Weekly Green: November 30, 2015

» Hello and welcome to a special edition of the Weekly Green. This week, we've dedicated our environmental news roundup to the top story: Today in Paris began the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The historic conference is generating widespread media coverage, including many reports focused on California's involvement. We are pleased to bring you those stories now.

– California League of Conservation Voters

WEEKLY GREEN SPECIAL EDITION
21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

What to Know About the Paris Climate Change Conference
More than 100 heads of government and 40,000 other attendees are meeting on Nov. 30 for the launch of the two-week United Nations conference on climate change. Negotiators expect the gathering, formally known as the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to yield the most significant international agreement yet to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and slow the effect of climate change.
http://time.com/4123568/paris-climate-conference-preview/

California governor in Paris to push pact to curb emissions
California Gov. Jerry Brown is heading to the U.N. Climate Change conference, which opens Monday, where he will promote the state's efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and urge other states and provinces to sign on to his climate pact.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/article47050350.html

California, An Environmental Leader, Eyes A Key Role In Climate Talks
World leaders are scheduled to meet in Paris soon, trying to draft an agreement on how to combat climate change. Among the heads of state, you'll also see California Gov. Jerry Brown, who is spearheading his own international climate movement.
http://www.npr.org/2015/11/24/456650555/california-an-environmental-leader-eyes-a-key-role-in-climate-talks

Two-Thirds of Americans Want U.S. to Join Climate Change Pact
A solid majority of Americans say the United States should join an international treaty to limit the impact of global warming, but on this and other climate-related questions, opinion divides sharply along partisan lines, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
http://nyti.ms/1N02Evx

Tens of billions promised to boost clean energy tech
Government and business leaders are banking on clean energy technology to fight global warming, kicking off this week’s high-stakes climate change negotiations by pledging tens of billions of dollars for research and development.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/world/article47082225.html

Merced marchers hope to raise awareness on climate change
A group of about 40 people marched up and down M Street in Merced on Sunday on the eve of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris to raise awareness about environmental issues.
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/article47101820.html

UC Davis expert to take pro-cycling message to Paris climate conference
UC Davis transportation expert Lewis Fulton gave up his car years ago. He commutes on a red Trek hybrid bike from his Davis home to a West Village office where he’s on the faculty at the Institute of Transportation Studies. When it’s grocery time, he and his wife grab bikes with paniers.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article47104275.html

Watch President Obama’s Speech at Paris Climate Conference
"Accepting this challenge will not reward us with moments of victory that are clear or quick. Our progress will be measured differently—in the suffering that is averted, and a planet that's preserved...but the knowledge that the next generation will be better off for what we do here—can we imagine a more worthy reward than that?”
https://www.facebook.com/ecovote/posts/10153333282656245

President Obama and Bill Gates to announce historic investment in clean energy research
President Obama will join with the leaders of 18 other countries as well as Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates on Monday at the United Nations Climate Summit in Paris to launch a historic expansion in clean energy research and development funding. This funding will come both in the form of public sector financing and private sector backing, and together they are likely to constitute the biggest investments in clean energy technologies in history.
http://mashable.com/2015/11/29/obama-gates-clean-energy-climate

Californians to invest big in Bill Gates’ clean energy fund
When Bill Gates on Monday announces the formation of a new, multibillion fund to support green energy technology, nearly a third of the members of his investment group will come from the Golden State.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article47091705.html

California to Paris: Take our ideas, send money
“Obviously, we want to export what we have been able to accomplish so far in the state of California,” Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León said Monday. But there are other reasons to make the trip. “What we want to bring back to California, obviously, is more investment capital,” de León said.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article47165240.html

What the Paris Climate Meeting Must Do
Paris will almost certainly not produce an ironclad, planet-saving agreement in two weeks. But it can succeed in an important way that earlier meetings have not — by fostering collective responsibility, a strong sense among countries large and small, rich and poor, that all must play a part in finding a global solution to a global problem.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/opinion/sunday/what-the-paris-climate-meeting-must-do.html

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