The UK government is under attack by debt campaigners as well as developing countries, for their plan to give £800 million to poorer countries in preparation for climate change, as a great bulk of the money would be in the form of loans, not grants, and would be sent via the World Bank instead of the UN.

Martin Khor, director of Third World Network, a grouping of international development agencies based in Malaysia believes; “The decision to deliver climate aid in the form of loans and not grants contradicts internationally agreed principles”

These principles clearly define that developed countries should take the main responsibility for fighting climate change, due to their massive role in creating the pollution that is being blamed for it’s occurance, as well as their more advanced technological and economic capabilities.

Khor also felt the money had to be sent through that UN as:

“Developing countries have repeatedly argued that any proposed funds for climate change, particularly in such significant amounts, should come under the direction of the state parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Martin Khor, director of Third World Network, a grouping of international development agencies based in Malaysia believes; “The decision to deliver climate aid in the form of loans and not grants contradicts internationally agreed principles”

“The World Bank’s climate investment funds could undermine the UN’s negotiations for climate change aid,” Khor argued. “It creates parallel structures for financing climate change adaptation and mitigation outside the existing multilateral structures and within a process dominated by the G8 countries.”

Thegoal of IQ2 US is to raise the level of public discourse on our most challenging issues. To provide a new forum for intelligent discussion, grounded in facts and informed by reasoned analysis. To transcend the toxically emotional and the reflexively ideological. To encourage recognition that the opposing side has intellectually respectable views. To engage the live audience as active participants who will ask questions and decide which speakers have carried the day by voting on the …

While ice fishing in northern Canada, you are attacked by global warming. Right as you hook a bite, a carbon induced heat blast instantaneously melts the ice you’re on, leaving you in freezing water. Global warming also, in that moment, killed your dog and changed you middle name to Francis, at you aren’t concerned with that at the moment. In an unusual moment of good fortune you are rescued by two Eskimos riding a whale. Global warming had destroyed their igloos and stolen their supplies and women, so you join forces with them to get revenge on the climate changing jerk. What is your plan of action?

Two hours changed everything. He skipped his classes to sneak off and listen to this short man with poor eyesight, coke-bottle glasses and a great vision for the future… speak at the university.

That was all it took. He was hooked. He had to know more. He went directly to this visionary thinker’s office and signed up to work for him.

This stopped any further work in physiology and launched him in a totally different direction. He is now doing what he loves, is very successful and has a powerful and positive impact wherever he goes. Skipping class that one afternoon could very well have resulted in him being one of the most published authors in history…

Yup, we’re talking about Mark Victor Hanson co-creator of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Series.

And who was his teacher, mentor and guide?

Okay, here’s a hint… Albert Einstein once said he was one person who truly understood his work.

He created the geodesic dome based on a whole new system of geometry that he invented. He was an artist and a poet and a spiritualist…

If you guessed Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller you’d be right again!

Bucky has passed away, but Mark and others continue to teach the life-changing principles that Bucky taught them.

And now you can listen to Mark Victor Hanson and 4 others of his amazing contemporaries talk about their memories and lessons from Buckminster Fuller.

Mark Victor Hanson, Bobbi DePorter, Marshall Thurber, DC Cordova, and Tom Crum will reveal the secrets they learned during 5 monthly teleseminar sessions.

Join us for the “On Fuller Living” Teleseminar Series…as these 5 leaders explain the amazing principles they learned that YOU can use to become successful in YOUR life.

During his interview, Mark Victor Hansen tells you about three of Buckminster Fuller’s teachings that impacted him the most. They are to…

1. Start macro. Go from the big picture to the little picture. Use deductive reasoning instead of inductive.

Can you image trying to solve global climate change yourself? Everyone — and everything we do — is part of the global biosphere. We need to see the big trends and issues before you get to the individual solutions and choices we can make.

Most people were educated to be specialists — with a degree in one specialized area. But in today’s world you need to be a generalist — be able to cross over into other subject areas, learn new things and broaden your horizons. Specialization is too limiting any more.

2. Change your perception about the world. For example: Bill Gates. He took a world that thought that hardware was everything and said no, software is everything. Now he controls the software market (much to everybody’s consternation).

