Tres Viva

Lord of the Sceptics, Christopher Monckton Attends Newcastle and Points Finger At China

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:53:00 +0000

Photo by Right Winger.

No one was safe from the scathing accusations of non-scientist and radical climate denier, Christopher Monckton, when he attended Newcastle, home to the world's largest coal export port, to lecture on global warming.

Monckton was invited to Australia by two Queensland retirees at an estimated cost of $100,000, including a $20,000 fee, in order to address the lack of understanding around the governments proposed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) and give voice to the sceptic's argument against the consequences of man-made climate change.

Professor Ian Plimer, who failed to disclose his ongoing involvement in the mining industry, introduced Monckton but not before dismissing the environmental movement as one driven by fears, not facts.

Monckton began presentation by explaining that he was "not a scientist" and that he was going to address his audience in plain English "..because it's all got too complicated". He then launched into an his hour long attack on the United Nations (UN), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Professor Lord Nicholas Stern, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, the Australian government and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the entire Australian COP15 delegation, the scientists at the University of East Anglia, the British Parliament, China, the media and of course "appallingly misinformed" environmental lobbying groups.

Monckton dismissed climate science as fraudulent and "bogus", referring to the emails leaked from scientists at the University of East Anglia in Britain. Monckton went further to dismiss global warming as a conspiracy coordinated by the United Nations to earn a misappropriated profit and act as a front to form a world government.

The most rapturous applause of the presentation came when Monckton rallied fellow sceptics in the audience against the current governments proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), telling them the proposal would send their jobs overseas and asking them to chant if they were proud Australians. A few environmentalists in the audience responded "Not right now", against the cheers and cries of "yes!" amongst the rest of the predominately 55yrs and over crowd. Monckton failed to acknowledge that the majority of environmental lobbying groups agreed that an ETS is not the way to effectively combat climate change.

"If government sets price high enough to deter people [from consuming fossil fuel based energy]..will bankrupt the Hunter Region..you will all lose your jobs" said Monckton.

Monckton explained that climate change was part of a natural cycle and while admitting that humans omitted CO2 and that CO2 could cause warming, that the amount of CO2 present in the atmosphere and oceans, as a result of human emissions, was of inconsequential levels and would not cause any environmental change.

In what was the most striking allegation of Monckton's performance, his Novocastrian audience were told that, despite the region's multibillion-dollar coal industry, blame should be shifted instead to China, "Whatever we do is not going to make any different at all..you're going to have to persuade China".

Social Media Revolutionises Disaster Response for Haiti

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:03:00 +0000

On Tuesday January 12th, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake devastated the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The earthquake has destroyed the nations capital of Port-au-Prince including the Parliament building, the United Nations national headquarters, the hospital, the prison and many homes and businesses. Tens of thousands are dead and millions displaced in an event that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has described as the worst humanitarian crisis in decades.

Photo by IFRC.

The United Nations, who lost 46 staff members in the earthquake and have hundreds more still missing, are coordinating emergency relief efforts in Haiti. Due to proximity, the United States have been able to offer immediate assistance on the ground in Haiti, having taken charge of the Port-au-Prince airport where a large proportion of foreign aid is currently being received.

Representatives from many non-government organisations are also in the country assisting with distribution of water and food to displaced Haitians and with hospitals overwhelmed, Medecins Sans Frontieres are assisting with medical care in makeshift hospitals run out of tents.

Role of Social Media
The use of social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake has meant that an increasing level of coverage has reached more people in less time than that achieved through traditional media outlets. Social media has proved its value as a tool that can not only be used to communicate information but also to increase awareness and instigate a global call to action.

Photo by treslola.

Less than a week after the catastrophic event, donations of $US22mn had been pledged through the Red Cross text message campaign. Text message campaigns enable individuals to easily and impulsively donate while Twitter allows for promotion of the campaign to spread and reach a large global audience. Spokesperson for the American Red Cross, Gloria Huang, has said "...twitter has played an extremely significant part".

Social media platforms such as a Twitter have been able to bridge the geographical and even causal distance that individuals may once have felt from such disasters. The response to the social media promoted campaigns for relief for Haiti have proven that solidarity with those in the midst of tragedy can be achieved, all that is needed is a simple method by which to become aware of unfolding devastation and similarly simple way to act on that awareness.

Photo by IFRC.

