#cop27 climate summit

[wikipediaxpress]

The difference between 1.5°C, 2°C or 3°C average global warming can sound marginal. But these temperature rises represent vastly different scenarios for the future. Our survival on this planet hinges on these few degrees 🌡️

📸: United Nations Climate Change

[davidluganda]

Climate Change is one enemy youth need to fight together

[danilorocca]

Palazzo Madama in Rosso, Imbrattatori di Storia Vs Imbrattatori di Natura

Le azioni di Ultima Generazione attuate con vernice non indelebile, gesti disperati, per richiamare l'attenzione di adulti narcisi e perduti, sordi nei loro sogni di potere

Se nessuno vede il vilipendio come fare a riconoscere di chi sia la responsabilità

The Guardian, quotidiano britannico e globale, dal 2018, a differenza di molti altri quotidiani, ad esempio dei grandi media generalisti italiani, ha scelto e deciso di parlare con coerenza giornalistica della crisi climatica. Assumendo in modo corale, dalla proprietà al comitato di redazione l’emergenza del clima come uno dei problemi principali del nostro tempo e dando di conseguenza alta priorità al problema nella gerarchia delle notizie del network.

I giornalisti di Guardian hanno fatto propria una scelta di verità.

I NUOVI IMBRATTATORI

Quando vogliamo parlare di gesti come quelli che hanno destato molto clamore e indignazione dei giorni scorsi con l'imbrattamento dei muri delle colonne di ingresso e delle finestre basse di Palazzo Madama, sede del Senato, azione messa a segno con vernice lavabile da attivisti di #UltimaGenerazione, organizzazione di giovani e giovanissimi ecologisti, dobbiamo credo, guardare i ragazzi. E, guardando i ragazzi, guardare noi. Madri e padri di ragazzi, ex ragazzi, vetero ragazzi, scegliendo di proiettarsi senza indugio nell'oggi.

Noi, adulti, direttori di giornali, editori, politici, commentatori, figure di avanspettacolo della politica di destra e sinistra, industriali, consumatori, siamo I PADRONI E CUSTODI DEL MONDO. Anche se facciamo solo pezzi del reale, ogni nostro gesto, oggi, incide in maniera ineluttabile e decisiva, sul mondo e sul mondo di domani. Su quello che avranno in eredità i nostri flgli, i nipoti.

Imbrattare non è un bel modo di farsi sentire. Se alle prime piogge, che non so quando siano, quando saranno, i bei pilastri della facciata del monumentale palazzo governativo non saranno lindi, i ragazzi di Ultima Generazione dovrebbero essere portati sui ponteggi con i restauratori, a riparare. Il tempo che serve. Chi rompe, paga. Il lavoro manuale con insegnanti e artieri è oro ed ha enorme valore pedagogico.

Ma questo vale anche per noi

Pensiamo a quanto noi, NOI, con il nostro disinteresse, il nostro lavoro da convertire eco, magari domani, i nostri prodotti, il nostro stile di vita, le nostre facce voltate dall'altra parte. Sempre. Tutti quei videogame che abbiamo comprato per anni ai nostri ragazzi sporcandogli la vita, abbruttendogli la testa, annientando la loro capacità di concentrazione, mettedo davanti i nostri valori, con le automobili, sempre più mastodontiche, le merendine che gli davamo, sempre più inquinate. Che impattano e costano. Provare a pensare quanto noi, abbiamo imbrattato il mondo, il mondo che i giovani avranno in dote. Le vernici sui templi preziosi sono la loro restituzione concettuale portata con gesti disperati. E, del resto, come sono custoditi i veri tesori dell'umanità.

Una azione trasgressiva, come tante se ne sono viste in passato, ha un valore reale e un valore simbolico. E, a me, le performance pseudodistruttive degli attivisti di Ultima generazione appaiono più come gesti ultimi in anni ultimi, di giovani disperati. Personalmente, come giornalista, non giudico mai i gesti disperati. Se faccio in tempo, li scongiuro.

