Fossil of the Day - December 12, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 11, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 10, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 9, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 6, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 5, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 4, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 3, 2008
Fossil of the Day - December 2, 2008
Fossil of the Day - 2007 Totals
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Fossil of the Day – December 12, 2008
CANADA WINS COLOSSAL FOSSIL
Over the course of the Poznan conference, Canada won a total of 10 Fossil of the Day awards, including prizes for blocking progress towards science-based targets and insisting that a reference to indigenous peoples’ rights be removed in a deforestation text. This was enough to earn the prize as the conference’s overall Fossil champion, also known as the “Colossal Fossil.”
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 11, 2008
3rd Place
Canada
Canada snags Third Fossil for ordering the Secretariat to tear down a photo presentation on the Alberta Tar Sands on display at the USCAN table. The display, set up by youth delegates, highlighted the tar sands, which are projected to create 80 million tonnes of new annual CO2 emissions between now and 2020 and will prevent Canada from meeting any significant emissions reductions targets.
Canada apparently told the Secretariat that it was highly offended by the photo display. How about this for a deal: if Canada stops devastating the environment through its tar sands, we'll stop putting up pictures of the tar devastating the environment.
2nd Place
Umbrella Group (via Australia)
The Umbrella Group -- represented by Australia -- won Second Fossil for their stunningly substanceless speech in plenary. When it came to solutions, Australia mentioned only the need for "collective actions"--without any discussion of what their contribution to those collective actions might be. Australia, to take one example, is planning to announce its "actions" on 2020 targets immediately after the COP. Not very collective, Australia!
1st Place
ITALY
First Fossil for Italy for comments by Berlusconi on arriving in Brussels. He told the media that he's ready to veto the EU package. The quote: "I think is absurd to talk about emissions cuts in this crisis moment. It is as if someone suffering from pneumonia were to think of going to the hairdresser." He added further that "to have a decision now is inopportune."
So, according to Mr. Berlusconi, the economic crisis is pneumonia, but the climate crisis is like needing a haircut. How about this metaphor: if you have pneumonia and, simultaneously, your house is on fire, you should both drink plenty of fluids... and get out of the house.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 10, 2008
3rd Place
United States
The United States finally lands its first Fossil Award of 2008, ending an extreme Fossil drought that, according to the IPCC, was probably caused by political climate change. The US wins its Fossil for insisting in the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degredation) Contact Group that the REDD text refer only to “indigenous ‘people’” and not “’peoples.’” The US position is apparently based on an insistance that indigenous peoples have no collective rights, only rights as individual persons. The US delegation is encouraged to reverse this stance, collectively or individually, and, to apologize to every individual indigenous person whom this position rightfully offended.
2nd Place
France
France wins Second Fossil for not acting as the President of ALL European citizens, despite its official EU Presidency. The European Parliament voted almost unanimously to achieve more domestic emissions reductions by limiting international offsetting to less than 50%. So far, France has ignored this overwhelming vote by the directly elected representatives of the European people, refusing to put it on the table for discussion by the European Council. Mr. Sarkozy: you can’t offset democracy.
1st Place
GERMANY
Germany—specifically Chancellor Merkel—takes First Fossil tonight for catastrophic deterioration in its position on the EU climate and energy package.
Privately, officials indicate that Germany is now advocating for a formula-based approach that would result in 100% free allocations in the emissions trading scheme for ALL energy-intensive industries. Germany is also apparently now dropping its demand for approximately 100% auctioning of permits in the power sector, and instead advocating a much weaker approach which would allow for some free allocations for new power plants. This new approach even implies subsidizing the building of new coal plants with any permit auction revenue! This amounts to subsidies for the power sector—at the cost of the consumer.
Merkel used call herself the Climate Chancellor. She’s becoming a Weapon of Climate Destruction.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 9, 2008
3rd Place
France
For offering to co-host a “MEM reception” with the Bush administration, thus giving the Administration a chance to rule from the grave. (The MEM, which stands for either “Major Economies Meetings,” “Major Emitters Meetings,” or “Meaningless Extra Meetings”—hard to remember which!—is a side process set up by the Bush administration last year.) It seems that France has not yet figured out that a new President has been elected in the United States and therefore the current one should not be allowed to determine what the future of the MEM process looks like next year.
2nd Place
New Zealand, Canada, US, Australia
For working to delete the words “rights” from agreements on REDD in (informal) SBSTA negotiations today. There’s just one word for this: wrong.
