The Institute of Development Studies in the UK is seeking to recruit a Head of Climate Change. Please could you pass on this link to anyone you think might be interested in applying, noting the application deadline of the 6th April:
 http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/idsjob/head-of-c…

The Climate Change and Development Group works to reduce poverty, vulnerability and support social justice in a changing climate through research, teaching, communications and knowledge sharing on climate change, disasters and development issues. The Group’s work cuts across and involves collaboration with other IDS research and information teams.

We are seeking a new Head of Climate Change to lead the Climate Change and Development Group and to play a strategic role in making climate change a key thematic issue in the future work of the institute.

The successful candidate will be expected to have an outstanding background in economics or related social science and a PhD (although exceptionally, comparable research and practical experience may be taken as a substitute), and an excellent research and publication record related to or relevant to any of the above areas. A proven capacity to work in a multi-disciplinary team, in policy environments, with overseas partners and practical experience in the field are also essential, and language abilities beyond English will be an advantage.

Salary: £41,057 – £60,000 per annum (depending on experience)
Closing Date: 12 midday UK time, Tuesday 6th April 2010
Interview Date: Thursday 13th May 2010

Hannah Bywaters
Administrator
Climate Change and Development Centre
Institute of Development Studies
at the University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RE
Tel: +44(0)1273 915722
Email:  H.Bywaters at ids.ac.uk
Website: www.ids.ac.uk/climatechange

Dr. ElBaradei was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1942, son of the late Mostafa ElBaradei, a lawyer and former President of the Egyptian Bar Association. His father often found himself at odds with the regime of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. ElBaradei’s father was also a supporter of democratic rights in Egypt, supporting a free press and a legal system that was independent.

The son gained a Bachelor’s degree in Law in 1962 at the University of Cairo, and a Doctorate in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974. He began his career in the Egyptian Diplomatic Service in 1964, serving on two occasions in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, in charge of political, legal and arms control issues. From 1974 to 1978 he was a special assistant to the Foreign Minister of Egypt.

In 1980 he left the Egyptian Diplomatic Service for work at the United Nations, and became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). From 1981 to 1987 he was also an Adjunct Professor of International Law at the New York University School of Law.

From 1984, Dr. ElBaradei has moved to a substantial senior staff member position of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Secretariat, in Vienna, holding a number of high-level policy positions, including Agency’s Legal Adviser and subsequently Assistant Director General for External Relations under  former Swedish Foreign Minister Hans Blix as Director General. The IAEA was set up by suggestions in 1953 from U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower as the world´s sleepy “Atoms for Peace” organization in 1957. It was set up as a UN affiliate that eventually had to become the UN watchdog on nuclear proliferation matters. The first Director General was American, W. Sterling Cole, 1957–1961 – followed by two Swedes 1961-1997 as nuclear issues meant arbitrating between the US ans the Soviet Union.

ElBaradei under UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996), another Egyptian, and it was assumed that this is an opening to what the UN called the Third World, he was then appointed to the office of the Director General of the IAEA effective 1 December 1997, and reappointed to a third term in September 2005 under UNSG Kofi Annan (1997-2006). In November 2009 he retired from that position after three terms of four years, and was succeeded by the Japanese Yukiya Amano defeating Abdul Samad Minty of South Africa and Luis E. Echávarri? of Spain.

Elbaradei’s tenure has been marked by high profile non-proliferation issues including the inspections in Iraq preceding the March 2003 invasion and tensions over the nuclear program of Iran – one could say that a main issue of the IAEA in his time was the ongoing activities to create an Islamic bomb.

In 2005, The United States initially voiced opposition to his election to a third four-year term. In a May 2005 interview with the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lawrence Wilkerson, the chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, charged former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton with an underhanded campaign to unseat ElBaradei. “Mr. Bolton overstepped his bounds in his moves and gyrations to try to keep [ElBaradei] from being reappointed as [IAEA] head,” Wilkerson said. The Washington Post reported in December 2004 that the Bush administration had intercepted dozens of ElBaradei’s phone calls with Iranian diplomats and was scrutinizing them for evidence they could use to force him out. IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said the agency worked on “the assumption that one or more entities may be listening to our conversations”. “It’s not how we would prefer to work, but it is the reality. At the end of the day, we have nothing to hide,” he said. Iran responded to the Washington Post reports by accusing the United States of violating international law in intercepting the communications. We guesthe deeds were illegal but iran’s actions were worse. What about ElBaradei?

The United States was the only country to oppose ElBaradei’s reappointment and eventually failed to win enough support from other countries to oust ElBaradei. On 9 June 2005, after a meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and ElBaradei, the United States dropped its objections. Among countries that supported ElBaradei were China, Russia, Germany and France. China praised his leadership and objectivity and supported him for doing “substantial fruitful work, which has maintained the agency’s role and credit in international non-proliferation and promoted the development of peaceful use of nuclear energy.”  France, Germany, and some developing countries, have made clear their support for ElBaradei as well, Russia issued a strong statement in favor of re-electing him as soon as possible, and ElBaradei was unanimously re-appointed by the IAEA Board on 13 June 2005. In 2008 ElBaradei said he would not be seeking a fourth term as Director General. One could say that the squirmish with the US because of the US false alegation regarding the Iraqi bomb, had much to do with El Baradei and the IAEA under his leadership, getting the Nobel Prize for Peace. It seems that this was rather a reaction to US high-handedness. Whatever – not much love was lost between the US last two Administrations and ElBaradei.