Forse, prima di prendere posizione, dovremmo prendere posizione davanti allo specchio. Alla nostra immagine. Provare a guardare bene la figura che si delinea dietro la facciata. Quelle linde facciate morali.

Scopriremmo come Dorian Gray i cumuli di sporcizia che l'azione del potere, delle sue leve, ha lasciato come incrostazioni nel nostro retrovolto. Ci vergogneremmo, o, forse, non ci vergogneremo mai. E puniremo, con accanimento, come sempre, l'altra faccia della nostra vita adulta, i ragazzi.

Rocca 01. 23

[hpcaatcop27]

Harvard Professor Daniel Jacob shares his perspectives at the COP27 panel, “Measuring up to the Methane Challenge,” on Nov. 17, 2022. The event, sponsored by IPIECA and held in the IETA Pavilion, focused on the ways in which the energy industry can advance efforts to reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. 

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Brazil’s global balancing act is trickier than ever

“Brazil is back,” vowed president-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to cheering crowds at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt two years ago. Having defeated his hard-right rival, Jair Bolsonaro, and won back power after more than a decade out of office, Lula wanted to flag not only his own comeback but his desire to return the South American giant to the global stage.

During Lula’s first two terms, and before corruption scandals tarnished his reputation, the former metal worker had been feted as an international star. At one of the first meetings in 2009 of the G20, a body that gave Brazil a rare seat at the top table, then US president Barack Obama dubbed him “the most popular politician on Earth”. That same year, Brazil also co-founded the Brics bloc of developing nations.

Now Brazil — and Lula — are back in the spotlight. On Monday, the president will host the G20 leaders in Rio de Janeiro, one in a series of high-profile international summits to come. Some time next year, Brazil will welcome the newly expanded Brics group of emerging countries, and in November 2025 will also host the annual UN climate conference in the Amazon port of Belém.

Lula’s return to centre stage says much about the shifting geopolitics of the era, as growing competition for influence between the US and China gradually overshadows a system of international institutions once dominated by Washington.

The new environment has opened up space for a group of middle-ranking powers, many of them not formally aligned — among them Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia and the Gulf states, as well as India, a potential future superpower. Many of these governments are trying to expand their international influence in part by playing off the US, China and in some cases Russia.

But Brazil’s efforts to take advantage of the changing geopolitical landscape are also facing challenges. Lula’s attempt to act as a regional power and mediate the political crisis in Venezuela has floundered. Brazil, which prides itself on its own transition from dictatorship to democracy, has been uncomfortable at Russia and China’s efforts to make the Brics group more openly anti-western. And the election of Donald Trump in the US is likely to complicate Lula’s plan to showcase its climate diplomacy.

The country, say analysts, now finds itself having to navigate a much more complicated international scenario, in which its traditional neutrality may come under pressure from all sides. “Brazil is hedging. It’s on the fence,” says Oliver Stuenkel, a foreign policy expert at Brazil’s Getulio Vargas Foundation, of its approach to China and the US.

“Brazil is seeking to implement now this strategy of multi-alignment in a very uncertain global environment,” he adds. “Its major source of power, the capacity to navigate multilateral fora . . . is under so much strain now that this strategy of multi-alignment will become more challenging and maybe more costly.”

Continue reading.

[notwiselybuttoowell]

A case involving thousands of retired Swiss women is being heard at a European Court in France, the culmination of a six-year legal battle in which they claim their government's insufficient action on climate change violated their human rights.

Here are some of their arguments:

- The case documents, or application in legal jargon, alleges four violations of the European Convention of Human Rights (Arts 2, 6, 8 and 13) including the right to life.

- They say the women's age and gender places them in one of the categories cited by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as being at highest risk of temperature-related mortality. It also cites the IPCC saying heatwaves are becoming more frequent due to climate change.