What You Can Do
There is much to be done in the rebuilding of the nations capital and supporting its displaced population in the interim. Out of this crisis comes the opportunity to not only restore but improve infrastructure in Haiti. A conference, to be held in Montreal on January 25, has been called to discuss the long-term plan for rebuilding Haiti.

While millions of dollars have been donated, continuing support will be needed over the upcoming months and years. You can assist by pledging a donation to any of the following campaigns:

United Kingdom: Donate 5 pounds by texting 70077 or donate online (via Disasters Emergency Committee)
United States: Donate $10 by texting "Haiti" to 90999 (via Red Cross)
Donate 1 Days Wage to Haiti Relief Rebuild Fund.
Donate to Wyclef Jean's Yele or donate $5 by texting "YELE" to 501501.
Donate to Oxfam. Oxfam have around 200 staff in Haiti and are currently distributing water and sanitation supplies.
Call for Haiti's foreign debt to be cancelled.

Displaced Tamils Flee Genocide while Australian PM notes "It's not a perfect world"

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:24:00 +0000

"We are fleeing genocide...the world is for all humankind...we are just like you, except we do not have a country." Sanjeev "Alex" Kuhendrarajah, Tamil spokesperson on board vessel docked in Merak.

The Tamil people have historically occupied a region of land in Northern Sri Lanka. The area is often referred to as Eelam and the Tamil people have aspired to have it recognised as a separate state. However, after years of civil unrest and human rights violations against the Tamil people at the hands of the Sri Lankan government, more than 250,000 displaced Tamil people now occupy government run concentration camps; fenced in by barbed wire and forced to suffer inhumane conditions where basics such as food, clothing and medical care are inadequate to meet the needs of the overcrowded facilities. Instances of child abduction, rape and torture occurring in the camps have also been reported.

Tamil demonstration in London on 20/6/09, in support of their people suffering horrific violence and conditions in post-war Sri Lanka. Photo by lewishamdreamer.

Since Sri Lanka's independence from Britain in 1947, the Tamil people have defended Eelam against the government in their battle for an autonomous homeland. Efforts to depopulate this region of the Tamil community have resulted in the destruction of schools and homes, the deaths of thousands of men, women and children and the displacement of thousands more.

In an effort to escape the continued persecution of the marginalised Tamil community and inhumane conditions in the Sri Lankan concentration camps, a boat carrying 254 Tamil asylum seekers was recently on route to Australia. On October 10 2009, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke with the Indonesian President requesting the boat be intercepted and escorted to Indonesia. The boat has been moored in the Indonesian Port of Merak for over 80 days now with 247 asylum seekers refusing to disembark the vessel.

The Tamil asylum seekers are not making unjust demands in their refusal to be processed in Indonesia. As Indonesia is not a signatory to the United Nations Refugee Convention, the displaced Tamil's are fearful they have no guaranteed of basic human rights.

Speaking on behalf of the Tamil people aboard the boat currently docked in Merak, Sanjeev "Alex" Kuhendrarajah has explained,

"...we are concerned that no country will accept us, and the resettlement process can take up to 10 years. We don’t want to be in detention for that long as most of our lives have been held captive by the Sri Lankan government for the past three decades. We would like the chance to live freely to educate our children and employ ourselves according to our credentials."

Tamil demonstration in London on 20/6/09, in support of their people suffering horrific violence and conditions in post-war Sri Lanka. Photo by lewishamdreamer.

So why not join the queue to enter Australia as an asylum seeker?

"The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), which is responsible for processing the claims of refugees, is not allowed in the camps in Sri Lanka, so as there is no legal options for these abandoned refugees in...concentration camps...If one was able to get out of the camps and arrive in Colombo even applying for travel documents, or visa can be hazardous as it allows the authorities to know you are a Tamil trying to get out of the country, and adds to their suspicion of that particular individual, which in the end leads to indefinite imprisonment, under the Emergency State regulations which are still in effect to this day." says Alex.

Alex further commented on the demonising of asylum seekers and people smugglers, noting that condemnation "does not help the situation" and suggesting that we must "[examine] why Sri Lankan Tamils fear persecution". If we continue to allow national media and our political leaders to widely ignore the genocide and plight of the Tamil people and condone the use of loaded phrases such as 'people smugglers' without properly examining the circumstances surrounding the seeking of asylum, should we not consider ourselves, too, complicit in the human rights violations against the Tamil people?

