Move ball forward at Cancun climate talks

(CNN) -- The next round of international climate meetings begin Monday in Cancun, Mexico, and they will likely determine the future for global action on climate change -- including whether the United Nations will remain at the core of an international regime.
It's been nearly a year since the Copenhagen, Denmark, climate summit, and negotiations over implementation of the climate change deal it produced have dragged on with little to show.
They've been slowed by the failure of a climate bill in the U.S. Senate, the global economic recession and increasing gridlock between the United States and China. Around the world, heads of state have been reluctant to provide crucial leadership needed for a breakthrough.
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We need a significant turnaround to show that real progress is possible. In football terms, it's the two-minute warning, and we just got the ball on our opponent's 20-yard line.
There is ever-mounting evidence that our climate is changing. Leading authorities, including the National Academy of Sciences (the top scientific academy in the United States) have reconfirmed the risks of climate change, and the role of man-made greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, in altering our atmosphere.
Against this backdrop, negotiators in Cancun must get in the game.
Why does it matter what a bunch of diplomats do at a Mexican beach resort?

Working for a climate treaty

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Emissions are global and their effects are global. Left unchecked, global warming will affect countries from low-lying island nations, such as the Maldives, to arid countries in sub-Saharan Africa, to industrial leaders, such as the United States. Just think of the raging wildfires in Russia, massive flooding in Pakistan, droughts in the Amazon and the record heat waves along the Eastern United States.
Competition for clean energy markets is also global. In 2009, China became the world's leader in energy consumption. The United States is now second. While India, with a population of 1.17 billion people, ranks fourth.
www.undpi.org
Demand for energy will continue to grow, and with it increased pressure and new markets for cheaper, cleaner energy sources. In this arena, the United States is falling behind as other countries, such as China, charge ahead.
The picture is clear and action is necessary. Yet the path forward has been mired in the economic downturn and political gamesmanship.
Following are four keys to the upcoming climate meetings:
• U.S.-China dynamics. These two countries, the world's two largest carbon emitters, must find a way to work together toward progress. The United States and other developed countries have called on China to demonstrate greater transparency.
While China has been proceeding with its plan to slow its carbon emissions -- that is, to reduce its carbon intensity (its carbon emissions per unit of gross domestic product) by 40 percent to 45 percent by 2020 compared with the 2005 level -- countries are looking to ensure these actions are internationally verifiable.
For its part, China has called on the U.S. to increase its emissions reduction commitments. The United States has stated it will reduce its emissions by 17 percent by 2020, compared with 2005 levels, yet it is not clear whether the U.S. is serious about meeting this target since comprehensive climate and energy legislation died in the Senate this year.
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Neither side will get all that it wants, but they must move toward common ground and finding solutions, or else there is no hope for getting other key countries on board.
• Major emerging economies and the European Union. South Africa and Brazil will host upcoming major climate conferences and should have a strong interest in making a breakthrough happen. Similarly, countries in the EU already have played leadership roles and can be influential.
These countries in particular should play a more assertive role and take risks. Over the past months, these countries have been locked in their positions when they should be coming forward to work on a common set of solutions.
• Meeting financial commitments. One of the most positive developments from Copenhagen was the agreement that developed countries would provide "fast start" financial support to developing countries to help them in cutting their emissions and adapting to climate change.
Developed countries committed $30 billion at Copenhagen. These commitments have not been fully realized, including those of the United States. Countries need to follow through on their financial commitments and to develop the mechanism -- including a common accounting system and greater transparency -- to ensure that these funds are available to the countries that need them.
• U.S. domestic action. With climate legislation stalled in Congress, the world is wondering if the United States is serious about cutting its carbon pollution. Analysis by the World Resources Institute shows the United States can move forward with reducing its emissions, mostly through the existing authority of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state action.
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As a demonstration of its commitment, President Obama should reconfirm that the United States will meet its declared goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020.
Together, these steps would jump-start action and show that world leaders are serious about tackling this issue. The clock is ticking. We need to start moving the ball forward.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Jonathan Lash.