- The case uses emerging evidence that older women are less able to regulate their body temperatures than others. It cites several reports including a 2014 World Health Organization document which says the majority of European studies show women are more at risk of dying from heatwaves.

- It says that around 30% of heat-related deaths in Switzerland can be attributed to climate change in recent years, citing a 2021 study published in Nature.

- Switzerland is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and to achieve net zero by 2050. Lawyers for the applicants says its targets are "woefully inadequate".

- They take particular aim at Switzerland's strategy of purchasing emissions reductions abroad and accounting for them in national targets - a strategy that came under media scrutiny during the COP27 climate summit.

- The lawyers call for the Chamber to order rarely granted so-called "General Measures" which in this case mean concrete emission reduction targets within a fixed timeframe

[davidluganda]

Call for ClimateAction

Inadequate progress on climate action calls for the urgent sector and system-wide transformations – in the electricity supply, industry, transport and buildings sectors, and the food and financial systems – as current climate pledges leave the world on track for a temperature rise of 2.4-2.6°C by the end of this century.

[donate4freeca]

Why is the COP27 important to charities?

Hi, and welcome to our blog about the significance of COP27 for Fundraising For Charity! As the world faces the repercussions of climate change, charities need to acknowledge and address these concerns. Nearly every aspect of charitable activity is impacted by climate change, including environmental preservation and humanitarian aid. The global summit COP27 presents a unique chance for charity to work together and change the world. This article will examine how COP27 could respond to these issues, provide instances of charitable organizations impacted by climate change, explain how readers could get involved, and highlight the advantages of supporting this crucial gathering.

Climate change's effects on humanitarian causes

The environment and philanthropic causes are both impacted by climate change. Think of companies that supply impoverished areas with safe water. Droughts become increasingly severe and frequent as a result of global warming, making it harder to get clean drinking water.

Wildfires, floods, and hurricanes further complicate the work of disaster relief organizations. Vulnerable communities are being destroyed and forced to relocate as a result of more frequent and severe natural disasters.

Global food security is also threatened by climate change. Hunger relief organizations have to contend with weather patterns that are shifting, which affects farming and leads to crop failures. Food shortages get worse as a result, and farmers suffer.

In addition to these direct repercussions, charities also suffer indirect ones due to climate change. Warming temperatures also contribute to the spread of infectious diseases like dengue fever and malaria, which presents extra issues for healthcare charities.

All sectors of charitable causes are impacted by climate change. Companies looking for future solutions and efforts must comprehend these ramifications. By acknowledging the challenges, charities can more effectively advocate for climate-friendly legislation at the COP27.

How the COP27 can handle problems pertaining to charitable work

Climate change is a significant challenge for charitable organizations. In vulnerable places, poverty, malnutrition, and displacement are made worse by climate change. In order to address these grave challenges, COP27 (Conference of Parties) needs to receive charitable attention.

At COP27, charities can collaborate with governments, legislators, and other stakeholders to find sustainable solutions. Talks and discourse at COP27 can lessen the impact of climate change on charitable giving. This entails promoting resilience-building in sensitive areas, renewable energy, and environmental conservation.

Let us illustrate how COP27 could assist charity in addressing climate change-related issues with a few real-world instances. Increasing sea levels damage livelihoods and increase community vulnerability, according to coastal organizations.

Hurricanes and droughts have damaged essential infrastructure or interfered with the supply of clean water in many poor nations where NGOs work.

Charities should go to workshops and seminars related to their activity during COP27. Through their practical knowledge and expertise, they can impact policy decisions in ways that benefit impacted communities throughout these discussions.

Giving to COP27 benefits nonprofit organizations and global sustainability initiatives. Funding for climate adaptation or global accords reducing greenhouse gas emissions could result from the meeting.

Some charitable organizations impacted by climate change

Globally, charities are being impacted by climate change. Numerous groups are adapting to novel concerns, ranging from poverty alleviation to environmental preservation.

A foundation that gives poor countries access to clean drinking water has been damaged by climate change. Water supplies dry up as droughts worsen, depriving populations of clean water. The company needs to make an investment in deeper wells or rainwater collection.