3. Change the metaphor. Move from a world view of competition to one of cooperation. Go from seeing this as a ‘Win/Lose’ world to a ‘Win/Win’ world.

As we move from the industrial age to the information age, scarcity is no longer the metaphor. With information, as you spread it around, everybody adds to it and it becomes more, richer, better.

Think about Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia that anyone can add content to. The synergy of information makes the site more complete and accurate for the benefit of all.

With industrial commodities (like tin, for example) if you spread it around, then you’ve got less and you’re poorer.

But sharing information equals more and better information. This is Fuller’s theory of Synergy.

To show you just how universal these principals are, here’s another example of changing your perception and changing the metaphor: Have you ever seen the sun rise and set?

How many of you just said, “Yeah, of course!”?

Think about that again. That’s an ‘old world’ view of the world being flat. It’s in our language and doesn’t seem to be going away even though we KNOW that the world is round and the sun hasn’t moved over night.

It’s the Earth turning! (Duh! - smile)

So why do we keep talking about sunrises and sunsets?

Because old metaphors die hard. It takes a great deal of vision to see your way through to a new way of being.

Old metaphors limit our thinking. But by changing the metaphor, opportunities open up.

Change your metaphor about your business and new opportunities will appear where you were stuck before. Past problems become today’s opportunities.

The On Fuller Living Teleseminar Series is a fundraiser for a project that grew out of Bucky’s World Game. It’s called GENI - the Global Energy Network Institute.

It’s an amazing and futurist project designed to link the energy networks of nations and continents so that people in even the poorest nations can enjoy refrigeration, reading in the evening and a reduction in the amount of labor they perform.

Why do people like Mark Victor Hansen, Buckminster Fuller, Marshall Thurber, Bobbi DePorter, CD Cordova, and Tom Crum say that GENI is the most important project for the future of our planet?

Well, do you have children? What will the world be like for them?

Will one side of Spaceship Earth be forever fighting the other side of Spaceship Earth? Will some people have a high standard of living while others labor for hours in poverty for much less?

The solution is technology and clean, electrical power. It’s the bridge.

As we construct more bridges between ourselves and others, we create more possibility… and with more possibility we create a place where others can live the quality of life we enjoy right now.

And remember, all of the speakers plus Alex Mandossian, the host, are donating their time to help this non-profit with a global vision.

So join us and discover the answer to Buckminster Fuller’s question…

“How do we make the world work…for 100% of humanity…in the shortest possible time… through spontaneous cooperation…without ecological damage or disadvantage to anyone?”

Sarah Palin lied about global warming record. The fact checks on that and more are at the end of the interview. Read: www.nytimes.com

There has been a trend for people to be in denial that there will be major changes because of global warming and climate change. Most people would like to think that all will be well, however, this is no longer possible.

Most people are aware that life at the moment is no longer what they were expecting because of many changes in society and because of climate change. However, few people are aware that within the next five years far more change is expected happen.

Many planetary and weather changes will begin to emerge because of global warming and climate change. By 2011 it may already be clear to most people that this is happening.

It is of utmost importance and for your own benefit to understand that based on the current state of affairs with the planet, there will soon no longer be a future with sustainable living conditions. This will have an effect on most of humanity.

Despite the fact that global awareness about the state of the planet has increased enormously of late, more and more technological advances are becoming available and there is an increased willingness to make sustainable changes to help the environment, on a practical level there is not enough action taken to prevent the current process of unsustainable growth.

Changes to lifestyle are the most important issue humanity will have to face. Humanity will need to reverse a process of unsustainable growth due to lifestyle choices and economic growth, as its current way of living cannot adequately sustain humanity in the near future.

People will have to become more actively involved in making the necessary, mainly lifestyle, changes for the benefit of their own future and for that of next generations. They will need to find ways to reverse the current trends of ecological and environmental damage that is happening all over the world, and is still on the increase.

Most of humanity has not been aware and is inactive about a possible scenario, which has the potential of becoming an enormous looming disaster. This disaster can only narrowly be averted if people on every continent will come to the fore and begin to carry out lifestyle changes where they can. Global warming and climate change can no longer be denied.

Those in a position of power and those that are in an educational role are in particular in a privileged position to be the first ones to participate, contribute and be of assistance with these needed lifestyle changes.

