As COP20 concludes, climate consultant Mike Edwards argues that delegates need to consider the need for ‘adaptation’ as well as ‘mitigation’. In early November 2013, I was in San Francisco teaching a cohort of business graduates a course I had cheerily titled: 'Global Crises'. As it was early in the course, I was setting the scene with an introduction to climate … [Read more...]
E’s voice: Dare to win the climate struggle
“We are going to win this struggle. Whenever a struggle is involved in a choice between what is right and what is wrong, the outcome is inevitable.” With these words former vice-president Al Gore introduced day 2 of the Climate Leadership Corps training, which I was lucky enough to attend. “It’s all about resolving the clarity of the choice. A choice between life and … [Read more...]
Al Gore: ‘extreme weather has made people wake up to climate change’
Extreme weather events including typhoon Haiyan and superstorm Sandy are proving a "gamechanger" for public awareness of the threat posed by climate change, Al Gore said on Friday. The former US vice-president, speaking to delegates at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said: "I think that these extreme weather events which are now a hundred times more common than 30 … [Read more...]
Archbishop Tutu appeals for Philippines aid as more teams arrive
Archbishop Desmond Tutu urges all to support Gift of the Givers on their relief mission in the Philippines. All systems, humanly possible, are in place to ensure an effective, focused intervention by Gift of the Givers teams in the Philippines. We held the teams back and delayed departure simply because of inaccessibility to regions whose infrastructure has been completely … [Read more...]
Housing for Christmas in the Philippines
To assist the people of the Philippines who have suffered unimaginable destruction and great personal loss Gift of the Givers has added a further dimension to their highly successful mission to this region. They are launching a project called "Housing for Christmas in the Philippines". In Palompon Island 7000 families have lost their homes in 51 districts. It is indeed … [Read more...]
SA relief team first to help Philippino typhoon victims
South Africa was the first nation this week to reach out with aid after Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, displaced an estimated four million people in the Philippines. First there were the two front runners from Ireland and Denmark preparing for the arrival of the First 20-member Gift of the Givers Team from South Africa on Friday, 15 November. … [Read more...]
Rich governments accused of blocking UN climate talks
As shocking stories continue to roll in from communities devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, rich countries persisted in blocking UN climate negotiations, civil society observers warned. Speaking at a press conference at the Summit, observers from across the world warned that there were few indications that the governments of rich industralised countries would … [Read more...]
Stand with the Philippines
The horror of what's happened in the Philippines is unimaginable. Ten thousand people wiped away by a 25ft wall of water driven by 300km/h winds. A city of 200,000 people looks like a nuclear bomb hit it. It's the worst storm on record, but it's just the beginning, unless we act. Right now the world's powers are in a global climate conference talking about whether to hand … [Read more...]