EU gives green light to ecological transition

Article published in Cafebabel

Investment on sustainable energy is an essential element of the agreement © Google

EU ministers approved EU ratification of Paris Agreement at an extraordinary meeting of the Environment Council in Brussels.

“I now count on the European Parliament to conclude the process next week. So far, 61 countries, covering almost 48% of global emissions have ratified the Agreement,” said Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete.

Once the Parliament gives its green light, the Council will formally adopt the decision on conclusion. The agreement will officially enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have deposited their instruments of ratification.

In the UK, the Paris climate treaty will be debated and voted next week in the House of Commons. Overall, UN officials are optimistic of the treaty’s entry into force by the end of the year.

Paris Agreement

Since the world recognised the urgent need for curbing fossil fuel emissions at the Paris climate conference, in December 2015, clean energy is becoming a common practice, at least in theory. The conference was branded as a great success thanks to its unprecedented outcome of 195 countries together adopting the first-ever universal legally binding global climate deal. One of the main targets is the reduction of global warming below 2°C through the diminution of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

People power

The current energy market is shifting from a centralised market to some sort of “communist-ideology approach” in which the population can play a fundamental role by producing their own energy therefore influencing demand in the market.

A recent forecast conducted by Greenpeace revealed the EU’s citizen-produced capacity of electricity in 2050. According to the report, small and middle enterprises (SMEs) may produce 39% of electricity and collectives - such as the energy produced by windmill towers - will represent 37% of the produced power. Households shall account for 23% of produced energy and 1% can be generated from public buildings like hospitals and schools.

However, to achieve this goal, the environmental NGO urges the Commission to create a legislative framework to “protect, support and promote energy citizens as the core of the Energy Union” as the major underpin to start tackling climate change.

Behind laboratories and cabinets

Interviewed by the Energy Post, Jean-Paul Chabard, Scientific Director at EDF’s R&D, said “electrical storage is the grail for an electricity producer.” Europe’s major actor in research and development, EDF’s R&D spends 60% of R&D budget equally divided on renewable energy including storage, efficient and new uses of electricity, electrical grid and smart grids.

Giovanni La Via, centre-right MEP and chair of the environment committee in the Parliament noted, “We are now going to do a lot of legislative work on climate policy” to significantly reduce the GHG emissions. “We also have to work on energy efficiency and renewable energy in order to reduce the production of GHG and to store CO2 in soil or somewhere else without putting our competitiveness at risk,” added La Via.

Good news is that there are two key opportunities to improve results with the 2016 reviews of the Renewable Energy Directive and the Market Design Initiative. Policymakers have now the occasion to work on implementing sustainable and affordable ways of transition to renewable energies.  The question is – will they seize the opportunity?

Fault on Juncker’s Investment Plan

Weekly meeting of the Juncker's commission, June 2016. © EU

A joint report by five environmental stakeholders suggest that significant improvements should be made to the Juncker investment plan. The assessment unveils that funds originally intended to increase environmental sustainable capacity are being channeled to carbon-intensive projects and fossil-fuel infrastructures.

Sebastien Godinot, economist in WWF Europe said “the Juncker plan should be used for climate action, not for climate destruction. There is no reason why it should support more investments in gas infrastructure while the EU gas consumption is going down. Instead of investing in polluting costly infrastructure for which there will likely be no market in the future, we should focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions."

Colombia government and FARC on the path to peace

Article published in Cafebabel

Five decades of conflict arrive to an end in Colombia.

After 52 years of armed conflict, the Colombian government has reached a peaceful agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – FARC.   President Juan Manuel Santos and Rodrigo Londoño, FARC’s commander signed the peace deal in Cartagena, on September 26. “The peace accord will bring to an end generations of bloody conflict that has killed more than 220,000 and displaced millions,” said Santos.

As EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini has been involved in the peace talks, conveying the EU’s support, politically and financially, for a peaceful transition dealing with post-conflict matters. Back in June, on the occasion of EU-CELAC Summit taking place in Brussels, the EU echoed its strong political support to the Havana peace talks started in October 2012 between the Colombian government and the FARC.

“Today we suspend the FARC from our list of terrorist organisations, to support the reconciliation process and the implementation of the deal. Peace is now in the hands of the Colombian people: with their vote they can turn this promise of peace into reality,” said Mogherini.

FARC’s background

Officially created in 1964, he FARC represents the result of social discontentment toward the Colombian government. The revolutionary army has always expressed the reasons of their armed conflict to be of political, social and economic nature. However, the FARC’s reliance on drug trade and kidnappings for ransoms, to finance its activities, harmed its reputation. The often recruitment of soldiers under 18 was also a stain attached to their identity.

In 2002, when former president Alvaro Uribe ran for the presidency, he vowed on his campaign to forcefully combat the FARC. On that same year during the election season, presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was kidnapped by the FARC, rising political motivation to fight the Colombian revolutionary army. Betancourt was released after six years in captivity. Despite denying having suffered from Stockholm syndrome, Betancourt befriended some of her jailers, she confessed on her memoir.

Ingrid Betancourt was held hostage more than five years. © Google

Future’s prospects

The peace agreement does represent a milestone in the Colombian history but the post-conflict period might face some hurdles. According to Insight Crime, the criminalisation of FARC’s members is a likely scenario followed by the formation of small criminal organisations.  If the FARC are to abandon the coca cultivations and illegal mining, new actors are likely to take place wishing to take control. In addition, the ELN, National Liberation Army, could seize the opportunity to strengthen its power, taking control over abandoned territory by the FARC and counting on FARM’s members who might wish to join their army.