To save endangered species, a wildlife conservation organization battles habitat degradation brought on by rising temperatures and deforestation. Ecosystems are disrupted by climate change, putting fragile creatures in peril. To counteract these effects, the charity has stepped up its reforestation and support for environmental policies.

Disaster relief organizations face more obstacles as the frequency of catastrophic weather disasters rises. Worldwide populations suffer from increasingly frequent and severe hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These organizations need to make resilience investments and modifications to their disaster response plans.

Charities' options for participating in COP27

As charities tackle both social and environmental issues, their participation in COP27 is essential. Charities can take part in these activities:

1. Spread awareness: Nonprofits can educate local communities about vulnerable groups and climate change. They can arrange webinars, workshops, or open events to increase awareness of the need of taking action.

2. Affect policy changes: Charities can support solutions to climate change and sustainable development for underserved communities. To put successful plans into action, they might collaborate with national and international policymakers.

3. Work together with other groups: Charities can make a bigger difference by partnering with other nonprofits that champion related causes. They can work together to accomplish goals by exchanging resources, knowledge, and best practices.

4. Promote sustainable behaviors: Motivate supporters and employees to adopt eco-friendly activities. This could be recycling, utilizing renewable energy, or encouraging environmentally friendly transportation.

5. Fundraising: Since charities rely on donations, COP27-related initiatives are a great way to raise money and spread awareness of the issue of climate change.

Participation by charities in COP27 events such as these will contribute to the creation of a sustainable future and enhance their standing as agents of change.

Benefits of COP27 support for nonprofit organizations and the global community

1. worldwide Impact: By aiding COP27, charities can combat climate change on a worldwide scale. At this global conference, charities can have an impact on environmental policy and actions that will help the environment and further their own causes.

2. Higher income Opportunities: Funding for environmental conservation and sustainability initiatives is increasing as the impact of climate change increases. Charities connected to the COP27 can take use of these funding opportunities to grow and assist more people.

3. Better Cooperation: COP27 brings together individuals, companies, NGOs, and governments. Through participation in this convention, charities can establish contacts with other like-minded groups. Cooperation fosters advocacy, resource sharing, and knowledge sharing, all of which can boost influence.

4. Adaptation Strategies: Organizations that provide healthcare and disaster relief in places that are vulnerable to climate change confront unique challenges. At COP27, charities can pick up innovative adaptation strategies from international experts and incorporate them into their operations.

5. Sustainability: Charities are encouraged to create sustainable practices by supporting COP27. Carbon emissions could be decreased by energy-efficient infrastructure upgrades or fieldworkers using eco-friendly transportation.

6. Environmental Education: COP27 assists organizations in educating beneficiaries and supporters about the issues of climate change. Through outreach and education initiatives related to the conference's main themes, charities encourage environmental protection on a personal and local level.

In summary:

The fight against climate change requires charities. We've found that charitable initiatives are impacted by climate change. Organizations assist the most vulnerable during natural disasters, food and water shortages, and other emergencies.

Through Ways To Fundraise For Charity participation in COP27, these issues can be resolved. On this global platform, they might collaborate with governments, legislators, scientists, and other interested parties to develop sustainable policies and initiatives.

During COP27, charities can draw attention to their concerns over climate change. They can back programs that tackle these problems and encourage sustainability in their business practices.

Charities can extend their impact and reach beyond specific projects or programs by providing financial or collaborative support for COP27 activities. They send a strong message that everyone in society must work together to save the environment by supporting this global climate action effort.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Armageddon to wet lettuce: The phrases that defined 2022

Agence France-Presse, 5 December 2022

PARIS — A year of extraordinary upheaval, from the war in Ukraine to catastrophic natural disasters, AFP looks at some of the words and phrases that have defined 2022.

