By Aubrey Ann Parker
Circle of Blue

For two weeks in Copenhagen last month climate negotiators debated carbon levels, emissions, and balancing the financial burden of saving the planet among developed and developing countries. Still, even as international leaders wrestled with the complex mix of geopolitics, science, economics, and diplomacy, another important ingredient in the climate crisis was barely mentioned: the effect of the warming planet on the Earth’s freshwater.

The same oversight, however, was not repeated by public interest organizations and water advocates who also were in Copenhagen, especially indigenous representatives from underdeveloped countries that are most vulnerable to climate change and the diminishing access to fresh water.

Numerous groups, such as the Khapi community in Bolivia and the Tagalog in the Philippines, banded together in Copenhagen to explain at a number of meetings and public events how climate change is already threatening their access to food and water, as well as the sustainability of their thousands years old cultures. Some of the strongest voices were heard during the World Water Movements and COP15: Proposals and Strategies for Water and Climate Justice panel.

Read complete article — originally published on January 27, 2010 — at Circle of Blue.

The hydropower potential of Patagonia in Chile has attracted growing interest from multinational corporations. Pictured above is a view from Patagonia’s “Valley of the Explorers,” located at the terminal moraine of the Expolaradores Glacier.

By Aubrey Ann Parker
Circle of Blue

High in Chile’s Andes Mountains, glacier-fed rivers tumble down knife-edge slopes in a froth of swift water barreling through tight canyons. Chile already produces more than 40 percent of its electricity from hydropower, but how much further Chile is prepared to advance its alternative energy industry—especially the hydropower sector—is now a question that has come to rest uneasily along the rocky banks of the Pascua and Baker rivers, two of the most remote and cleanest rivers in the world.

Both rivers are viewed by the multinational company HidroAysén as the fuel for its $US 5 billion project, which includes the construction of five large dams—some higher than 100 meters—to hold back enough water to power 2,750 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent to three mid-sized nuclear power stations. Additionally, more than 20 percent of the country’s electricity would depend on these dams, located on glacial rivers which some scientists fear are threatened by climate change.

Aubrey Ann Parker is a reporter for Circle of Blue. This article is based on two weeks of extensive research in hydropower that Parker conducted through the Graham Scholars Program at the University of Michigan in the spring of 2009. Read the Graham Scholars’ complete critique of the HidroAysén Environmental Impact Assessment here.

Read complete article — originally published on February 18, 2010 — at Circle of Blue.

Interview by Aubrey Ann Parker
Circle of Blue

Thirty-thousand rainforest dwellers have taken on one of the largest companies in the world, Chevron, for allegedly having polluted nearly 2000 square miles of the Ecuadorian Amazon. The locals say 50 years of drilling have caused high rates of cancer in their communities; Chevron insists that the inflated illness rates are due to poor sanitation. Chevron inherited the David and Goliath lawsuit–it’s worth $27 billion–when it bought Texaco in 2001. Circle of Blue reporter, Aubrey Parker, spoke with Joe Berlinger about his latest film, Crude. Three years in the making, Crude documents the rising international support for this environmental issue as the lead attorney, a man from the affected area in the Amazon, speaks at Live Earth, graces the cover of Vanity Fair and wins a Hero Award from CNN.

Read complete article — originally published on May 12, 2010 — at Circle of Blue.

Of the nine million people living in the southern region of Sudan, more than 2,500 have Guinea worm, according to a report by CNN. With only 500 additional cases scattered around the globe, health officials believe that eliminating the disease in Sudan would be a big step in eradicating this parasite that has infected humans since ancient Egyptian times.

The Guinea worm—which can reach up to three-feet long and is similar in appearance to an over-sized spaghetti noodle—enters the human host through larvae-infested drinking water. Once inside the host, the larvae become worms that penetrate the intestinal wall and travel within the body via connective tissues. The worms emerge from the body through fiery blisters on the legs, feet, arms, hands, head, chest and eyes. To ease the burning sensation of these blisters, infected persons immerse themselves into bodies of water. The worms then lay their eggs in the water that mature into larvae, which are swallowed by another human host, starting the cycle again.

Read complete article — originally published on May 13, 2010 — at Circle of Blue.

