BirdLife Europe e-news, Vol XI, Issue 2, February 2015
Climate change: the oblique
tragedy, the paradox and the
birds
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Featured in this issue
• EU Policy news
• Featuring: Audubon
Climate change is like no other man-induced
phenomenon: it will affect (meaning, starve and kill)
the poorest and most defenceless on Earth. Most who
have done little or nothing to deserve it and in
numbers never seen before in global conflicts. It’s an
“oblique” tragedy: we, in the rich economies, pollute
today (and yesterday), and tomorrow someone in one
of the poorest regions on the planet suffers. An
ethical paradox that makes global warming possibly
the most unacceptable of all externalities.
• Partnership Stories
• Events I Jobs
EU Policy news
Read BirdLife Europe's Manifesto on
the EU Climate and Energy Package
That’s what early economists called these
phenomena from the beginning: “externalities”,
referring to the accidental nature of these unwanted
consequences of economic activities. It was the dawn
of industrialization and the main problem was the
pollution poisoning and causing early deaths
amongst workers in factories.
Free market economists believe, to this very day, that
externalities depend on some “inefficiency” in
pricing: if “polluting” is too cheap, there will be
“excessive” pollution. That’s all, really. A system of
taxes/incentives/rules will, on paper, solve that
(hence the much debated “carbon tax”, emissions
trading, etc.).
Much has been done since then, in terms of nature
and health protection, and yet today we are
confronted with the biggest externality in the entire
history of human kind. A market failure so big that it
will put our entire civilization’s future in question.
Working to save birds and biodiversity does not
imply, at any stage, an underestimation of the tragic
ending we are meticulously writing for our story. On
the contrary, a “birdseye” view allows us to put this
human tragedy in the wider context of one regarding
all life forms on our planet; birds included of course.
This is why today, BirdLife Europe proposes a
“manifesto”, a list of “musts”, for the European
Union climate and energy policy to follow towards
2030: six “chapters” to help write a new story.
The Paper reads: «How the EU responds matters.
How ambitious we are on climate, and how we
deliver emissions cuts ‘on the ground’ in the energy
and land use sectors, will greatly affect the world’s
chances of averting a climate driven eco-disaster.
We need more ambitious targets on climate action,
and we need a better approach to delivering the new
fuels, carbon sinks, energy technologies and
networks of tomorrow. The world’s people and
wildlife need an ecologically resilient climate and
energy revolution, led by Europe».
Which Energy Union? A vision of hope
vs. the geopolitics of fear
The Energy Union is the next Big Idea of the EU
which is supposed to breathe new life into a
European project that has lost its appeal with citizens
and national governments. At the moment, the
Energy Union is an empty shell and every lobby
pushes its own individual product or technology. The
tangible risk is that we will end up with a muddled
mess.
By Ariel Brunner
Energy Infrastructure for a Sustainable
European Energy Union
For Europe to remain a global leader in tackling
climate change, the Energy Union and all EU energy
policy must embrace the vision of a renewable
electricity-based energy system. By Ivan Scrase
Decision time nears in EU biofuels
policy
A news website is online, right when decision
makers are negotiating the final stages of the new
legislation on biofuels and the so-called Indirect
Land Use Change. Biofuelsreform.org will help you
understand what is happening and help you make up
your mind. By Trees Robijns
It is not solely a “European Union” problem: if
global warming has a “virtue” it is certainly that of
showing us how interconnected we are, across
species, lands, and time. A concept dear to Ecology
but apparently ignored by Mr. Juncker, the fresh
advocate of the latest “buzzword” in the EU: Energy
Union.
In this issue, Ariel Brunner explains how this new
Big Word in President Juncker’s vocabulary is
supposed to breathe new life into a European project
that has lost its appeal with citizens and national
governments. At the moment, the Energy Union is an
empty shell and every lobby pushes its own
individual product or technology. The tangible risk is
that we will end up with a muddled mess.
Ivan Scrase goes into some of the operational details
of the energy transition and writes: "An Energy
Union focused around prolonging the lives of nuclear
and coal power stations and securing supplies of
foreign gas offers no positive vision for the future...
for Europe to remain a world leader in tackling
climate change, the Energy Union and all EU energy
policy must embrace and operationalize a vision of
a renewable electricity-based energy system".
Although some success stories come from countries
such as Germany and its Energiewende, writes
NABU, real life examples of good ideas going wrong
are abundant. A decision nears in EU biofuels policy
and yet strong limits on land based products have not
been implemented, writes Trees Robijns, introducing
a new website (biofuelsreform.com) that will help
you understand what is happening and help you
make up your mind about this controversial issue.
An American friend from BirdLife Partner Audubon,
Ginny Kreitler, reminds us just how troublesome the
footprint of EU renewable policies can be for the
entire world. It is truly an inconvenient truth: the
wood pellet production for EU energy markets
creates a carbon debt and fosters unsustainable
timbering practices.
Will policy makers listen to bird experts? Roman
Senators
certainly
consulted
their
great
grandfathers, writes David Howell about the
Augures, the wise men who studied the flight of
birds to give advice about decisions affecting the
future. A lesson from the past that should find a
second youth in our times.