ARMAGEDDON 

With the war in Ukraine and increasingly strident threats from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the specter of nuclear warfare is stalking the globe for the first time in decades.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis" in 1962, US President Joe Biden warned in October.

Experts warned of the most dangerous situation they can remember, with fears not limited to Russia: North Korean nuclear saber-rattling has reached new heights, with the world bracing for a first nuclear test since 2017.

LONDON BRIDGE 

At 6:30 p.m. on September 8, Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died, bringing to an end the longest reign in British history and sending shock waves around the world.

For 10 days, Britons paid respects to the only monarch most had known, following a carefully choreographed series of ceremonies.

The program of events, famously codenamed "London Bridge", set out in minute detail every aspect of the protocol -- down to BBC presenters wearing black ties.

In the event, she died in Scotland, meaning special provisions came into force -- Operation Unicorn.

LOSS AND DAMAGE

World leaders and negotiators descended on the Egyptian Red Sea port of Sharm el-Sheikh for the latest United Nations summit (COP27) on tackling climate change.

After a fractious summit, widely seen as poorly organized, a deal was clinched on a fund for "loss and damage" to help vulnerable countries cope with the devastating impacts of climate change.

Behind the institutional-sounding name lies destruction for millions in the developing world.

The COP summit was hailed as historic but many voiced anger over a lack of ambition on cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

WOMAN. LIFE. FREEDOM. 

The chant screamed by protesters in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman arrested by the Tehran morality police.

Protesters have burned posters of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and women have appeared in public without headscarves, in scenes scarcely imaginable before the uprising.

The demonstrations have lasted 3 months and appear to pose an existential challenge to the 43-year rule of the clerical regime.

BLUE TICK

The tiny blue tick (it's actually white on a blue background), which certifies users on Twitter, became a symbol of the chaos engulfing the social media platform in the wake of its $44-billion takeover by Elon Musk.

The mercurial Tesla boss announced that anyone wanting the coveted blue tick would have to stump up eight dollars, only to scrap the plan hours later.

A month on from the takeover, Twitter's future remains up in the air, with thousands of staff laid off, advertisers leaving, and its "free speech" platform hugely uncertain.

ROE V. WADE 

In an historic ruling, the conservative-dominated US Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 "Roe v. Wade" decision that enshrined a woman's right to an abortion.

The Supreme Court ruled that individual states could restrict or ban the procedure -– a decision seized upon by several right-leaning states.

Protests erupted instantly in Washington and elsewhere, showing how divisive the topic remains in the United States.

The overturning of "Roe v. Wade" became a critical battle in the US mid-terms in which candidates in favor of abortion rights won several victories. 

QUIET QUITTING 

One of the "words of the year" in Britain and Australia, the phrase refers to doing the bare minimum at work, either as a protest against your employer or to improve your work-life balance.

The trend, which has sparked debate about overwork, especially in the United States, appears to have surfaced first in a TikTok post in July.

"You're not outright quitting your job but you're quitting the idea of going above and beyond," said the post which went viral, drawing nearly a half-million likes.

WET LETTUCE 

As Liz Truss approached the end of her chaotic and short-lived tenure as British prime minister, the Economist weekly mused that her effective period in office had been "roughly the shelf-life of a lettuce."

The tabloid Daily Star leapt on the idea, launching a live web cam featuring said vegetable -– complete with googly eyes -- next to a picture of the hapless Truss.

Her premiership lasted just 44 days and featured a mini-budget that collapsed the markets and generated extraordinary political upheaval. In the end, the lettuce won.

TOMATO SOUP 

Environmental protesters seeking to draw attention to the role of fossil fuel consumption in the climate crisis hurled tomato soup at Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" painting at London's National Gallery in October, touching off a series of similar stunts.

Since then, activists have smothered mashed potato on Claude Monet and glued themselves to works by Andy Warhol, Francisco Goya and Johannes Vermeer.

For some, the campaigners are heroes bravely drawing attention to the climate emergency.

For others, the attacks are counterproductive and lose force by becoming commonplace.