By Aubrey Ann Parker
Circle of Blue

With all the power of 21st century collaboration technology, nothing to date has tamed the massive amounts of disparate water information locked away in diverse database systems. But that may have changed last week when Google Labs launched Fusion Tables, a powerful new online research and data organizing tool that makes it much easier to share and navigate the world’s digital science and technical archives.

Fusion Tables, which was developed by Google engineers using sample research data about the global fresh water crisis provided by the Pacific Institute and Circle of Blue, is specifically designed to unlock a treasure trove of facts, trends, and scientific findings that until now have been sequestered in databases and spreadsheets not easily shared.

The new Google technology provides users a rare opportunity to share critical data, probe them, organize pertinent information and generate design elements — charts and graphs — that translate complex information into much more digestible trends. The intent is to enable online collaborators to study and understand in new dimensions the world’s complex problems — the fresh water crisis among them — discern the salient details and organize those scientifically confirmed facts. They can be used to tell stories, offer insights, and propose solutions that heretofore were largely the purview of scholars and scientific experts.

Google Fusion Tables tutorial with Circle of Blue’s Aubrey Ann Parker
Video © Aaron Jaffe/Circle of Blue

Read complete article — originally published on June 16, 2009 — at Circle of Blue. All video by Aaron Jaffe for Circle of Blue. Nadya Ivanova, Cody T. Pope, and Keith Schneider contributed to this article.

Dr. Eddy Martinez, the director of epidemiology for Bolivia’s Ministry of Health, told the The Miami Herald that the current outbreak is “the largest epidemic in many years.”

During a daylong campaign in March, health and civic workers went door-to-door in Santa Cruz, Bolivia’s largest city, asking homeowners to dispose of water-bearing containers — a prime habitat for mosquito development, the primary carrier of the disease.

But the preventive measures may have been too little, too late.

Read complete article — originally published on May 26, 2009 — at Circle of Blue.

Jordan and I have put a lot of hours into the attached proposal (originally drafted for the City of Frankfort by John Vinkemulder).

Image © Peter Devoe / 2010

Please leave a comment below to let us know what you think! And consider coming to the Village Council meeting tomorrow night (Thursday, September 15) at 7pm in the Community Rec building for more information or to voice your opinion. And stay tuned to our Facebook page for details during this transition period since the closing of the Frankfort Dog Park on Labor Day, 2011…

DIRECTIONS TO COMMUNITY REC BUILDING: On M22, as you’re headed out of Elberta, turn left onto 1st Street and drive back to the parking lot by the baseball field.

Listen in!!!! I’m going to be on a call-in radio show today (De. 18th, 2009) 2-3pm (EST) discussing Copenhagen and the media!

91.7 KALW Public Radio Station in San Francisco!!!! http://www.yourcallradio.org/

COPENHAGEN – When it comes to wind power, Americans have all kinds of excuses not to use it. “It’s too expensive” or “Not in my backyard” (NIMBY: referencing that they don’t want a tall, skinny, white turbine obstructing their beautiful view of the ocean or the mountains.) Let me begin by saying this is all a sham, in my opinion.

Recognized around the world for the last century of leading the manufacturing industry, Detroit is rusting from the inside out. Michigan is currently experiencing a 15% unemployment rate. Although some jobs have been created since the government incentive to manufacture affordable cars with good gas mileage, the jobless people of our state are still left waiting for the dawn of the second industrial revolution.

Why aren’t we using our technical expertise and warehouses full of machinery equipment to help optimize wind turbines that could be used throughout the world? This morning I attended a three-hour tour to Middelgrunden Wind Farm, just off the coast of Copenhagen. Luckily this tour didn’t turn out like Gilligan’s, because the temperature was below freezing.

The tour highlighted several speakers from the wind energy industry, all of which mentioned the need for better turbine design so that wind energy can become more affordable for consumers. They stressed the importance of new technology to overcome the learning curve in an industry that is still fairly young (only 30 years old for onshore turbines, and less than 10 years for offshore). But the potential is there, and estimates say the demand is growing fast.

The tour boat circled 20 turbines at the offshore Middlegrunden wind farm —- contributing three percent of the Copenhagen energy grid -— and we could see 100 Swedish turbines spinning in the distance. There are 11 offshore wind farms just like this scattered along the Danish coastline, but it still manages to retain its beauty. There are plenty of sailboats docked for the winter in the harbor, and I’m sure their owners still get plenty of use out of them — they might even use the turbines as a sort of obstacle course. The coastline at Middelgrunden is marred with carbon emitting stackhouses in addition to the windmills, and to my way of thinking, I’d rather have 20 skinny, white turbines “ruining” my view of the water than sooty, gray smog.

