The message was clear from the start of the largest ever climate summit– “Power Green Growth, Protect the Planet,” organized on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly. People across the globe are suffering from severe environmental consequences and its happening faster than ever predicted.

Djimon Hounsou, celebrity actor from the film “Blood Diamond,” headlined the summit and pleaded with participants:

“Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has asked itself who and what has created us? Why are we here and what is our legacy to those who follow us?” There is no escaping this fact–for one brief moment in time, we all exist on this same planet.  The world’s leading scientists warn that if we continue on this present course, life on this pale blue dot will be radically transformed. Indeed, it could cease to exist as we know it. That pale blue dot, the only home we have ever known.”

The Secretary-General added that climate change has increased pressure on water, food and land and exacerbated poverty. As the world’s glaciers continue to melt–the pace of the negotiations must be accelerated.

“You have the power to chart a safer and more prosperous course,” he added. “Now is your moment to act. Failure to reach broad agreement in Copenhagen will be morally inexcusable.”

The Secretary-General’s key man on climate change, Janos Pasztor, reiterated  the goals of the Summit:

“We have not heard of any country that said we did not need a agreement.  The only question now is what will be in that agreement–some countries are more interested in adaptation and others in financial provisions. At the end of the day, negotiations need to be able to go beyond immediate domestic concerns in every country.”

Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlighted the horrifying statistics that recent sea levels have risen 17 centimeters.

“With this increase…every storm surge results in an increase to threats to life.”

Pachauri added the frequency of heavy precipitation events has increased in most areas. “The world is increasing emissions–which in the next decade will increase the temperature at a rate of over 12 degrees Fahrenheit.”

He said several island states will be immediately threatened including Bangladesh.

President Obama said  he hoped later this week to work with colleagues at the G-20 to phase out fossil fuel emissions.

“Most importantly, the House of Representatives passed in June a clean energy bill. Because no one nation can meet this challenge alone, the US has joined forces–in Trinidad, with the World Bank in developing nations–and put climate at the top of our diplomatic agenda. Taken together, these steps are a historic recognition. We understand the gravity of climate threats. We are prepared to act. We did not come here to celebrate progress –we came because there is so much more work to be done. As we head to Copenhagen, the hard work remains in front of us.”

“I am here today to say difficulty is no excuse for complacency. Each of us must do what we can, when we can to grow our economies without endangering our planet. We also cannot allow the old divisions to block our progress, ” Obama added.

Hu Jintao, President of the People’s Republic of China launched a new plan at the Summit which underlined bold changes to promote and tackle global warming in 4 key areas:

1) intensified efforts to conserve energy and cut carbon dioxide per unit GDP by 2020 from 2005 levels, 2) vigorously develop nuclear and renewable energy, 3) energetically promote forest carbon by 40 million hectars by 2020 by 2005 levels and 4) step up efforts to develop green economy and climate friendly technologies.

“Global climate change has a profound impact on the survival of mankind and  a major challenge affecting all countries.  I wish to highlight a few principles. –the principle of common and differentiated consensus. Achieving mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. Developed countries should support developing countries in tackling climate change. We should make our endeavor a win win for both developed and developing countries. Promoting common development should be the basis of our effort. China has taken and will continue to take practical steps to tackle this challenge.”

China has planted 2.6 billion trees in a massive country-wide green campaign.

Jintao emphasized that China is implementing its national climate based program by reducing energy intensity, increase in forest coverage and sharing of renewable energy. He hoped in the years ahead, China will further integrate green climate actions into economic and social plans.

Former Vice President Al Gore, also known as the godfather of climate policy, addressed reporters directly after the Summit opening. He stressed the importance in getting the United States to sign off on the Markey-Waxman climate bill before Copenhagen.

“I think one of the most important statement made this morning by the President of the small island Maldives, is developed countries must undertake binding agreements on reductions. And the question of funding is obviously a necessary part of the agreement in order for an agreement to be ratified and accepted in developed countries—there has to be support, technology transfer and common obligations that are binding. I think that soil carbon conservation and re-carbonization of soil must be the next stage in this negotiating process. A clear signal should be set at Copenhagen.”

Japan was also highlighted as a key country and world’s top economy for added financial support to developing nations.

“I was extremely impressed by the new Prime Minister’s address–Japan has provided tremendous leadership on climate progress,” added Gore.

 

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New York City gears up for a busy week on climate, poverty, health pandemics, nuclear disarmament and conflict and peace negotiations. Over 100 world leaders from Russia, China, India, Iran and other developed and developing nations will gather at the UN’s Climate Summit and General Assembly, the Clinton Global Initiative and other smaller forums organized throughout the city. The climate debate is at the top of the agenda and industrialized leaders will travel to Pittsburgh at the end of the week where the G-20 will gather to discuss a plan to combat global warming ahead of a major international climate conference in Copenhagen in December.

