Posted by Adam Borelli, Team Coordinator, Google.org

Google.org's RechargeIT initiative welcomed the Chevy Volt concept-car to our Mountain View campus yesterday. The Chevy Volt is a plug-in extended-range electric vehicle that operates on a combination of gasoline (biodiesel, E85, and gasoline fuels) and electricity. Its large lithium-ion battery pack allows it to run only on electricity for up to 40 miles. Since 78% of U.S. commuters drive 40 miles or less from work, charging overnight can provide enough energy for most daily commutes. On longer trips, the car uses its combustion engine as a "range extender" but GM still expects it to get about 150 miles per gallon. According to GM, the Volt is expected to save drivers 570 gallons (or $1368 per year, electricity included) in fuel cost.




Googlers were invited to check out the Volt and ask GM representatives questions about the vehicle as part an effort to showcase different green technologies and educate employees about their potential benefits. Many major auto-makers are exploring the production of plug-ins in the coming years, and we look forward to checking out other models on our campus as they become available. However, we also hope to see commitments to a schedule of production from the auto-makers so that cars like the Volt will be more than just displays on our campus. Plug-in vehicles are an important solution for reducing emissions produced by the transportation sector. Of course, by reducing emissions, we reduce our dependence on oil. We are happy to see auto-makers working to make this solution a reality.

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Posted by Michael Terrell, Team Member, Google.org

It came down to the 11th hour, and then dragged on for an extra day -- but after two weeks of negotiations, delegates at the UN climate change conference in Bali settled on a plan for reaching a new international agreement to fight climate change. The Bali action plan provides a roadmap for negotiating an expanded and strengthened international emissions reduction pact by the end of 2009.



The deal leaves many contentious issues unresolved. It does not include any explicit emissions reductions goals or targets; in fact the scientific recommendations on the emissions reductions needed to halt climate change are relegated to a footnote. The plan simply lays out a process to negotiate the emissions targets to succeed the limits set by Kyoto Protocol, which expire in 2012. It also provides a platform to begin talks to address growing concerns about adaption, deforestation and facilitating transfer of clean technologies to developing countries.


At the outset of this conference, we noted that the scale and complexity of the climate crisis demands collective action by the world's governments. The Bali roadmap, while leaving much to be desired, represents an important step in this process. All the parties are still at the table and are now committed to spending the next two years crafting a more comprehensive global solution to fighting climate change. Many were hopeful that the outcome of the U.S. Presidential election in 2008 will help breathe new life into this process, regardless of whether the President-elect is a Republican or Democrat.

But given how difficult it was to reach an agreement in Bali and how acrimonious the negotiations were, the rest of us can't afford to wait for the world to negotiate a new climate agreement. We need to take action now. Fortunately, many people around the world are doing just that. The numerous panels and side events at Bali were filled with examples of concrete actions people are taking now to build a cleaner future. We wrote on how the world's local governments are launching their own initiatives to fight global warming and how others are working to ensure that any solutions take into account equity and justice considerations. Another hot topic of conversation here was the growing efforts of many companies to reduce their carbon footprints and take a leadership role in promoting smart energy policies.

The flurry of activity among all of these groups is encouraging. The result at Bali and the tough road ahead suggests that the international treaty process will not be sufficient to confront this challenge with the speed and scope with which it demands, at least in the short term. To stop climate change, we all must take responsibility and act, whether by making choices to reduce our personal carbon footprint, engaging with family and friends in our communities, or elevating the climate crisis to the top of the political agenda. For the Google.org team, it means a renewed commitment to putting our own resources to work.

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Posted by Kirsten Olsen, Project Manager, Google.org

Though all 15,000 participants of the UN climate conference have come to Bali to discuss the global response to climate change, there are many points of entry to the debate. Some enter through the policy door, seeking better rules to mandate emissions reductions. Others enter through the investment door, seeking profit from carbon markets and clean technologies. And an increasing number of participants come through the global development door, seeking "climate justice" for poor populations effected by global warming. As Meena Raman of Friends of the Earth International in Malaysia explained, “We all agree that climate change is happening, but now we have to ask the question of how to share the burden of adjustment.”




Just how large that “burden of adjustment” will be is uncertain, but the UN Human Development Report released in anticipation of UN Conference proclaims that “climate change is the defining human development challenge of the 21st Century” and that “failure to respond to that challenge will stall and then reverse international efforts to reduce poverty.” The idea of climate justice comes into play when considering who will pay for climate adaptation when those countries that have done the least to cause global warming bear the greatest cost. Different groups here in Bali have even attempted to put a dollar amount to the cost of adaptation. Oxfam, for example, estimates the cost to be $50 billion per year and far more if emissions are not cut rapidly.

