"Stand And Deliver" Says GLOBE To G-8 On Climate

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GLOBE International is composed of eminent scientists and legislators with a global view on climate change, and they have clout with heads of state, current, former and aspiring. President Obama, Senator McCain, Tony Blair and many other luminaries have endorsed GLOBE, spoken to them and generally take GLOBE fairly seriously.
Their mission:

• GLOBE is the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment founded in 1989.

• GLOBE facilitates high level negotiated policy positions from leading legislators from across the G8+5 parliaments and from regional dialogues which are informed by business leaders and key international experts.

• GLOBE's objective is to support ambitious political leadership on issues of climate and energy security, land-use change and ecosystems and economic and population growth. Internationally, GLOBE is focused on progressive leadership from G8 leaders and the leaders of the major emerging economies as well as formal negotiations within the United Nations. GLOBE has a particular interest in the role that International Financial Institutions can play.

• GLOBE shadows the formal G8 negotiations and allows legislators to work together outside the formal international negotiations. Without the burden of formal governmental negotiating positions, legislators have the freedom to push the boundaries of what can be politically achieved.

• At an international level GLOBE consists of senior cross-party members of parliament from all G8 countries and the +5 countries of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. Also, GLOBE facilitates regional policy dialogues amongst legislators within the Americas Region (North & South America), Europe (West & Eastern Europe), Asia and Africa.

• Importantly, GLOBE’s discussions can be translated into policies and practical solutions through legislation both at the national, regional and international level. Legislators also have a critical role to play in holding their own governments to account for the commitments that are made during international negotiations.

As global warming is, well, global, it makes sense that global solutions and perspectives are pressed into service. Right? After all, good science dialog is now global, which is why we know we even have a global warming problem in the first place.

GLOBE thinks internationally as well, and is not given to mincing the climate problem or solutions. The group sent out a volley today to press the powerful G-8 rich countries on climate, as they are meeting soon. Perhaps the G-8 can begin to agree on things that matter with Obama at the table.

This action by a shadow government group is good news after a difficult week watching a real government water down key points in the H.R. 2454 Waxman Markey climate bill in the U.S. On the optimistic side, there is a slew of confusing legislation on climate change issuing from both sides of the U.S. Congress, as Grist faithfully reports. Confusing and multiple bills on climate change is a better place to be in that repression of climate science, as was the case in the last Administration. Do we need a new U.S. GLOBE with an international perspective to help sort all of this out and shadow our own government? I think we do.

Source: eenews.net/climate wire

"Scientists and lawmakers from around the globe have seized upon a meeting in Italy next month between President Obama and the leaders of seven other industrialized nations as a possible turning point for global climate change treaty talks.

Today, a group of 100 environmentally active legislators called on the Group of Eight industrialized nations, or G-8, to "stand and deliver on climate change" when they get to Italy. Meanwhile, the world science academies urged industrialized nations to guide the world toward a future with fewer fossil fuels and said G-8 action should spur the change.

Mike Clegg, foreign secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, said the G-8 is an important forum for the climate community to make their voices heard.

"These are, of course, the leading global economies, and they're the ones adding the most carbon dioxide to the atmosphere," Clegg said in a telephone interview with E&E. "They're actually the key players."

The international group of lawmakers organized by the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, or GLOBE, leans hard on developed countries. It demands that the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan and the European Union both set an aggregate midterm emissions target and create a $2 billion fund to help poor nations cope with climate change impacts..."
Read entire story at Headline.