In a devastating recent development, a 29 year old Tamil on board the boat docked in Merak, George Jacob Samual Christin has died. In the two days prior to his death, Christin has been coughing up blood and vomiting. His request for hospital treatment came too late.

"The tragic death of a young Tamil man on board the refugee boat at Merak was completely avoidable" said Ian Rintoul, spokesperson for the Refugee Action Coalition.

One must wonder, how many deaths must occur before we take responsibility and real action in resettling these Tamil people and imparting on them the basic freedoms we take for granted.

It has been reported that the Australian government has offered Indonesia $50 million in funding in return for their cooperation in processing of refugees headed for Australia. When speaking of asylum seekers Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has staunchly commented, "We have stepped up our border security measures" and in remarks made regarding Australia's offshore detention centre on Christmas Island, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has told news organisations that "It's not a perfect world so we just have to deal with this".

It is up to us to demand that Kevin Rudd "deals with this" in a way that is in line with our agreement to uphold the United Nations Convention on Refugees. You can take action by writing to your local member of parliament, the office of the Prime minister or the Foreign Minister, noting your concern and requesting that more suitable action is taken in providing resettlement to refugees.

You can find contact details for your local Member of Parliament here.
You can send an email (or letter) to the Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, here. Or try it in 140 character or less, you'll find Kevin Rudd on twitter as @KevinRuddPM.

Conservationists Protect Whales Against Illegal Slaughter by Japanese

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:46:00 +0000

In 1994, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) declared the Southern Ocean a whale sanctuary, barring commercial whaling in the region. However, the IWC does not prohibit whaling for research purposes and so it is under this guise that Japanese whaling vessels continue their killing. Environment News Service explains, "The Japanese say they need to continue lethal scientific studies of whales because they believe whales are eating fish that Japanese consumers need for themselves".

In pursuit of legal and environmental justice, the crew of the Steve Irwin, headed up by Captain Paul Watson, act under provision of the United Nations World Charter for Nature which allows for non-government organisations (NGO) to intervene in illegal activities within international waters, such as is the case with illegal whale slaughter.

Photo by gil278.

The crew aboard the Steve Irwin have maintained their status as a non-violent organisation and one that would welcome the opportunity to work alongside the Australian government to uphold what is a common goal. Disappointed in what appears to have been an empty pre-election promise, the Australian government have failed to enforce compliance to the Antarctic Treaty.

In addition, despite Japanese whalers being in contempt of an Australian Federal Court order, no action from the Australian government to prevent illegal whaling has been forthcoming.

"The Australian Federal Court in January 2008 ruled that the killing of whales by Japanese whalers in the Australian Antarctic Territory was prohibited under law. Japan has chosen to ignore that ruling, and instead these criminals are now making demands of Australia to arrest the very people trying to uphold the Australian Federal Court ruling." Captain Paul Watson

It is for this reason that the crew on board the Steve Irwin are taking on what should rightly be the responsibility of the Australian military by continuing to block the illegal killing and loading of whales in the Australian Antarctic territory.

"Australia and Japan are both signatories to the International Whaling Commission, the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The trouble is that without enforcement and compliance it is all just worthless paper." Captain Paul Watson

Despite crew members previously being taken hostage by Japanese whalers and more recently coming under fire via water cannons as well as being chased by Japanese security guarded vessels, Captain Paul Watson and his crew continue to defend the waters and call upon the Australian government to uphold their promises and the law. This can be achieved by the Australian government enforcing the treaties to which both themselves and Japan are signatories to, and prosecuting those responsible for the illegal slaughter of whales in protected waters.

Watson maintains, "Our motto always has been that we don't surrender, we don't retreat, we don't compromise and we don't hang banners, instead we hold fast".

Full release by Paul Watson.
Learn more about the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Take Action in defence of Whales, what you can do.

What Is Stalling Progress at the United Nations Climate Change Conference?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Going into day five at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, delegates have labeled progress at the summit thus far as disappointing.

Currently stalling progress at the summit are two overriding factors. The first of which is reaching a consensus on whether the Kyoto protocol should continue or if a replacement treaty is required.

"Our climate, your decision" read the slogan adorning one campaigners sign outside the Nobel Prize Ceremony where Barack Obama was accepting his award.
Given that the United States has remained opposed to signing onto the Kyoto protocol since its inception in 1997, commitment would be unlikely still in the event of agreement to continue the treaty that is currently due to expire in 2012. As one of the worlds largest polluters and consumers of fossil fuels, commitment from the United States on a fair and binding treaty to lower global carbon emissions is key. For this reason the argument of continuing the Kyoto protocol is redundant in seeking real progress on climate change.

