Copenhagen

As world leaders fly home from the climate change summit, the agreement reached in Copenhagen could add up to nothing unless the funding offered is not double counted from existing aid promises.
Late last night an agreement was brokered by the US, China, South Africa, India and Brazil. This included $10bn a year in so called ‘fast track’ financing for the next 3 years and $100bn a year by 2020 for poor countries to cope with climate change. But currently these sums will largely be subtracted from promised resources to help these same countries fight poverty.

Yesterday I had the honour of speaking to Senegalese singer and guitarist Baaba Maal after he had performed at a special event here in Copenhagen.
Watch the video:

Baaba Maal, one of Africa’s most famous musicians, is attending the Copenhagen summit as the climate change ambassador for Africa Talks Climate, a ground-breaking research and communication initiative that explores the views of African citizens on climate change.

This morning as weary-eyed negotiators made their way to the Bella Center for the final 48 hour push in the climate negotiations which seemed all but deadlocked, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton caffeinated the room with big news – a US commitment to long-term financing for adaptation, mitigation, and deforestation for the world’s poorest people.

Check out this Copenhagen post from our friends at Manna Energy Limited. Manna Ltd. is installing several hundred water treatment systems, biogas generators, and high efficiency cook stoves across rural Rwanda, addressing the most critical public health and environmental challenges.

Stop Climate Chaos Scotland @ Cop15

DAY Eleven - by Dr Richard Dixon.
Thursday 17th December 2009
Wednesday started with braving the beefed up police presence and the snow to spend 90 minutes giving out more of our lovely Scotland badges, with colleagues from SCIAF. Again lots of people had heard of our 42% by 2020 target and most of those who had not were impressed. A good number of Americans and Australians took a badge and said: "Yes, I’m Scottish."