Weekly Fresh Air Brief: September 12

• Bangladesh-based climate change sage and campaigner Saleemal Huq will be among 38 civil society representatives participating in the UN Climate Summit later this month. In an RTCC op-ed worth reading, he asks ‘which narrative will prevail?’
• Marina Lou digs into two landmark decisions for India’s energy industry handed down by the country’s Supreme Court, which she says clearly signal to coal investors - cheap coal is over. And Greenpeace’s Energydesk looks at the nexus of energy, corruption and climate change.
• Climate change is making it more difficult for young people in south-east Asia to find a job, according to areport released on Monday by Plan International.
• NRDC & the China Environmental Law Project published analysis of proposed amendments to China’s air pollution law put out by the Chinese government for public comment.

Africa & the Middle East

• An ominous warning fired off by The Ecologist claims that in spite of an agreement with WWF earlier this year, UK oil company Soco is waging a war of violence and intimidation against those opposing its plans to drill for oil in Virunga national park.
• Activists in South Africa continue to drive the health impacts of the countries biggest coal companies into headlines. Kristy Siegfried is among the latest with a piece in the Guardian.

• Four anti-logging activists have been slain in Peru. The four men, who received death threats from loggers prior to their murder, were on their way to Brazil to attend a meeting on how to prevent illegal logging in Peru.
• Actress Emma Thompson joined a Greenpeace expedition to the Arctic, producing a beautiful, witty and very emotional video aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of drilling for oil.
• Criminal charges were dropped against US activists who used lobster boats in an attempt to block 40,000 tons of coal from being delivered to a power plant on the country’s East Coast.
• Bill McKibben is going after Barack Obama’s support for fracking, writing in Mother Jones that the natural gas extraction process could be worse than burning coal.
• Climate Group CEO Mark Kenber laid out how Climate Week NYC will help secure critical business and government buy-in for the new global climate agreement expected in 2015.

• A new WWF report shows that ambitious EU climate targets will create jobs, save citizens money and improve air quality. Our Tree Alert breaks down the findings.
• Norwegian environmental groups have forced Statoil to stop drilling on its Arctic Pingvin prospectthis week with a court challenge. The ruling now goes before the Norwegian Environmental Agency, where environmental groups are ready to ask for Statoil to permanently halt exploration on the prospect.

• The Sydney-based Climate Institute says “a bipartisan approach to decarbonising Australia’s electricity sector with a goal of at least a 50% cleaner power supply by 2030 needs to be central to discussions around the Renewable Energy Target”

• According to the latest numbers, there are over 1500 actions in 130 countries planned worldwide for the weekend of Sept. 20th and 21st, as part of the People’s Climate Mobilization.

• The UN’s flagship Green Climate Fund has scaled back plans to raise US $15 billion by the end of 2014, with a new goal of $10 billion. So far only Germany has pledged significant backing.
• Six of the world’s largest development banks, including the European Investment Bank and the World Bank, have underlined their commitment to delivering climate finance ahead of a major United Nations Summit due to be held in New York later this month.
• Rumors of China rolling out a country-wide carbon market in 2016 were substantiated over the weekend with an announcement by a senior official within the country’s National Development and Reform Commission.
• At last count, 125 world leaders are due to attend the UN Climate Leaders Summit in New York, as British Prime Minister David Cameron MP becomes the latest to confirm his attendance.
• Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has opted to skip the meetings and discuss climate and energy over dinner with the UN Secretary General instead.
• According to the India Climate Portal, with the heads of Indian and Chinese governments deciding to skip the UN Secretary General’s climate summit, Indian negotiators are unsure of the line they should takegoing forward

• The UK is pressing Japan, Canada and Australia to accept tough carbon cuts ahead of a proposed UN climate deal in 2015. All three countries have shifted from climate leaders to laggards in recent years.
• In spite of major domestic political setbacks in Peru, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Peru’s environment minister - and the man in charge of starting the dealmaking for a global climate pact due in 2015 - remains optimistic.

• At least 460 people are dead and over 1,100,000 affected by the worst flooding to hit the Kashmir region of Pakistan and India in 50 years.
• The slow response to Kashmir’s floods have caused tempers to flare, and spurred major questions about Pakistan and India’s ability to adapt to climate change.
• Floods in India’s Gujarat region are also displacing thousands of people, with the added threat of crocodiles. More rain is expected on Monday.
• “The current rate of ocean acidification appears unprecedented at least over the last 300 million years,” noted a report this week from the World Meteorological Organization.
• The National Audubon Society issued a new report this week identifying climate change as the number one threat to North American birds.
• Following warnings that climate change could enable Dengue Fever’s spread into Europe, Japan is seeing its first dengue cases since 1945. The outbreak forced the closure of a major park in Tokyo.
• The Atlantic just published a series of unbelievable photos showing the extent of the impacts wrought by of California’s historic drought.
• Long-term weather forecasters say it is now unlikely that a strong El Niño will develop this fall, dimming hopes in California for heavy rains that might bring relief.
• If you haven’t already, it’s worth checking out the latest 2050 weather reports. Reports from the future of Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Burkina Faso and the US went live in recent days.
• Writing for the Guardian’s climate change hub, Philippa Ross in Suva makes the case that extreme weather and other effects of climate change exacerbate preexisting gender inequalities.