The other key issue currently plaguing the COP15 talks is just how much financial assistance wealthy countries should pledge to aid developing nations in reaching commitments to lower carbon emission levels. Without adequate financial aid from developed nations, it is unlikely that poorer countries would be able to reach any targets on lowering emissions without severely hindering their development.

Photo by wwf france.

It is unsurprising that cost has become central to disputes amongst delegates and political leaders at this global summit given the current pursuit of cap and trade mechanisms as the main proposal for the lowering of carbon emissions by governments in some developed nations.

In Australia, the recently proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) would have allowed for $7.3bn worth of free pollution permits to be given to coal companies and high polluting industries.

Given the natural resources Australia enjoys, it is disappointing that government efforts are not being concentrated on harnessing the opportunities of proven sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar power.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is is due to arrive in Copenhagen next week has said "This is a very big conference in terms of Australia's national interests" (SBS). Given the Prime Ministers ongoing push for an ETS, despite widespread opposition from the Australian people, it is concerning that perhaps the Prime Minister's idea of what is best for the nation is not shared with those of the general public.

Senator Penny Wong, Australian Climate Change Minister who is currently in Copenhagen further quashed any hope that Australia could play a leading role in the Copenhagen negotiations for transition to low carbon economies. Senator Wong told reporters (AAP) "We will not do more but we certainly won't do less".

For as long as our governments are looking for ways to seek immediate profitability from this issue, talks will continue to stall. The transition to a low carbon economy is only possible through investment in sustainable energy. This transition will involve initial investment costs, however, it too will create job opportunities and energy security.

"We don't get to choose whether we respond, time is running out" says Hugh Cole of Oxfam speaking from Copenhagen.

Reaching a binding agreement on lowering carbon emissions is a challenging and contentious global issue as it has at it's heart not maximising economic gain, but reaching social justice.

Is Politics of the Common Good the Answer to Tackling Climate Change?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:47:00 +0000

In the months leading up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference that is currently being held in Copenhagen, there was much discussion about how a fair and binding deal on lowering carbon emissions could be achieved. Inevitable climate change is an issue that requires global action on an unprecedented level. As such it begs the question: are we able to work within existing political framework or could tackling climate change be the catalyst for a more progressive style of national political governance?

British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Miliband, spoke to an audience at the London School of Economics and Political Science on the 19th of November 2009 about the political shift Britain requires in order to engage it's citizens to make the transition towards adequately addressing climate change.

Photo by bisgovuk.

Miliband described the current state of politics as the 'Politics of Now', a system that focuses on rendering immediate results, and while useful in addressing areas such as healthcare and policing, this style of politics is one that Miliband notes "...finds it limits in the politics of climate change".

"Carbon emitted at any point in time has effects for decades to come. We have seen global warming of 0.8 degrees so far. The carbon that the world has emitted in the past few decades will mean we see warming of 1.4 degrees" says Miliband, outlining the nature of current carbon emissions on the changing climate of the future.

Miliband acknowledged that social acceptance is needed for any policy on climate change to endure, saying "We need low carbon to become precisely unexceptional".

It is for this reason that an effective approach to climate change would call for a more progressive style of politics, such as that described as 'Politics of the Common Good', a concept explored in detail by American political philosopher, Professor Michael Sandel.

The key themes of Politics of the Common Good as outlined by Ed Miliband:

1. Politics that goes beyond satisfaction of immediate wishes

2. Politics that considers intergenerational interest

3. Politics that recognise self interest as a powerful motivator

4. Politics that appeals to a sense of idealism about what is right nationally and globally

So how could a system reflective of the framework set out as politics of the common good become an achievable dominant style of governing a nation? Miliband explained further how to execute the four key aspects of this style of politics.

1. A focus on transparency, candor and fairness in how a government represents to its citizens the cost and nature of required actions. It is important for citizens to be informed, engaged and involved in the required transition.

2. The rights of future generations need to be institutionalised. For example, a legally binding commitment to lower Britain's carbon emissions by 80% makes provisions for the future by making a legal obligation today.

3. Self interest is important. The transition to a low carbon economy will create investment opportunities, jobs and energy security. Acknowledging and promoting the opportunity created by a low carbon economy is fundamental in provoking the self interest of citizens.

