(Credit: Brazilian Ministry of Environment)

One of the most contentious issues on the table at COP15 will be financing climate change.

Experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative estimate that investments of around $500 billion a year will be needed to help the countries in the developing world tackle the causes of climate change while stimulating low carbon growth.

Getting to the very heart of this issue, New York Times columnist and green advocate Thomas Friedman proposes that: “To save an ecosystem of nature, you need an ecosystem of markets and governance.”

In his column filed on November 11 from the Tapajós National Forest in Brazil, Friedman argues that fighting deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon – and tropical forests in Indonesia and the Congo – is an essential part of a global plan to reduce carbon emissions.

“…We could eliminate 17 percent of all global emissions if we could halt the cutting and burning of tropical forests. But to do that requires putting in place a whole new system of economic development — one that makes it more profitable for the poorer, forest-rich nations to preserve and manage their trees rather than to chop them down to make furniture or plant soybeans.”

This is interesting because it is written on the sidelines of one of the most successful sustainable forest management programs that the world has seen to date.

Through our work with the Brazilian government, Fleishman-Hillard has had the unique opportunity to become familiar with the domestic and global climate change initiatives being led by Brazil as they unfold. The Ambé Project is one that really stands out.

The Ambé Project in Brazil’s Tapajós National Forest is an industrial-scale community initiative for sustainable, low-impact forest management. Launched in 2005 with support from the federal government, the Brazilian Environment Institute, and international financing, it has helped families in 29 forest communities embrace sustainable and marketable timber and non-timber forest production techniques in order to quell deforestation and help improve the economic wellbeing of the forest residents. In 2009, the Ambé project grossed over US $ 2 million by auctioning their timber to local companies.

As the column states, Brazil already has national programs in place that set aside 43 percent of the Amazon rainforest for conservation and for indigenous peoples – but the big question is what will happen to the other 38 percent.

The more we get the Brazilian system to work, the more of that 38 percent will be preserved and the less carbon reductions the whole world would have to make. But it takes money… money to expand into more markets, money to maintain police monitoring and enforcement and money to improve the productivity of farming on already degraded lands so people won’t eat up more rainforest.

I think it’s important to see the proposed financing as global support for an issue of global concern, not a handout. Brazil offers a great opportunity to move the dial on climate change: there is already strong political will to fight deforestation, a diversified renewable energy market, wide social awareness and acceptance of green efforts, and successful models in place that have already made a tangible difference in the fight against deforestation.

In fact, data released at the end of last week by Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE) indicates that Amazon deforestation had dropped 45% year-on-year by August 2009 to just 7,008 square kilometers (2,706 square miles) – the lowest figure since Brazil began monitoring deforestation in 1988.

The challenge now is for the world to unite on a global agreement to ensure that this progress continues.

As Friedman writes: “Your grandchildren will thank you.”

Another busy week has passed us by. FHers in the United States are preparing for next week’s Thanksgiving festivities, while also gearing up with the world for the home stretch to COP15. Doesn’t look like the hard work will be slowing down soon. Speaking of hard work, here’s what our sister blogs were discussing this week…

FH Innovation asks: “Is recovery right around the corner?” The signals seem to be mixed. What are you seeing where you work? They also encouraged organizations not to fear a loss of control and embrace digital.

Meanwhile, FH Out Front explored the exciting phenomena of “flash mobs” to raise awareness of social issues. They also took a look at the role schools can play in elevating discussion and education of LGBT issues.

Have a great weekend. See you on Twitter!

There is significant hope that the COP15 Conference in Copenhagen this December will put an end to the recent two-year international negotiation process over the commitment of industrialized and developing nations to lower carbon emissions. The goal of COP15 is to establish a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Officials now say that such an agreement is unlikely to be nailed down at the December 2009 Conference. However, the world may not have to wait a full 12 months in order for conversations and decisions to resume. Some officials are talking about picking discussions back up as early as the spring of 2010 if an agreement can’t be reached in a few short weeks. That is because climate change is urgent and also because the UN is looking to the U.S. Congress pass national legislation – and soon.

