PeopleProfitPlanet are pleased to be attending and supporting the 'Climate Risk and the City' event on 18th March at Leeds City Museum.     

As part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, this event, which is designed to engage the public, will examine:

- the projected impacts of climate change
- the different risks that climate change could pose for cities
- the ways in which these climate risks might best be managed
- the ways in which we can move toward climate resilient, low carbon cities.

The event will include stimulating and accessible presentations from the Environment Agency, Arup, Friends of the Earth and Leeds City Council, as well as the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy. The presentations will be followed by a debate and an exhibition.

The event will take place on Thursday 18th March from 5.30pm-7.30pm in the Thoresby Room, Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS2 8BH. Tea and coffee will be available from 5.10pm and the event will start promptly at 5.30pm.

Come and join Adam Woodhall: To book a place at the event, please contact Margo Hanson: m.hanson@leeds.ac.uk with your full name, email address and if relevant, organisation.

Places will be offered on a first come, first served basis.

An Extraordinary cabinet meeting in the Maldives!

President Mohamed Nasheed set a first on the 10th October 2009 when he held a cabinet meeting underwater. A veteran diver, the President staged this meeting to bring attention to climate change for the lowest lying country in the world.

Also a Time Magazine Hero of the Environment, President Mohamed offers this Green Tip:

'I walk to work every day, rather than take the presidential limousine. It's better for the environment and I can stop and chat to people on the way.'— Mohamed Nasheed

Environmental Action big or small always start with a single person. Through environmental behaviour change, we can all do our part to combat climate change.

Links:

Time Magazine Hero of the Environment 2009

Maldive Government Meeting Underwater via Huffington Post

PeopleProfitPlanet is supporting Blog Action Day 2009 and this year's topic is Climate Change.

We all know it is going to affect us in one way or another in the next few years, but what would the effects of global warming mean on a day to day basis?

Compiled from the Center for American Progress, here's something to think about.

Say Goodbye to...

1) Pinot Noir - The reason you adore pinot noir is that it comes from a notoriously temperamental thin-skinned grape that thrives in cool climates. Warmer temperatures are already damaging the pinots from Oregon, “baking away” the grape’s berry flavors. [Bloomberg]

2) Guacamole - Scientists from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory predict hotter temps will cause a 40 percent drop in California’s avocado production over the next 40 years. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab]

3) March of the Penguins - Scientists blame global warming for the declining penguin population, as warmer waters and smaller ice floes force the birds to travel further to find food. “Emperor penguins ... have dropped from 300 breeding pairs to just nine in the western Antarctic Peninsula.”  [National Geographic]

4) Safety from Giant Squid Attacks - Giant squid—an “aggressive predator” that grows up to 7 feet long and can weigh more than 110 lbs—used to only be found in the warm waters along the Pacific equator. Hotter waters mean today they’re invading the waters of California and even Alaska. [ABC]

5) Glaciers - “In Glacier National Park, the number of glaciers in the park has dropped from 150 to 26 since 1850. Some project that none will be left within 25 to 30 years.” [AP]

Instead, you will be welcoming...

1) Greenland’s Melting - Greenland is melting at a rate of 52 cubic miles per year—much faster than once predicted. If Greenland’s entire 2.5 million cubic kilometers of ice were to melt, it would lead to a global sea level rise of 7.2 meters, or more than 23 feet. [LA Times]

2) More Floods - During the summer of 2007, Britain suffered its worst flood in 60 years. Scientists point the finger directly at global warming, which changed precipitation patterns and is now causing more “intense rainstorms across parts of the northern hemisphere.” [Independent]

3) Malaria Spreading in Western Europe - The World Health Organization warns warmer temperatures mean malaria-carrying mosquitoes are able to live in northern climes, which could lead to a surge in malaria outside the tropics (aka Europe). [BBC]

4) Large-Scale Migrations - Global warming will turn already-dry environments into deserts, causing the people who live there to migrate in massive numbers to more livable places. [MSNBC]

5) Increased Border Tensions - A report called “National Security and the Threat of Climate Change,” written by a group of retired generals and admirals, specifically linked global warming to increased border tensions. “If, as some project, sea levels rise, human migrations may occur, likely both within and across borders.” [NY Times] 

Some of these effects will touch on our everyday lives, some are much larger consequences. If you want to take action today, sign up to the 10:10 pledge. Or ask our leaders for climate justice in Copenhagen this December. Join the tck tck tck campaign.

A video from the Time for Climate for Justice Team.

The first Team PPP outing was aptly during the Leeds Friends of the Earth showing of Franny Armstrong's “The Age of Stupid”. The event included an interesting Q&A with a panel which included a member of the Kirklees Green Party and Professor of Sustainability Research at the University of Leeds.

The Age of Stupid asks why we did not endeavour to save ourselves from inevitable climate catastrophe in 2008– a question we may well ask ourselves if we do not take tangible action. Find out more about the Friends of the Earth campaign for Leeds to Get Serious about Climate Change.