4. An appeal must be made to peoples sense of idealism. It is key to demonstrate how our lives can be improved by the transition to a low carbon economy, and too how efforts we make in combating climate change will also be efforts in seeking social justice e.g. overcoming poverty, displacement and assisting sustainable development.

This last point could well be the most difficult to achieve. Considering the wider society in developed nations such as Britain, the United States and Australia: is seeking social justice a greater ideal than consumerism? Can we move away from over-consumption and be content in making sacrifices if our only motivation is seemingly distant?

Photo by UNFCCC.

Miliband explored why citizens in developed countries such as Britain often feel such distance from the issue of climate change, outlining three key types of distance: temporal, geographical and causal distance.

Temporal Distance acknowledges the time between action and outcome. The generation that takes action on lowering emissions will not necessarily be the generation that feels the greatest benefit.
Geographical Distance acknowledges that the people most vulnerable to the effects of climate change are those that Miliband explains "...live a long way from these shores, they are not in our neighbourhood or even on our continent".
Causal Distance is the difficulty that individuals may have in accepting how the actions they take can make a contribution to what is such a monumental issue facing our international community.

It is undeniable that the role our political leaders and governments play will be crucial in creating real solutions to lower emission levels and lessen climate change. However, we must not overlook the importance of the role we play, as a wider community, in tackling climate change and demanding strong political commitments from our leaders.

Click here to access the full 85 minute podcast of Ed Miliband's lecture 'The Road to Copenhagen: a global deal on climate change' including answers to questions from the audience.

Do you think that the concept of Politics of the Common Good would provide a sturdy framework by which to meet the challenge climate change presents to the international community?

All Aussie Men Should Swear for White Ribbon Day

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:50:00 +0000

In 1999 the United Nations declared the 25th of November to be the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, or White Ribbon Day as it has come to be known.

But the history of White Ribbon Day predates its United Nations adoption of 1999. White Ribbon Day was the 1991 initiative of a group of Canadian men, inspired to promote the elimination of violence against woman ater the second anniversary of the Montreal massacre of fourteen women at the hands of one man.

White Ribbon Day is now recognised in 45 countries around the world, from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, China to Peru. For a full list of countries that acknowledge White Ribbon Day see official website.

It is a sobering reflection of the prevalence of violence in all facets of our society that we must dedicate a day to focusing on stamping out variations of violent crime against women. Myoath.com.au, an Australian campaign, outlines the many types of violence against women that White Ribbon Day hopes to create awareness around and as such work towards the elimination of. These include:

domestic violence, family violence, wife-beating, intimate violence, intimate homicide, femicide
sexual violence, sexual assault, rape, marital rape, gang rape, date rape, acquaintance rape, indecent assault, sexual harassment, sex-based harassment
child abuse, child sexual abuse, paedophilia, incest
homophobic violence, hate crime, lesbian bashing, elder abuse
genital mutilation
enforced prostitution
enforced sterilisation, enforced abortion, killing of unwanted female babies, enforced motherhood

The official White Ribbon Day website says the following about the My Oath campaign:

"White Ribbon Day, 25 Nov, marks the beginning of a national campaign to get all Australian men and boys to take a positive action and put an end to one of the most widespread human rights abuses taking place in our country.

We are calling on men to swear never to commit, never to excuse, and never to remain silent about violence against women at www.myoath.com.au."

An alarming statistic from myoath.com.au notes that one in three Australian women will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. Men in Australia can show their support of White Ribbon Day by taking the Oath. 'All Aussie Men Should Swear' says the initiative that was launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and is supported by notable public figures including politician Peter Garrett, sportsman Adam Goodes, Radio and Television personalities Hamish and Andy, tech guru Lars Rasmussen, and Chief of Army Lt. Gen. Ken Gillespie. To learn more and take the oath sign on at myoath.com.au.

To show your support of White Ribbon Day you can purchase a white ribbon, make a donation and create awareness by adding a twibbon to your twitter avatar. If you are a woman affected by violence, there are places to turn, see a list of services available here.

How You Can Help Restore Peace in Congo

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:26:00 +0000

5 million people are dead and the death tally is rising every single day. The situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is dire, to say the least. Families are being robbed of their livelihood, women are being raped and entire communities are being indiscriminately wiped out at not only the hands of rebels fighters but too by the nations own military. According to the Human Rights Watch, at least 270 civilians have been deliberately killed by Congolese soldiers in a remote part of the province of North Kivu since March. Imagine for a moment, if you will, living in fear of your own military.

