Wondering how to keep up on the latest news from the 16th Climate Change Conference going on in Cancun? Check out these sites and feeds for the latest updates, videos and more from Cancun.
Tcktcktck has also put together a Twitter news feed with updates from all those tweeting about #UNFCCC #Climate Talks in #Cancun Dec. 2010 #COP16. This feed involves updates from any Twitter user who updates using these tags, so you’ll get a variety of information from many sources. You can follow this news feed using your Twitter account.
These are just a few sources for keeping up with this year’s convention. Have we missed something? Let us know where you’re getting your info about COP16.
To get more info on events and other news, sign up for the CIOCS listserv by emailing CIOCS@umb.edu.
December 1, 2010
by The Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security (CIOCS) 0 comments
As a coastal city built mainly on landfill, relative sea level rise will be one of Boston’s greatest climate change challenges. Along will rising tides and “sinking” land, more frequent and violent storms are likely to occur as climate changes affect weather patterns. The combination of these factors (in addition to other challenges) are likely to make many parts of the city extremely vulnerable to flooding from storm surges. Storm surge flood maps, developed by Environmental, Earth and Ocean Sciences faculty member, Dr. Ellen Douglas, and colleague Chris Watson, of Urban Harbors Institute, are being used as a tool to educate communities about the challenges ahead and adaptation tools. You can read about their work, and view one of their maps, in the Boston Globe.
To get more info on events and other news, sign up for the CIOCS listserv by emailing CIOCS@umb.edu.
December 1, 2010
by The Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security (CIOCS) 0 comments
Recently, we reported on how recent elections potentially signify a further shift away from climate change legislation, in favor of profit-maximizing practices that jeopardize health and safety. However, Dot Earth’s Andrew Revkin brings our attention to the "Rational Discussion of Climate Change" hosted by the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology on November 17, 2010. Revkin expresses some hope that this "(relatively) civil hearing on basic questions related to climate science and policy options" by the lame-duck congressional members is indicative of future work by incoming members. It’s possible at least two Republicans may help push their party in a different direction.
Ranking Member of the Environment Subcommittee, Bob Inglis (R-SC), had some harsh words for his fellow GOPers who are stridently disputing the truth and scientific proof of global warming: "They slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, and they’re experts on climate change. They substitute their judgment for people who have Ph.D.s and work tirelessly [on climate change]." He points out the cogent science being presented, as well as the economic benefits of acting now.
Inglis isn’t the only Republican calling out the GOP. In the November 19, 2010, edition of the Washington Post, Sherwood Boehlert, a former Republication representative of New York’s 24th District in Congress (1983-2007), calls on "fellow Republicans to open their minds to rethinking what has largely become [their] party’s line: denying that climate change and global warming are occurring and that they are largely due to human activities." He points out that he understands "there is a natural aversion to more government regulation. But that should be included in the debate about how to respond to climate change, not as an excuse to deny the problem’s existence." As he makes clear, the science presented from experts around the globe is sound. The science should not be questioned; the questions lie in how to respond to climate change legislatively.
Will these voices be heard over the din of climate change denial? Can partisan politics take a backseat to human and national security, as well as economic competition, in order to address climate change?
To get more info on events and other news, sign up for the CIOCS listserv by emailing CIOCS@umb.edu.
December 1, 2010
by The Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security (CIOCS) 1 Comment
Event Launches Clean Energy Business and Professional Education Program
Dan Reicher, director of climate change and energy initiatives for Google and former Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, will present "Building a Competitive Clean Economy: The Role of Technology, Policy, and Finance" on Wednesday, December 1. This presentation is brought to UMass Boston by the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC), in cooperation with the New England Clean Energy Council. The talk is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a panel discussion and audience Q & A session. Sponsored by NSTAR, Conservation Services Group, and Biogen Idec. The presentation launches SERC’s Clean Energy Business and Professional Education Program, which was developed with support from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. The SERC is part of the College of Management at UMass Boston.
Be a part of the conversation on Wednesday, December 1, from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Campus Center Ballroom, 100 Morrissey Boulevard.
For more information, click here or contact David Levy, director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness, at David.Levy@umb.edu or 617-287-7860.
To get more info on events and other news, sign up for the CIOCS listserv by emailing CIOCS@umb.edu.