The current Board members of the IAEA are: Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, China, Cuba, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Kenya, the Republic of Korea (South Korea), Malaysia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the UK, and the USA, Uruguay, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Venezuela) 2009–2010).

ElBaradei’s two children live and work in London.

ElBaradei’s name has been circulated recently by opposition groups as a possible candidate to succeed President Hosny Mubarak to Egypt’s highest executive position. ElBaradei demanded that certain conditions have to be met to ensure fair elections accompanied by changes to the constitution that will allow more freedom for independent candidates before he would actually consider running for presidency. Several opposition groups and parties have endorsed him, considering him a neutral figure who could transition the country to greater democracy.

—————-

Mr. Ahmad Fawzi, currently News and Media Division Director under the UN USG for Communications and Public Information, has held this position for quite a while and was thus able to shape also the roster of who is allowed to participate at UN Press conferences.

His activities at the UN Headquarters in New York started with his  serving as Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali from 1992 through 1996 or during the whole time that Mr. Boutros-Ghali held that job.It was thus Mr. Butros Ghali who brought him to the Headquarters.

Born in Cairo on 28 March 1948, Mr. Fawzi has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and Language from Cairo University. He pursued post- graduate studies at the Newhouse School of Communications of Syracuse University, New York.

Before joining the United Nations, he worked for many years in broadcast journalism, as a news editor, reporter and regional news operations manager. Much of his work was in the Middle East and much of it with Reuters. We assume that his contacts with Mr. Boutros-Ghali started in the Middle East and Egypt – perhaps back to interviews at time Mr. Boutros Ghali was part of the Government of Egypt.

After the Boutros-Ghali years, during the Kofi Annan Years at the UN, and until now, Mr. Fawzi continued to work with the UN Department of Public Information and had various stints like his being spokesman for Lakhdar Brahimi the UN special envoy to Iraq.

—————

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Born the 14 November 1922 in Cairo (Egypt) into a most distinguished Coptic Christian family, Mr Boutros-Ghali received a bachelor’s degree from Cairo University (1946) and a Ph.D. in international law from the University of Paris (1949). He then held a professorship at Cairo University and lectured in international law and international affairs at various universities and institutes in the United States, Europe, India, the Middle East.

From 1960 to about 1975, Boutros-Ghali founded, edited, and wrote for Al-Ahram Iqtisadi, where his beat was regional and international law, diplomacy and political science. He was a member of Parliament in Egypt, and helped negotiate the 1978 Camp David accords, bringing peace between Egypt and Israel. He worked with President Sadat’s foreign service, was known to oppose originally Sadat’s trip to Jerusalem but later was involved in furthering the succes of that mission. He was sort of an odd man in Cairo. His wife – the former Leia Maria Nadler was Jewish.

Hosni Mubarak was appointed Vice President in 1975, and assumed the presidency on 14 October 1981, following the assassination of President Anwar el-Sadat. He really was not interested in keeping Mr. Boutros Ghali in Egypt, and was quite happy to volunteer his services to the UN when that opportunity arose. So he was instrumental in getting Mr. Boutros-Ghali elected UN Secretary- General in 1992 where he lasted till 1996.

Looking back – Mr. Boutros Ghali was the former Secretary-General of the United Nations (1992-1996) and Secretary-General of the International Organization of Francophonie (1997-2002). Currently he is president of the National Council of Human Rights of Egypt, he also chairs the International Panel on Democracy and Development (IPDD), set up by UNESCO in 1998. He is also a member of the Support Committee of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine. From his work at the UN – really nothing positive to be remembered. Basically, our present posting argues that his two appointments – those he made possible to Messrs. ElBaradei and Fawzi – perhapse were his longest lasting legacies he left behind at the UN. Also, some other people he introduced to the UN, including members of his wife’s family, turned up as reasons for the UN blunder that was discovered, under his successor’s time at the UN helm, in what becanme the oil-for-food scandal. The Paul Volker investigation of that affair has left stained both named UNSGs.

—————-

Having introduced the actors – let us now look at the latest news:

Hosni Mubarak is now in his 30th year of his Presidency – that is he is ending his 5-th consecutive six year term. There will be elections, probably in a year – in 2011, but there are no candidates because of the way Mubarak kept out of site any budding opposition. Even what was supposed to be the opening for democratization – the 2005 constitutional amendment that established multi-candidate presidential elections in Egypt came with rules designed to ensure that no independents could easily enter  the race, helping to stifle challenges to Mr. Mubarak’s rule. In fact, even discussing who would replace Hosni Mubaraq was not tolerated. The feeling is that Hosni Mubaraq has full intent to stay on and then pass the mantle to his son – Gamal Mubarak – we think named so after Gamal Nasser – the previous big Chief that run Egypt as if it were still in  the Pharaohnic days – and the whole Arab world was just larger Egypt.

Anwar Sadat (Muhammad Anwar El Sadat, or Anwar El Sadat  was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by Islamists on 6 October 1981 – he was indeed different and he paid with his life for having tried to do something for his country. He also did not ask for a parliament’s permission but at least did not put himself at the center of is world.

And the press? That is all government owned – what is written is the word that comes from Mubarak – that is the kind of Journalism that conquered the UN thanks to Ahmad Fawzi – a good disciple of his Egyptian friends – you get a Press Release and don’t ask questions – you write it down because that is what you are there for. The notion that there is something like a Media Think-Tank, or Media Independent Thinking that does not serve a cause – is unheard off on the shores of the Nile.