EU lives “critical” times

EU leaders continue in disagreement on the best way to deal with the refugee crisis that started one year ago. © Zoran Global Make-Up Program 

Angela Merkel said the European Union is under “critical state” at the Bratislava Summit while president Juncker delivered the State of the Union saying the EU is undergoing an “existential crisis”. The wounds from Brexit are still far away from healing and the refugee crisis has become the main divergence threatening the stability of the Union.

The EU is cracking like an egg with the ongoing massive influx of refugees. EU leaders have different feelings on how to handle this humanitarian crisis. Border controls were tightened and barriers were built in Hungary on its border with Serbia and Croatia, Austria’s border with Slovenia and also on the Greek border through Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia.  The result is a great number of refugees and migrants stranded between borders under deplorable sanitary conditions and deprived from medical supplies.

Recently during a summit in Vienna, Hungarian PM Victor Orban suggested the EU should arm Libya to fight against ISIS and curb migration flux into Europe.

Orban’s government already threatened pressing changes to the EU’s fundamental Lisbon Treaty to strengthen members' sovereign powers if it wins clear victory in a referendum, in October, on rejecting migrant quotas.

In the meantime, Turkey is still complying with the controversial refugee pact with the EU, curbing the entrance of refugees via Turkish territory. But ongoing political turmoil following the coup has highlighted crucial divergences between the former Ottoman Empire and the EU, compromising the system of preventing refugees and migrants entering the EU.

Germany’s AfD

In Germany, the right-wing AfD - Alternative for Germany - has recently gained 14,2% of the votes in the regional elections, stealing Merkel’s electorate. This result poses a major risk to the stranded refugees who wish to enter or stay in Germany as Merkel, perhaps with her mind on the 2017 federal elections, has admitted failure on her migration policy. However, Merkel stands by Greek PM Alex Tsipras – a not so common alliance – in calling for a more progressive refugee policy.

Berlin’s way of dealing with the crisis has been to focus on curbing illegal immigration and human smuggling while continue to allow legal migration. However the plan depends on the disposition of other EU countries to accept refugees, something that has been proven somewhat complicated.

  

The crisis in numbers

According to UNHCR, only 81,893 refugees were resettled at global level, in which only 30 countries out of 196 are actually offering resettlement places. As for the Gulf States such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, there has been no reaction whatsoever to accept refugees up until today.

The International Organisation for Migration has estimated that over 1 million refugees have entered Europe throughout the year 2015. By June 2016, around 156 000 people have reached Europe and these numbers are still rising with boats arriving every day to the Italian and Greek coasts. Meanwhile, the Help Refugees charity revealed almost 1,200 children reached Calais, known as the “Jungle”, in August alone with an astounding estimate of 87% of the minors being alone.

 Asylum claims in Europe in 2015. © Eurostat and BBC

 Back to the origins of the crisis

In New York, the UN General Assembly, commonly known as UNGA, dedicated this year’s convention to the refugee and migrant crisis. The situation in Syria became critical after the UN suspended movement of all aid in the country when the US expressed outrage for the airstrikes carried to aid volunteers in Aleppo. The blame game continues with both the Russian and Syrian government denying having carried out the attacks.

The EU Ambassador for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini urged at the UNGA, "we need to build a system for human mobility. A system where people can move safely, legally, voluntarily, in the full respect of their human rights and in a sustainable way”, said Mogherini.

Conclusions

With all the turmoil going on and refugees arriving every day at EU’s shores, much time is wasted on summits convening all the leaders – Italian PM Matteo Renzi admitted the Bratislava Summit was a “waste of time”. Disagreements seem to be prevailing, nonetheless, the countries that are committed to helping should be given more incentives and focus should be given to a practicable system able to transport and protect people from smugglers.

Writer for the Foreign Affairs magazine, Jakub Grygiel criticized the modus operandi of the European Union on its article titled “The Return of Europe’s Nation-States” where he accuses the EU’s architects of having built a unified political and administrative bureaucracy but not a united European nation.

Documentary: "Kim Jong-un: The Unauthorised Biography"

The North Korea's leader is both loved and feared by his people.  © Youtube

What do we really know about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un? Who is the man behind an incalculable nuclear capability?

We often see self-produced propaganda from Pyongyang but very little facts have been presented to the public about his identity. Directed by Anthony Dufour, Kim Jong-un: The Unauthorized Biography seeks to fill in those gaps.

The youngest son of former leader Kim Jong-Il, Kim Jong-un received a western education in Switzerland. His classmates and teachers - some of whom are interviewed in the film - remember him as a pleasant student with a keen interest in basketball and video games.

He was not prepared to inherit his father's mantle of power but quickly doubled down on his quest to become a nuclear power, enhanced recruitment and training of North Korean soldiers, and successfully implemented a series of damaging cyber-attacks upon his enemies.

In spite of these extreme courses of action, many of the dictator's countrymen view him as a god. Could this be the result of a brainwashed population taken in by a carefully constructed propaganda machine?

Mesmerising skyline @ Brussels

Civil Obedience or Civil Disobedience?

"A desobediência civil não é o nosso problema. O nosso problema é a obediência civil. O nosso problema é que pessoas por todo o mundo têm obedecido às ordens de líderes e milhões têm morrido por causa dessa obediência. O nosso problema é que as pessoas são obedientes por todo o mundo face à pobreza, fome, estupidez, guerra e crueldade. O nosso problema é que as pessoas são obedientes enquanto as cadeias se enchem de pequenos ladrões e os grandes ladrões governam o país.

É esse o nosso problema."

"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the orders of leaders and millions have died because of this obedience. Our problem is that people are obedient throughout the world in the face of poverty, hunger, stupidity, war and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while chains are filled with petty thieves and great thieves rule the country.

That's our problem. "

 

in Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Falacies on Law and Order, 1968