A4 

Protests erupted in China, initially over COVID restrictions but later widening to broader political grievances, posing the greatest threat to the Beijing authorities since 1989.

The demonstrations became known in some quarters as the "A4" protests as protesters held up blank A4-sized sheets of white paper in a sign of solidarity and a nod to the lack of free speech in China.

© Agence France-Presse 

[ausetkmt]

World Indigenous leaders meeting this week at an annual UN summit have warned that the west’s climate strategy risks the exploitation of Indigenous territories, resources and people.

New and emerging threats about the transition to a greener economy, including mineral mining, were at the forefront of debate as hundreds of Indigenous chiefs, presidents, chairmen and delegates gathered at the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

“It is common to hear the expression to ‘leave no one behind’. But perhaps those who are leading are not on the right path,” the forum’s chairman, Dario Mejía Montalvo, told delegates on Monday as the 12-day summit opened in New York in the first full convening since the pandemic outbreak.

The longtime advocacy group, Cultural Survival, in partnership with other organizations, highlighted how mining for minerals such as nickel, lithium, cobalt and copper – the resources needed to support products like electric car batteries – are presenting conflicts in tribal communities in the United States and around the world.

As countries scramble to uphold pledges to keep global warming to 1.5C (2.7F) above pre-industrial levels by 2030, big business and government are latching on to environmentally driven projects such as mineral needs or wind power that are usurping the rights of Indigenous peoples – from the American south-west to the Arctic and the Serengeti in Africa.

Brian Mason, chairman of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian reservation in Nevada said that the 70 or so lithium mining applications targeting Paiute lands have come without free, prior and informed consent – what is considered the cornerstone of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. He described the lithium extraction efforts as being on a “fast track” to supply the Biden administration’s net-zero strategy to create a domestic supply of EVs . “It’s kinda just being rammed down our throats,” he said. “At the cost of Indigenous peoples once again.”

Gunn-Britt Retter of the Saami Council, an organization representing the Sami peoples of Finland, Russia, Norway and Sweden, said she had been raising awareness about what she calls the “green colonialism” driving harmful sustainability projects on Sami and Indigenous lands. The most recent example has been the Fosen onshore windfarm that was built despite a supreme court ruling in Norway in defense of Sami reindeer herding grounds.

“They look to us to carry the heaviest burden and it’s a disproportionate part of the burden,” she said of Indigenous peoples caught in the middle of a climate conundrum. “We need to reduce CO2 emissions globally, and we need to seek alternative energy sources, but we also need to protect the Indigenous cultures because we are the guardians of nature, which is part of the solution.”

Mejía Montalvo, who belongs to the Zenú peoples of San Andrés Sotavento in Colombia, said global climate talks have failed to properly include Indigenous peoples, yet at the same time, such dialogue has relied on a well of Indigenous knowledge systems to imagine future climate goals. “The issue of climate change and biodiversity cannot be resolved without the real and effective participation of Indigenous peoples.”

He urged the 193 member states affiliated with the UN, as well as its international governing bodies, to set a quota for actions that guarantee Indigenous peoples can take part in decisions affecting our planet, and in a way that puts them “on equal footing” with states – meaning, voting power, which Indigenous peoples lack.

The most recent example of the disparity came last fall in the historic “loss and damage” fund for vulnerable countries reached at Cop27 in Egypt. Indigenous peoples lacked explicit reference in the agreement, despite many world leaders, including the US president, Joe Biden, acknowledging the importance of Indigenous peoples in mitigating and adapting to climate change.

But there has been progress. The rights-based Paris agreement within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – the environmental treaty to combat the climate crisis – has provided a rare opportunity for formal Indigenous participation in the creation of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples’ Platform (LCIPP). The constituent body held its first meeting as a recognized working group in 2019, and engaged in dialogue with the Cop presidency last year in Sharm El-Sheikh.

