We say “In Passing” because the subject came up as two visitors to the UN were just passing through town. These were - former US Vice President Al Gore, and Dr. Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission.

Mr. Al Gore was in town as he opened the Tribeca Film Festival with a series of “shorts” that were environmental documentaries. His longer documentary - “An Inconvenient Truth” - will get a repeat showing at the UN next week as part of an evening activity at the Commission for Sustainable Development.

Dr. Barroso is on his way to Washington where he and the German Chancellor, Ms. Angela Merkel, the current President of the EU, will be visiting President Bush, but we already wrote about that meeting according to information from Brussels. It turns out that little is expected from the visit to Washington and in effect achievements will be clocked only on issues of trade.

Mr. Al Gore and Mr. Barroso met the Secretary-General in separate meetings, but there was only one press conference - that was a joint press conference of the UNSG and the President of the EC.

The press conference resulted in one question on climate change - and it went as follows:

Q: Mr. Barroso and also Mr. Secretary-General - on climate change. Mr. Barroso, could you give us some specifics on what exactly you think that the European Union can do to ratchet up the political will on climate change? And, Mr. Secretary-General, I wondered if you could answer that same question? And also, tell us about your discussion earlier today with [former] Vice President Al Gore who told us on his way out that you discussed climate change. Did you seek his help in doing anything?

EC President: “First of all, our first contribution was clearly stated when we decided at the beginning of March, all heads of certain governments of the European Union, the very ambitious package of measures regarding climate change and insecurity.“
{As we were not there and write this only based on the official transcript, we nevertheless assume that the word was SECURITY and not INSECURITY! We think this was a reference to the April 17, 2007, Open Debate on Energy, Security, and Climate at the UN Security Council. In case the word was rather INSECURITY - we would say that by using the negative form, the intent was to bring out the arguments even stronger. Climate Change has created a modicum of insecurity that calls for the problem to be addressed at the UN organ that overseas peace and security as part of its mandate by terms of the UN Charter.}

“Accepting very ambitious targets for the developed world, and some targets we have committed ourselves to unilaterally, through 2020, in terms of CO2 emissions in terms of renewables, in terms of bio-fuel, in terms of energy efficiency. It is, by far, the most ambitious package. And now, of course, we are not to speak about nuclear warming, but about global warming. It is very important to engage them, especially with our American friends and we are going to discuss this. I will be going to Washington [DC] on Monday (April 30, 2007), together with Chancellor [Angela] Merkel, the current President of the [European] Council to discuss this with President [George W.]Bush. It is very important that others, like the United States, like China, can also engage with this level of ambition.”

“And my message to the Secretary-General, and I was happy to see how committed he is to that agenda, is that the United Nations, as such, could and should also, through their institutions, organize some initiatives, and we in the European Union will support the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to put this higher in the global political and, I would say, public opinion agenda.”
SG: I would like to commend the European Union’s initiative to cut voluntary 20% of emissions rate by 2020. The European Union, and I was told by President Barroso, that if other developing countries cooperate as willing to cut even 30% of emission rate, this is a very important initiative with which I would like to continue to cooperate fully. You are fully aware of my strong commitment to address the global warming issue and I am going to take an important role in mobilizing political will in close coordination with the European Commission when I attend the G-8 Summit meeting in June. This will be one of the important agenda [items]. This morning, I had again, a very good meeting with former Vice President Al Gore and I was very much encouraged by his firm commitment, as well as voluntary willingness to help the cause of the United Nations and to address jointly together in whatever capacity he may have. He offered strong support and commitment to work very closely with me, and I am going to fully use his very powerful political message to mobilize political will and thus enhance the awareness of the international community with this issue. Thank you very much.

Reuters released, following above event: The Secretary General, following his meeting with Al Gore - “He offered strong support and commitment to work very closely with me, and I am going to fully use his very powerful political message to mobilize political will and thus enhance the awareness of the international community with this issue.”

Further from Reuters: “The secretary-general has given up trying to organize a summit on global warming this year but wants a high-level meeting on the subject shortly before world leaders come to the UN General Assembly in September.” As we wrote about this earlier, it seems such a meeting would be held t the Geral Assembly. “Gore did not speak to reporters except to say, “Of course,” when asked if the meeting with Ban concerned global warming,” this from Reuters’ Evelyn Leopold.

————–
**Press Conference

At 11 a.m. on Monday, 30 April, there will be a press conference by the Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar, H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, on the opening of the fifteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

————–

There were no follow up questions at the UN Spokesperson’s daily briefing at noon, and there were no announcements whatsoever for the activities of the Commission on Sustainable Development that start also next Monday, except the announcement of a press conference by the Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar who will be addressing the press about the opening of the CSD. The topic of CSD15 includes strong emphasis on climate change/global warming, CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, energy in general, atmosphere etc. and we shall see if in due time these meetings will provide material to bring further attention to the problem of global warming, or the meetings will just allow the subject to fall in slumber as some at the UN would probably prefer. We shall see how the Minister from Qatar will present the problems to the press.

H.E. Mr. Abdullah bin Hamad-Al-Attiya, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar is the Chairman of CSD 15. At 10:00 he will open the meting and by 11:00 rush to give a press conference.

Qatar is a State that sits on top of one of the largest reservoirs of natural gas in the world. It stands to make tremendous gains if the world switches, on an interim basis, from oil to gas. In effect, some of the area were those gas resources were found is occupied now by a large US military base that came into existence when the US military had to leave Saudi Arabia because of the prospect of a serious rebelion by locals of the region there, were those bases were located in Saudi Arabia. Does Qatar have any interest in promoting a world that does not rely on fossil fuels? They did not show such interest at the Security Council Open Debate April 17, 2007. Even though, considering the stranglehold oil interests do have on deliberations of Sustainable Development, and the eschewing attention to global warming, Qatar, because of its dependence on sale of gas rather then oil, may, if they play their cards right, become a bridging agent between OPEC and the rest of us. This provided the US is also ready to look directly at the EU when they meet in Washington on Monday. We hope thus that the US could do more than establishing an alliance based on mutual finger pointing, with China, India, Brazil, South Africa. Perhaps there could be at least some common policy front developing with Qatar? We wish we could ask some of these questions the appropriate representatives that will be in New York this coming week.

The US will have starting on Monday a new Permanent Representative to the UN, and this is Mr. Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan born intellectual who is just returning from having been US Ambassador to Iraq. He is a person well versed in the destructive energy generated by reliance on oil, and a man who has full understanding of the mentality of populations in the Islamic part of the world. It is somewhat mind boggling that he will be presenting his credentials to the UNSG together with the new Permanent Representative of Libya, an oil rich new friend of the US. This will happen at 5:10 pm, and then all involved will probably descend from the UN 38th floor to the visitors lobby, where at 6:00pm the UNSG will open the delayed exhibition: “Lessons from the Rwanda Genocide” that has been dismantled before the official originally scheduled opening. Then Turkey found it unacceptable that it made reference to what Muslim Turks did to Christian Armenians 90 years ago, and is commonly referred to as a case of genocide. How will that issue be diplomatically massaged now? Interesting to see. The UN event was a case of censorship and the UNSG, as well as the new Under-Secretarygeneral for Communication and Public Information decided to take time off for review.

All said, Monday the 30th of April will be an interesting day at the UN, in Washington, but it actually may hold more promise in Cologne, Germany, at the Carbon Expo were many companies will be present in order to negotiate potential deals on carbon trade. For further information on Carbon Expo and similar events - see: /www.setatwork.eu/events.htm

Just for curiosity - Dr. Barroso’s own Portugal is developing its own private carbon program: www.lusocarbonfund.com