But then, Egypt’s people are proud people indeed. They are proud that one of theirs has gotten the Nobel Prize, they also are tired of the face of the old Pharaoh – they are ready to induct ElBaredei to run for the Presidency. He is free and available – but what about those rules/ he asks Egypt to change the rules so that there is an open election and he is ready to run – he seems to be the kind of person that is saying up-front that he is not blind to the barriers that Mubarak encircled himself – something like the security wall of the Israelis.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the basic resistance that was connected in the past with those that Killed Anwar Sadat, or helped foot the Al Kaeda in its infancy, religious nationalistic fanatics that are afraid of nothing – they are still there and sort of tolerated by Mubarak who remembers that they made it all possible for him 30 year ago, they say now: “The question is, can ElBaradei, who lived most of his life – 30 years – working in Europe, can he lead a new Egyptian revolution for change?

El Baradei came for a 10 day visit last week and there were 1,000 people waiting for him at the airport for six hours. his Facebook numbers 60,000 Egyptians – they feel that for the first time there is a viable option besides Mubarak and his son – his actual persona is the symbol that there can be an alternative because some Egyptians speak up now and say – it is our right to chose the person who will represent us. Even the Muslim brotherhood agrees to see in El Baradei the transition to a new Egypt.

Considering the high level of corruption in Egypt, the fact that El Baradei came from outside, so he is not sullied by the home-grown stagnation of Egyptian politics, he has a terrific advantage of being that fresh face they would like to induct.

OK – that is ElBaradei – what about Fawzi? He is retiring next month and we suggest he can be available to be thrown into this new Egyptian brew. He is not a new face, but he knows how to look as media while backing a cause he has in mind. I really do not think that what he had in mind was Mubarak, I rather think he remembers Boutros-Ghali and other Arab interests – be it oil or culture. We do not think that ElBaradei either has fully absorbed Western liberalism and Egypt might not be ready for this either, what seems to be needed is the kind of spokesperson that knows to dress up the concerns of the Middle East environment, and Egypt,  with a good race-horse like ElBaradei, can concoct the public winning formula. So – here for a step of loosing up the frozen major States of the Middle East – Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

A course on “Application of Public Domain Models for Water, Food and Climate Studies”, in Wageningen, Netherlands, this summer.

Details can be found at:
 http://www.futurewater.nl/uk/projects/mo…

and
 http://www.futurewater.nl/downloads/Mode…

from:
Johannes Hunink
Costerweg 1G | 6702 AA Wageningen | The Netherlands
Tel: +31 317 460050 | Mob: +31 633 891849
 j.hunink at futurewater.nl
 http://www.futurewater.nl

–

from: Sandor Szabo

The Renewable Energy Unit of the Joint Research Centre-European Commission based in Ispra (Italy) has open a position to develop and integrate an optimization tool for rural electrification planning in Africa.

The multitask project simultaneously aims to support Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy in Africa.

The main results are expected to be communicated on the project web site managed by JRC and also to be published as peer-reviewed scientific articles.

http://ie.jrc.ec.europa.eu/job s/docs/Cat30/IE-REU-2010%2801% 29-30.1_Publication.pdf

For further details contact:
Sandor Szabo    sandor.szabo at ec.europa.eu
Please, note that the call is OPEN until the 31st January 2010 at 12:00 a.m. Amsterdam time.

The new RENEWABLE ENERGY LAW AND POLICY REVIEW announces the launching of a call for papers for its inaugural issue to be published in spring 2010.

The Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review provides a platform for analysis and discussion, both in Europe and internationally, of the legal and policy issues surrounding renewable energy.  The journal reports on the dynamic and quickly changing developments taking place in Europe and around the world in the renewable energy sector, from bio-energy, solar and wind power to emerging technologies like fuel cells and nuclear fusion.

The journal serves a growing international community of renewable energy practitioners, lawyers and policy makers, providing them with timely analysis and reports on the legal and policy implications of recent technology advances, political and regulatory decisions and market trends.  Each issue reports on new developments and critical issues from the European Union and its Member States, cutting-edge experience from North America, Australia and Japan, as well as opportunities and challenges in emerging markets and leading countries of the developing world such as Brazil, China and India.

The inaugural issue of the journal is dedicated to new developments in renewable energy law and policy, with a focus on implications of the climate change negotiation process.  Topics include:

Implications of climate change negotiations for renewable energy development
Evolution of European Union renewable energy policy
Trends in legal and policy frameworks for renewable energy development in selected EU Member States and other leading renewable energy jurisdictions
Legal and policy challenges to commercial scale development of renewable energy technologies in selected developing countries
Prospects for integration of solar, wind and biogas production into national power grids
Emerging role and influence of renewable energy agencies, such as the International Renewable Energy Agency

The deadline for submission of abstracts is January 15.  Authors will be notified by January 22 of article selection.  Papers of publishable quality must be submitted to the publisher by February 15.  Format guidelines and conditions for publication will be provided to authors upon selection.

Please send abstracts, a short biographical sketch and full contact information to:

Richard Paton
Managing Editor, Renewable Energy Law and Policy Review (www.lexxion.eu/relp)
Managing Director, Institute for Climate Protection, Energy and Mobility  www.icem-online.org)
Email:   paton at lexxion.eu or  richard.paton at icem-online.org

GTZ Vacancy Announcement Brussels: Project Manager (m/w) EUEI Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF)

Wollermann Astrid GTZ 6012 to Energy-list
December 23, 2009

GTZ is pleased to announce the following vacancy for a Project Manager (m/w) EUEI Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF). Please go to our website for more details at

 http://www.gtz.de/en/karriere/stellenmar… .

All qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply! Please submit applications via our online recruitment site until January 15, 2010.