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South Korea buries marines killed by N Korea attack

The two marines were killed when North Korea fired dozens of artillery shells at Yeonpyeong Island

Telegraph.co.uk

South Korea has held funerals for the two marines killed when North Korea fired artillery shells at the South's Yeonpyeong island earlier this week.

In a service broadcast nationwide, the marines' commander vowed "thousand-fold revenge" for the attack.
Two civilians also died in the incident - one of the worst clashes since the end of the Korean War.
Tension is high, with the North calling planned US-Southern military drills on Sunday an "unpardonable provocation".
The US has called on China to increase its pressure on Pyongyang to prevent further incidents.
China has said its "top priority" is to keep the situation under control. Beijing has begun a series of talks with Washington, Seoul and Pyongyang in an attempt to ease the tensions.
Flag burned
www.bbc.co.uk 
The funeral for marines Seo Jeong-woo and Moon Kwang-wook was held at a military hospital in Seongnam, close to the capital, Seoul.

Military veterans protested in Seoul, demanding revenge on the North

Hundreds of government and military officials, politicians, religious leaders, activists and civilians attended.
Among them were Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and Maj Gen You Nak-jun, the head of the marine corps.
"We'll certainly repay North Korea a thousand-fold for killing and harming our marines," said Gen You.
"South Korean active-duty marines and all reserve forces will engrave this anger and hostility in our bones and we will make sure we take revenge on North Korea."
timeszambiapost.com
Officials and relatives placed white flowers on the two coffins draped in the South Korean flag. Marines sang as the coffins were carried out.
Elsewhere in Seoul, 1,000 South Korean military veterans protested, burning the North Korean flag and portraits of Pyongyang's leaders. The protesters shouted slogans demanding revenge and condemning the North's "atrocity".
'Uncontrollable'
www.manchesterwired.co.uk 
The four South Koreans died on Tuesday when the North launched a sudden barrage of shells at Yeonpyeong island, close to the maritime border between the two countries.

The attack led to the South replacing its defence minister and evacuating most of the island's civilian population.
The new Defence Minister Kim Kwan-jin said on Saturday that tougher action was needed against the North.
"We need to deal with North Korea's provocations strongly. We need to hit back multiple times as hard."
Pyongyang said it had been provoked by the South's military exercises, which were being carried out close to Yeonpyeong.
www.english.rfi.fr
By-BBC

