniería, que organiza el IPCC en Lima, Perú, del 20 al 22 de junio de 2011.
La geoingeniería, la manipulación intencional a gran escala de los sistemas de la Tierra para modificar el clima, es uno de los asuntos más graves que la comunidad internacional tendrá que enfrentar en los años venideros. Las perspectivas de cambiar artificialmente la química de nuestros océanos para absorber más CO2, o modificar el equilibrio de la radiación solar que llega a la Tierra, inventar nuevos sumideros de carbono en ecosistemas frágiles, redirigir huracanes u otros eventos meteorológicos extremos, resulta sumamente alarmante. El potencial de accidentes, experimentos altamente peligrosos, evaluaciones de riesgo inadecuadas, impactos inesperados, unilateralismo, lucro privado, disrupción de la agricultura, conflictos internacionales, objetivos políticos ilegítimos y consecuencias negativas para el Sur global, es muy alto. Las posibilidades de que la geoingeniería brinde soluciones seguras, de largo plazo, democráticas y pacíficas a la crisis del clima, son inexistentes.

Presentation by Pat Mooney to the UNGA on June 2 2011

Enviado por ETC Group el

Next year’s UN conference in Rio de Janeiro should mark the beginning of a new era of environmental and economic cooperation. Rio +20 is not only the 20th anniversary of the Earth Summit, it is also Stockholm+40 – marking the UN’s first major environmental conference, and, somewhat ominously, it is also the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s groundbreaking Silent Spring. As we prepare for 2012, we have 50 years of environmental history to bear in mind.

Global Environmental Governance and Rio +20

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There is little faith in the reform of the UN system; nonetheless, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 – also known as Rio +20 – is not only to set the stage for a green economy, but also to provide an impetus for the institutional reform of the UN environmental sector. The ministerial-level advisory group brought together by the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) is preparing the reforms.

The Sins of Syn Bio. Article from Slate Magazine - Feb 2nd 2011

Enviado por ETC Staff el

How synthetic biology will bring us cheaper plastics by ruining the poorest nations on Earth.

Here's a grim prediction to chew on. This biotech craze dubbed "synthetic biology"—where hipster geeks design quirky life-forms: That technology is going to wind up costing lives—likely a lot of them. I'm not suggesting a direct kill by rogue viruses. These will be economic deaths. The dead will not be noteworthy: farmers, pastoralists, and forest dwellers who live in poor nations that depend on plant commodities.

Syn bio is feted as the next big thing, but we should be clear-eyed about what makes syn bio such a big deal and about whom it will harm. Its advocates predict that synthetic bio will lead to the "New Bioeconomy," in which we harness biology to perform tasks now accomplished by manufacturing.

The New Bioeconomy seems innocently green. It involves yeast and bacteria being repurposed as bio-factories to churn out the plastics, chemicals, and fuels we are already addicted to. Since microbes feast on plant-stuff—whether algae, wood chips, or sugar—plants would replace petroleum as the key feedstock for industrial production. The sourcing of strategic raw materials, including medicines, rubber, and oils, will shift from the hands of farmers in the global South to fermentation vats controlled by the North.

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