News in Social & NGOs

Actress Cate Blanchett and Copenhagen Climate Council Chairman Tim Flannery have launched an eleventh-hour appeal to global citizens to join them in pushing for the strongest possible outcome at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, which opens in less than two weeks.

After a frantic day of negotiations, world leaders agreed to the Copenhagen Accord on COP15's last day. While all admit it is inadequate to the task, the Accord is a significant first step in engaging the world's largest emitters in the global effort to slash carbon emissions.

On the penultimate day of the Copenhagen climate talks, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton boosted the chance for a deal considerably by offering a first: a US commitment to supply funds to a long-term financing plan for adaptation.

Today saw the first direct involvement in the talks by heads of state, a much needed boost after weary negotiators worked through the night to finalize their draft texts. Later in the day, word came of a pending political proposal from the Danish hosts, and a financing plan to reduce deforestation.

On the last full day before the kick-off of the high-level segment of this conference, Yvo de Boer and Connie Hedegaard forcefully made the case that negotiators had limited time to reconcile major issues if world leaders are to have an agreement to sign on Friday.

The second week of the Copenhagen climate talks began with Connie Hedegaard convening parties for informal talks. Much work remains, but heads of state begin arriving Tuesday night, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown, giving hope that outstanding issues can be resolved with political muscle.

In an exclusive video message delivered to delegates attending a COP15 meeting at Hamlet's Kronborg Castle just outside Copenhagen this evening, President Bill Clinton said:

On Friday, the chairs of the two negotiating tracks at COP15 released draft texts that will guide the last week of the talks. The texts leave big questions unanswered. But, with 115 world leaders to descend on Copenhagen on COP15's closing days, negotiators remain confident a deal can be struck.

Tomorrow at Hamlet's Kronborg Castle, Danish Crown Prince Frederik joins forward-thinking business leaders working to ensure that the answer to the question "To Be or Not to Be? New Leadership for a Sustainable Economy," becomes a resounding yes during final negotiations at the COP15 next week.

On Day 4 at the Bella Center, the suspension of the Conference of the Parties stalled work in the plenary hall, but UN climate chief Yvo de Boer said negotiators had reached "emerging agreement" on an architecture to deploy low-carbon technology to the developing world.

Day 3 at the Bella Center was marked by continued hand-wringing over the importance of the "Danish text." The day also saw the floating of a new long-term financing proposal and the arrival of the top US negotiator, Todd Stern.

While the leak of the so-called "Danish text" threatened to overwhelm the conference with a non-story, day two really revealed more detail about a COP15 prevailing narrative: It's all about the money.

As COP15 convenes today, Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen hosts a Special Opening Ceremony to showcase civil society input. The event was organized in collaboration with the Copenhagen Climate Council and Global Observatory.

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) opened today with speeches by Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and UNFCCC head Yvo de Boer. To keep you up to date on the latest news from the Bella Center, please return to this website each evening for news and analysis in my COP15 Daily Brief.

Despite the worst U.S. recession in decades, sales of organic and sustainable products have continued to grow, experts say, with shoppers willing to spend a few more dollars in a bid to become more green.

Last week, Columbia University's Center for Research on Environmental Decisions released a guide titled "The Psychology of Climate Change Communication." The manual endeavors to describe the various biases and barriers that lurk in the minds of the general public about climate change.

Hopes are fading that a strong treaty will emerge from next month's negotiations in Copenhagen. Researchers who study cooperation, though, aren't surprised. Mason Inman reports.

Developing nations could end up being paid billions of dollars to raze rainforests and build palm oil plantations in their place if the current text of the Copenhagen climate treaty sticks, a group of advocates warned at the United Nations climate talks on Tuesday.

Kicking off with thousands gathering on the steps of Sydneys iconic Opera House, global warming protests took place around the world Saturday to mark 50 days before the U.N. climate summit. From Asia to Europe via the Middle East, activists staged lively events addressing world leaders.

Lester Brown says his views sometimes appear extreme – because the mainstream media largely doesn't understand the urgency and challenges in avoiding catastrophic climate change.