CORPORATE PROFILE

As an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations, the federally owned Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its development-policy objectives. It provides viable, forward-looking solutions for political, economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. Working under difficult conditions, GTZ promotes complex reforms and change processes. Its corporate objective is to improve people’s living conditions on a sustainable basis.

GTZ is a federal enterprise based in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main. It was founded in 1975 as a company under private law. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is its major client. The company also operates on behalf of other German ministries, the governments of other countries and international clients, such as the European Commission, the United Nations and the World Bank, as well as on behalf of private enterprises. GTZ works on a public-benefit basis. All surpluses generated are channeled back into its own international cooperation projects for sustainable development.

Currently, GTZ employs over 14,000 staff in more than 130 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Eastern European countries in transition and the New Independent States (NIS). Around 11,000 of these staff are national personnel. GTZ maintains its own offices in 87 countries. Some 1,780 people are employed at Head Office in Eschborn near Frankfurt am Main.

www.gtz.de/en

Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH
PO Box 5180
65726 Eschborn
Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH;
Sitz der Gesellschaft/Registered Office Eschborn/Taunus, Germany;
Registergericht/Registered at Amtsgericht Frankfurt am Main, Germany;
Eintragungs-Nr./Registration no. HRB 12394; USt-IdNr./VAT ID no. DE 113891176;
Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrates/Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Hans-Juergen Beerfeltz, Staatssekretaer/State Secretary;
Geschaeftsfuehrer/Managing Directors: Dr. Bernd Eisenblaetter, Dr. Hans-Joachim Preuss, Wolfgang Schmitt

Knight Foundation to Support The Huffington Post Investigative Fund

Washington, DC  – December 22, 2009.  As part of its ongoing support for investigative journalism, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announces a grant of $200,000 to The Huffington Post Investigative Fund. In making the contribution, the Knight Foundation joins the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy, Atlantic Philanthropies, the Markle Foundation and The Huffington Post as key supporters of the venture.

“The Huffington Post Investigative Fund is experimenting with a new way of providing important journalism, functioning as a non-profit that draws audience from a popular for-profit,” said Eric Newton, vice president of Knight Foundation’s journalism program. “It’s a worthy test of a new idea, and since we really don’t know how investigative reporting is best supported in the future, an interesting experiment.”

Based in Washington, D.C., The Huffington Post Investigative Fund has a full-time staff of 11 and a budget of $2 million. It is headed by executive director Nick Penniman, formerly the publisher of the Washington Monthly, and executive editor Lawrence Roberts, formerly the investigations editor of the Washington Post. Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, chairs the nonprofit’s board. Collectively, its staff members have won more than four dozen major journalism awards, including multiple Pulitzer Prizes.

“We’re thrilled and honored to receive Knight’s backing,” said Penniman. “In these times of great upheaval for the news industry, Knight Foundation is helping us blaze a new trail for how you finance, create and distribute investigative journalism.

Said Arianna Huffington: “Knight’s grant is an important milestone in the young history of The Huffington Post Investigative Fund. We’re incredibly grateful to Alberto Ibargüen and Eric Newton of Knight Foundation for their passion for championing innovative solutions in the face of the crisis facing investigative journalism. Everyone who understands the vital role good journalism plays in our democracy is looking for ways to preserve and strengthen it during this time of great transition for the media, and Knight is playing a lead role in this effort.”

“The Huffington Post is an ideal partner for Knight Foundation. They are entrepreneurial and care passionately about meeting the information needs of communities,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president of Knight Foundation. “As a media leader, few are as innovative as Arianna Huffington. She believes in freedom and practices it. She believes in journalism and has hired outstanding investigative reporters and editors. And she believes in the power of technology to change the world for the better.”

“It’s also extremely important to us to partner with Atlantic Philanthropies in supporting The Huffington Post, as it was to partner with the Houston Endowment on the Texas Tribune or the San Diego Community Foundation in supporting the Voice of San Diego,” added Ibargoen. “These collaborations are essential as we look for the next sustainable model for the delivery of news people need.”

The Fund’s mission is to be an online innovator of investigative reporting by merging the classic watchdog function and traditional values of the press with the best tools of new media. Since its operations began in the early Fall, it has produced more than 50 stories, including 20 videos. Highlights include an investigation of a top subprime lender showing how fraud was at the heart of the housing boom and bust; a three-part expose of how the credit rating companies have fended off regulation from Congress and the SEC; and a project shedding light on inequities in denials of health insurance claims, reported with help from citizen journalists. The Fund has also completed multiple citizen journalism and “distributed research” projects and collaborated with other nonprofits on various stories, including the Center for Public Integrity, ProPublica and the Investigative Reporting Workshop.

Through open-source publishing, any content the Investigative Fund produces is free for anyone to publish at the same time that it’s made available to The Huffington Post. The relationship helps the nonprofit distribute its reporting to a larger audience than it is capable of attracting on its own. In addition to The Huffington Post, more than 40 other outlets have republished the Fund’s pieces.

Knight Foundation’s $15 million Investigative Reporting Initiative was announced this year at the annual convention of the Investigative Reporters and Editors organization, the nation’s leading group of investigative journalists. Grantees under the initiative include News21, the Center for Investigative Reporting, ProPublica, the Center for Public Integrity and the Texas Tribune.

=============

The Greenhouse Gas Management Institute (GHGMI) is inviting GHG experts to participate in the establishment of its Professional Certification Programs. The primary objective of these programs is to establish a comprehensive, thorough and transparent process through which GHG professionals can obtain certification by meeting specific competency requirements for a broad range of functions related to GHG management.