According to the News Section of the United Nations Climate Change Web site, “Short of a clear picture on which commitments the world’s second largest emitter is likely to take, a number of other key players will most likely hide their cards. This situation may have changed by spring 2010, but then one can’t be certain right now, which is why the UN has not decided yet if it will recommend a spring conference.”

My hope is that COP15 (and a half) – should it happen – be a “more half full” event rather than “half empty.” In other words, that it leads as fast as possible to an effective set of decisions that can be implemented by all participating nations.

When it comes to COP15, would you say that you too are optimistic? Is your view of the conference half full or half empty? Please post your comments here.

PS: If you are interested in learning more about COP15, you can visit the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Web site. This site provides up-to-date news, information and views on all matters pertaining to this important global event.

Gathering speed: extreme weather events such as this tropical storm are likely to increase in number and intensity if carbon emissions are not curbed

With only weeks to go before the most important ever international summit on climate change is held in Copenhagen, Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary-general, signaled recently that a new international climate change treaty is very unlikely to be signed, saying people had to be “realistic” about what could be achieved.

As reported by the Financial Times, Ki-Moon said that he hoped for a “very strong binding political commitment” that could be turned into a treaty in the first half of next year.

He said he hoped a political settlement in December could be followed “as soon as possible” by a legally-binding deal. While there has been much speculation regarding what is seen by many as a delay, his view has been backed by José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission.

There is widespread agreement that the Copenhagen agreement needs four essential elements: targets for emissions, with absolute reductions in developed countries and measurable cuts relative to a “business as usual” case for developing countries; transfers of money and technology to help poorer countries curb emissions; help for countries threatened by climate change, and a governance structure to manage and monitor the agreement.

Although Copenhagen’s negotiators mission to achieve consensus on such elements is daunting, it is only the beginning. The test will be the national governments’ implementation, which requires them to invest heavily in helping business and consumers adapt to low-carbon way-of life.

Did you know Fleishman-Hillard has a number of blogs focusing on our firm’s unique practice groups? We frequently link to their posts each week on Twitter, but we thought our readers might also be interested in what we’re chatting about across the network. So, here’s a recap from this week.

FH Outfront wrote about media mentions and mishaps when covering LGBT trends, issues and individuals. They also celebrated the growth of prominent lesbians on TV and shared an update on the Gay Games, which are coming to Cleveland in 2014.

FH Public Affairs posted a fascinating video conversation with Sir Christopher Meyer, a member of Fleishman-Hillard’s International Advisory Board and career veteran of the British diplomatic corps. They talk about everything from the U.K. media landscape to the world’s relationship to the United States.

Last, but not least, FH Innovation celebrated 40 years of Sesame Street and explored ways to tackle and eradicate hunger and poverty.

Washington, D.C. Bikestation (Credit: Jamie Carracher)

For whatever reason, the last week has seen a groundswell of interesting cycling stories. As an agency full of avid cyclists and bike commuters, it only made sense we’d want to share.

While wandering Washington, D.C. this week, I stumbled upon a new, hard-to-miss attraction near the city’s transit hub Union Station – a whale-shaped glass bike station.

I had been following the evolution of this project with some curiosity. The new D.C. spot, which opened in October, is part of the Bikestation network, which also includes locations in Seattle and several cities in California. The station includes bike rentals, parking, changing rooms, restrooms and even parts and repair.

Bike stations aren’t new – the McDonald’s Cycle Center in Chicago opened in 2004, for example; and other cities, like Cleveland, have had plans for stations themselves. But it does show the growing prevalence and importance of bike commuters within America’s transportation landscape.

French Bike Rentals Hit Bumpy Road

The urban rental bike was a grand idea that started on the streets of Paris before inspiring many communities throughout the United States to join in on the concept. As it turns out, The Vélib’, as it’s called in France, is not making money yet and many bikes are being damaged or stolen, The New York Times reports. Of the 20,600 bikes that were in the initial fleet, more than 80 percent have been damaged or stolen.