Save the tigers

www.savethetigerfund.org
(CNN) -- How much would it cost to save tigers from extinction in the wild? Thirty-five million more dollars a year.
Some perspective on this amount: Thirty-five million dollars is less than soccer star David Beckham earns annually. Surely, a world that sustains great athletes with princely sums can also afford to save this princely beast.
It's zero hour for tigers. In the past century, the world's wild tiger population has fallen by a staggering 97 percent -- from an estimated 100,000 to an all-time low of 3,200 animals. Of these, only 1,000 are breeding females.
Tigers are threatened across their entire range, from India to the Russian Far East. They face a triple threat: Poachers kill them for their pelts and body parts, hunters kill their prey, and development encroaches on their habitat.
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Tiger extinction would be the stuff of great tragedy. But hopes for averting such disaster may emerge from a summit happening this week in St. Petersburg, Russia. Called together by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, conservationists, donors and leaders of all 13 tiger range states may decide the fate of tigers in the wild.
The Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners in big cat conservation have devised a strategy that offers the summit a practical plan of action to reverse the decline of tigers and put the population on a course for recovery. (This is where the $35 million comes in; more on that in a moment.)
www.saveourtigers.com
This fall, the Wildlife Conservation Society published a peer-reviewed study identifying 42 "source sites" across the natural range of tigers in Asia, where viable populations of breeding tigers now exist.
The paper was co-authored by conservationists from organizations including the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Global Environment Facility, Panthera, the World Bank and numerous other partners. The study suggests that managing and financing activities like law enforcement and training in these breeding areas will protect tiger populations and allow them to repopulate larger landscapes.
Implementing this plan would be straightforward. Instead of spreading conservation efforts thinly across large landscapes, the focus would shift to source sites. These are where 70 percent of the world's tigers live in just 6 percent of their current range. For example, there are 18 source sites in India, eight in Indonesia, six in Russia, three in both Malaysia and Nepal, two in Thailand and one in both Laos and Bangladesh. Protecting these sites would halt the decline in tigers and allow populations to recover.
www.savechinastigers.org
Can it be done? In fact, something similar is being done in southwest India in one of the most densely populated places on earth. In the Western Ghats of Karnataka sits Nagarahole National Park, where the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Indian government and local communities have worked together for 20 years, joining first-rate science to public action.
Trained enforcement teams have deployed to protect both tigers and their prey from such threats as poaching and habitat loss. Voluntary resettlement to shift people away from protected areas and the cooperation of those who live in local villages have meant a 400 percent increase in tiger numbers from fewer than 20 to nearly 70.
Evidence of range state commitment to the strategy on the table at the summit is clear. More than half the $82 million that would be required for the effort each year is already committed by governments, international donors and non-governmental organizations.
But there is still a $35 million annual shortfall, and this is all that stands between the tiger and its two possible futures: extinction or robust survival across Asia.
www.elvidge.com
The hopes and risks could not be clearer at the St. Petersburg summit. Putin and other world leaders can leave a great legacy. In our collective role as stewards of our planet, we cannot fail.

New Zealand mine: 'No survivors' after second blast

 www.bbc.co.uk
All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand coal pit since Friday are believed to be dead after a second explosion.

Police Supt Gary Knowles said there was no hope that anyone could have survived the "massive" underground blast at the Pike River mine on South Island.
Prime Minister John Key said the loss of life was a national tragedy.
There had been no contact with the men - 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African - since the first explosion on Friday.
The Britons were Peter Roger, 40, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, who were both originally from Scotland.
The mayor of Greymouth, the town nearest the mine, said the miners' families were in "absolute despair" after hearing of the news.
'Still hoping' Supt Knowles, who was leading the rescue operation, said there had been another explosion at 1437 local time (0137 GMT) inside the mine.
www.channel4.com

"It is our belief that no-one has survived and everyone will have perished," he told reporters.

"I was at the mine myself when this actually occurred and the blast was horrific, just as severe as the first blast and we're currently now moving into recovery phase,"
"This is one of the most tragic things I have had to do as a police officer."
Rescuers had been preparing to go into the mine on Wednesday, but information suggested the levels of methane gas were too high.
www.heraldsun.com.au
Shortly afterwards, the second explosion happened. It was larger and stronger than Friday's blast, and lasted about 30 seconds, officials said.
The chief executive of Pike River Coal, Peter Whittall, said it would make every effort to retrieve the bodies of the men.

"We want our boys back and we want to get them out," he told reporters.
By-BBC

Volcano death toll climbs to 44

 articles.cnn.com
 Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano belched a steady stream of gas and ash Thursday, unleashing a pair of powerful eruptions into the morning sky, as disaster officials announced five more people had died.

The hot clouds hovered over Central Java, rising up to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) and then drifting to the south toward Kali Gendol, Kali Kuning, Kali Boyong, Kali Krasak, Kali Bedok, according to the Indonesian Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Disaster Agency.
www.forbes.com
The plume from Merapi has gone on almost unabated since midday Wednesday, the agency said.

Mount Merapi's lava and ash have killed at least 44 people and injured dozens more since it began erupting on October 26. Nearly 75,000 people have been evacuated, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Board.
www.allvoices.com
Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN)

Facebook (mobile domination)

  Facebook has set out a strategy it hopes will make it as dominant in mobiles as it is in social networks.
www.bbc.co.uk
At the heart of its plans is making the mobile phone a more social experience and offering shopping discounts.

