Your Daily Greens: The Prince and the Pauper, Trafigura Toxic Settlement, and ‘One Step Closer’

Photo: AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam – A toxic waste dumping site on the outskirts of the city of Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Daily happenings around the GreenSphere (People, Companies & Communities):

The Prince and the Pauper: It appears that hype is building and anxiety is mounting over the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen in December. The reason? The age-old conflict of the rich pitted against the poor. Only, now we’re speaking of entire countries. The gluttonous ambitions of rich nations are up against the struggles of the developing world, whose emissions now make up more than half of the world’s greenhouse gas pollution.  The risks involved in climate talk exchanges could stymie progress if both sides cannot see eye to eye. If poorer nations do not see affluent ones set tough new targets, they may refuse to set ambitious, ‘nationally-appropriate’ goals for themselves. Or, rich nations may balk at the responsibility of helping poorer states to achieve these goals and at the same time provide them with funding for protection against the impacts of climate change – all while spending hundreds of billions of dollars on greening their own economies.

One Step Closer: At the close of Tuesday’s meeting at the Summit on Climate Change in New York City, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said ‘we are certainly one step closer to the goal of global agreement’. Of nearly 100 heads of state, those from China and the U.S. tried to attain a kick-start and get the momentum rolling. China announced a plan to cut emissions by 2020, the first time they’ve agreed to accepting a curb on carbon pollution. U.S. President Obama’s speech included a motivational call to action aimed at all nations. Something ominously missing, however, was specific figures or tangible plans for action. Perhaps such information is being saved up for revelation in December.

Corporate Emissions: In a major step forward in the fight against air pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will now be requiring big companies to monitor and report carbon emissions. The reporting system will cover 85 per cent of U.S. total emissions coming from approximately 10,000 facilities, each spewing out a minimum of 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Proponents of the new system believe the public has a need and right to know about the nation’s biggest polluters and believe that this transparency will inform smart policy that can implement change.

Trafigura Toxic Settlement: Trafigura, a leading global oil and metals trading company, has reached a pre-trial settlement, avoiding an October 1^st class action trial start date. The company has been accused of dumping toxic oil residue in a dozen sites close to the main city in Ivory Coast in 2006. Lawyers for city residents argued that illness resulted and the Ivory Coast government claimed that 16 people died. The toxic waste payout was accepted by both parties before a judge in Britain’s High Court.

Tagged as: Air, Carbon Dioxide, China, Climate, Copenhagen, Environment, Oil, Pollution, UN