For many NGOs in Bali, climate change offers an opportunity to engage a new community of stakeholders and introduce ideas of environmental equity into the debate. Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, described the phenomenon as a “moment to challenge traditional development paradigms.” Local organizations such as the Indonesian Civil Society Forum for Climate Justice have sprung up in the past year to address the climate challenge while more established NGOs such as UNICEF have begun to incorporate work on climate justice and adaptation into their work.

Even though several side events and exhibit booths here in Bali focus on climate justice and adaptation, they are still a relatively small percentage of the overall NGO representation at the conference. Michael Dorsey from Dartmouth College and the Durban Group for Climate Justice points out that the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) still dominates in Bali with 336 representatives making up 8% of all NGOs listed. That is equal to more than the delegation of Greenpeace (~2%), the World Wildlife Fund (~1.6%) and Friends of the Earth (~1.5%) combined.

One silver lining that is gaining momentum here in Bali is the idea of "green jobs" created in the new energy economy. Most admit that further research on this topic is necessary to determine which sectors of society will benefit most from these jobs, but the concept resonates with many climate justice advocates in search for solutions.

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Posted by David Bercovich, Project Manager, Google.org

The theme today in Bali perhaps could best be summarized by the bumper sticker maxim, "think globally, act locally." While the delegates continued negotiations on an international climate change agreement, several events highlighted efforts by local communities around the world to confront the climate crisis and secure their own clean energy future.

Local cities from Milano, Italy to Betim, Brazil to Bhubaneswar, India shared their experiences deploying renewable energy projects in their cities. In partnership with ICLEI, they have banded together with other cities around the world (ICLEI map below of participating cities below) to share expertise and best practices on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The U.S. Climate Acton Network highlighted efforts by U.S. states (including 9 of the country's 10 largest emitting states) to reduce emissions, along with the pledge by over 700 U.S. mayors to meet the Kyoto Protocol targets in their cities and towns. Other innovative programs mentioned included the City of Berkeley's solar home financing plan; Chapel Hill, North Carolina's free public transit; and the City of Austin's plan to power all city facilities with 100% renewable power.

The Climate Group released a report on state and regional Low Carbon Leaders showing that emissions reduction targets set by local governments are often more ambitious than commitments pledged by national governments under the Kyoto Protocol. ICLEI convened a series of local government climate sessions as parallel events to the Bali meetings.

The flurry of local activity represents some frustration with the pace of international action, according to German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul. "We can't wait for every detail to be correct at the international level; we have to act now and we can act now if we act locally." Monika Zimmermann of ICLEI hopes the 'can-do' attitude of state and local governments will be contagious. "We're not just doing the right thing for our own sake, we want to prompt national governments and the international community to follow our lead."

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Posted by Michael Terrell, Team Member, Google.org

This week, representatives from 190 countries are gathering in Bali, Indonesia to begin framing an international climate change agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The delegates are joined by thousands more -- activists, local politicians, NGOs, businesses and others -- responding to the call for action.

The talks come on the heels of a comprehensive assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that presents the most sobering news on global warming to date. The IPCC, recent winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, concluded that evidence of global warming is "unequivocal," with 90% certainty that humans are the cause. According to IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri, urgent action is needed to combat climate change, or the consequences for the planet could be “disastrous.”

The good news is that the IPCC has identified a wide a range of solutions for curbing greenhouse gas emissions that are both technologically feasible and economically competitive. Here at Google we are working to accelerate some of these technologies through our our recently announced Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal initiative, Google.org's RechargeIT program, and our 1.6 MW solar installation.


But our own efforts can only get us so far. That's why we are participating in the Bali conference. The world must chart the path to a clean energy future collectively.

Over the coming days, we'll share our reflections and the stories of those who are there. You can also check out the live webcast of the conference.

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Posted by Dr. Amy Luers, Team Member, Google.org

Last week an Associated Press story highlighted the fact that climate change is contributing to the rise of infectious diseases. According to the article, several hundred cases of chikungunya fever -- a virus that in past has only been common in Africa and Asia -- have been reported recently in Italy. Rising temperatures are creating new breeding grounds for diseases to emerge, and the expanded movement of people and goods are increasing disease spread worldwide.

This European outbreak is one of a series of recent warning signs of the mounting risks that our changing climate poses to human health. While everyone in the world face risks from emerging infectious diseases and other threats associated with global warming, the poorest people are most vulnerable.

The good news is that momentum is growing worldwide to address climate change by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. The bad news is that even with aggressive global action to reduce emissions, the climate will continue to change for decades as a result of previous emissions. Scientific research suggests that if actions could be taken to immediately stop the rise in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, the inertia of the climate system is such that 0.5°C (0.9°F) or more of additional global average warming would still occur.

One thing is certain: the future will hold more changes and more surprises, and we need to be prepared. Those of us on the Google.org team are working at the intersection of climate change, global public health, and poverty to help reduce the vulnerability of the world's poor to the emerging diseases of the future.

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