Of the short cast of international leaders who spoke at the start of the global event on Monday was the first ever appearance by a UN secretary general, António Guterres, at a permanent forum opening ceremony. Also present was Deb Haaland, US interior secretary and tribal citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, who received a standing ovation following her remarks where she acknowledged a litany of historic injustices against Indigenous peoples and a collective need to heal, saying Indigenous peoples must be brought into the fold in global human rights decision-making.

Lahela Mattos of Ka’Lāhui Hawai’i and a representative of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus, urged the permanent forum chair to work with UN agencies like the World Health Organization to develop and implement comprehensive policies to better protect the safety of Indigenous women and girls as a way to protect the planet. “The destruction of and violence committed against our Earth Mother perpetuates, violence against Indigenous peoples, specifically Indigenous women who are protectors and bearers of life on this planet.”

The recommendation regarding “environmental violence” on Indigenous women and girls was first featured in a recent human rights treaty body outcome and represents one of the first fundamental links between human rights abuses and environmental catastrophe – a connection that most stakeholders grappling with the climate crisis have yet to make.

“Let us not forget that climate is the language of Mother Earth,” said Mejía Montalvo.

[edwordsmyth]

"This is an apology and an oath of renewed commitment. It is an apology from me and my fellow scholars, to you, the younger generations whom we are meant to serve. It is also an oath to learn from our past mistakes as we seek to better contribute in future.

That future is bleak. You, amongst the younger generations, are clearer on that than most older people. You know that the total pollution and devastation has exceeded the planet's capacity to cope. You know that today's dominant economies compel that destruction to continue. You have a clearer sight on the situation than most people older than you because you are less compromised in how you assess the bad news. You are less likely to assume the future will be like the past. You are less likely to keep quiet about uncomfortable ideas for fear of hurting your income, reputation, or influence. You are less likely to try to believe something because it might numb your own pain. That is because you must live in the future that will exist, not one that many older people prefer to imagine when they dismiss 'negative thinking.'

Scholars from around the world in many disciplines have known for years that the trends are in the wrong direction for humanity and life on Earth. Whatever corner of the world we live in, we have seen how our efforts to reverse worrying trends have not been working. We ignored all of that to allow credible lies to be put to policy makers, senior leaders and the general public. We justified our complacency to ourselves with a variety of explanations that put our own needs, pleasures and fears first. We blamed powerful others, rather than our own part in the charade.

Today, the rich countries, large corporations, elite institutions and mainstream media all support the credible lies that subdue us so that we do not rebel against the global economic system. These lies form the modern face of processes of domination and exploitation that have existed for centuries. But from today we promise not to compromise any more. When there is unsettling analysis, we will share it. When there is injustice, we will name it. When there is distortion by national or corporate interest, we will challenge it. If we fear a backlash, then we will both name that fear and overcome it. Then, if you within younger generations are critical of our efforts, we will respond with curiosity and seek to make amends. Because we recognise that our role is to contribute to your future.

Myself and my fellow scholars are sorry for our own part in not helping enough in the past. We promise to learn with you about how to reduce harm, uphold universal values, and enable futures that may still be possible. Therefore, I will tell others of this apology and oath, and promote mutual support. Then every year I will publicly reconfirm this commitment to all of you."

[indepwom101]

📷 Det Danske Kongehus

🇩🇰 Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark

Monday, March 20, 2023

“These days, decisive steps are being taken in Copenhagen towards the upcoming UN climate summit COP28.

Because Denmark, together with the Egyptian COP27 presidency and the upcoming COP28 presidency from the United Arab Emirates, are hosting an international climate conference, lasting over two days.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince took part this evening in an event at the Skuespilhuset for the approximately 50 ministers and leaders from all over the world, who both look back on the achievements of the past year in the climate fight and look forward to the next stage when COP28 is due to be held later this year.”

[hpcaatcop27]

With climate negotiators from around the world gathered in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27, attention focused on a few critical issues impacting the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Hear more in this episode of the ‘Environmental Insights’ podcast produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.