During the recent UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen our world leaders failed to agree on a climate deal. But we all know it’s not only up to them and there are plenty of things that we mere mortals can do to make an impact on climate change. As consumers, we need to take responsibilility for our own actions. Here’s one way to do something – do 30!

The ‘I do 30′ campaign encourages people across the world to turn down the temperature on their laundry to reduce co2.

Visit their website to find out more about the campaign and become a member of their Facebook group to join the other 12,000 supporters of the ‘I do 30′ campaign to see what positive impact you can have on our planet.

This is a guest post by Dr Gary Robertshaw of The Green Providers Directory.

The prospects for the emergence of a genuinely sustainable global economy have been given fresh impetus with the election of Barack Obama, extending beyond the well intentioned rhetoric characteristic of new administrations. I think we can be optimistic for several reasons.

Firstly, it signals a radical departure from the previous administration’s policy of denial, apathy and denigration of science. Gone too is the unthinkable prospect of Sarah Palin presiding over US energy policy, whose ignorance on scientific and environmental matters are truly breathtaking.

Secondly, the Obama administration does not regard sustainable energy investment as ‘nice to have but not during a recession’. In particular, there is a stark recognition that a reversion to old coal mining technology and a reliance on foreign oil are not in the US’s long-term economic or international interests. Investment in sustainable projects is seen as a growth opportunity that will contribute to (i.e. not dilute) the US economy, creating new jobs and new technologies. For example, the Obama administration aims to create five million new jobs by strategically investing $150 billion over the next ten years to catalyse private efforts to build a clean energy future. It has also set a target of 10% of US electricity from renewable sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025.

Thirdly, US environmental and energy policies have ramifications far beyond its borders. The old adage that when the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold applies not just to financial markets, but also to the global environment. As the largest contributor to global emissions, its commitment to developing renewable energy sources, cutting back on fossil fuels (which should concurrently reduce its involvement in foreign conflicts) and investment in sustainable living will naturally have the largest impact whilst encouraging other nations to follow suit. More specifically, the new administration seeks to eliminate its current imports from the Middle East and Venezuela within 10 years.

Of course the Obama administration will be criticised by both sides. The oil industry, loggers, car manufacturers, arms industry, et al will claim that his ambitions are unrealistic, and that they will cost jobs – they will use lobbying, corporate influence and every tactic available to undermine him (expect to see Bush’s involvement here too). On the other side, he will be condemned by the doom mongers as doing too little too late.

The transition from the world’s worst polluter to a leading, sustainable economy will not happen overnight. Old infrastructure, corporate inertia and scepticism, vested interests and general apathy will slow down progress. However, green campaigners, long frustrated by the Bush years, now have cause to be imbued with real optimism.

Photo credit: jurvetson

Another top story from the Real News.

There’s just one week left to vote on who deserves the Worst EU Lobbying Award for 2008, and the nominees are:

The agrofuels lobby (including MPOC, Unica and Abengoa) – nominated for their misleading campaigns to promote agrofuels as green;
The European Alliance for Access to Safe Medicines (EAASM) – nominated for hiding the involvement of big pharma corporations in their campaigns;
The European Business and Parliament Scheme (EBPS) – nominated for abusing their location and lobbying from inside Parliament offices;
Brussels-based lobbying and PR agencies Gplus and Aspect Consulting – nominated for supporting the spread of war propaganda in the recent conflict between Russia and Georgia;
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) – nominated for its deceptive lobbying campaign to avoid CO2 reduction obligations in the aviation sector.

See how the nominees reacted to their nominations here:

Vote now!

Watch this, you’ll like it. It gave me goosebumps.

[via: ecorazzi]

In just a few weeks time, MPs will vote on the Climate Change Bill and this is your final opportunity to have a say in what the UK’s response to climate change will be. You can do this by asking your MP to support amendments committing us to emissions cuts of at least 80% by 2050, and for the majority of cuts to be made in the UK. Click here to email your MP.

We know climate change is happening now.
We know we are reaching major global environmental tipping points.
We know we may lose control of global warming without tough commitments.
We demand that our political leaders make the right decisions. – WWF

“The German Atomic Forum took advantage of the public’s concern about climate change to promote nuclear energy,” says Ulrich Mueller from LobbyControl. “The one-sided ads use idyllic pictures of nature to gain public acceptance of longer lifespans for old nuclear power plants, ignoring the associated risks. The victory of the German Atomic Forum for worst greenwash shows that the public will not be conned by these attempts to gain unwarranted green credentials.”

The Worst EU Greenwash Award was a special award attached to the Worst EU Lobbying Awards. The winners of the lobbying awards went to BMW, Daimler and Porsche for attempting to delay and water-down the EU mandatory targets for CO2 emissions from cars.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.

A load of dead important people from all over the world are flying to a place called Bali.

They are going to talk for ages about if we should do enough to save the climate. They will decide if loads and loads of people in Africa and other places might die, lose their homes, animals, plants and stuff. And this is all bicause of how many trees are chopped down, and how much stuff we dig out of the ground and burn, to make dirty enregy from. This makes bad gas escape which traps the heat of the sun, making the planet hotter. I don’t think people, animals and plants should be dying bicause of that.

A campaign by enoughsenough.com.

Advertisement: Reduce your CO2 footprint by as much as 2 tonnes/year & save up to £150 on your energy bills.