Denmark has 5,100 wind turbines total —- 78% of which are onshore, 22% offshore -— contributing to 20% of Danish electricity production. Jan Hylleberg, CEO of the Danish Wind Industry Association, projects that by 2020 this will increase to 50%.

I believe that Michigan could lead the green revolution —- supplying wind turbines to the world instead of automobiles —- if we could only think outside the dinosaur graves buried beneath the Middle East. The laws of economics apply here: As fossil fuels become scarce and supply decreases, demand (and therefore price) of these industries will increase to an amount that no one can afford to pay; thus a crash like the recent auto industry.

So why are we giving false hope to workers in Detroit by filling jobs manufacturing high mileage cars that we know are only temporary fixes? Why are we proposing to use our industrial knowledge and resources to build six new coal plants, if we know that the price of this energy is only going to increase? Why, instead, aren’t we seeking our own, domestic solution to this very foreseeable problem in the near future? Shouldn’t we be producing and manufacturing our own wind turbines, as well as supplying them to the rest of the globe?

Simply put, because nobody wants a shiny white turbine obstructing their view of crystal clear Lake Michigan. Absurdity! We get some amazing winds off the bluffs along the coast and we should be taking full advantage of them. And even if you argue that this isn’t enough to meet the energy demands of Michigan, that’s fine -— at least we can sell the technology to other places like Denmark where wind is more favorable.

The Danish wind industry started after the first oil crisis in the 1970s. Denmark was looking for domestic solutions to foreign fossil fuel dependence, and began to develop a plan featuring wind as a long-term, renewable alternative. Although the market began with onshore wind turbines, offshore development—which produces 30% to 40% more energy per turbine -— has experienced a steady increase, expected to grow 45% annually in coming years. This means that in 2015 6% to 7% of the world’s wind energy will be offshore, and the European Union will increase to 20% offshore suppliers, says Anders Soe Jensen, offshore president of Vestas Wind Systems.

Each turbine is 100 meters tall and 76 meters in diameter, producing two MWh per hour, totaling to four million KWh per year —- enough to power around 1,200 households (for onshore turbines), says Jensen. Middlegrunden, with 20 offshore turbines, produces enough energy for about 35,000 households —- this compared to the 20 to 25 thousand households if the same 20 turbines were onshore.

The other wind leaders in the European Union are Spain, with 15% wind power, and Denmark’s southern neighbor Germany, with 8%. Last year the EU as a whole had a 40 percent increase in wind installations.

“We can industrialize this industry at a lower price, building a foundation,” Jensen said. The only thing missing is technological advancement, who is currently hiring for the position of a manufacturing leader.

Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association, says the European Union legislation is expected to set a binding target for renewable energy at 20% —- a 5% increase from the current set point. By 2012, the EU will meet its Kyoto obligations because they are already delivering on carbon reductions, says Kjaer. This in stark contrast to Canada, which I heard the other day at the Bella Center is at negative three percent of its Kyoto obligations.

Spain alone plans to intensify this regime, however, ratifying an agreement in June 2010 to have 40 percent of Spanish energy coming from renewable resources, says Carlos Gasco of Ibertrola Renewables in Spain.

“Scientists say we need to act soon,” Kjaer said. “Developed countries need a 25 to 40 percent reduction in carbon emissions. We need a legally binding target by 2020, not by 2050 …” Kjaer not only recommended bumping up renewable energy systems, but also a complete fuel source switch, such as from coal to gas.

Steve Sawyer, the secretary general for the Global Wind Energy Council, has 20 years of experience with negotiations like those seen at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen this week. He told the tour that by the end of next week 130 heads of state will be here, “and the deal isn’t done yet. Usually they only show up to congratulate themselves on a job well done.”

Sawyer confirmed what I’ve been feeling all week. As far as the negotiations go, there are pessimists and there are optimists here in Copenhagen when it comes to the question of whether or not the United Nations will sign a “real deal” by this time next week. “But as far as I can tell,” Sawyer said, “the game is still in play.” However, he adds, the majority of the negotiations on the table right now are “nowhere near ambitious enough … (despite that) potential is huge all over the world.”

