One heck of a carbon footprint to fight climate change

http://bit.ly/ehxJpT

You have to admire the climate change dogooders who will descend on Durban at the end of this year, all 10 000 of them.

Last year Cancun, this year, Durban. Gee, how they suffer for their conscience.

We have some idea of what kind of carbon footprint this conference will generate, given what happened in Cancun last year.

The estimated carbon footprint for Durban will be 30 000 tonnes. This is the same as a typical Western village of 4 500 people, or 240 000km in a diesel car.

http://bit.ly/eObJGi

http://bit.ly/gx52Tq

Now, let's look at the effectiveness of Cancun and its precursor, Copenhagen, which attracted 45 000 climate changers. The simple fact is that neither conference generated remotely the change that was reported, as countries like India and China which are the greatest polluters will not be bound by climate change resolutions. Their economic growth is much more important to them.

Then, let's look at Durban's eco record, one of the very worst in the world:

• massive greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to SA’s emissions of CO2 per unit of per person GDP being twenty times worse than even the US,

• regular fires, explosions, and devastating oil pipe leaks,

• the world’s highest recorded school asthma rates (Settlers Primary) and a leukemia pandemic,

• extreme capital-intensity in petro-chem production and extreme unemployment in surrounding communities,

• a huge new pipeline to double the oil flow from Durban to Johannesburg (already two children were killed after falling into unprotected trenches), and

• an old airport earmarked for expansion of the petrochemical, auto and shipping industries.

http://www.counterpunch.org/bond11222010.html

Yup, Durban is going to be a lulu!

Durban prepares for climate conference
Jan 26, 2011 1:22 PM | By Sapa
More than 10,000 rooms for visitors have been "blocked" in Durban for the United Nations' Climate Change COP17 conference, to be held in the city at the end of this year, an official said on Wednesday.

Briefing Parliament's environmental affairs portfolio committee, environmental affairs deputy director-general Joanne Yawitch told MPs that the coastal city was ideally suited to cater for the large numbers of foreign dignitaries the international event would attract.

"Durban was identified as the host city largely because it has the biggest [convention] facility in the country... enabling us to hold the conference in one place.

"[The city] has, through its convention bureau, blocked over 10,000 rooms, and the tenders have gone out... in order to appoint someone to manage the accommodation," she said.

The first meeting of a logistics committee would be held early next month, as well as meetings in Durban to discuss "issues related to finance".

A UN delegation was set to visit South Africa in mid-February to discuss "issues related to the logistics" of managing the event.

The legacy of last year's Soccer World Cup "puts us at quite an advantage", Yawitch said.

A lot of work had been done already around setting up broadband infrastructure and facilities for the media.

"This will make the job of the people organising the conference quite a lot easier."

Last year's climate conference, COP16 in Cancun, Mexico, had been used by the Mexicans as an opportunity to "showcase" their country.

It was important South African did the same, she said. A series of stakeholder meeting would be held in this regard.

COP17 will take place in Durban's International Convention Centre from November 28 to December 9.