Doha is turning into a huge construction site. The COP 18 convention center itself is surrounded by several ongoing construction projects. The high standing cranes seem to signal the country's ambition in not only expanding its infrastructure but also engaging more in international affairs. The modern, fancy and huge convention center has clearly achieved such ends. It took me more than half an hour to simply walk through the building. I like the giant spider sculpture in the center, the many laptops for the participants to use, the food courts named "Grab n Go" and the wifi server named "Plug n Play". But when I was about to go the opening ceremony, the volunteer told me the room was full. Last year in Durban, big TV stations lively broadcasted the…
Kivalina clings to the tip of a wisp of a barrier island jutting into the Chukchi Sea. Home to less than 400 people, Kivalina, Alaska, is a windswept collection of buildings: a school, a store, homes. The Inupiat ancestors of Kivalina’s residents have persisted through harsh environmental conditions at or near the village’s current location – 80 miles from the Arctic Circle – for thousands of years. But new environmental challenges may force the residents to leave.
In October, a group of FESers traveled to Kivalina to gain a better understanding of this community’s experience at the frontline of climate change. They learned from a 77-year-old village elder and whale boat captain that whale hunting – a practice which has coloured Inupiat folklore, and provided sustenance and…
The next round of United Nations climate negotiations is gearing up to take place starting next week in Doha Qatar, where countries will look to both China and the United States to see whether domestic political events will provide any momentum for the stalling talks. However, because of the proximity of the U.S. Presidential Election and the start of China’s once-in-a-decade leadership transition that will culminate in March, it is not expected that the world’s two largest emitters of greenhouse gases (GHGs) will be bringing too much by way of game-changing developments to Doha. Instead, we can expect most of the discussions in Doha to focus on securing final details for a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol, primarily for the E.U. and now Australia, as well as starting to formulate language for a new deal that will be decided by 2015.
If you think the upcoming Doha Climate Conference will be full of yet more uneventful climate diplomatic fanfare, think again. The Guardian recently reported that the US may be considering diverting substantive elements of climate change governance away from the long-established United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) framework and into an alternative arena - the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate (MEF). This move would seriously undermine, or even completely kill the future effectiveness of the UNFCCC. Why might the US to possibly go down this route and what would be the ramifications? Let us take a closer look at both the UNFCCC and the MEF frameworks.
The current UNFCCC framework utilises a consensus-based decision making process, and every word in the negotiation text…
by Marissa Knodel and Omar Malik
This month, a group of enthusiastic Yale students will take part in the ongoing drama of climate change negotiations in Doha, Qatar. They will participate in the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the global stage where countries have been meeting to tackle climate change since 1992. While the experience will be new for the students, seasoned diplomats are prepared for a familiar scene: from Cancun to Durban to Doha, efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change and prevent harm to millions of vulnerable people around the world have instead turned into deliberations over the process itself.
Even if developed countries were in full compliance with their Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas mitigation pledges, the…
Hey FES Blog-Land! Emily again with the latest from the Admissions Office. I’ve posted about lots of the cool things you can do while you’re a student at FES, so I thought it would be good for me to highlight some of the cool things you can do once you’ve walked away from FES with a shiny new master’s degree.
Let me introduce Shane Hetzler, who graduated from FES with a Master of Forestry last May. Shane, like many in my class (including me!) did not yet feel like his work at FES was finished after two years, so he got a job with the school to continue the awesome work he started while at FES. He now works for the Yale School Forests managing the Quiet Corner Initiative. What’s the…
New Zealand’s government announced in a statement on Nov.9 that it is not in the country’s interests to be “stuck in the Kyoto space for another eight years”, only a few weeks before nations will meet in Doha for 
the next round of climate negotiations. Like most Kiwis, I pride myself with New Zealand’s commitment to a “100 percent green and clean image.” But after hearing this latest news, I have never felt so embarrassed to be a New Zealander. For me, this disappointing decision reflects a failure not only by our policy-makers, but also negligence and indifference on the part of my fellow Kiwis to push our leaders for more leadership on climate change.
While New Zealand’s
the next round of climate negotiations. Like most Kiwis, I pride myself with New Zealand’s commitment to a “100 percent green and clean image.” But after hearing this latest news, I have never felt so embarrassed to be a New Zealander. For me, this disappointing decision reflects a failure not only by our policy-makers, but also negligence and indifference on the part of my fellow Kiwis to push our leaders for more leadership on climate change.
While New Zealand’s
Climate change once more attracts the attention of Heads of States, country negotiators, civil society, the private sector and individuals from around the globe as we approach the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Doha, Qatar, in only 2 weeks. One may hypothesize that the very diversity of backgrounds that participants bring to the conference exemplifies one of the main problems of the climate negotiations – how can fruitful communication really be enabled to unify the different areas of work in climate change?
The world will be watching closely as Party countries negotiate in the official climate change negotiations of the international community, over a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, which to date is…
From our student assistant, Sarah:
In the “School of Forestry” it seems that anyone interested in water or marine issues would be a “fish out of water”. However, growing interest in these topics is reflected not only in the courses offered and the speakers that visit, but also in the growing number of students involved in the “Fresh and Salty” student interest group.
Fresh and Salty offers academic and recreational opportunities for students to express, explore, and share their interests in water-related issues, from the study of water quality and invasive species in ponds, going on fly fishing or SCUBA excursions, to enjoying a sustainable seafood dinner.
Roz Savage, 2012 Yale World Fellow, ocean rower, and sustainability advocate, spoke to students on November 1 about her mission to raise awareness of the North…
Hello again, FES blog followers! Emily here again, writing to you from a New Haven finally in the fullest throws of autumn. What leaves that survived Sandy have turned all shades of orange, red, and yellow. This is one of the best times of year to be in New Haven (although, I honestly think most times of year are great to be in New Haven).
Speaking of “best of,” I thought that I would use this post to elaborate on what I would consider one of the best parts of the FES curriculum—the clinic classes. The clinics offer a real-world experience within the safety of a classroom. What I mean is: the clinic classes offer an opportunity to work with real clients that are external to Yale. You get a real…