1st Place
CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND JAPAN
For opposing targets of 25-40% reductions by Annex I countries by 2020, in KP (informal) negotiations the last two days. These crucial targets were clearly referenced by the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol in Bali. By calling for their exclusion now, these first-place Fossil winners are trying to make the climate negotiations run backwards. If only they would do the same for their climate emissions!
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 6, 2008
Special-edition, history-making Saturday Fossil awarded to…
CANADA
Canada wins the world’s first-ever Saturday Fossil Award for its hypocrisy in the AWG-LCA workshop on Research and Development—for its claim of generous support for wind energy.
As it happens, Canada has failed to renew its modest support for wind power R&D, which risks leaving millions of dollars of potential investment stranded. Meanwhile, the budgets for nuclear power and CCS are in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In fact, the Canadian government’s main method of supporting wind energy R&D appears to be blowing hot air. If they could at least blow it at a wind turbine, instead of in the AWG-LCA, it might do something useful.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 5, 2008
3rd Place
Russia
Russia wins third place for its presentation at the AWG-KP workshop on mitigation the day before yesterday. (That’s right: there’s so much Fossil-worthy behaviour here that we’re developing a backlog.)
Russia tried to convince the world that these days, it’s not really an Annex I “developed” country—but rather a vast, freezing wasteland selflessly producing fossil fuels and energy-intensive products for the rest of the world. In exchange for its suffering and sacrifice, the argument went, Russia should be considered more as a developing country—and shouldn’t have rich-country-style emissions caps.
Russia, we love you, but we love our habitable planet even more. Please accept this Fossil Award as a token of our appreciation.
2nd Place
Japan, Australia and Canada
Japan, Australia, and Canada share second place dishonours for the dangerous outbreak of backsliding at yesterday’s AWG-KP contact group on mitigation commitments. When these countries signed the Kyoto Protocol, they agreed to limit their emissions relative to 1990 levels. But yesterday they appeared to be rethinking their vows.
Japan piped up that the 1990 baseline year was “not fair,” and proposed that the world should just “move on” from the 1990 baseline. Australia said this discussion should be “taken forward.” And Canada said it was interested in “exploring” the Japanese proposal.
Exploring the Japanese proposal! What an exciting exploration that would be. You might find rising sea levels… extreme weather patterns… and look! Over there! It’s… a Fossil of the Day Award!
1st Place
ITALY
Italy? But Italy has so quiet here in Poznan! Indeed, Italy wins First Fossil tonight for its delegation’s deceptive silence—even as their colleagues in Brussels and Rome do all they can to destroy the Poznan process. Italy’s weapon against Poznan? Deadlock the EU negotations by requesting revisions on the European Community’s Package on Energy and Climate.
The Minister of Environment of Italy suggested that the 20% renewables by 2020 commitment is unrealistic because Italy cannot quantify the costs or trust the scientific basis for increasing the use of renewable energy.
We think it’s unrealistic to expect us to swallow that excuse. And it’s not just targets: By preventing a unified EU position, Italy is running away from any commitments on adaptation and technology transfer to developing countries. Italy is so confident that its trickery will undermine the EU Package that its Minister suggested that EU targets should be reconsidered if no agreement is reached in Copenhagen.
Is that what Italy wants? The failure of UNFCCC negotiations in reaching a final agreement next year? Italy, it’s very clever. But the Fossil of the Day Supreme Command Council has eyes everywhere. Fossils for you!
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winner for December 4, 2008
Canada received all three Fossil of the Day awards
on December 4th.
3rd Place
Canada
In yesterday’s AWGKP mitigation workshop, Canada suggested that “national circumstances” are the reason for Canada being almost 30% above its Kyoto target. Specifically, Canada cited its cold climate and large size as two reasons for its failure to reduce emissions.
Small problem with this excuse. Emissions targets are set relative to historical levels. Since 1990, Canada hasn’t gotten any colder—in fact, the trend is towards warming. To learn why, just, Google “Global Warming.” Moreover, Canada hasn’t gotten any bigger since 1990—although with sea levels rising, it might shrink.
2nd Place
Canada...and...Canada
Canada takes second for saying at the AWG-KP Workshop that it should get a break on its emissions reduction targets because, get this, they release so much carbon in the process of exporting fossil fuels. That’s right: Canada argued that the tar sands, the most ecologically destructive industrial project on the planet, should be a “get out of jail free card” on climate responsibilities. For years, Canada has wanted breaks for exporting natural gas, which is ridiculous enough. But special treatment to protect the tar sands industry rises to new levels of self-parody.