In addition, the programs will aim to achieve the following objectives:

• Career path – a certification scheme will establish a clear step-wise program for advancement and recognition to both established and prospective practitioners;

• Clarity of credentials – certification will be designed to remove ambiguity in the qualification of personnel to perform GHG assessments;

• Governance – professional certification will add a layer of oversight tied to ethical and competency standards at an individualized level.

As the first stage in this work, GHGMI is establishing a Committee to support the development and implementation of the Professional Certification Programs. The Committee will take form and commence work in Q1 2010.

The terms of reference for this Committee are available online at:
 http://ghginstitute.org/professional-pro…

If you meet the requirements and have a strong interest in serving on the Professional Programs Committee, please send a copy of your biography or CV and a letter describing your interest to:  professional.programs at ghginstitute.or… referencing Professional Program Committee as soon as possible.

For more information, including FAQs on the Professional Programs please visit:
 http://ghginstitute.org/professional-pro…

From: Tim Stumhofer
Program Associate
Greenhouse Gas Management Institute

Stelios Pesmajoglou, PhD
Director, Professional Programs
Greenhouse Gas Management Institute

ON THIS DAY – On Dec. 21, 1988, a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pan Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people; now, 21 years later, remembering what addiction to oil can do to us, the New York Times starts to discern a path to a better future for the planet.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL OF December 21, 2009
Copenhagen, and Beyond.

The global climate negotiations in Copenhagen produced neither a grand success nor the complete meltdown that seemed almost certain as late as Friday afternoon. Despite two years of advance work, the meeting failed to convert a rare gathering of world leaders into an ambitious, legally binding action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It produced instead a softer interim accord that, at least in principle, would curb greenhouses gases, provide ways to verify countries’ emissions, save rain forests, shield vulnerable nations from the impacts of climate change, and share the costs.

The hard work has only begun, in Washington and elsewhere. But Copenhagen’s achievements are not trivial, given the complexity of the issue and the differences among rich and poor countries. President Obama deserves much of the credit. He arrived as the talks were collapsing, spent 13 hours in nonstop negotiations and played hardball with the Chinese. With time running out — and with the help of China, India, Brazil and South Africa — he forged an agreement that all but a handful of the 193 nations on hand accepted.

Mr. Obama aside, there were two keys to the deal. One was a dramatic offer of $100 billion in aid from the industrialized nations to poorer countries to help them move to less-polluting sources of energy and to deal with drought and other consequences of warming. The offer had an instant soothing effect on many poorer nations that had been threatening to walk out all week.

The other was China’s willingness to submit to a verification system under which all countries would agree to report on their actions and — assuming details could be worked out — open their books to inspection. Transparency is a huge issue in Congress, and Mr. Obama made clear in his opening remarks on Friday that he would not agree to a deal unless China gave ground.

An enormous amount of work lies ahead, both for the president and for the other signatories to what is now being called the Copenhagen Accord. In order to deliver on his promises to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and provide a chunk of that $100 billion in aid, Mr. Obama must persuade the Senate to approve a cap-and-trade bill — a huge task.

Meanwhile, there can be no letup by the rest of the world’s negotiators, no matter how tired and beat up they may be. These talks have been so chaotic and contentious that some people believe the United Nations machinery has outlived its usefulness, and real progress will henceforth be made in smaller gatherings of the big players.

There may be some truth to this, but at the moment it is hard to see how many of the arrangements agreed to in principle at Copenhagen — the verification system, for instance — can be made to work without detailed agreements. There must also be some mechanism that holds all countries responsible for doing everything they can to tackle climate change. As it is, the pledges now on the table, from both rich and poor countries, are nowhere near enough to keep atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide from rising above dangerous levels.

But for the moment it is worth savoring the steps forward. China is now a player in the effort to combat climate change in a way it has never been, putting measurable emissions reductions targets on the table and accepting verification. And the United States is very much back in the game too. After eight years of playing the spoiler, it is now a leader with a president who seems to embrace the role.

NEW YORK TIMES RECENT FURTHER ARTICLES ABOUT THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Mixed Bag for Obama on Climate Change Deal Amid the Recession

By JOHN HARWOOD

A victory for President Obama in Copenhagen will not necessarily help his popularity at home.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: FOREIGN AID, GLOBAL WARMING, UNITED STATES ECONOMY, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, PELOSI, NANCY, OBAMA, BARACK, KERRY, JOHN

An Air of Frustration for Europe at Climate Talks

By JAMES KANTER

Caught off guard by the Copenhagen accord, European leaders felt pressure to back it even though they thought it did not go far enough and had a process in which they had little influence.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, COPENHAGEN (DENMARK),EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Copenhagen’s One Real Accomplishment: Getting Some Money Flowing

By JAMES KANTER

The accord in Copenhagen was “a big step forward” after previous talks offered no financial support mechanisms, Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary general, said.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, ENERGY AND POWER,COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

Compromising on 2 Issues, Obama Gets Partial Wins

By PETER BAKER

From Copenhagen to Capitol Hill, the president determined the outer limits of what he could accomplish on climate change and health care and decided that was enough, for now.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, HEALTH INSURANCE AND MANAGED CARE, REFORM AND REORGANIZATION, OBAMA, BARACK

A Grudging Accord in Climate Talks

By ANDREW C. REVKIN and JOHN M. BRODER

After delays, theatrics and deal-making, climate talks ended with an agreement to “take note” of a pact shaped by five nations.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, TREATIES

• Science and Politics of Climate Change
• Who’s at the Climate Talks, and What Do They Seek?
• Climate Change Conversations

U.N. Climate Talks ‘Take Note’ of Accord Backed by U.S.