The company announced the opportunity for businesses to offer deals to users via their phone.

Facebook also revealed plans for a single sign-on that lets users log in to other phone applications with their Facebook name and password.

Third party developers are also being offered the chance to add a social layer to their applications, the company said at an event at its Palo Alto offices.
www.myoffshorecompanies.com
The bid to combine "mobile, social, local" comes as the number of phones proliferate throughout the world.

More than 200 million people are now using Facebook across various mobile platforms, with the company claiming that this is bigger than the iPhone or Android user base.

A year ago, the social networking giant had 65 million mobile users.

Mobile users are also twice as active on Facebook as people who are logging on via personal computers.
techsling.com
"There is obviously a lot of change in the mobile space and also a revolution happening in the social space," said Mark Zuckerberg, cofounder of Facebook.
www.knowyourcell.com

Dalai Lama Effect

edition.cnn.com
 Countries whose top leadership meet with the Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, lose on average 8.1 percent in exports to China in the two years following the meeting, according to a recent study.

Called the "Dalai Lama Effect," the study by the University of Gottingen in Germany found the negative impact on exports began when President Hu Jintao took office in 2002.

The study is the first empirical analysis demonstrating the economic consequence of such meetings. Machinery and transportation equipment exports suffered the most consistent negative impact, following meetings with the 14th Dalai Lama, according to study authors Andreas Fuchs and Nils-Hendrik Klann.
www.voxeu.org
"We wanted to find out the impact of the rising role of China in the world ... to find out what we should expect of China's role in the world in the coming years," researcher Fuchs told CNN. "It is clear that politics has played a huge role in China's commercial relationships."
Beijing, China (CNN)
www.marginalrevolution.com

Karzai confirms report of cash payments from Iran

By-BBC
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has acknowledged that his office has received cash from Iran, but insists it was part of a "transparent" process.
Mr Karzai was responding to a report in the New York Times that Tehran had been passing bags stuffed full of cash to Mr Karzai's aides.

www.bbc.co.uk
The cash was intended to promote Iran's interests in Kabul, the report said.

Speaking at a news conference, he said many countries had given money to Afghanistan in this way, including the US.

"The government of Iran has been assisting us with five or six or seven hundred thousand euros once or twice every year, that is an official aid," he told reporters, according to the AFP agency.

He said his chief of staff, Umar Daudzai, "is receiving the money on my instructions".
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"The cash payments are done by various friendly countries to help the presidential office and to help dispense assistance... in various ways to the employees around here, to people outside, and this is transparent," he said.

"This is something that I have also discussed... at Camp David with President Bush. This is nothing hidden.

"We are grateful for the Iranian help in this regard. The United States is doing the same thing, they're providing cash to some of our offices."

The New York Times report said that last August, at the end of an official visit to Iran by Mr Karzai, a large bag of euro notes had been passed to Mr Daudzai by Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan, Feda Hussein Maliki.
www.afghanconflictmonitor.org
It was part of a "secret, steady stream of Iranian cash to buy the loyalty of Mr Daudzai and promote Iran's interests in the presidential palace", the report said, citing Afghan and Western officials.

The officials alleged that the payments, totalling millions of dollars, had been used to pay Afghan politicians, tribal elders and even Taliban commanders to secure their loyalty.

"It's basically a presidential slush fund," one Western official is quoted as saying.
Report 'ridiculous'

On Monday, the Iranian embassy in Kabul strongly denied the report, describing the claims as "ridiculous and insulting".
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"Such baseless speculations are being spread by some Western media outlets in order to confuse public opinion and damage the strong ties between the governments and nations of the Islamic republics of Afghanistan and Iran," a statement said.

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Kabul says that although such cash payments may look suspicious, Afghanistan's financial systems are very basic and many foreign governments often hand over cash.

However, he adds that Iran's involvement in Afghanistan makes many of Kabul's international partners uneasy, and the cash payments will raise the question of what Tehran wants in return for its money.
www.earthtimes.org