Making your way through town, one can feel a buzz in the air–anti-Ahmadinejad and Qaddafi protests are rampant, as are tabloid papers masking themselves as the New York Post with headlines “We’re Screwed. What you’re not being told: Official City report predicts massive climate catastrophes, public health disasters.”

To add to the inflamed excitement, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, a lead organizer of Climate Week NY failed to show up at his city’s climate opening ceremony. But other notables took the reign including former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair who’s climate group launched a report today entitled”Breaking the Climate Deadlock: Cutting the Cost.”

The report outlines the economic benefits for countries that go green and reduce carbon emissions. The findings indicate that if a deal is reached at the global Copenhagen climate conference in December, cutting emissions could potentially create as many as 10 million new jobs in 2020 and thus generate additional economic growth via the adoption of low carbon technologies that  accelerate sustainable development in developing countries.

“This is more difficult that all the negotiations where I have been involved including the Middle East peace process and NATO,” Blair added. “However, there is a way — we must distinguish short term and long term targets. 2020 is a long way ahead. The enormous cost savings that can be achieved if countries act together are striking.”

CEO of the Climate Group, Steve Howard, summarized: “Climate Week is a partnership to see how we can come up with a successful deal in Copenhagen–but there is a lot of lifting to be done.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, said he wanted to ask Mayor Bloomberg to begin calling New York the “Big Green Apple.”

Celebrity actor Hugh Jackman also joined the opening ceremony and shared his “going green” experiences based on a recent trip to Ethiopia. Todd Stern, United States Special Envoy for Climate Change and the Administrator’s chief negotiator said he was hopeful Obama would go to Copenhagen with or without a Senate approved climate bill.

Representatives from China and India also commemorated the day–both recently lauded for implementing effective national plans to boost green energy. The word is also out that China plans to unveil an ambitious energy conservation plan tomorrow at the UN Climate Summit. According to Yves de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who met with reporters earlier this morning, “Everyone knows about the one or two power plants China opens up every week, but nobody knows that China is also closing one or two power plants every week as well.” De Boer added “China doesn’t need anybody’s money, but they want to cooperate on clean technology.”

Nevertheless, de Boer believes “Obama is doing his darndest. But the international community is saying, what is the United States doing in all of this? Why has the protocol son not joined the international community?”

Many international skeptics have criticized the United States for being the world’s biggest polluter per capita, and at the same time, being slow to approve the Markey-Waxman bill and other climate change initiatives –when other countries have sped far ahead on this agenda.

Across town, at the Natural History Museum in New York’s Upper West Side, the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) including Cape Verde, Grenada, Nauru, Maldives and Trinidad, got together to talk about the “murder” being committed by industrialized nations on small islands. Lead organizer, President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives said “Climate Change is already delivering damage not of our making. Should we, leaders of the most vulnerable and exposed countries, be asking our people to sign onto significantly greater degrees of misery and livelihood insecurity, essentially becoming climate change guinea pigs?”

AOSIS is calling on industrialized nations to demand a global warming limit in Copenhagen and to cut emissions by 45% by 2020. The Alliance group is also asking for global temperature increases to be well below 1.5 degrees C in order to ensure the survival of small and low lying islands and their inhabitants. Many smaller islands are disappearing leaving residents homeless due to rising water levels caused by melting polar ice caps and global warming.

 

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A controversial 574 page report issued today by the UN Fact Finding Mission led by Jewish born Justice Richard Goldstone, accuses the Israeli government of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report investigated all violations of humanitarian law under the jurisdiction of the President of the Human Rights Council which mandated the four body team to investigate abuse in Gaza from the period 27 December 2008 through 18 January 2009.

The team, led by the South African Goldstone, reviewed more than 10,000 pages of documentation, 1200 photographs and 30 videos. Testimonials of 38 witnesses were also conducted in Geneva and Gaza after the Israeli government refused the Mission entry to the West Bank and Israel. Israel also failed to cooperate with the Mission while the Palestinian Authority was cited as cooperative.

The Mission concluded that the Israeli military assault on Gaza included a carrying out of a “systematic policy of progressive isolation and deprivation of the Gaza Strip..and the overall and continuing policy aimed at punishing the Gaza population, and in a deliberate policy of disproportionate force aimed at the civilian population.”