• A new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that global carbon intensity is falling worldwide, with the important caveat that it’s not falling quickly enough to avoid the worst climate impacts.
• With routes to the east, west, and south currently blocked, tar sands producers are considering shipping oil north, across the Arctic. A new study commissioned by the a Canadian oil company says it’s “feasible.”
• US officials are considering a new round of sanctions that would limit “hi-tech exports to Russia’s Arctic oil and gas industry as part of stepped-up sanctions against Russia.”
• Gazprom announced that it has begun construction of the “Power of Siberia” gas pipeline in Yakutsk, which will eventually carry natural gas to new markets in China.
• Bloomberg reports that China’s government is examining a draft law that will prohibit the production, import and sale of coal that doesn’t meet quality standards.
• Methane emissions from big hydroelectric dams in the tropics outweigh the benefits that this form of renewable energy provides, according to new scientific data.

• Rooftop solar panels are now cheaper than coal in the Philippines.
• New research warns that innovation in African agriculture could - unlike other green revolutions - lead tomore deforestation and higher carbon emissions.
• The US has significantly scaled back coal and natural gas power plant additions this year compared to 2013, and solar and wind power capacity is far outpacing the 2013 installation rate.
• According to new analysis by the International Energy Agency, under existing EU policies, two-thirds of economically viable energy efficiency potential available between now and 2035 will remain unrealized.
• The US can cut its carbon pollution by 40% from 2005 levels and create a net increase of 2.7 million clean energy jobs in the process, reducing the unemployment rate by 1.5 percentage points, according to new analysis from MIT.
• The US state of California’s university system just announced that it will invest $1 billion over five yearsin companies and researchers coming up with solutions to climate change. The university system also announced that it would not divest its holdings in fossil fuel companies, which account for $10 billion in assets.
• In other missed opportunity news, divergent tax policies mean Norway risks missing out on most of a $6 billion wind power boom while neighboring Sweden benefits.
• China continues to expand its footprint over renewable energy markets in emerging economies, with the latest investment of €309 million in a Polish wind farm project.
• According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the global shift to a world powered predominately by decentralized renewable energy is happening, whether we are ready for it or not.

OPPORTUNITY: WRI experts share latest expectations for UN Climate Leaders Summit
At 1430 UTC Friday, senior representatives from the World Resources Institute (WRI), including President Andrew Steer, will hold a press call to provide insights and context for the upcoming UN Climate Summit. The experts will focus on key areas where major announcements and developments are expected, especially around cities, forests, and finance.

OPPORTUNITY: Chinadialoge to host twitter debate on what China can bring to the UN climate talks
Chinadialogue is hosting a live Twitter Q&A on China and climate politics with Wang Tao of the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy on Tuesday 16 September at 9am EDT (9pm Beijing time). Get the details on how to participate here.

Upcoming events:

16-29 Sep - 69th UN General Assembly (USA)

• The 69th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 69) will convene at UN Headquarters.
• The General Debate will open on Wednesday, 24 September 2014. The debate’s opening was postponed from Tuesday, 23 September 2014, to accommodate the Climate Summit.
• Learn more by clicking here.

21 Sep - Peoples Climate March (USA & Global)

• Thousands of individuals will descend upon New York City ahead of the UN Leaders Summit to underscore the need for bold action to combat climate change.
• Solidarity events will be taking place in cities around the world including London.

21 -22 Sep - Social Good Summit to highlight shared vision for the future (USA)

• The Social Good Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders and grassroots activists to discuss solutions for the greatest challenges of our time. Our theme, #2030NOW, asks the question, “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?”

21 - 22 Sep - Interfaith Summit on Climate Change (USA)

• Organized by the World Council of Churches and Religions for Peace the Interfaith Summit on Climate Change, will see 30 leaders gather in New York to highlight the contributions of traditional faith groups to the climate change debate.
• One of the objectives of this Interfaith Summit will be to convey the faith communities’ concerns and proposals to the Secretary General’s Climate Summit. More here.

22 Sep - Carbon Supply Cost Curves: Evaluating Coal Capital Expenditures Report Launch (USA)

• Carbon Tracker Initiative and ETA will present the second report of the series “Carbon Supply Cost Curves” to investors, asset managers, investment bankers, analysts and coal companies representatives.
• Following the oil report, this study will be focused on the global coal sector. More here.

22 – 28 Sep – Climate Week NYC (USA)

• The collaborative space for all related events in support of the UN Climate Summit, Climate Week NYC will highlight the clear opportunities and multiple benefits in joining the global ‘clean revolution’.
• The events will provide an international platform for government, business and civil society to work together on low carbon solutions.
• The Climate Group, along with co-convenors CDP, will be hosting the Opening Day of Climate Week NYC on September 22 at the Morgan Library, bringing together global leaders from business, government and civil society. The event will be livestreamed on the Climate Week NYC website.
• For more information on attending all relevant events visit ClimateWeekNYC.org or follow the conversation at #CWNYC.

23 Sep - Ban Ki-moon Climate Summit (USA)

• United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited Heads of State and Governments along with business, finance, civil society and local leaders to a Climate Summit in September 2014, New York.
• This Summit is aimed at catalyzing action by governments, business, finance, industry, and civil society in areas for new commitments and substantial, scalable and replicable contributions to the Summit that will help the world shift toward a low-carbon economy.
• More information here.

26 Sep - Carbon Tracker Initiative: how to shift capital from high risk fossil fuel projects (USA)

• Discussing the wider divest/invest debate, the Carbon Tracker Initiative will present an overview of recent research in a public discussion with civil society, NGOs, foundations, media as well as investors and policy-makers. You can register here.