The culprits are suspected to be mischievous and frustrated youth from “Paris’ troubled neighborhoods.” So now the government and administrators are repairing the bikes and waging public awareness campaigns against vandalism.

“We miscalculated the damage and the theft,” Albert Asséraf, director of strategy, research and marketing at JCDecaux, the outdoor-advertising company that is a major financer and organizer of the project, told the newspaper. “But we had no reference point in the world for this kind of initiative.”

Despite the challenges, the program has been wildly successful, providing 63 million rentals since mid-2007.

Lance Breaks Tradition

This week, seven-time Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong auctioned seven of his bicycles for $1.3 million, which went to Livestrong, his cancer foundation. It wasn’t an easy sale, as Armstrong normally keeps all of his bikes.

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen approaches, the pressure to organize legislation is felt in most all of the world’s countries. This pressure comes from a need to end an ongoing two-year negotiation process over the commitment of industrial and developing nations to lowering carbon emissions. The main goal – establishment of a replacement for Kyoto Treaty.

However, only a few weeks from the beginning of conference, December 7^th2009, the countries are still struggling with little to no success to come up with a permanent legislation that would be represented at the conference. “It is physically impossible to finalize all the details of a treaty in Copenhagen” said the secretary-general of the UN climate change secretariat Yvo de Boer in the article UN climate chief: No final, global warming treaty in 2009, “but the principles of a deal must be settled.”

De Boer states that, given the current lack of political and financial agreement in countries, the new goal of the conference is to reach an agreement on, what he calls, the Four Political Essentials:

1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?

2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?

3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?

4. How is that money going to be managed?

These four essentials are meant to bring, what the article calls, ‘clarity’ on the climate issues, especially to the financially struggling business world.

“If Copenhagen can deliver on those four points,” says Yvo de Boer in the above mentioned article, “I’d be happy”.

So perhaps this December will not bring us much anticipated new treaty, but clarity might be what is most needed at this time… Clarity to truly understand the key role that we, as individuals or nations, play in the future of our planet.

And it only gets better from there.

WASHINGTON, D.C.—I am part of an active team that provides “blogger relations” support to a client that generates a lot of interest among diverse audiences. It’s a challenge that mixes passion and flexibility with relationship building and diligent media monitoring.

What is blogger relations? In essence, it’s about creating mutually relevant and useful relationships with bloggers who have some connection to a client or organization. In its most successful form, it is an open channel for honest two-way dialogue.

We work in a challenging and sometimes contentious online media environment where messages and opinions don’t stop or sleep. If I don’t empty out my RSS reader regularly, I may have thousands of blog postings piling up in just a day or two.

For some, this uncontrollable, infinite content push might create hesitancy and fear. If we cannot stop or control bloggers, then why should we engage them?

The simple answer is because blogs have large, relevant audiences and, like traditional media, represent the same readers we try to reach every day.

But bloggers are not information gatekeepers like newspapers and TV stations. They are interpreters. The information is out there for everyone to see – the press releases, products, competitors and critics. It is the bloggers who create context around content, describing the world and a brand’s place in it as they see it. If we do not engage them in this process, we forfeit any role in the interpretation of our own identities.

Bloggers are independent types. They don’t like being told what to think or what to write. As PR people, our engagement must always be from a place of humble, honest dialogue. The most we can ask for is a fair shake, and chances are if we ask, we just might get it.

Copenhagen, Denmark (Credit: Flickr user jimg944)

This time we are not talking about emission targets or other key topics on the table of the negotiators… From 7 to 18 December, thousands of people around the world will be looking at the Copenhagen summit waiting to hear what comes next after the Kyoto Protocol. But people that will actually go to Copenhagen will have the opportunity not only to follow very closely days of intense political negotiations, but also to attend a series of side events organised by business associations, countries, NGOs, and academia. These events will deal with various aspects of climate change and will present different answers to the battle against it. They will certainly be a great occasion to exchange views with relevant stakeholders and to possibly meet some delegates of the U.N Conference and key opinion leaders in the field of sustainability.