By ANDREW C. REVKIN and JOHN M. BRODER

The agreement left open the question of whether the accord would gain the full support of the countries involved in the talks on limiting the risks of climate change.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

• Science and Politics of Climate Change
• Who’s at the Climate Talks, and What Do They Seek?
• Climate Change Conversations

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Off to the Races

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

A competitive Earth Race led by America can be a more self-sustaining way to reduce carbon emissions than a festival of nonbinding commitments at a U.N. conference.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, UNITED STATES, UNITED NATIONS

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Updated Dec. 18, 2009

Representatives of 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to seek a consensus on an international strategy for fighting global warming, in a series of meetings between Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2009.

Leaders concluded a climate change deal the Obama administration called “meaningful” but which fell short of even the modest expectations for the summit. The maneuvering that characterized the final week of the talks was a sign of their seriousness; never before have global leaders come so close to a significant agreement to reduce the greenhouse gases linked to warming the planet.

President Obama injected himself into a multilayered negotiation that was far more chaotic and contentious than anticipated – frozen by longstanding divisions between rich and poor nations and a legacy of mistrust of the United States, which has long refused to accept any binding limits on its greenhouse gas emissions.

The accord drops what had been the expected goal of concluding a binding international treaty by the end of 2010, which leaves the implementation of its provisions uncertain. It is likely to undergo many months, perhaps years, of additional negotiation before it emerges in any internationally enforceable form.

Read More…

The following is just in time – please see what President Obama just said in Oslo after receiving the Nobel Prize:

Speaking as U.N.-sponsored climate talks continued in Copenhagen, Obama linked global warming to international security, telling his audience that “the world must come together to confront climate change.”

He said: “There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, more famine, more mass displacement — all of which will fuel more conflict for decades.”

Now at the Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change will be heard something that the leadership of the UN managed to hide for many years – this until the taboo was broken by the UK at the time they chaired the UN Security Council three years ago. They declared, as part of their prerogative for naming a topic of their choosing, with full voice, that climate change is a security issue. We know what we say because our web was a victim of a UN that by policy of some individuals made the clear decision not to allow the UN DPI to see in its rooms the truth come out via the UN accredited press.

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Sustainable Energy Analyst CB Richard Ellis (CBRE), London
by Beth Cox on 26 November 2009, Reuters

Job Listing for a position with a main real estate company answering to: analyst, energy, analysis, sustainability, data, sustainable buildings, property. The offer is: £ Competitive Salary + excellent benefits & bonus

Due to sustained growth and continued success, CB Richard Ellis has instructed Acre to recruit an outstanding Sustainable Energy Analyst to join their Energy and Sustainability team.

This key position will assist corporate clients as well as investors to manage and reduce their carbon emissions and fuel bills. A pivotal member of the support team, you will analyse information and provide guidance and insight into where client energy costs can be reduced.

Responsibilities of this position will include:

•    Assist in measuring, monitoring and reporting energy consumption and carbon emissions
•    Project research and data/information gathering
•    Supporting the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy measures
•    Assisting clients to meet their compliance requirements
•    Project support

A confident self starter, you will have excellent analytical and project management skills. Holding a strong, relevant first degree (or equivalent) you will have a sound understanding of energy and carbon management, good statistical and data analysis skills and a strong desire to learn.

Acre is keen to speak to candidates who have a genuine passion for sustainability, who have the ability to research, analyse and form conclusions on complex issues.  You will need to have exceptional report writing skills and the ability to communicate effectively.

This is a great chance to join a team of specialists, work in a globally renowned business and develop your potential and career.

To apply for this position please email your CV and a cover letter to  apply at acre-resources.com or for more information call Olivia Anderson on 0203 170 8036

The Global Observatory is looking for young scientists from different disciplines and with field work experience from all over the world.

The Need
•       Less than 4 months away from COP15, the prospects for success are far from certain.
•       Many developing countries are looking to industrialized nations to come with both measures to reduce emissions and financing for mitigation and adaptation.
•       Industrialized countries expect developing nations to make concrete emission reduction commitments of their own.
•       Few seem willing to take in the speed at which the impacts of climate change are coming, and others consider addressing climate change as an economic harm.
•       Finally, the vast majority of the public tends to sees climate change as remote and far in the future, removed from their daily lives, feeling they have little to contribute to solving it.

The Solution
•       GO aims to create political space for governments to reach an agreement at COP15 that will mitigate climate change and put the world on a course of greater prosperity and stability.
•       It will act as a “white box” to the negotiations’ “black box”, providing easily understandable analysis and powerful messages communicated by renowned personalities.
•       GO is convening a team of leading experts to follow and evaluate the COP15 negotiations on a real-time basis: scientists, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) contributors, diplomats and economic and business analysts, backed up by a dedicated research staff based in Copenhagen.
•       GO Ambassadors will, at the same time, communicate the findings of the expert team while capturing their own concerns, recommendations and perspectives. Ambassadors already confirmed are Desmond Tutu (South Africa), Maurice Strong (Canada), Juan Rada (Belgium), Ashok Khosla (India), Julia Marton Lefevre ( Hungary) and Jeremy Leggett (UK).
•       GO will also serve as an online hub, partnering with both online and traditional media outlets and civil society groups. Like this, it will act as a catalyst to create awareness and influence the local and national debate surrounding COP15

Communications Strategy
       The communications strategy will be targeted at three different, but closely interlinked, audiences: traditional media, social media, and NGOs.

