On
Climate
Change Finance, UN Dodges Air and Sea Tax, Ban Differs With
Envoy, Rudd in Wings?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July 13 -- The two co-chairs of the UN's High Level Advisory
Group on Climate Change Financing, the prime ministers of Ethiopia
and Norway, Tuesday vaguely summarized their Group's ideas to the
press. To Norwegian PM Jens Stoltenberg, Inner City Press asked if
taxes on aviation and shipping are being discussed.
Stoltenberg
replied
that “We have not agreed, there is not conclusions yet,
this is not the time for presenting any conclusion. But there are
many different possible sources. And of course, some of the possible
sources are related to international aviation, international
shipping. whether that is going to be included in the final report or
not, it is too early to say... that is all I can say today.”
Inner
City Press
asked Ban Ki-moon about the comment by his new envoy on the issue,
that a comprehensive agreement may not be reached in her lifetime. A
subtext are rumblings in the U.S. State Department that they would
have liked to put now deposed Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd in
the post, or that the UN now create a new climate change envoy
position for Rudd.
Ban and the co-chairs, answers on taxes and envoy not shown
Ban
smiled and
answered, as transcribed by the UN:
I
speak
on my behalf. I do not normally speak for a person whom I have
nominated. I have not read exactly what she said, but I think that
she might have been trying to explain that the process would be quite
a difficult one. But just the reason that it is a difficult one does
not give us any reason to be disappointed or deterred. We have a
strong commitment to reach a globally binding agreement as soon as
possible and I am sure that we can achieve that goal. As I said, the
more we delay, the cost of inaction will be far, far greater than the
cost of action today.
That
is
what I have been repeatedly saying and emphasizing. Therefore
this High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing is a very
good start and a very good initiative to make the comprehensive
process of negotiation move. This is a very important element,
aspect of complementing, reinforcing the negotiation process. And you
have our commitment. You see the commitment of these distinguished
Prime Ministers and world leaders.
The
last question
allowed was directed to Mr. Ban, and concerned “occupied Kashmir.”
Ban declined to answer it. Inner City Press would have wanted to ask
Ethiopia's Meles Zenawi for this view of the bombings in Kampala. But
he was gone.
* * *
As
UN's
Ban Partners with Statoil Despite Oil Sands and Angola,
Indigenous and Weaver Hit Brazil on Dams
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 28 -- The UN picked Statoil as its poster child to
Wednesday launch the report of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's
Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change. Inner City Press asked
Statoil CEO Helge Lund about his company's move to oil sands -- being
criticized this week by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
-- to drilling Marcellus shale, criticized for pollution, and
financial criticism for projects in Angola, Libya and Nigeria. Video here,
from
Minute 30:13.
Mr.
Lund's
response to these specifics was to claim that Statoil is
"transparent, open," then to speak about carbon emissions.
But the critique of oil sands is not only about emissions, but the
destruction of the land and driving indigenous people off.
Likewise,
the
criticism
of Statoil in for example Angola was a lack of transparency
and openness, working with local firms connected to government
officials.
Mr.
Ban left his
press conference before any questions could be asked. But Inner City
Press asked Achim Steiner, recently re-appointed by Mr. Ban to head
UNEP, to explain what standards the UN applies and how it selects
companies to be on its podium.
Steiner
replied
that
people are on the Advisory Committee in their personal
capacities. But Lars Josefsson the CEO of Vattenfall, a company moving
ever more
into fossil fuel development, bragged
that his membership on the UN
Committee reflects on Vattenfall's practices. Inner City Press has
raised this to a number of UN officials, including Ban's "global
goods" aide Bob Orr, but nothing has been done.
Statoil's Lund, at right, looks down as UN's Ban smiles
Steiner
referred
to
the UN Global Compact, telling Inner City Press "you are more
familiar with it than most." But that has been without the
assistance or even consent of Compact leadership. Outside the most
recent Compact board meeting in New York, Compact director Georg Kell
told Inner City Press "you can't quote anyone here," or
even ask them questions.
