We'll Always Have Paris: Climate Change Agreement in 2015

Greetings from the at the Australian National University in Canberra, where Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will speak on "The Road to Paris - Efforts to Achieve a New Climate Change Agreement in 2015".  Secretary Figueres started on a surprisingly positive note, saying that preparations for the Paris negotiations are ahead of schedule. Nations are currently working out what measures they can present. Currently there are 38 proposals registered, mostly from developed nations, including the EU and USA.

Secretary Figueres pointed out that Pope Francis and other faith leaders had identified climate change a moral issue. She also referred to the Umbrella Group which is one of the groupings with Australia is notional member of (Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Norway, the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the US).

Four issues:

1. How can countries with unique requirements b accommodated?
2. Less progress on adaption, than reductions. This is a particular for developing nations.
3. How to deal with emissions from emerging developing nations.
4.  How will the ecological balance be restored in the next century? The current negotiations, even under the most optimistic estimates will not reduce, let alone reverse, global warming.
5. Ensure legal basis of Paris agreement. Countries can withdraw from the agreement if they are not meeting their obligations.
6. "Who is going to pay for this?"

It seems to me that one way to have the negotiations more equitable would be to have emissions measures per capita. Developed nations would therefore have more to do as each of their citizens are causing much more pollution.

It would seem to me that in terms of international enforcement, it would be best to have incentives for business. As an example, products imported from a non-signatory country could be subject to a carbon tariff, whereas those from signatories would be tariff free.

Last month Professor Broome explained how previous climate change negotiations were manipulated by some developed nations who could afford large well staffed negotiating teams, to the detriment of developing nations. I suggest that the Paris meeting should be held on-line, allowing developing nations to pool their expertise and take advice from on-line volunteers.

Secretary Figueres was not what I was expecting for a UN official, being passionate, entertaining and informative. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is in safe hands.

Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris and the Moulin Rouge

Last night I attended a special showing of the exhibition "Toulouse-Lautrec: Paris and the Moulin Rouge" at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. In keeping with the evening's theme of 1890's Paris, I dressed in a top-hat, cravat, with cane. The exhibition is arranged chronologically with the best kept to last: Lautrec's posters.

Redesigning World Government Online

Following on from GovHack in Canberra/Sydney and Govcamp in Canberra, the global GovJam, commences 5:45pm 5 June 2012 (Canberra time). The event will be launched Senator the Hon Kate Lundy, Minister for Sport, Minister for
Multicultural Affairs, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation (See video of Senator Lundy at the first GovHack in 2009).

You can take part in the GovJam from anywhere in the world online via the Global Headquarters (Canberra). There are also local events in: Brisbane, Canberra, Katherine, Paris, Köln (Cologne), Thessaloniki, Tehran, Milan, Bilbao, Madrid and London.

Here is the program for Canberra:

Wednesday:
8:30 am – 5:30 pm – Jamming
11:30 am – Transit of Venus
5:00 pm – link in with French Government and project transfers overseas
6:00pm – Dinner at Zieholtz UC (optional, at own cost)
7:30pm – Special Screening of I AM on Hyperwall at INSPIRE

Thursday:
8:30 – 5:30pm – Jamming, presentations, awards
Alcohol Tuesday evening is on a BYO basis.
So, what do you need to do to make this Jam phenomenal?
1. Check out the rules of the Jam - http://www.govjam.org/content/jam-rules
2. Check out your Jamming Wednesday:
8:30 am – 5:30 pm – Jamming
11:30 am – Transit of Venus
5:00 pm – link in with French Government and project transfers overseas
6:00pm – Dinner at Zieholtz UC (optional, at own cost)
7:30pm – Special Screening of I AM on Hyperwall at INSPIRE

Thursday:
8:30 – 5:30pm – Jamming, presentations, awards
Alcohol Tuesday evening is on a BYO basis.
So, what do you need to do to make this Jam phenomenal?

Hotel Room of the Future

French hotel chain Accor have equipped a Noveltel hotel room with Micrsoft Kinect to create the "Hotel Room of the Future" until 14 February 2012: room 3120, Novotel Vaugirard Montparnasse. The Kinect can be used to operate room controls, as well as play games.

I am a fan of Accor's budget F1 hotels. This is perhaps where the technology could be most of use, to make lower cost, more environmentally efficient hotel rooms. The video screen could display a web cam image from the roof of the hotel and be draped make a virtual window, allowing for budget rooms to be placed in the core of the building. The "window" would also provide a TV screen, web browser and games console.

In Europe some budget hotels have communal bathrooms, but these are not popular in Australia. An on-line booking system on the screen, would allow for an automatically cleaned bathroom to be shared by several rooms. This would get over the worry of wandering down the corridor, with towel in hand, in the hope the bathroom is free and is clean. Instead you would know the bathroom is reserved for you and be able to unlock it with your room card.

Without a bathroom, the rooms could be reduced to be just large enough for the bed and space to walk around it, about 3 x 3 m for a double room. There could be a flip down desk underneath the video screen to form a desk, with the person sitting on the end of the bed to work.

No waiting for French Impressionists in Canberra

This afternoon at about 5pm I noticed there were no queues for "Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gough, Gauguin, Cézanne & Beynond; Post-Impressionism from the Musée d'Orsay"exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. It is open tonight until 9pm and there is campaign in the sculpture garden. The exhibition finishes on 18 April.

I saw the works in Paris at the Musée d'Orsay so today instead I went to the Easter Steam Spectacular of the Australian Railway Historical Society (ACT Division). At Canberra Station there was Steam Locomotive 1210, Diesel-electric Locomotive 4807 , sleeping and dining cars.

French Impressionists Exhibition in Canberra

Recently I have become very popular with friends and relatives. This is because the National Gallery of Australia is having a very popular exhibition "Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gough, Gauguin, Cézanne & Beynond; Post-Impressionism from the Musée d'Orsay". I saw the works in Paris at the Musée d'Orsay. (as I never get tired of saying, when asked if I have seen the Canberra exhibition). d'Orsay is in a wonderful building converted from a railway station (don't miss the restaurant inside the clock tower with views of Paris through the clock face).

The Canberra exhibition is drawing such a crowd it can be difficult to find accommodation on weekends, so my apartment is very popular. On weekends the queue has stretched from the front door of the gallery, past the High Court of Australia, to the National Portrait Gallery, past the front of that gallery and the half way back down to the national gallery again. This is the queue for people who already have tickets, there is another queue to get a ticket.

Visiting the gallery mid-week there was only a queue of a few dozen people (the gift shop at the end of the exhibition was still crowded). The queues are only for the French exhibition and the rest of the gallery is free. The portrait gallery with an excellent exhibition of portrait photography is also not crowded. It is possible to get a table at the outdoor deck of the portrait gallery and watch in comfort as the exhibition queue shuffles past (many wearing paper hats made from the exhibition poster).

The National Library of Australia is also not crowded, with its own exhibitions and excellent coffee cafes. If the bookplate cafe in the foyer is too busy, try the Paper plate cafe on the lower floor of the library.

After a hard day's culture, a pleasant way to relax is at the Pork barrel Cafe, a low cost annex to the upmarket Lobby Restaurant, set in the park in front of Old Parliament House and overlooking rose gardens. Beware of sitting outdoors this time of the year, as the parrots feed in the trees above and drop twigs on those below. With a table reserved indoors, looking out at the roses (and people being pelted with twigs), there can hardly be a happier place to be.