Cancun Climate Talks- an Epic fail?

Monday mornings are often contemplative for me as I enjoy the remnants of the weekend mixed in with the diary review of the week ahead.

My thoughts this morning turned to the Cancun climate talks, which in my opinion have been missing in action in the media that I generally enjoy (mostly radio and online) or else I have been like world leaders and put my head in the sand when it comes to the issue of Climate Change.

I dont think my head is in the sand at all- I feel as though I have moved through the stages of mourning for a world in climate chaos- from anger and disbelief onto acceptance and hope, but it is the moments of lack of action that send you packing back down the scale to depression-almost to despair.

Last year when the Copenhagen talks happened just before Christmas, I felt as did many an air of expectance, that surely there had been a level of maturity reached in the conversation that no one could possibly deny firm action and yet the world came away from the talks no firmer in its will to do something!

No wonder then this years talks are a little of the radar, like a child avoiding punishment who could lay blame for not wanting to turn up to once again 'COP a flogging'.

The outcome recieved without fanfare includes a

Green Climate Fund to support money transfer from first world to majority world to adapt to climate change.

A technology executive to get green technology transfer to those who need it.

A commitment to cease clear fell deforestation- It is this one that I find so woeful on a local level.

With deforestation (aka Forestry) contributing up to 120Mt CO2 per annum in Australia we are well placed to make an easy and popular decision to start tackling emission by ceasing to harvest native forest and make sure that plantation timber is a carbon neutral industry- creating green jobs in the process.

Yet the very agreement from Cancun that Australia signed up to exclude our home grown industry- seems that Colonial attitudes still abound that our forests are not as valuable as rainforest in tropical locations. Our forests provide essential natural services and are excellent carbon sinks.

So rather than vent my entire spleen here my course of action for the week goes something like this.
Contemplate and try hard not to dwell. Continue to talk about climate change it is the biggest issue of our time and no one should think they have the excuse to say 'but I didnt know'. Work on resiliance for my family-grow more food- install more solar. Remain focused on getting a community wind project realised.