Canada for suggesting “welfare loss” as a justification for rich countries to have weaker emission reduction targets. When Canada talks about “welfare loss,” it means such hardships as Canadians having to use smaller cars or public transit. No mention of “welfare loss” like losing your entire country to rising sea levels, famines caused by droughts and floods, or any of the other horrors that climate change will inflict on billions of the world’s poor, not to mention many Canadian citizens.
1st Place
TIE – CANADA... JAPAN... and RUSSIA
At AWG-KP mitigation workshop yesterday, in a discussion of mitigation targets. Canada, Japan, and Russia all spoke—and all three countries failed to propose the most fundamental, immediate, and essential thing: targets for Annex I countries to cut carbon by 2020 based on 1990 levels.
Japan has promised to announce its own 2020 target—but they’ve promised to announce it NEXT year. Earth to Japan: negotiations are happening *right now.* Time to put your target on the table.
Canada likes to boast that it has a target for 2020. But that target is based on 2006 levels and doesn’t even reach its Kyoto commitment. Beating climate change with a target like Canada’s is like trying to play hockey with a toothpick. Which might explain why Canada didn’t even mention this target at the session yesterday—it would’ve been too embarrassing.
And Russia has no 2020 target at all. At least they’re not trying to have it both ways.
A legally binding target for 2020 based on 1990 levels for all Annex I countries is a cornerstone of a meaningful global agreement. A note to Russia, Japan, and Canada: unlike fossil fuels, there is an unlimited supply of Fossil Awards. And you will keep winning them until you set meaningful, science-based 2020 targets for cuts of at least 25 to 40% from 1990 levels.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 3, 2008
3rd Place
Kuwait
Kuwait wins third place for arguing at yesterday’s roundtable that, according to the IPCC, Kuwait is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the adverse effects of climate change—and therefore should have access to the adaptation fund. Rumours suggest that Kuwait is particularly concerned that its coastal oil facilities could be damaged by climate change. It’s hard to imagine a more Fossil-worthy proposal than sending adaptation funds to save Kuwait’s oil industry.
2nd Place
Japan
Japan wins second Fossil for its representative’s lengthy discussion of showering and bathing in the LCA working group yesterday. Part of Japan’s “lifestyle innovation” apparently involves limiting showers to 20 minutes. The representative solemnly pledged to reduce his personal showers to a mere 15 minutes, and perhaps to reduce his weekend baths from seven or eight to three. Voluntary personal hygiene adjustments are truly wonderful, but we’re afraid that even showering at the speed of light won’t cut Japan’s emissions 85% by 2050 relative to 1990 levels—the goal for Annex I countries recognized by the EU in order to achieve a global reduction of at least 50%.
1st Place
JAPAN
Japan wins another Fossil today—the big one—for its further unhelpfulness in the LCA session: an attempt to weaken its emission reductions goals. Japan noted its goal was to cut 50% by 2050. When asked about this, Japan said that the goal was non binding—and that the baseline would be “current levels,” rather than 1990 levels. With weak targets like that, Japan won’t be needing any showers at all—the rising sea levels will provide round-the-clock salt-water baths.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day Winners for December 2, 2008
3rd Place
"The Umbrella Group"
(Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the US)
Suggesting a joint session of the ad-hoc KP (Kyoto Protocol) and LCA (Long-term Cooperative Action) working groups at this stage undermines the trust of the non-Annex I countries. It looks like an attempt by the biggest emitters to avoid discussion their emissions commitments… or to push similar commitments on the rest of the world.
2nd Place
Philippines and Saudi Arabia
The Philippines win a Fossil for launching a debate over whether the LCA was spending too much of its time on ‘shared vision,’ and wanting to overturn the Accra decision to establish a shared vision contact group. Other G77 countries supported the establishment of a contact group. For backtracking on the shared vision process, Philippines and Saudis win a shared fossil.
1st Place
EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES
The EU Member States, individually and collectively, win for coming to Poznan without a credible position and mandate on financing mitigation and adaptation in the South… and at the same for time running away from binding financial commitments in the EU climate and energy package.
Source: avaaz.org
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Fossil of the Day 2007
Canada wound up the conference in first place.
Here's how Canada fared in 2008
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