G20Voice

On Friday, 9-25-09 I participated in the Mass Meditation for Peace in Schenley Park, watched Obama summarize what went on behind closed doors at the Convention Center, and attended the Michael Froman press conference at the August Wilson Center. For an interview with Peace Meditation organizer Sarah Bauer, my take on Obama’s speech and on the press conference, photos and original video by Jessica Silver visit http://pittsburghalphatoomega.com/mass-meditation-for-peace-obamas-speech-michael-froman-press-conference/

On Friday, I had the opportunity to listen to Pennsylvania Governor Rendell talk about Pennsylvania’s green initiatives. The governor addressed the bloggers and NGO representatives stationed at the August Wilson Center during the G20 in Pittsburgh.

Young activists from the Avaaz Action Factory joined the mass “People’s March” into downtown Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon, not far from the site of the G20 Summit, after holding their own climate-focused march in the morning. Their Twitter-friendly slogan is “G20 Climate FAIL,” criticizing what they say has been a lack of action toward a global climate treaty.

On Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama formally announced that the world’s 20 major developed and developing nations had agreed to gradually eliminate fossil-fuel subsidies. It was the only climate-specific policy directive to come out of the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Pittsburgh, and it fell far short in the view of climate activists, who were hoping for a firm proposal on “climate finance”—G20 aid to poor nations for help in adapting to and mitigating climate change.

Climate activists were underwhelmed by what came out of this week’s Group of 20 summit in Pittsburgh in the way of formal climate change commitments.
True, the heads of state of the 20 leading developed and developing economies agreed to phase out fossil fuel subsidies “in the medium term.” But they couldn’t come to a consensus on climate finance — aid from richer nations to poorer, directed at adapting to and mitigating the impacts of global warming.

What do Brazil, Mexico, China, India, and South Africa have in common? They’re all developing countries meeting in Pittsburgh this week that have plans for addressing their emissions and dealing with Climate Change.

The world’s most upstanding corporate citizens, like Halliburton, Monsanto, and ExxonMobil, take climate change seriously. It’s a serious opportunity for profit. That’s why, in addition to spending millions to perpetuate the energy, environmental, and subsidy policies that sustain their ongoing operations, they’ve created this “gated community for one” — the SurvivaBall.

Last night at Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, Teresa Heinz read a message from her husband, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), that set the gala crowd to cheering: He and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) will introduce a climate bill in the Senate next Wednesday.

After three days of an all-climate schedule in New York City, featuring Tuesday’s all-day United Nations Climate Summit, I’m now in Pittsburgh to cover the meeting of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies. My thanks to Grist and G20Voice for helping me to be here.

Given that the heads of state chewed over global warming at the United Nations Climate Summit on Tuesday, where will climate figure into tomorrow’s G20 agenda of meetings?

At 1:30 am on September 21, Lawrenceville’s Cyberpunk Apocalypse writers collective was harassed by a large contingent of shotgun-wielding police, apparently part of a series of pre-summit “shows of force” which also targeted the Landslide Community Farm and Seeds of Peace. Apocalypse owner and futurian Daniel McCloskey says police told him the Apocalypse was ‘on a list’.

Mp3s of my interview with Daniel can be downloaded from Pittsburgh Alpha to Omega or streamed from G20 Bed & Breakfast.