Currently, there are wind projects totaling 33,000 MW under construction now, 22,000 of which are in China alone. Almost 29,000 MW of wind power are currently generated in the United States as of April 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

“We’ve learned from Europe,” said Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association. The EU set hard renewable energy targets and then each country had to develop their own energy portfolio to reach those goals. “In the U.S., we have no hard targets, so it is up to the individual states to come up with their own objectives,” which is much less actionable in terms of carbon reductions.

I hope as we go into the next week of negotiations that the U.N. does decide to implement strict renewable energy goals. And I hope that the Michigan manufacturing industry will be watching.

Marina Ahmad of the Pakistan Youth Climate Network and Aniruddha Sharma of International Youth Climate Movement wait outside the UN climate summit, despite Danish police statements that NGOs will not be admitted for the remainder of the day.

COPENHAGEN — I arrived at the Bella Center today at 11:40—just ten minutes after the United Nations decided to ban further NGO access to the climate change conference. But they didn’t tell anyone waiting outside in the cold for more than a half an hour.

Yesterday, the metro stop directly at the Bella Center was closed for crowd control, which meant subway patrons had to get off at the stop before or the stop after the Bella Center and walk one kilometer, before then standing in a very long line—reputed at four to five hours. All the major news outlets were there also, each hoping for something to erupt, but the scene was fairly benign. Everyone realized that because more than 100 heads of state were arriving to the Bella Center this week that security measures had to be ramped up, inevitably leading to longer lines. People were still getting inside—it just took a long time. And free coffee from Greenpeace seemed to be keeping people warm and happy.

Today was not like yesterday.

I heard from friends that the best time to arrive at the Bella Center and avoid long lines was after the morning rush. There were only about 40 people ahead of me in line, so I figured that I would be out of the fluffy falling snowflakes soon enough. Today the Danish army replaced Greenpeace as soldiers were handing coffee and tea across the fence to people waiting patiently in line. But it didn’t take long to realize that nobody in the line was going inside.

“Let us in!” a few people started intermittently shouting from behind me, and I could see the crowd was growing to well over two hundred NGOs alone (members of political parties and the press had their own lines, and a very few of them were being admitted here and there).

Finally at 12:15 p.m. a policeman on a megaphone announced, “The UN has decided NGOs cannot come inside today. Come back tomorrow.” People from the lines started shouting, “But why?” and when all the officers refused to answer any questions besides, “May I have some coffee,” the atmosphere immediately changed. And in addition, the army had run out of tea.

Two people next to me were particularly vulnerable to this new situation: Sinikka Lennartz, a German student from the Eberhard Karls Univeritat and Aniruddha Sharma from India with 350.org, Sustainable Market Foundation, and International Youth Climate Movement.

“It seems I won’t get my lunch,” said Lennartz, a hypoglycemic. A security guard brought Lennartz three sugar packets as she weighed her options of heading back to the town center or staying in solidarity with the other NGOs trying to get inside.

“What about my coat?” Sharma asked a police officer, Klaus, as he waved his yellow ticket for the coat check. At 11:30am Sharma and approximately 35 others from the Indigenous People’s Group staged a demonstration by walking out of the plenary sessions. Sharma left his coat inside believing that he would immediately be re-admitted. I asked him why he walked out in the first place.

“The developing countries are trying to remove the rights of indigenous people from the negotiations, and this is not acceptable,” Sharma said. He explained to me that the local governments, such as indigenous leaders, are not included in the negotiating discussions, particularly surrounding the United Nations Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries Programme (UN-REDD). Additionally, some negotiators are trying to remove the few words that do actually appear in the text regarding indigenous rights.

“If your forest is destroyed, it is the local people who are most impacted by climate change,” he said, now with a slight shiver while wearing my bright red hat on his head. Lucky for Sharma, he was able to flag down a security guard, who sported a shaved head and an earpiece, who ran inside to fetch his coat.

At 12:28 the same police officer as before got on the megaphone and said to the angered crowd, “Because of earlier protests causing a security issue, we are now admitting parties and the press only. Do we have an ministers in the crowd that can please come to the front?”

“The UN has decided NGO’s do not have access today, please respect this and go home.”