healthier, happier and richer

I was preparing the statistics page on Indonesia yesterday, when I heard the dreadful news about the two earthquakes in Sumatra. Earthquakes are not caused by climate change and, obviously, dealing with the consequences of these ones is currently more important than anything else. However, because the speech on Tuesday by President Yudhoyono, in which he announced plans to cut his country’s emissions by more than a quarter by 2020, was bold and progressive, it deserves to be highlighted.

“Think global; act local” – the phrase often used by of Friends of the Earth – is an excellent philosophy. Since most of us do not have the power to influence international events, we should focus more on taking practical steps in our own localities. Climate change is the ultimate global issue and it does not matter where greenhouse gases are emitted. So global thinking is needed. However, practical measures are more important than yet more thought and discussion or international targets. Copenhagen is important, but must not be the only focus at the moment.

During the last two days of the Copenhagen Summit, world leaders should focus less on targets and more on forest protection and finance. Deforestation accounts for almost a fifth of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, ruins the lives of those who live in them and destroys wildlife.

President Obama has done more to control climate change than President Bush ever did. However, that is hardly setting the bar very high.

Yes, just. The Copenhagen Accord is vague and, having been negotiated by a small number of countries led by the US, China, India, Brazil and South Africa, was only “noted” by the Conference, not formally adopted. Some progress was made on finance and some on forest protection – though not nearly enough on either. None was made on targets.

Much has been talked about ‘carbon offsetting’ in recent years and it is now a well known expression. But what is it and is it desirable?

Well, it is easy to define in three distinct ways, but whether it is a good idea depends on what is actually meant.