The Mission found that the Israeli military used white phosphorous, flechettes and heavy metal weapons which the team believed should be banned. The Mission also cited several incidents when the Israeli armed forces used Palestinian residents as human shields.

The destruction of food supplies, water sanitation systems, residential houses, factories and schools underscored in the report suggested a full recommendation by the Mission, that these violations by Israel be turned over to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity and crimes of persecution. The Mission emphasized that responsibility directly lies with those who designed, planned, ordered and oversaw the operations, and not the entire Israeli military.

“Israeli forces launched direct attacks against civilians with lethal outcome” the report states.

The report also indicates abuses committed by Palestinian armed groups including the repeated launching of rockets and mortars into Southern Israel.

“The real point here is the Israeli investigation has been conducted secretly by the military. It would be like having the domestic police force in New York investigate a murder by only interviewing the murderer” said Goldstone.

He also added the Israeli government has only investigated one case in seven months involving a theft of a credit card.

The report also reiterates “the harsh and unlawful practices of occupation, far from quelling resistance, breed it, including its violent manifestations.”

TRNS asked Goldstone if he was hopeful further cases may be investigated by the Israeli courts and whether there was any faith left in the Israeli judicial system, and he nodded that there must be a way “through accountability and effective action.”

The report recommends Israel immediately cease border closures and restrictions, release all Palestinian prisoners, allow the passage of goods including reconstruction of housing materials to the Gaza strip, and to cease from interference in the national political processes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). The report also asks the Israeli government to review its rules of engagement for military and security personnel.

“I’ve had an association with Israel my whole life. Long before the state of Israel was born my mother was part of the Zionist movement in South Africa. But as a Jew, I am greatly disappointed that Israel behaved this way. It is grossly wrong to label a Mission that is critical of Israel as being anti-Israel. It is in their interest that the truth be established,” added Goldstone.

Today the United Nations and the global community commemorated the International Day of Democracy. The WorldPublicOpinion.org released new findings based on a random sampling of 24 nations including Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Germany, China, India, Israel, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia and the United States to name a few.  The overall consensus was that over 60 percent of the 21,285 people interviewed, believed they were not completely free to express their political views and could not influence government decisions. Ninety percent of the total polled want to live in a “democratically” governed country.

It seemed a odd mix to hold China’s communist structure up to the other countries which all preach a democratic agenda. Steven Kull, who authored the report, said that there was “no censorship” in the responses and questioning of Chinese academics and institutions. China is the world’s largest prison for journalists and cyber-dissidents. The country also routinely filters websites (including Google, Yahoo and Microsoft) of language including the word democracy, and the phrases free Tibet, free Taiwan and the Dalai Lama.

According to the Inter Parliamentary Union– a UN body, democracy is taken from the Greek word for demos “the people” and kratein which means “to rule”.

Russia was also included in the random study where the bloody murders of over 21 reporters since 2000 including Anna Politkovska remain to be properly investigated by Russian courts.

Questions from the random sampling of telephone numbers in countries included “How important do you think it is for people to be free to express unpopular political views, without fear of being harassed or punished?”  These questions again seem oddly placed in the context of Russia and China and many of the other countries including Indonesia, Nigeria and Pakistan–where the opposing view or any view criticizing the government has left many civilians in danger for their lives and livelihoods–most recently journalists, students, academics, opposition party members, activists and bloggers.

UN official Oscar Fernandez-Taranco said the UN will use this report to further underscore the importance of the global demand for democratic governance in countries across the globe. He also cited lack of “governability” in countries which leads to a break down in electoral processes.

A most recent case is Afghanistan where a top UN electoral official, American Peter Galbraith was kicked out of the country today after an unsettled feud with his boss, Norwegian Kai Eide. Galbraith apparently alleged the UN has dramatically failed to respond to last month’s fraudulent presidential elections.

For a full copy of the Political Intolerance report go to: http://worldpublicopinion.org.

Switzerland beat out the United States as the World’s top competitive financial market according to a new report released today by the Geneva based World Economic Forum.

The report entitled: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010, underscores:

“The global economy continues to weather the most difficult climate in generations. What began as a financial crisis in the United States and the United Kingdom quickly turned into the largest global recession in decades. World GDP is expected to contract by a record 2.5 percent in 2009 as the financial crisis continues to spill over into the real economy, engendering massive declines in consumer demand,rising unemployment,and mounting protectionist pressures worldwide.”

The report highlights the United States drop to second place for the first time since the group began its index in 2004.  Severe financial loses labeled as the worst since the Great Depression and ongoing budget gaps were the main indicators for the drop.

The report nevertheless emphasized the drop in the US may not be permanent.