•       Pre-COP 15: The aim is to create widespread awareness and understanding of the implications of what is likely to be achieved at COP15.
•       During COP15: By December, we will have not only compiled a body of audiovisual content of our ambassadors’ and experts’ opinions and reports on the implications of the negotiation to take place, but we will also have the ambassadors and experts in Copenhagen taking part in interviews, panel discussions at both the GO studio located at the European Environment Agency, or direct from the Bella Center.
•       Post-COP15: The archive of materials produced and published internationally will help the public to understand the implications and necessary actions on both a national and individual level. Social media: this stage will focus on the development of an open strategy, the creation of very creative and viral content and the ‘glocalization’ of GO.
•
•       Online hub: The GO web platform is aimed at becoming central to COP15 online discussions. In order to reach this goal, this platform will constantly be uploaded with the videos and information provided by GO´s ambassadors and experts that will trigger discussions both on the GO website and throughout the Internet.
•
•       GO hub: to concentrate all activities in one place, technical infrastructure and facilities will be set up at a prominent location: the GO hub. It serves as a studio, war room, press office, meeting place and research lab at the same time.
•
•       Public Relations / Public Affairs: conventional press outreach will be conducted, but direct relationships will also be established with the main outlets covering the climate talks, and accessed on an ongoing basis prior to COP15. Outreach is being conducted to global media including CNN and BBC, as well as to national media such as TV Globo in Brazil, and the FT in the UK.

Due Dilligence
The GO team has vetted the concept with potential partners and collaborators, NGOs and traditional and online media, and with experts, ambassadors and negotiators. Each of these discussions reinforced the need for a Global Observatory.

In the two months since its inception, those that the GO team has met with include:
?       350.org (which wishes to collaborate)
?       Climate Central (which wishes to collaborate)
?       EU Environment Agency (which is providing operational support, office and production space and access to experts)
?       Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA) (which believes the ambassadors fill a vital role)
?       Google (whose Google Earth flyovers and YouTube COP15 hub will be key resources to GO)
?       Hopenhagen (Ogilvy & Mather) (which sees the GO as a substantive resource for the campaign, and with whom we are coordinating on celebrity recruitment)
?       Project Catalyst (whose analysis will be used by the research team to make the case for feasibility of action)
?       Sustainability Institute (which will be part of the research team, with their C-ROADS models)
?       Takepart.com (which wishes to collaborate)

We are in continuous reach on how to empower current organizations and actions around COP15

Organization
Ambassadors
The “ambassadors” are the core of the Global Observatory, connecting the content and messages of GO with the global audience.
The list of potential ambassadors will include respected world leaders, scientific leaders, business leaders, indigenous leaders, political and cultural leaders, public figures and others, selected by sector and by geography. Those already confirmed are Desmond Tutu (South Africa), Maurice Strong (Canada), Juan Rada (Belgium), Ashok Khosla (India) and Jeremy Leggett (UK).

Experts
We are assembling a leading team of experts, including scientists and economists, to guide the content development of the Global Observatory.
The experts will be drawn from a range of disciplines in the natural and social sciences including climatology, agriculture, economics, oceanography and biology to ensure that GO can address the most important, locally and globally relevant impacts.

Your role as young expert
From now on we will run a series of interviews, blogs and other social media activities. Your role will be to explain, in your native language and in English, what is your work experience of climate change impacts, challenges for local communities, ecosystems, as well as lessons learned and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Up to 5 young experts will join the task force in Copenhagen to work closely with our ambassadors and senior experts to evaluate the progresses of the negotiations and produce communiqués for the policy negotiators, political and business leaders and most importantly the public at large.

If you are interested please do get in touch with Antonella@pik-potsdam.de
Additional information is available at www. http://globalobservatory.net/

WE HOPE THAT THEIR SUGGESTED STUDY WILL POINT OUT THE NEED TO CHANGE ENERGY SYSTEMS IN ORDER TO AVOID THE WEAKNESSES OF THE TRADITIONAL ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WAS DEVISED AT TIMES WE DID NOT YET KNOW ABOUT EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE – THE REASON FOR THE STATED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. WE HOPE THOSE DESIGNING THIS WORK WILL TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ALSO THIS COMMENT.

from:  rcortez at tnc.org
Jul 30, 2009
A new interactive web-based course has been launched that provides an introduction to climate change and REDD.

The course is free and open to the public at: www.conservationtraining.org.

The course is designed for non-specialists who seek a general understanding of REDD and can be started and stopped as needed by the user.  If you are looking to learn about the basics of climate change and REDD issues – take a look at what it includes:

Module 1: Background on Climate Change. This introductory module will walk you through the basics of climate change so that you have a solid understanding of what climate change is, what causes it, what the impacts are predicted to be, and how to mitigate its effects. With that foundation, you will learn about the role of forests in climate change and delve into the drivers of deforestation. Finally, the module wraps up with a discussion on strategies to reduce deforestation and forest degradation. Length: 4 lessons – 2.5 hours

Module 2: International Considerations. The module begins by providing you with a general framework of REDD, including essential elements like carbon accounting, monitoring, financial flows, and policy. Lessons on technical elements, policy context, carbon markets, social considerations, and biodiversity considerations will give you a solid understanding of what REDD is. Length: 6 lessons

Module 3: National Considerations. This module begins with an overview of the various scales (project, sub-national, and national) at which REDD activities can be undertaken. The second lesson then provides an overview of national approaches to REDD.
Length: 2 lessons

Module 4: Project Considerations. In this concluding module, you will learn about REDD project considerations. This module will provide information on standards that have been created for avoided deforestation projects, as well as the steps of REDD project design and implementation. The module ends with a case study for you to read and review, as you reflect on what you have learned throughout the course.

