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Latest update: 17/12/2009
- Copenhagen climate summit - environment
The blogosphere fears Copenhagen climate summit failure
In this edition: the blogosphere campaigns for an ambitious agreement to be reached in Copenhagen, and in Australia, net users protest against web filtering in the country.
A DEAL IN COPENHAGEN?
UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and Pope Benedict XVI, spoke out this week on the fringes of the Copenhagen Climate Conference. They wish to further negotiations and encourage industrialised countries to adopt ambitious measures to stamp out climate change. The blogosphere joins their struggle.
Several videos, such as this one are circulating on share sites and are aimed directly at world leaders to encourage them to reach a climate agreement in Copenhagen. With one message repeated incessantly: ‘The world is ready! The world wants an agreement’
A message also transmitted by many celebrities, particularly in the United States. In this advert, broadcast online, several stars urge Governments around the world to take restrictive decisions in terms of environmental protection and combating global warming.
Meanwhile, the ecological organisation, Greenpeace is continuing its drastic initiatives on the fringes of the conference. In this video, filmed on Tuesday, several campaigners climbing the façade of the Sydney Opera House to unroll a banner urging politicians to act without delay.
And the emergency is real, as illustrated by these images, posted online by the Association of Small Insular States, (AOSIS), which recalls that the consequences of climate change are already being felt in many countries.
However this disruption is not inevitable, as explained by the deputy Mayor of Copenhagen in an online interview. He feels that world leaders must make long term considerations and show courage by taking measures today which will have a beneficial impact on the environment in the future.
AUSTRALIA: WEB FILTERING
The Australian Government has announced the implementation of net filtering. The aim being to block all content of a child pornographic, sexually violent or drug-related nature. The measure will be based on a black list of sites which will be completed by a public complaints system.
But many Australian net users, who refuse all forms of web censorship, are rallying to attempt to block the project. On Twitter, they are using the key phrase, ‘No clean feed’ to protest against the sterilisation of the net.
Many have also acted out scenes to express their opposition. And while Canberra has guaranteed that the filter will not represent a threat to freedom of expression, some are comparing the country to China, which filers the web for political motives.
Others question the efficiency of the scheme, financed by tax-payer’s money. For the author of this video, by-passing it will be child’s play, to such a point that even his dog will be able to do it.
Finally the filter may also slow down internet connections in the country and thus hold back the economy, according to this local NGO. The organisation invites net users to sign a petition aimed at the Communications Minister, urging him to abandon the project.
VIDEO GAMES INFORMATION SITE
The French Government has just launched a site to help parents who don’t know much about video games to select the right game for their children. Comprehensive and easy to use, the site features over 700 fact-files on the various games available on the market and guides parents in their choice. An interesting initiative with Christmas just around the corner.
WHERE DOES MY MONEY GO?
The site ‘wheredoesmymoneygo.org’, which has just been launched in he UK is a tool which, as its name suggests, allows UK tax payers to see where their tax money goes. An initiative whose official aim is to make state spending more transparent, a particularly sensitive issue, since this summer’s scandal surrounding MP’s expense bills.
VIDEO OF THE DAY
What do Canadians do when fishing in winter on the ice and when fish are few and far between? They dive into the icy water to try to locate them. And the most surprising thing is that the two friends don’t even seem to be bothered by the cold.
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