Debating Carbon Capture and Storage in the Clean Development Mechanism
Debating Carbon Capture and Storage in the Clean Development Mechanism / Nathan Hultman and Viviane Romeiro, Brookings Institution, 7/12/2011
http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2011/1207_durban_climate_talks_hultman.aspx
One of the more pleasantly unpredictable aspects of the annual climate negotiation ritual is the creativity with which many of the environmental organizations approach their messaging. Whether by displaying a melting ice penguin or by deploying “delegates” to hide their heads in the sand like ostriches, the visual imagery can often attach a more compelling and refreshingly direct narrative to the technical and specialized negotiations happening inside the venue. Some stunts admittedly fall flat, but the best are entertaining, engaging, thought-provoking, or even haunting. One of many such performances this week involved a group of seven yellow-shirted cheerleaders repeatedly chanting “Kick Coal Out of CDM!”, and offering passing delegates the opportunity to give a boot to the derrière of an unfortunate bloke dressed as a lump of coal. Their message is clear—dirty coal should not receive special treatment through an international body charged with determining how to protect the climate…