Debt, Climate and Global Justice

dublin | environment | event notice Friday April 16, 2004 12:00 by dp - Feasta feasta at anu dot ie

Event at Convergence http://www.sustainable.ie/convergence

A conference jointly organised by Feasta and the Debt and Development Coalition Ireland on the links between climate change, the debt crisis and global inequity

Held in association with the New Economics Foundation, Jubilee Research, the Global Commons Institute, Friends of the Irish Environment and GRIAN. the Irish arm of the Climate Action Network. With contributions via a live video link from a simultaneous conference on the same topics in South Africa.

Wednesday 28th of April 2004 09.00-17.30
€20.00 – Concessions available

To be held as part of this year’s Convergence Festival
at
CULTIVATE - Sustainable Living Centre,
15 – 19 Essex Street West, Old City Temple Bar, Dublin 8
Information on Convergence and online booking see www.sustainable.ie
For booking call 01 6745773
Cheques made payable to FEASTA and sent to FEASTA
at 159 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6

For background on the themes of this conference see http://www.feasta.org/events/debtconf/sleepwalking.htm


Programme for the Day

09.00-09.30 Registration

09.30-09.45 Introduction by David Healy linking the problems of climate change, oil depletion, growing inequality and poor country debt with a dysfunctional economic system.

Climate

09.45-10.00 Mark Lynas with the latest information on the climate problem and the need to limit the temperature rise to under 2deg C.

10.00-10.15 The likely effects of climate change in the South, probably by a South African contributor via video link
10.15-10.40 Review of problems with the Kyoto Protocol and an outline the range of possibilites post-Kyoto. Joint presentation by Pat Finnegan and Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, His Excellency Mr Enele S Sopoaga of Tuvalu, one of the Pacific states threatened by rising sea levels.
10.40-11.00 Q&A session with the audience

11.00-11.30 Coffee

Debt

11.30-12.30 Ann Pettifor. The current status of the poor country debt negotiations and the question of environmental debt.

12.30-13.30 Lunch

A Just Solution

13.30-14.00 Aubrey Meyer. Introducing the Contraction and Convergence approach to managing global greenhouse gas emissions. Aubrey will use computer graphics to show how different distributions of emissions rights between North and South are possible using the C&C approach.

14.00-14.50 Richard Douthwaite. Emissions trading, oil depletion and the need for a new world currency.

14.50-15.15 Question and Answer session on the need for global money reform.

15.15-15.30 Coffee at three discussion locations

15.30-16.30 Small groups in discussion locations talk about and answer list of prepared questions

16.30-17.30 Rapporteurs from each small group report the answers to the questions followed by panel discussion to reach conclusions from the day. The South African group will relay their answers to the questions by the video link and a South African will take part as a panellist by video.

Thanks to the Development Education Unit of Development Co-operation Ireland for part funding this conference.


Speaker Profiles
Mark Lynas is an environmental campaigner, broadcaster and journalist who has worked on climate change issues for the past four years. His book High Tide: News from a Warming World was published at the beginning of March. He was a co-founder of OneWorld.net – the world’s most-accessed internet portal for human rights and sustainable development issues. He was born in Fiji in 1973 and lives in Oxford.

Ann Pettifor was head of the Jubilee Research division of the New Economics Foundation in London until the end the end of March this year. From now on she will oversee NEF’s work on international finance and debt, while continuing as editor of the very successful Real World Economic Outlook. She was born in South Africa. In 1994 she was appointed director of the Debt Crisis Network, an alliance of British NGOs, and in 1996, she co-founded the campaign which was to grow into the international Jubilee 2000 movement for the cancellation of the debts of the poorest countries. She lives in London.

Enele Sopoaga is the ambassador to the United Nations of Tuvalu, a nation of 11,000 people living on nine small islands in the South Pacific and the first country in the world to have its entire water supply salinated because of rising sea levels due to climate change. During his tenure as Ambassador, he has made the topic of global warming and its adverse effects on low-lying regions of the world his top priority. He is based in New York.

Pat Finnegan is co-ordinator of GRIAN, the Irish climate NGO that campaigns nationally and internationally for climate solutions, concentrating particularly on long-term sustainability and equity issues. He has over 25 years of environmental campaigning behind him, mostly on climate issues. GRIAN is the Irish member of the worldwide Climate Action Network. He lives in Dublin.

David Healy has degrees in law and environmental science. In his work for Friends of the Irish Environment he has paid particular attention to climate change issues, attending UN Framework Convention on Climate Change conferences and engaging on behalf of FIE in all the relevant governmental consultation processes in relation to climate change policy, carbon taxation and emissions trading. He lives in Dublin.

Richard Douthwaite is a writer and economist. His interest in the way different types of money have different effects on society, the environment and the economy led him to develop proposals for an new international currency, the ebcu, to combat climate change. He has acted as economic adviser to the Global Commons Institute for the past eleven years. He lives in Westport, Co. Mayo.

Aubrey Meyer was born in England but grew up in South Africa. He co-founded the Global Commons Institute in London in1990 and is largely responsible for the development of the Contraction and Convergence approach to dealing with greenhouse gas emissions which has now been backed by a majority of countries in the world. He lives in London.


What this conference will do

Generate a greater understanding of the systemic links between climate change, oil and gas depletion, the global money systems, third world debt and North/South inequity

Allow those attending to help shape a set of policies designed to slow climate change, end the debt crisis and to alleviate widespread poverty.

Enable Irish and South African participants to exchange views and information via a live video-conferencing link to a parallel event in South Africa


Topics to be covered

·How the way that money is created leads to debt and global inequity.
·The latest information on the pace at which climate change is taking place.
·How developing countries and vulnerable peoples will be affected by global warming.
·The range of options for future international climate change policies.
·How the Contraction and Convergence emissions control model works.
·The implications of emissions trading for poor countries.
·Proposals for a new global currency based on emissions rights.
·How developing country debts could be easily paid off.

Who should attend


This conference has been planned specifically for everyone involved in development education or who is in any way concerned about poverty, debt and development overseas. It will also be of great importance to those involved in climate change negotiations and emissions trading policy development. It provides a unique opportunity to discuss key issues with some of the world’s leading activists and out-of-the-box thinkers.

Feasta: The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability
159 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6, Republic of Ireland,
Tel: 00 353 (0)1 4912773 E-mail: feasta@anu.ie

Feasta: The Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability aims to identify the characteristics (economic, cultural and environmental) of a truly sustainable society, articulate how the necessary transition can be effected and promote the implementation of the measures required for this purpose. http://www.feasta.org

The Debt and Development Coalition Ireland (DDCI)
All Hallows, Grace Park Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland,
Tel: + 353 (0)1 857 1828 E-mail: ddc@connect.ie

DDCI is composed of organisations and individuals who share a deep concern about the injustice of the debt crisis and a commitment to work together for an effective, fair and speedy solution to the crisis. http://www.debtireland.org

GRIAN - www.grian.ie
The Global Commons Institute - www.gci.org.uk
Friends of the Irish Environment -www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net
New Economics Foundation - www.neweconomics.org
Jubilee Research - www.jubilee2000uk.org
Climate Action Network – www.climatenetwork.org