Photographing environmental issues for a sustainable future.
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A Time for Regrowing
A full month has passed since the major earthquake that rocked Haiti and devastated its people. In its wake, much of the world has shifted its focus to the need for aid and relief for Haiti’s survivors. The need for basic necessities – food, water, secure shelter – remains critical.
Equally critical is a vision for Haiti’s future … and as part of that vision, a sharp focus on the country’s environmental state. Haiti suffers one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world, thanks in large part to the need for energy (Haitians cut and burn trees in “raw” form or turn the wood into charcoal). Wood accounts for more than 70 percent of all fuel consumed in the island nation … but with fewer than 100,000 acres of forest remaining, Haiti’s deforestation problem is poised to become yet another crisis for the country.
Satellite image depicting the border between Haiti (left)
and the Dominican Republic (right), 2002.
Deforestation is a serious problem anywhere – but particularly alarming when you consider the effects in a region that has in recent years suffered several natural disasters. Without trees creating any sort of a natural barrier or holding soil in place, flooding, mudslides and landslides become severe threats, impacting everything from infrastructure to agriculture.
While we’re currently supporting relief efforts underway in Haiti , we haven’t lost sight or passion for the reforestation project we’re undertaking with our partner Yele Haiti. In fact, the current state of affairs reaffirms our commitment to helping rebuild the country, one tree at a time.
Stay tuned for more details of our reforestation projects, in Haiti as well as other regions of the world
Young Rally Through The 11th Hour
Any "adult" who laments today’s youth are apathetic, uninvolved and politically disinterested hasn’t been reading his or her newspaper. Every paper, whether The New York Times or China’s Reference News, is covering the massive outpouring of youth energy and activism convening in Copenhagen.
The city is packed–absolutely packed–with young people from around the world, many crashing on friend’s couches, in local hostels or, worse, sleeping outside in frigid temperatures in hopes of influencing these last few hours of United Nations Climate Negotiations. Although some have clashed in protests with Danish police , the majority are rallying peacefully and remaining hopeful through the 11th hour.
Check out our recent video on the diversity of YOUTH ACTIVISM in Copenhagen . . .
Week 2: The Brass Tracks
by Gabriel London
It’s week 2 of the Copenhagen Climate Conference and the Bella Center has never been more crowded. Copenhagen Dispatch with Olivia Zaleski #4 marks a new chapter in our coverage because we get into the brass tacks of negotiation: developed vs. developing nations. The conclusion of this conversation in Copenhagen will either yield us a deal or come up short. And your voices – dear viewers – can make all the difference.
As we began the week, with the protest fresh in our minds , we thought we would find a story inside the Bella Center that pitted the developing world against the rich nations like the US and UK. What we uncovered along the way , however, was not so much an insurmountable divide between the rich and poor nations, but instead a unifying bridge, embodied by Ed Milliband , head negotiator for the UK, and Ambassador Dessima Williams , UN representative from Grenada and chairwoman of the much discussed bloc of island nations, AOSIS (Alliance of Small Island States ).
We’re hitting the home stretch and word is that Hillary Clinton herself will be here to lend the US its strongest negotiating hand . We gonna chronicle it up to the end (well, almost, because it seems we’re headed home Friday as Obama arrives!).
Copenhagen is buzzing. Stay tuned for all that’s left to come . . .
STAY EDUCATED!
FOR MORE ON: – The Struggle Faced by Small Island Nations visit this recent collection of videos and reporting featured on: The Huffington Post .
And for Ed Miliband and the UK’s Ambition for a Global Deal in Copenhagen visit: actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk .
Boston Globe! Thanks for the Shout.
Well this is nice! One of my favorite newspapers, "The Boston Globe," is apparently excited about the work Gabriel and I are doing. This morning, Globe staff touted our COP15 coverage in the popular "business minutes" section, saying . . .
Timberland Co. , the trendy New Hampshire cobbler, is dabbling in the
news business, featuring a series of reports on the United Nations
Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen at a special website,
www.earthkeeper.com/ActionCenter.
Timberland prides itself on having a social conscience, and its
Copenhagen reports are tied into its current "Don’t Tell Us It Can’t
Be Done" campaign, which encourages citizens to challenge their
political leaders on emissions standards.
Timberland said its Copenhagen initiative is featuring reports by
Olivia Zaleski, "green correspondent" of "The Business of Green" on CNN
and Gabriel London, a documentary filmmaker and writer.
In a press release, Timberland said, "For the next two weeks, Olivia
and Gabriel will be sharing the view from Copenhagen through videos
and blog posts, interviews with key leaders attending the conference,
and coverage of key events."
To read the full "Globe and Mail" article, click here .
“COPENHAGEN” TOPS GOOGLE TRENDS
This is interesting!
Yesterday, the word “COPENHAGEN” became the most searched term on Google, beating out–you betcha–”Tiger Woods” et al. Looks like the world IS, in fact, interested in the issues of climate change and–more specifically–the events going down, right here at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP15.
According to our friends at Treehugger.com, “Copenhagen” beat out “Woods” then jostled between the first and second seed of the most searched terms in the world. Woods
Also in Google’s Top Ten yesterday, “EPA” and today I noticed “nasa climate change,” in Google’s Top Five. Versions of “summit copenhagen” “climate copenhagen,” “climate change copenhagen,” and “COP15.”
Treehugger’s Brian Merchant, who first noticed the trending terms, posted the below graph yesterday. It shows the activity of some of the top search terms . . . blue represents “copenhagen;” red is for “global warming;” orange = “climate change” and green is the term “climategate.” Take a closer look though . . . as Brian first noted, except in the case of “climategate,” queries have spiked sharply since Monday, when the conference commenced.
INTERESTING, what do you think that means . . .
But of course, the real news here is that people–all over the world–care about climate change. And Brian certainly says it best with his concluding statement, “if anything can surpass a scandal of Tiger Woods’ proportions, it’s over 180 nations working together to build a roadmap to re-stabilize our natural world.” Amen.
Thanks for the Shout HuffPo
Check out our recent shout out from The Huffington Post . Here’s what they had to say or read the whole post here on Huffington Post’s Green website . . .
There are so many pieces to the puzzle of what is happening at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. As countries come to the talks with different concerns and unique challenges there is much at stake.
These fantastic videos–created by Gabriel London of Found Object Films , in partnership with the UN Foundation , TckTckTck and Timberland’s EarthKeeper Network , show what is at stake in these negotiations.
Huffington Post blogger and environmental journalist Olivia Zaleski reports.
The campaign encourages viewers to get involved by signing a petition urging leaders to take action in by setting emissions targets. You can sign the online petition at donttellusitcantbedone.com or go to the Earthkeepers website to join the discussion and stay informed through regular dispatches from Gabriel and Olivia.