Length: 2 lessons and 1 case study

This course was prepared by a consortium of non-profits that includes The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Alliance, GTZ, the Rainforest Alliance and the World Wildlife Fund. In addition to the online course, the consortium has published detailed manuals for the instructors and participants of in-person training events on REDD. These documents are available in English, French and Spanish at

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VeruTEK® Technologies Forms a Partnership with the Yale University Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering to Create New Green Chemistry Solutions

Bloomfield, Conn. – July 17, 2009 – VeruTEK® Technologies, Inc. (VTKT.PK) and Yale University’s Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering announced today that they have formed a partnership to promote adoption of green solutions in industry.  Under this agreement of the parties, the Center and VeruTEK® will jointly develop greener chemical syntheses and processes especially centered around plant-based materials and surfactants.

Dr. Julie Zimmerman, Acting Director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, said “We look forward to mutually advancing green chemistry solutions to environmental problems with VeruTEK®’s generous support of our sustainable innovation activities.”

John Collins, Ph.D., CEO of VeruTEK®, said “VeruTEK® is excited to support the Center’s efforts to put green chemistry and green engineering theory into practice.  By focusing on practical, environmentally benign technologies, the Center will help catalyze adoption and implementation of green principles throughout our society and our economy for a more sustainable world.”

About VeruTEK® Technologies, Inc.
VeruTEK® (VTKT.PK) provides proprietary, patent-pending, green technology solutions for cleaning up the environment and other applications.  For more information, please visit www.verutek.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

The statements contained herein, which are not historical, are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, certain delays beyond the Company’s control with respect to market acceptance of new technologies, products and services, delays in testing and evaluation of products and services, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:
Shaaron Syrene
860-242-9800 x306
VeruTEK® Technologies is a green technology company that develops sustainable and safe solutions for cleaning up toxic waste in the environment.  VeruTEK® has developed unique solutions for such soil and groundwater contaminants such as coal tar, creosote, PCBs, dioxins, fuels, MTBE, chlorinated solvents and metals.

John Collins, Ph.D. is  CEO of VeruTEK®.

Dr. John Collins received his doctorate from the University of California at Riverside in Soil Physical Chemistry. His doctoral research was completed at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory on sorption kinetics of transition metals in the natural environment at the DOE site in Aiken, South Carolina. Dr. Collins served two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and Agricultural Extension Agent in a remote area of Nepal.

After development of the Risk Assessment Guidance for Superfund, he was one of first scientists trained by EPA as a risk assessor. Subsequently, he worked on remediation and risk assessment at contaminated sites for DOD, DOE, EPA and Fortune 500 companies.

In 2006, he and Dr. George Hoag founded VeruTEK® Technologies, the first green technology company for the development of environmental solutions.

This e-mail was sent by VeruTEK Technologies, Inc., located at 65 West Dudley Town Rd, Suite 100, Bloomfield, CT

Self-selection process for private sector observers to the Climate Investment Funds
from Barbara Black to Climate

SELF-SELECTION PROCESS FOR PRIVATE SECTOR OBSERVERS TO THE CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUNDS.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is designing and facilitating the self selection process for private sector observers to two Climate Investment Fund (CIF) committees : Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Strategic Climate Fund (SCF); and one subcommittee of the SCF, the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

The self-selection process is directed to business associations to ensure that the business community is represented and participates in the meetings based on the   guidelines for inviting representatives of civil society to observe meetings. Five business associations attended the last CIF meetings in May, following an interim selection process for temporary observer seats. They provided a detailed summary of the meetings and useful feedback for the self selection process.

Self-selection process for private sector observers to the Climate Investment Funds

To ensure transparency in the design and implementation of the self-selection process, an Advisory Board has been created. The Advisory Board   is comprised of five recognized energy and climate change experts, who have been selected through consultations with the private sector, a broad range of stakeholders, the CIF Administrative Unit and the accredited UNFCCC business and industry NGOs. The Advisory Board has prepared the attached terms of reference and guidelines for the selection of observers for the CTF, SCF and PPCR.

If your organization wishes to participate in this selection process and believes it complies with the criteria outlined in the terms of reference of one of the fund committees/subcommittee, please complete and return the application form to  climate at wbcsd.org before 25 July 2009.

Self-selection process timeline
•     April – May 2009: The WBCSD launched the self-selection process. Temporary representatives were selected to attend the May meetings on behalf of the private sector.
•     1-12 June 2009: The WBCSD identified and invited a small group of recognized experts to join the Advisory Board
•     12-30 June 2009: Advisory Board prepares the guidelines and criteria for the self-selection process of two seats for the CTF, SCF and PPCR.
•     1-25 July 2009: Call for Application window
•     26-30 July: The WBCSD assists the Advisory Board by providing a candidate matrix using the defined criteria.
•     30 July – 10 August 2009: The Advisory Board selects the two Observer seats.
•     11 August 2009: The WBCSD communicates the decision of the Board to the CIF Administrative Unit and the applicants.
•     End October 2009 – Next CIF meetings

The design and facilitation of the self-selection process for the Permanent Observer Seats has been done in consultation with those undertaking the Civil Society self-selection process and the CIF Administrative Unit to ensure a transparent and fair process and continuity of criteria, timelines and processes.

WBCSD will post the relevant documents for the self selection process on www.wbcsd.org so please check for updates. Please contact WBCSD ( climate at wbcsd.org) with any questions or comments.

María Mendiluce
Energy Manager, Energy & Climate

World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
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