Conservation organisations have warned that the Copenhagen climate treaty threatens to subsidise the destruction of the world's remaining rainforests instead of financing their protection.

At the end of treaty negotiations in Bangkok on 8 October the European Union blocked language to prevent conversion of natural forests to plantations. Without the safeguard, industrial-scale logging and replacement of tropical forests with pulp or palm oil plantations could be funded by money intended to help developing countries reduce the 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation, forest degradation and peatland destruction.

Update 2 Nov: European Union sets back Forest Negotiation, threatens Copenhagen Deal | Climate Defenders Camp established to preserve Indonesian Rainforest Peatlands

OUR CLIMATE NOT YOUR BUSINESS! For over 1.5 hours, hundreds of corporate lobbyists wishing to attend the annual Business Europe conference were prevented from entering the Charlemagne building this morning. The Climate action group Climate Alarm!, consisting of activists from Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Germany, blocked the main entrance to the conference.
Photos on Flickr | Video: blockade in Brussels by climate activists halts European Business Conference

Environmental activists, some dressed as “Trillionaires for Bad Math” today delivered a “climate bill” to Copenhagen, ahead of schedule.  The mock “bill” was delivered at a 3 pm lecture at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs hosted by Danish Climate and Energy minister Connie Hedegaard. Hedegaard is the chairperson of the UN climate summit to be held in Copenhagen this December, where many hope that a strong global climate agreement will be signed.

In an act of civil disobedience against the highly destructive coal mining practice of Mountain Top removal, NASA climate scientist James Hansen, actor Darryl Hannah, and Michael Brune from the Rainforest Network were arrested along with 28 other people at Coal River Mountain in West Virginia reports the Rainforest Action Network.

Related Websites: Coal River Mountain Watch | Mountain Justice | ilovemountains.org | Videos on Fluxview on Mountaintop Removal | James Hansen's A Plea To President Obama: End Mountaintop Coal Mining | U.S.: "Stars" come out at Coal River

"Over 30 young activists converged on the cafeteria, cleverly wearing
the suit-and-tie disguise that is customary there, and doing nothing
out of the ordinary until at precisely 12:15 pm they froze like
statues. Where groups of ‘mobbers’ stood close together, frozen,
reaching for ketchup, adjusting glasses, adjusting a hair clip, paused
mid-stride etc, the effect was striking. At the end of two minutes of
stillness one member of the ‘mob’ yelled out tick, tick, tick, a catch
cry of Tck Tck Tck a global campaign for urgent climate action run by
the Global Humanitarian Forum and supported by a broad coalition of
climate groups."

"Following this signal, the flash mob raised its voice in unison, crying
out  “The world can’t wait any longer. The ACES bill must be stronger.
Solve climate change now.” Instantly the group dispersed distributing
playing cards (all aces) throughout the cafeteria with the message “The
world needs better. Make ACES stronger. Strengthen and pass HR2454.”

Full report on It's getting Hot in here Blog | Video on Youtube 

On June 13, 2009 thousands of people around Australia rallied for action on Climate Change, calling for 100% renewable energy by 2020 and demanding that Australia must make the shift from fossil fuels to wind, solar and other available renewable technologies. Rallies were held in capital cities around Australia, with people siting down outside Kevin Rudd's city office in Sydney and a sitdown protest in front of the Melbourne Town Hall where the Victorian State ALP conference was ocurring.


Perth Indymedia | Melbourne - Greenlivingpedia Report, Photos 1, Photos 2, Rally Video, Damien Lawson video | Sydney Youtube Video | Brisbane Report

"Switch off Coal and Switch on Renewables" was the very clear message being sent to State and Federal Governments in Australia this Earth Hour by community climate activists who occupied Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley on Saturday March 28.  View the video | Switch Off Hazelwood Blog

Coal to action: Join us March 2 as we protest a coal-fired power plant near Capitol Hill

[Also see: http://www.capitolclimateaction.org/ ]

This is a letter to colleagues from Bill McKibben, scholar in residence at Middlebury College, a director of Grist.org, and co-founder of 350.org, and Wendell Berry, farmer, critic, and prolific author.

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