Only because
Ban's Group of Friends on
Myanmar was meeting next door was Inner City Press able to ask if
there would be a Compact press availability. No, was the answer. What
was that, about openness and transparency?
Later
on
Wednesday,
indigenous people and the actress Signourey Weaver protected outside
Brazil's mission to the UN, against the Belo Monte dam. Fox News was
there -- incongruous, some said, until they remembered that Lulu is
thought to be a left leaning president -- as well as a slew of
photographers and paparazzi waiting for Ms. Weaver.
She
arrived an hour
late, but then spoke with conviction, how after the film Avatar
indigenous groups had contacted Avatar
director James Cameron. On
Saturday Cameron told the Press that in preparing the movie, he had
"read books" on indigenous beliefs. Now, he and Ms. Weaver
seem to be listening to the indigenous. Oh that this were true of
Statoil. Or of the Executive Office of the Secretary General of the
UN, at least on oil sands, for that matter.
* * *
Avatar
Shown
to UN Forum by Cameron, White Messiah Alleged, "We're
All Indigenous"
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
April 24 -- Avatar was screened by its director James
Cameron for the UN Permanent
Forum on Indigenous Issues on Saturday
night in Manhattan. Afterwards Cameron was asked why the hero had to
be a white male, in the tradition of Dances with Wolves and before
that Little Big Man.
Cameron
replied that he was trying to "wake
up Caucasians." He said both that "we are all indigenous"
and that he wants "everyone to be a white Messiah." While
unclear it was heartfelt. At the end an indigenous legislator from
Peru stepped forward to give him her business card. It's 2010 and
networking is everything.
In
fact in the
film, networking is central. The enormous trees which the U.S.
corporate invaders are seeking to fell have "roots which
interconnect," Signourey Weaver informs us, making up a network.
The invaders are not impressed. Echoing Iraq, pointing at a book
about the Na'vi, it is said that "when people are sitting on
[stuff] that you want, you make them your enemy."
In
another echo of
the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and post 9/11/01 war, the military villain
vows "we'll fight terror with terror." He has looked at
the protagonist's file - "I see you were in Venezuela." One
wonders, is Cameron predicting a US assault on Hugo Chavez, before
the time frame of the film?
While
the
movie was
being screened, Cameron did fast one on one interviews with
reporters. Inner City Press didn't ask for one, but heard about at
least two. The "we are all White Messiahs" line was said
both in private and in public: it is a talking point, for better or
worse.
Inner City
Press asked the UN how the screening came about and was told
"Matthew
-
The idea for the screening came about as the Secretariat for the
Permanent Forum had heard many positive reactions from indigenous
representatives on the film and how it was echoing their own stories.
Through personal contacts of the Secretariat and the NGO
co-sponsors, they contacted James Cameron re the possibility of a
screening and it went from there."
Cameron (per Broddi) at
UNPFII screening: White Messiah?
Since,
as
Cameron
put it, the movie made "$2.7 billion for Rupert Murdoch,"
clearly he doesn't need the publicity. It seems he consented to the
event in order to put to rest the residual criticism of the movie as
racist -- although the "White Messiah" critique has been
raised mostly by, well, white Messiahs -- and to show that his motives
weren't commercial.
Witness
Cameron's
support
to a protest of a project in Brazil. One wonders what Cameron
thinks of President Lula's policies on the indigenous. Or of Evo
Morales'
recent comment that Western food, genetically engineers,
leads to "baldness and homosexuality."
Cameron
disclosed
that he opposed the invasion of Iraq -- very courageous, at this
point -- and that corporate interests are "plundering if you
will." Yes, they will, including the financiers of the studios
distributing Avatar. But if enough business cards are passed, perhaps
there will be justice. At least, there will be a sequel. Watch this
site.
UN
footnote
-- and the United Nations is increasingly often only a
footnote -- one wanted to ask Cameron where he thought the UN would
be in the conflict he depicted. But the public Q&A session was
too short and smacked of pre-determined. If reality's any guide, the
UN would be offering humanitarian assistance on behalf of the
invaders, after the invasion.
, 
