News and Analysis: 7-11 Dec 09 | EmergingFrontierMarkets.com

Based in: Manila, Philippines

Posted on Fri, 11 Dec 09:

Emerging giants draft climate deal - Kyoto must stay: The world's major emerging economies, India, S Africa, Brazil and China, are calling for a 'binding' amendment to the Kyoto Protocol requiring rich nations to slash carbon pollution by more than 40% compared to '90 levels. The initiative, led by Beijing, was conceived as a rebuttal by developing nations to a backroom accord hammered out by host nation Denmark, Ag. France-Presse (courtesy New Straits Times/ Malaysia, 10 Dec 09

Bjørn Lomborg: Technology, not talks, will save the planet--Reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions quickly is immensely complicated, politically divisive, and hugely expensive. Moreover, it is an extremely poor way to fight climate change. There are smarter alternatives, says author of Cool It: The skeptical environmentalist’s guide to global warming, Finance & Devt, Dec '09

Posted on Wed, 9 Dec 09:

Leaked draft sparks developing countries' protest: Developing nations, green groups and aid activists have attacked a draft proposal for a political agreement on climate change during the UN summit in Copenhagen. The text, drafted by chair nation Denmark and leaked yesterday, is said to favor rich nations at the expense of developing nations, Radio France Intl, 9 Dec 09

Boardroom/C-suite: Govt's positive role in kick-starting entrepreneurship--Q&A with Josh Lerner, author of Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Why public efforts to boost entrepreneurship and venture capital have failed - and what to do about it: Silicon Valley is the poster child for capitalism. Less well understood about its devt was the role played by the govt in making it a success. Govt has played similar catalytic roles in creating hubs of innovation in places such as Tel Aviv and Singapore. Such success stories often get lost vs the common perception that govt just bungles things when it wades into the private sector, Harvard Univ, 7 Dec 09

Posted on Tue, 8 Dec 09:

UN climate chief defends science after emails: The head of the UN's panel of climate scientists strongly defended on Mon findings that humans are warming the planet, after critics said leaked emails from a UK university had undermined evidence. Saudi Arabia told delegates on the opening day of the biggest ever climate conference that the email row, dubbed 'climategate', had undermined the case for action but US and European negotiators dismissed its impact, Reuters (courtesy inSing[apore]), 7 Dec 09 (Telegraph--UK university asked to explain email leaks to MPs, 8 Dec | UK Parliament--Sci/tech cmte chair's letter to U East Anglia vice-chancellor)

Jeffrey Sachs: Enough politics on climate--Time to let the experts lead: Perhaps it's no surprise we are stuck. Climate change is the most complicated issue the world has faced. It's time to put the expertise at the front table, not to supplant public debate and discussion but finally to inform it. Copenhagen should be the end of negotiation by politicians w/ technical issues kept in the shadows or ignored. Let's get scientists, engineers and ordinary citizens involved in a true discussion about our common future, and esp the tradeoffs, costs and choices, says Columbia Earth Inst dir, Guardian/ UK, 2 Dec 09

Posted on Mon, 7 Dec 09:

Editorial: We can save our planet--14 days to seal history's judgment on this generation: The politicians in Copenhagen can and must agree the essential elements of a fair and effective deal and, crucially, a firm timetable for turning it into a treaty. Next June's UN climate meeting in Bonn should be their deadline. As one negotiator put it: 'We can go into extra time but we can't afford a replay.' At the deal's heart must be a settlement bet. the rich world and the developing world covering how the burden of fighting climate change will be divided, 56 newspapers/ 45 nations/ 20 languages, 7 Dec 09 (Guardian--Teaming up on a joint front-page editorial)

Is climate concern cooling off?: Today, as the UN climate conference in Copenhagen opens, surveys differ on the global concern for climate change. One survey - conducted among 27,548 consumers in 54 nations - shows that in '07, 41% said they were very concerned about climate change. By Oct '09 it had declined to 37%. Another poll points in the opposite direction. It shows that nearly 2/3 of 24,071 people polled in 23 nations said climate change was a 'very serious' problem - up from 44% in '98, UN Climate Change Conf, 7 Dec 09 (FAQ | Glossary of terms | Schedule overview [pdf])

William Easterly: The civil war in development economics--What do we really know about what works - and what doesn't - in fighting global poverty? There is an ongoing debate over which path to devt truly maximizes results. Should we emphasize a big-picture approach - focusing on the role of institutions, macro policies, growth strategies, and other country-level factors? Or is a more grassroots approach the way to go, w/ the focus on specific micro interventions, eg, conditional cash transfers, bed nets, and other microlevel improvements in service delivery on the ground?, asks NYU economist, Aid Watch, 3 Dec 09 (Book--What Works in Development?)

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