“The country (US) continues to be endowed with many structural features that make its economy extremely productive and that place it on a strong footing to ride out business cycle shifts and economic shocks.”

The Swiss were lauded for their recent innovation in the financial sector while maintaining stability inside their current economic markets. The report tallied the progress of 133 countries.

For a full copy of the report go to: http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm

The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council met today in Wiesbaden, Germany to discuss Iran’s nuclear program. The clear outcome of the meeting is still unknown–but a major component is whether Iran intends to fully suspend its nuclear enrichment program.  Germany, not a permanent member of the UN Security Council, played host with a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry adding the purpose of the meeting was to “consult on possible courses of action….on Iran’s unsatisfactory position.”

IAEA chief Mohamed El Baradei said tough sanctions being proposed by the United States, France and Germany should be avoided and that “Iran’s nuclear program is not the greatest threat to the world. In many ways, I think the threat has been hyped.”

Iranians have denied all charges and pledged to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes only. The country’s lack of legitimacy follows a bloody election coup this summer. Some international officials believe Iran’s recent actions may indeed cut off communication with a previously optimistic President Obama.

Iran’s nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili fought back this week claiming, “Iran is prepared to present a revised package of proposals … and is ready to hold talks with world powers”.

Ambassador Susan Rice, who took the reigns as President of the UN Security Council this month suggested “We hope Iran’s response which we have not seen as effective, will be prompt.”

A US lobby group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) began an online petition this week to garner worldwide support for tougher sanctions on Iran. UANI said it will forward the signatories of the petition to President Obama, G-20 countries, and the mayor of Pittsburgh, where the upcoming G-20 summit will be held on Sept 24-25.

It was reported this week the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seized a ship secretly carrying embargoed North Korean arms to Iran.

Under Security Council resolution 1874, the United Arab Emirates has the authority as a member-state of the the United Nations, to intercept any shipments  stipulated by a UN sanctioned arms embargo against the North Korean government.

The ship, ANL-Australia, was carrying 10 containers of  rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition. There were no missiles on the ship.  The TSS, a purchase company working with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards placed the order for ammunition and arms from abroad. The UAE is a central location for shipments of arms from one port to another.

Some diplomats believe the arms were intended for state-sponsored Basij militia who have brutalized and murdered protesters on the streets of Iran in the post-election clampdown.

The UN imposed its sanctions on June 12 this year after underground nuclear tests and several rocket launches by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Warnings by the Security Council to stop went ignored.

The partnership between Iran and North Korea remains strong. Iran is the biggest buyer of North Korean weapons. Iran and North Korea have also partnered up to exchange ideas on enriching uranium while North Korea has produced plutonium for nuclear devices.

Last Friday, the United Nations’ nuclear agency, the IAEA, issued a report claiming Iran had increased its number of centrifuges and that Tehran had not suspended its nuclear activities as required. The IAEA also expressed concern about Iran’s lack of transparency. The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany will meet on September 2 to discuss implementing tougher UN sanctions against Iran.

More Iraqi civilians have died as a result of smoking than by mortar fire and shellings.  Smoking kills an average of 55 Iraqis a day, compared to a average of ten deaths per day from terrorist shootings or bombings.

Israel, Jordan and Qatar have already prohibited smoking in public places.

The new ban, being reviewed by the Iraqi parliament has suggested a ban on smoking in all government, school and other public sector buildings. The goal is to forbid smoking as well in offices, cafes and on public transport. Many Iraqis are angered saying the government should focus on getting them electricity and jobs rather than imposing the ban on their private activities. If caught, Iraqis would be forced to pay over 4,000 US dollars in fines for violating the law.

“The purpose…is to protect the people from the social, health, environmental and economic risks of smoking,” said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 41% of Iraqi men and nearly 7% of women are smokers. Farhan Haq, from the United Nations Spokesperson’s office said “the United Nations has imposed a full smoking ban at Headquarters and the recent WHO report clearly underscores the dangers of smoking.”

The smoking ban seems to have hit the US military working in Iraq.

A new proposal to ban smoking in the United States military is also now being reviewed with a goal to promote a tobacco-free environment. The study, completed in June this year by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences says tobacco use impairs military readiness and causes serious health problems, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Both the Pentagon and the Veterans Affairs Department would like to see the proposal eliminate smoking in the next 10-20 years. Smoking has increased 50 percent by US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some skeptics of the proposal suggest smoking helps soldiers deal with post traumatic stress disorder and eases stress during deployment.