Enjoy the reading (and send us your thoughts)...
COP 21 Negotiations
In 2011, countries at the UNFCCC Conference of the
Parties in Durban, South Africa, agreed to establish a
binding international agreement to tackle climate
change by 2050 in the hopes that this would set the
blueprint for national action. At COP21, which will
be held in Paris later this year, we expect this
agreement to be finalised. By Bruna Campos
Turning German Energy Around
The Energiewende – Germany’s energy transition - is
still under pressure, even though the German
government recently confirmed their CO2 emissions
target (40% lower than 1990 levels). To reach this
desired target, Germany needs to increase efficiency
in the building sector, restructure its distribution
network, phase out dirty supplies like lignite, but
also ensure that renewable energy develops in an
environmentally sustainable manner. By Sebastian
Scholz, NABU (BirdLife in Germany)
Policy makers and birdwatchers:
remember the Roman Augures?
Our society is far from sustainable and the EU’s
objectives for 2030 are not ambitious enough. Once
upon a time politicians would look at birds to take
decisions regarding their future. A lesson from the
past that has been forgotten. By David Howell
Featuring: Audubon
Ginny Kreitler, reminds us just how
troublesome the footprint of EU
renewable policies can be for the
entire world:
USA vs. Europe: the troublesome
footprint of EU renewable policies
Wood pellet production for European energy
markets, as practiced recently, creates a carbon debt
through 2030 and fosters unsustainable timbering
practices. Running power plants on imported wood
pellets will weaken progress on decarbonizing
Europe’s energy supply while contributing to the
degradation of important habitats abroad. By Ginny
Kreitler
Inspiring BirdLife Partners activities and success stories
RSPB resolves to tackle climate change from its own
backyard
BirdLife Partners are committed to reducing their own carbon footprint,
notably by generating their energy needs from renewable sources
wherever possible. This year, the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) will be
installing a wind turbine at its headquarters, which should help the
organisation to reduce its emissions by 3%. Read more...
We want you to Spring Alive for birds this year
Nature is preparing for spring and providing everything that birds will
need: thawing frozen lakes; waking animals from hibernation; budding
leaves and berries; and taking insects to the air. Millions of birds fly
enormous distances every year to feed and breed in Europe and Asia,
and they need your support too. Read more...
Saving birds from electrocution: BirdLife Bulgarian
Partner rewarded for its work on power lines
On 27 January, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
(BirdLife in Bulgaria) and the BirdLife Partnership were rewarded with
the Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI) “Good Practice Award” for their
work on preventing bird deaths due to electrocution and collision with
power lines in Bulgaria and Sudan. Read more...
Growing network is helping Montenegrin migrants
The BirdLife Partnership is building a growing network of people and
organisations who are working together to look after migrant birds in the
Mediterranean. Read more...
Of birds, mud and spas: the special chemistry of Lake
Rusanda
Lake Rusanda in Serbia, has provided alkaline, highly therapeutic,
mineral-rich muds for over a century. The lake and it’s unique alchemy
has also made it an unusual hotspot for avian fauna as well. Read more...
Scientific breakthrough reveals evidence of ‘human
fish’ locked away in cave system
How do you find physical evidence of a rare species when most of its
habitat (the subterranean waters of limestone cave systems in the
Balkans) is inaccessible to humans? The ‘human fish’ is the largest cave
animal in the world. Despite this, Proteus anguinus – a blind, entirelyaquatic salamander commonly known as the olm, and endemic to the
Dinaric Alps – is incredibly difficult to find. Read more...
The British Embassy becomes a haven for birds in the
heart of Athens
The Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS, BirdLife in Greece) placed
seven artificial bird nests in the garden of the British Embassy in Athens,
following an invitation from the British Ambassador. Read more...
Events
January - June 2015: Latvian Presidency of the EU. Learn more about BirdLife Europe' s recommendations for a
successful Presidency on our website.
26 February 2015, London (9.30am - 5pm): BESTGRID workshop "Good practice exchange". More details and
registration.
4 March 2015, Brussels: Sustainable Future for EU Farming? Conference organised by the European Environmental
Bureau, the Danish Ecological Council and BirdLife Europe. More information and registration.
Jobs
Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in in Brüssel EU-Naturschutzpolitik
Für unser Büro in Brüssel suchen wir zum 1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/n Mitarbeiter/in für das
zweijährige Projekt "EUNaturExchange" sowie weiterer Aufgaben (vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details
• Closing date: 27 March 2015
Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in EU-Naturschutzpolitik
Für unser Team in der Bundesgeschäftsstelle Berlin suchen wir zum1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/n
Mitarbeiter/in für das zweijährige Projekt "EU-NaturExchange"(vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details
• Closing date: 27 March 2015
BirdLife International Admin/Event Intern
• Location: Brussels, Belgium
• 6 month paid internship
The intern will assist the administration and event departments in the BirdLife Europe Secretariat Office in Brussels.
Contact us for application information.
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Responsible editor: Angelo Caserta
This publication receives its support by the European Commission and the RSPB
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