Good governance and implementation of plans to support the environment are of major importance, however, every individual will need to have the will-power as well as the insight to make adequate changes to reduce their impact on the environment.

No single individual has all the answers for the planet’s problems, the immensity of which is beyond most people’s daily outlook of life. Most people would agree, however, that the future outlook is not good given the rate at which global warming is increasing and given the already known facts scientists have been presenting, which show how much the planet’s ecology has been damaged.

Climate change has begun and evidence of this can be found everywhere. It is important to better understand what this global rise in temperature will mean for the planet and your overall future. By increasing the understanding what the future will hold, people are often more likely to wish to make lifestyle changes.

From a Truth perspective there is barely any time left to make adequate changes so that the present generation can survive the last years of their life. Most of the important resources are dwindling enormously. There is not enough time left to make adequate changes to change this process.

When humans cut down trees or burn fossil fuels, they release extra carbon into the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect. Mass deforestation around the world at an unprecedented rate is making the problem worse year by year.

Unfortunately, due to this climate change the earth is getting warmer as temperatures at the Earth’s surface have increased by an estimated 1.4°F (0.8°C) between 1900 and 2005. The past decade was the hottest of the past 150 years and perhaps the past millennium. The hottest 22 years on record have occurred since 1980, and 2005 was the hottest on record.

The Kyoto Protocol on cutting carbon dioxide emissions, believed to be the key cause of global warming, expires in 2012 and does not require major developing nations to make reductions. In addition, the US has rejected it. Increasing car usage around the world is leading to carbon dioxide emissions increasing not decreasing. As incomes rise in India and China, they are obviously looking at car ownership as a status symbol and the benefits that it brings. With nearly 2.5 billion between these 2 countries, this increased car ownership could cancel out any gains made in the West through reducing factory and car emissions.

Scientists and those in the know predict that climate-induced floods, rising sea levels, more frequent and intense hurricanes, famine, drought and conflict could also reverse recent gains in reducing poverty around the world and that the USA and UK will be affected by all or some of the above.

Climate change presents a significant challenge to the UK and to the international community. Recent Climate Change Conferences in Montreal and the G8 and the Gleneagles Summit have attempted to co-ordinate the international response to climate change.

There are also enormous opportunities if we are willing to take action. Government, business and individuals all have a part to play, and all of us will benefit from rising to the challenge of reducing the harm to the environment.

While some of the effects of climate change may be positive, such as longer growing seasons in certain countries and longer, hotter summers in the UK. These positive impacts are unlikely to be sustained as the globe continues to warm. Similarly, many developing countries are even more vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and less able to adapt due to lack of money and will power

During the last decade or so, there has been a lot of talk about climate change and the adverse effects of rapid technological development. For about a year or so now, climate change has taken the forefront in the political arenas as well and more leaders are talking freely about taking care of our planet. What we all do need to realize is that action needs to be taken starting right from the individual level. During the last few years, economy airlines have opened a new door for people to venture out and travel to all the different parts of the world. This has resulted in a windfall for many developing countries but has a serious draw back attached to it. According to a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, commercial aircrafts contribute between 3 to 4 percent to the overall human impact on climate change

Tourism is a great industry, not only for the economies of countries but also for the traveler. Climate change is real too and is already showing itself in the melting glaciers, shorter snow seasons and unpredictable weather changes. There are ways in which we can minimize our contribution towards global warming. Here are a few tips for environmentally travelers.

• It’s nice to see far off lands and different culture but its worth considering the idea of exploring your own continent or county first. May be by the time you are done venturing your close by destinations, they would have come up with a ‘green’ source to take you farther away.

• If you do need to travel to a destination by plane; try exploring the country through less harmful means of travel. Take trains, buses or a car instead of taking domestic flights. Bicycles and own two feet are also a great way to explore, get an up, close and personal feel of the culture and meet the locals.

• There are organizations, businesses as well as charities, which help off-set the emissions caused by your journey for a contribution to their cause. Normally a one way flight from New york to Miami will result in 0.39 tonnes of CO2 emission and the cost to offset this CO2 will be around 6 dollars. These organizations can also help you become carbon neutral in other areas of your life like household and car etc. For more info visit sites like www.climatecare.org Mostly, these organizations either arrange for tree plantation or invest in sustainable energy and energy saving projects.

