The results of the Copenhagen Conference were unsatisfactory.

In fact it was an nonexistent accord, not binding at the political and legal

level as the EU Environment Minister says: “It was a disaster, a big failure

from which we must all learn”. What has been established brought just problems.

They had to give to the developing countries 30’000’000$ from 2010 to 2012

amounting to 100’000’000$ by 2020. Unfortunately, the treaty, doesn’t specify

who should donate this money. Moreover the figure seems out of reach, because

Europe is committed to give 2,4 billions euros in the next three years.  

The deal between the USA and the most important Developing Countries provides

that:  

-        all countries must commit to take the necessary measures to keep 

global warming under 2,0°C

-        the responsibility of the greenhouse effect will be divided unevenly

between the first and second industrialized countries as in the Kyoto Protocol 

-        from January each country must make public its’ reduction targets of

greenhouse gas emissions

-         a real climate agreement must be reached by the end of 2010

-        the next UN conference on climate change will be in Mexico in November

of 2010  

It was decided that both rich countries and Developing Countries (as China and

India) must decrease CO2emissions, indeed a UN study said that, with these

proportions, the CO2  emissions should bring a temperature increase of 2,0°C,

which would put in danger 170 million flood victims and 550 million victims

because of the resulting problems. In fact they have expected, but not

subscribed as an accord, cuts of 80% in the emissions by 2050. But these are the

questions: Are the cuts based on the current production or on those predicted

for 2050? How will they divide it in time?

But the accord was impeded by China, who doesn’t want controls on  CO2 

emissions in its territory, invisibly supported by theU.S.A which will limit

its’ emissions by only 17% by 2020.  

At the end of this conference only two countries, China and India, among all the

countries attending, found it positive. Why weren’t they able to reach a valid

agreement and a common target?

Pietro, Rudy, Eleonora & Mattia (2^G form) for the Italian version

Gloria,Irene & Marta (2^F form) for the English version

“Please, save the World”. This is how the Climate Conference in Copenhagen (from

7 to 18 December 2009) began. A short video opened the ceremony, which showed a

group of children in a future apocalyptic scene, where the desert earth was

afflicted by storms. This is a provocation but if we don’t take action it will

really happen.

Even with the fears and the rumors about the participants that canceled at the

last minute the Danish capital hosted  about 15,000 participants in the Bella

Center Convention Center (many were left out because there weren’t enough seats)

 representing 192 Northern States, with two common objectives: find an agreement

to reduce  green house gas Emissions and find  the money necessary for the

assistance or the clean technologies for the poor countries.

To open the Conference was the Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen; the

Mayor of Copenhagen Ritt Bjerregaard and the President of the Ingovernmental

Panel for  Climate Change (IPCC) as well as the Nobel Peace Prize (2007)

Rajendra Pachauri!

“All the world is watching with hope to the Copenhagen Summit with auspice that

dealers’ climate save the humanity” said Rasmussen, who looks with optimism to

the Congress.

“The Meeting wouldn’t be a success if it didn’t start with a significant sign

the same day on which the work would be completed”. This was said by the number

one of ONU, Yvo de Boer, who launched an appeal to concentrate on climate

change.

Nicola, Giulia & Francesco (2^G form) for the Italian version

Camilla, Mattia, Valentina & Nicolò (2^F form)  for the English version

Climate change is the modification of the climate in a regional or global range. Those changes are produced in different periods of time. They can be caused either by nature or by humans. The term is often used to refer only to the climate change in the present, as a synonym of global warming, although this is the change of the climate due to human causes. The changes produced by nature forces can be called natural change of the climate. It can be a change in weather conditions such as temperature, rain, or wind or a change in the frequency of extreme weather events such as hurricanes.

To stop it we can recycle, avoid the pollution of rivers and oceans and we must try to reduce the gas emissions to the atmosphere.

Toghether we can do it.

Alba.

 COPENAGHEN CLIMATE SUMMIT

Elders call on world leaders to heed future generations

The Elders are a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela. They include Kofi Annan, Gro Harlem Brundtland, Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson and Desmond Tutu.

In an inspiring personal letter (PDF), The Elders have urged 192 world leaders to attend the Copenhagen climate talks in person and to reach a fair, ambitious, effective and binding agreement to reduce emissions and build a low-carbon, and sustainable future for us all.

Here’s an excerpt from the letter:

A few weeks ago, as you can see from photographs posted on www.theElders.org, we joined forces with thirteen of our grandchildren from Asia, Africa, Europe and the United States to remind the world of the risks of climate change to future generations. Like all young people, our grandchildren expect today’s leaders to take responsibility for delivering a low-emission, sustainable future: one that requires shared commitment, based on common but differentiated responsibilities.

The agreement reached in Copenhagen must have climate justice at its heart. It is a tragic irony that the world’s least developed countries have contributed less than 2 percent of the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, yet are most vulnerable to climate change and least able to protect their people. We have had the opportunity to meet small farmers and indigenous leaders from the poorest countries, many of whom are women, who tell us that changing weather patterns are already putting increasing pressure on water, food and land.