For the lucky ones that will manage to be there (note that it’s impossible now to get a room in a hotel in the city), below there is a list of possible suggestions.

Klimaforum09, Peoples Climate Summit
Organized by Klimaforum09, a network of Danish and environmental movements and civil society groups
7-18 December, DGI-byen

The idea behind Klimaforum09 is to create an open space, where people, movements and organisations can gather and develop constructive solutions to the climate crisis.

Copenhagen Business Day
Organized by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)

11 December, Confederation of Danish Industry Headquarter
The Copenhagen Business Day will be a day for business leaders to explore, share and project their vision and commitment to implement climate solutions now and for the next four decades.

Bright Green
Organized by the Confederation of Danish Industry
12-13 December, FORUM

Bright Green will give participants the opportunity to showcase with a stand the business response to the climate challenge, in particular to present the solutions and technologies developed by different sectors to tackle climate change.

In the Eye of Climate Change
Organized by the Greenlandic Authority
12-20 December, North Atlantic House

Greenland businesses, organisations and authorities join forces to paint a portrait of modern Greenland: its new forms of energy, Arctic technology, research and the future prospects for tourism, oil extraction and agriculture.

Earth Journalism Awards
Organized by the Earth Journalism Network (EJN)
14 December, Danish Radio Hall

In the past months professional journalists and citizen journalists from around the world were invited to submit their climate change reports in any media. The Earth Journalism Awards will honor the world’s best climate change report and creative work in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

Urban Climate Solutions Tour
Organized by Ramboll
14 December, Ørestad Station

This three hour Urban Climate Solutions Tour on Ørestad, Copenhagen, will give participants the opportunity to discover the Danish unique energy model and some of the innovative climate adaptation initiatives.

A lynchpin to addressing climate change has always been motivating consumers to take action and reduce their carbon footprints. In recent years, the most-used avenue toward this goal has been talking about the danger climate change poses to our world and future generations. Saving the planet has arguably been the driver in motivating consumers for over 30 years.

But, recent polling (here and here) shows that an increasing percentage of Americans think the threat of global warming is exaggerated – hints that the old approach may be growing tiresome and ineffective. As sustainability communications practitioners, we must pose the question: If the linear relationship between pollution from the energy we use and the negative effects on our environment is no longer effective, then how can we motivate consumers to action?

Fortunately, advances in energy use measurement offer a new motivator: psychology.

President Obama’s announcement of $3.4 billion in funding for Smart Grid technology may be esoteric to the average American, but it’s a major step toward revolutionizing how consumers control (and are motivated to control) their energy consumption. Smart meters, representing most of this funding, let utilities tell consumers when power is most expensive or cheapest, and allows consumers to regulate their home’s energy use from remote locations like office desks or iPhones.

Certainly, saving money is a motivator to reduce energy use, especially when consumers they feel like they can “game” the system. However, up until now, the high cost per smart meter limited distribution to pilot projects. With the new infusion of federal dollars (and the $4.7 billion in recipient matching funds), utilities can widely expand smart meter use and many more Americans will be able to take control of their energy use.

Even more interesting than motivating consumers by price signals, though, is using human desire for social approval and conformity to prompt energy use reductions. Twenty-one utilities nationwide are now mailing customers an analysis of their energy use compared to their neighbors, along with energy efficiency tips, in monthly bills.

Theoretically, by showing high energy users how they compare to more efficient neighbors, their innate desire for approval and conformity to societal norms will spur positive behavior change. The results are dramatic – in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District alone, 35,000 homes receive energy reports and 75 percent have taken energy efficiency steps.

A new study by the National Academies of Science shows that if U.S. households took minor energy efficiency steps, they could reduce national emissions 20 percent. But, energy efficiency measures lag in this country due to a combination of ignorance and apathy. Now imagine if neighborhood energy analyses were mailed out to utility customers nationwide with the Sacramento rate of return.

So what do you think? Will behavioral modifiers supplant future threats as the best way to motivate individual consumers to reduce their energy use, or are they just a passing trend?