With close to one billion tourists traveling around the globe each year, the need is to find ways to bring our vacations in line with ecotourism. Plan your trip thoroughly and try to find locations that offer green travel opportunities, look for hotels that follow the basic rules of environment friendliness. Use public transport for sightseeing trips etc, or hire a hybrid car if you have to. Choosing a green destination would only make sense if it comes without the tag of heavy carbon emissions, not only from our trip there, but also in the way we choose to stay there and venture about. Travel and enjoy your travels as well, but make sure you leave only your footprints behind and not a long carbon trail.

The people of the Carteret Islands are about to make history, as they begin to leave their island to find a new home. Rising seas are making their atoll uninhabitable making land too salty to grow food and by gradually wasing the beaches on the small, sandy isalnds. When a suaitable home can be found they will start to leave. They are getting by now with the help of shipments of free rice from the Autonamous government of Bougainville.

United Nations Conference on Climate Change is the largest intergovernmental conference on climate control that was ever held throughout the history of humanity. Aside from explicit achievements, the largest accomplishment of the Conference is the acknowledgement of the emerging changes in the world arena. Globalization of markets and, as a consequence, global governance in both trade and services, privatization of the energy sector alongside with increasing role of private sector have forever changed the context in which environmental issues should be viewed.

Kyoto Accord or Kyoto Protocol is an amendment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that was negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, in December 1997 and was brought into force 90 days after Russian ratification. The amendment represents a new generation of environmental international relations and treaties adopted in the light of globalization. The major aim of Kyoto Accord is to impose control on economic activities related to energy production and foreign investment and in such way minimize the risks for environment. Under this agreement, countries are to reduce emission of greenhouse gases by 5.2%, whereas the long-term perspective is as much as 29% by 2010. The limits are imposed on 6 greenhouse gases: CO2, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride. The economic effects of Kyoto Accord have been an issue of prime concern within the last years and neither one of the parties is able to provide a definite solution as well as outline the potential results of implementation of the amendment. There are three mechanisms in Kyoto Accord that allow for worldwide implementation and are aimed at the environmental goals established by United Nations Conference on Climate Change. The mechanisms are also known as Kyoto Flexible Mechanisms: the Clean Development Mechanism, the Joint Implementation Mechanism, and the greenhouse gas emission trading.

The idea of emission trading is rooted in the concept of unity between countries with Kyoto targets. While every country will be assigned a certain limit within the period from 2008 until 2012, those who do not meet the established quota can sell the leftover amount to countries who emit too much of greenhouse gas. European Union went further; it established specific quotas on CO2 emissions for as much as 11,500 energy intensive plants that are located on the territory of members of EU.

The remaining two mechanisms, Clean Development and Joint Implementation, are aimed to reduce emission of greenhouse gases in other countries. Industrialized countries as part of their long-term plan to achieve reduction in emission of greenhouse gases are to run projects abroad, whereas the results are counted towards their own reduction achievements. While Joint Implementation allow for project implementation on the territory of countries with Kyoto targets, Clean Development is aimed at reductions on the territories of developing countries. By implementing two mechanisms United Nations stimulates reduction in gas emission by transferring technologies to developing countries and developing unity between countries with Kyoto targets. While Joint Implementation will be put in force only in 2008, the Clean Development Mechanism is already successfully functioning since 2000.

The Montreal meeting of the United Nations on Climate Change in 2005 finalized the details of Kyoto Protocol. The 11th Conference on Climate Change was held from 28 November to 9 December. During the Conference 40 decisions regarding long-term cooperative actions and detailed guidance for countries with Kyoto targets have been adopted. Marrakech Accords that is generally referred to as the “Kyoto Rulebook” is considered to be one of the most important accomplishments. The “Rulebook” allows the formal implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. While industrialized countries have started a cooperative action to address the climate change, all members have agreed to proceed with an open dialogue. Basically, on the Montreal Conference implementation of the Kyoto Protocol was ensured. There also were held parallel events touching the following major themes: understanding and preparation for the change, showcasing solutions and sharing best practices, raising awareness and cultural events