Climate change work 'a game-changer': Pelosi

CLIMATE SCIENCE

Calling Earth from the Air: world release of green movie 'Home'
World Environment Day on Friday sees the worldwide release of a movie billed by producers as "the greatest green event ever", a high-budget documentary to save the planet from Yann Arthus-Bertrand. From New York's Central Park to the Champs de Mars by Paris' Eiffel Tower, the French photographer known for the "Earth From The Air" books and "Seen From The Air" on TV, is releasing the green-awareness movie "Home" in over 100 countries simultaneously. "More than a movie, Home will be a major event," the producers said. Shot from the air in a chopper, the environmental documentary will be available across the globe June 5, mostly free of charge, in open-air spaces as well as theatres, TV, DVD, and the Internet at www.youtube.com/homeproject. "The idea is to explain what's happening to the planet by beginning at the beginning, by the miracle of life on earth," the photographer-director told AFP. Kicking off with stunning aerial views of the earth's natural wonders before focusing from the air on polluting factories, airfields and oil platforms, the message translated into more than a score of languages is: "It's too late to be a pessimist." "Although there's a general trend towards an awareness of ecological issues, concrete action is still too little, too slow," he says. "In 200,000 years on earth," adds the film, "humanity has upset the balance of the planet. Humanity has barely 10 years to reverse the trend." The commentary, narrated by Glenn Close in English and Salma Hayek in Spanish, was submitted for editing to 2007 Nobel-prizewinner Al Gore and Lester Brown, the US environmental guru. It took almost three years to finalise the mega-movie, shot over 217 days in 54 countries, providing 488 hours of footage. "We have the power to change so what are we waiting for?" it asks. French movie mogul Luc Besson is distributing the 10-million-euro movie, a huge sum for a documentary put up by the luxury consortium PPR headed by Francois Henri Pinault. "The massive and free distribution of the film will enable anyone, anywhere, to see it, whatever their income," Pinault said. Speaking to AFP, Arthus-Bertrand said it was time to call a halt to a world where 20 percent of the population consumed 80 percent of the planet's riches. "I explain what is happening, I don't offer solutions," he said. "But we all have solutions within ourselves." "We would live better by consuming less and sharing more, and we need more courageous policies". "The idea is to convince people to push politicians to action."

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) June 4, 2009
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the initial progress Congress has made on a climate change bill was a "game-changer" in her recent talks in China ahead of a major UN conference.

"Frankly, it was a game-changer for us in our discussions in China, that the US was ready to do something very substantial, and that, therefore, it was important for China to do so, as well," Pelosi told reporters.

Pelosi's visit to China last week came after the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved a draft climate change bill last month. The measure must now be taken up by congressional panels before facing a full House vote and being sent to the Senate.

The speaker, who is second in line for the presidency after Vice President Joe Biden, said she was "very impressed" with China's energy initiatives.

The United States and China are the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases but China, the third-largest economy in the world, is not bound by the Kyoto Protocol because of its developing country status.

President Barack Obama's Democratic allies, who control both houses of Congress, say they want to have a bill ready before the US leader heads to Copenhagen in December for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

The UN-sponsored talks, which involve over 180 countries, are set to hammer out a new climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol when it expires in 2012.

On Wednesday, Pelosi had demanded that committee chairmen complete their work on climate change legislation by June 19. But she backed off her stance Thursday in the face of complaints from the chiefs of key panels, including the House Agriculture and House Ways and Means committees.

"We'll bring the bill to the floor when the bill is ready, and not one day sooner," she said.

But the House leader also stressed that "we want to go forward as soon as possible."

The climate change bill aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, falling short of a pledge by European Union members to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an average of 20 percent from their 1990 levels by 2020 and boost renewable energy sources by 20 percent.

It also seeks to create "green" jobs and includes provisions for a "cap-and-trade" system limiting overall carbon dioxide emissions from large industrial sources and then allocating and selling pollution permits.

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CLIMATE SCIENCE

Calling Earth from the Air: world release of green movie 'Home'
Paris (AFP) June 4, 2009
World Environment Day on Friday sees the worldwide release of a movie billed by producers as "the greatest green event ever", a high-budget documentary to save the planet from Yann Arthus-Bertrand. From New York's Central Park to the Champs de Mars by Paris' Eiffel Tower, the French photographer known for the "Earth From The Air" books and "Seen From The Air" on TV, is releasing the green ... read more

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