United Nations nuclear inspectors or IAEA, released their latest report today on Iran’s nuclear program. The report claims Iran is enriching uranium with about 300 fewer centrifuges than the almost 5,000 operating at the time of the last report. Nonetheless, this latest report underlines Iran has increased its nuclear facility development with over 7,000 new installation machines.

The IAEA is under severe pressure from Western nations, namely the United States, to declassify intelligence reports on Iran’s nuclear activities. It is evident, the United States is trying to build a stronger case for new sanctions against Tehran. Recent reports have indicated that Iranian officials are gravely concerned about air strikes against their nuclear facilities and are pressuring the United Nations to forbid any attack.

The report emphasizes IAEA officials do not buy into the belief that Iran is being transparent about its nuclear ambitions. Iranian IAEA representatives have expressed serious concern about the latest report and claim the IAEA is undermining Iran’s credibility. Recent election protests have decreased the government’s legitimacy worldwide and saddled officials with hundreds of ongoing trials, arrests, complaints of rape in prison and a growing opposition movement.

The nuclear disarmament issue remains a top concern for United States officials.

Deputy National Security Advisor, Mike Froman slipped into UN headquarters this week to meet with the UN Secretary-General and Dr. Susan Rice, the US Ambassador at the UN.  The meeting was set up apparently to discuss tightening Iranian sanctions and that country’s failure to reign in its nuclear ambitions.

“Iran also still refuses to respond constructively to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) questions about its past work to develop a nuclear weapons capability,” said Ambassador Rice earlier this year.

Six party talks on Iran’s nuclear program are being set up for September 2nd. The United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia will meet to discuss the IAEA findings and to come up with a strategy to get Iran to fully suspend its enrichment-related activities in order to avoid further economic sanctions.

And on September 24th, President Obama is set to lead a Security Council debate with the central goal of nuclear disarmament. Clearly, recent North and South Korean missile launches have rekindled the desire to put an end to the global production of nuclear arsenals.

“We hope to receive more than a Presidential statement from that meeting. We need a resolution reaffirming the goals of states to a nuclear free world” said Randy Rydell, from the UN Office of the High Representative for Disarmament. According to Rydell, this Security Council session, led by a US President, has never been tried before.

The United Nations is gearing up for an annual Non-Governmental Organization Conference on Disarmament in Mexico. The conference entitled “For Peace and Development: Disarm Now!” is set to take place in Mexico City from September 9-11. At the mention of Mexico, one is not reminded of a peaceful and disarming country, but rather of a brutal drug war, where sophisticated weaponry has killed some 11,000 Mexican people.

In recent weeks, Mexican police are finding themselves completely out of sorts. There are just too many guns taking over the country by drug cartels with military-grade weaponry.  The weaponry occupy Mexico’s towns and cities and include grenade launchers, TNT,  machine guns, rifles, anti-tank rockets and other heavy arms used to equip a military during a civil war or conflict.

The United States currently supplies some 90 percent of the firearms going over the border. With the support of the Bush administration, the Merida Initiative (also called Plan Mexico), which was established in 2007 and is still in place, provides at least US$1.6 billion in armaments, training and resources to the corrupt Mexican military.

Much of the heavy weaponry is believed to come from Central America–leftover munitions from wars past. And the cartels are robbing the weapons manufacturers and warehouses blind of industrial-style explosives. More people have died in this drug war than U.S. casualties combined in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. President Calderon has deployed some 45,000 troops in cities like Cuidad Juarez, Tijuana and other hot spots which are beginning to look more and more like Baghdad and Kabul.

“These are really weapons of war,” said one local Mexican official.

But how has the Mexican government chosen to deal with all the violence and chaos? For one, through a new law passed last month, the government will seek to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroine and methamphetamines. The goal is to take the pressure off local police officials and to help them focus on the bigger drug criminals. The hope is that the prosecution of the leaders of these turf wars will eventually lead to fewer arms coming over the border.

A recent United States Joint Forces Command report listed Mexico just behind Pakistan as the country most likely to become a failed state. With little prospect of an end to the crisis, Mexico has moved these internal issues aside and made room to host over 1100 Non-governmental groups from 67 countries to foster “conventional” and nuclear disarmament next month.

Representatives from the UN Mission to Mexico were near silent on questions about their drug cartels. They only added a few words of “hopefulness” about the outcome of the conference. Ironically, Mexico is also the birthplace of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, the first ever nuclear-free zone to cover a large regional population.

“Member-states have added little to the knowledge of cross-border ammunition flows.  It is very much part and parcel of the problem. ” said Daniel Prins, Chief of the Conventional Arms Branch, UN Office of Disarmament Affairs at a briefing held for UN correspondents this week.