The letter lays out some specific details of a legally binding agreement on climate change. Among others, these requirements include a 2 degree Celsius target as the outer limit of global temperature increase, a reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by the year 2050, and a commitment from developed nations to cut emissions of 25-40% by 2020, and 80-95% by 2050, relative to levels in 1990.

The Elders are getting fully behind our next global day of action on the weekend of December 12.

Denmark will host the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) taking place at Bella Center in Copenhagen from the 7th to the 18th of December, 2009.

The world is facing a major challenge - Climate Change threatens to change the lives of people everywhere. We can not continue using fossil fuels the way we do today. Scientists have laid out the risks we face and it has become clearer than ever that now is the time to take serious action on climate change. If we do not act today, the opportunity will not only slip out of our hands but it will also become much more expensive to carry out the necessary low-carbon transition in the future.

To learn more about COP 15 and climate change, how it will affect our world, and individual actions you can take to help stop it, you can go to:

 - http://en.cop15.dk/

 - http://uniteforclimate.org/

- http://www.350.org/en

Will it bee impossible to travel in the future? Can’t we fly to friends that we have met in other countries because of the pollutions that we have damage. Or is it really we who have done this? The question is how much damage can a seventeen year old boy or girl have done?

We have no driving license, can’t afford travelling and nearly every day we hear something about the environment. But how is it about your generation? You are the one that have been travelling around the world, you are the one with driving license and you have know about this problem long before we were born. We are the future, and that is truth, but how can we take over a world and make it to a good place if you live it like this? Of course there is always people that cares no matter, but your generation have been on our planet fore a longer time the us, you wants us to write what we want to change, but what kind of solutions have you in your one mind?

Is it impossible to improve a fuel that don’t harm our world and that is not so expensive? And even if this is possible, can you buy yourself out of responsibility? Will it be like today, nations whit money are able to buy rights to release carbon dioxide from other countries just because they are rich. Should this be the main reason, money? Then we did our journey to the Azores we didn’t think about money or where we were  from, we did a project  together to do what we could to learn people what we knew, gave each other advice and did it together.

We think we should do this together, we need to cooperate and work together, all countries together. If we continue like we do today it is not possible to make the world a better place. Otherwise it will bee we and them. It should just be WE, all together, no matter which country you are from. We need to find a fuel that makes it possible to live with the nature and to live together, whiteout damages.

Johanna Andersson

Malte Grahm

Louise Eriksson

Hello!

Here we are again back to work.

This school year we will continue our Comenius project and the last news are that students and teachers from all partners’ schools will be together on a project meeting in Azores from 11^th to 18^th October.

We wish you a very good journey!

 Take a look at Azores in:

 http://www.visitazores.travel/

Climate change will increase the frecuency and severity of extreme weather events, including floods, droughts and water scarcity. The European Union is taking step to address these threats.

– including Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy ,Slovenia, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria and southern Romania – will be most affected by drought. Estimates put the reduction in annual rainfall at up to 40% of 1990 levels by the 2080s. Temperatures in this region will be an average of 4 to 5°C above today’s levels.

Less precipitation and much warmer temperatures will lead to greater risks of water scarcity, droughts, heatwaves, forest fires and loss of species and ecosystems. Heat-related deaths alone could cause up to 55 additional deaths yearly per 100 000 people.

– including the Benelux region, parts of France, northern Germany, the UK, Ireland and Denmark – storms and floods will become more frequent and there will be more intense precipitation. Temperatures will be between 2 and 3.5ºC warmer than today.

northern Europe will be similar, but with greater warming and precipitation increases of up to 40%, leading to greater risk of floods. While there is potential for cultivating new areas and crops in the longer growing season, forests could be harmed by these changes.

central and eastern Europe are projected to be between 3 and 4ºC above current levels, with more precipitation than today in winter but less in summer. Agriculture is expected to suffer from soil erosion, loss of soil organic matter, migration of pests and diseases, summer droughts and high temperatures, although it could benefit from longer growing seasons. Cold-related deaths could decrease in Poland and Romania but heat-related deaths may rise.

Scientists opinion about climate changes

Over the past 150 years the mean temperature has increased by almost 0.8⁰ C worldwide. Europe is worming faster than the global average: the temperature has increased by about 1⁰ C. The impact of rising temperatures can now be seen in the melting ice in the Arctic and the Alps, rain and snowfall patterns and the intensity of tropical cyclones.

Many experts believe that global warming must be limited to no more than 2⁰ C above the preindustrial temperature if we are to prevent climate change from having irreversible impacts. But the scientific consensus is that the world’s average temperature could rise by as much as 6⁰ C above today’s levels in the course of this century, if no further action is taken.

There was a 70% increase in emissions of greenhouse gases worldwide between 1970 and 2004. in the energy supply sector, the increase was 145%. the growth from transport was 120% and from industry 65%. there was a 40% increase from the reduced capacity of forests to ‘trap’ carbon dioxide emissions, and as a result of changes in land use.

Combating climate changes is likely to mean significant adjustements to our lifestyles but that does not mean sacrificing our standard of living.

The costs of this action will be very limited, and in any case much less than the cost of the damage climate change will cause if we take no action.

This is a great comic. I hope to like you. It´s a english language

http://biblioteca.climantica.org/resources/308/comic-en.pdf