"The attacking Congolese soldiers made no distinction between combatants and civilians, shooting many at close range or chopping their victims to death with machetes ... Congolese army soldiers decapitated four young men, cut off their arms, and then threw their heads and limbs 20 meters away from their bodies. The soldiers then raped 16 women and girls, including a 12-year-old girl, later killing four of them."
Eastern DR Congo: Surge in Army Atrocities, Human Right Watch

At present, the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUC, has partnered with the Congolese army in operation Kimia II. The purpose of this operation is to disarm the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the militia group headed up by rebel leaders that participated in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.

For every FDLR combatant disarmed, roughly:

one Congolese civilian has been killed,
seven women and girls raped,
six houses burned and destroyed, and
1,000 people forced to flee their homes

According to Oxfam, "...this [approach] is doing more harm than good. Not only are the rebels attacking civilians, so too are the poorly disciplined Congolese army who are looting villages and raping women." Further, Oxfam explains, "this counterproductive strategy is being supported by the international community, and it puts UN peacekeepers in the preposterous situation where they are supporting an army that is attacking its own population, attacks which are contributing to a massive humanitarian catastrophe".

In December the United Nations Security Council will be meeting to renew the mandate of MONUC, the peacekeeping force in Congo. The time is now for us to come together to demand justice for the ordinary citizens of Congo. By adding your name to the global petition you can come together with thousands from around the world to show that you support a peacekeeping strategy that will work with the government of Congo to free the citizens from devastating violence by ensuring the Congolese army is disciplined and trained to protect civilians.

Show the United Nations that you are unwilling to allow their complicity in and facilitation of the violence and killing in Congo:

1. Add your name to the global petition.

2. Re-tweet the following: Save lives in #Congo. Tell the UN to act by adding your voice now http://bit.ly/1raJae (via @conflictvoice)

3. Learn more about what's happening in Congo at Human Rights Watch and Oxfam

4. Write. Speak. Act. Change. Share this information and encourage your blog readers, twitter followers, friends, coworkers and family to sign the petition and ask for a constructive peacekeeping mission that will work towards real peace in Congo.

Would Paying For Collection of Non-Recyclable Waste Encourage You To Recycle?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Landfill Portal
Originally uploaded by Nargopolis

Looking beyond right now to recognise long-term consequences...
When it comes to implementing new ways of doing things in our day-to-day, unless there is some direct and negative implication of not adhering to these encouraged changes, there will inevitably be some reluctance to get on board.

It is natural to be motivated by consequences and while, for the most part, this is positive, in areas such as adopting environmental best practice, failing to see long term consequence for our environment, rather than merely looking at short-term direct and personal consequence, can mean we are negatively contributing to what is already a monumental problem facing our international community.

Is laziness part of why are we not recycling & reusing?
While it is safe to say most of society is aware of recycling and re-using as best practice when it comes to waste disposal - this does not necessarily mean that awareness has transferred to action. There is still a significant proportion of households and companies that do not recycle to the greatest achievable extent, or even at all, and as such put out a larger than necessary amount of waste into the non-recyclable collection that will ultimately end up in land-fill.

Change needs to be met with facilities and encouragement. Specific recycling bins and clear signage would facilitate greater compliance within companies and allow for easier transition in our homes. By encouraging our family, friends and co-workers to recycle we can ensure that the act of recycling is seen as an imperative and consequently assist in it's wider acceptance, to the extent that that choosing not to recycle is seen as a detrimental contribution within the workplace or home. Simple measures like these can ensure that recycling will become second nature.

Is money the motivator individuals and companies require to amp up their recycling efforts?
The idea of costing non-recyclable waste by weight has been raised in the UK (source: A charge for disposing large amounts of unrecyclable waste? The Wickedness! - The Guardian). A government body suggesting charging for a service that is currently provided free of charge (or where costs are met from existing taxes and levies) will certainly provoke passionate discussion amongst those to be affected by the proposed change. Already, some have suggested this idea is merely another way for our governing authorities to push up revenue. However, before allowing too much skepticism on this proposed new fee, consider three things:

1. Is this it not possible that hitting people's wallets is the best way to get everyone truly on board with environment best practise? People are often times greater motivated by practices that see them able to save money or avoid monetary penalties. If recycling properly and paying closer attention to consumption could save a household or company money, charging cost-per-weight for non-recyclable waste would broaden the appeal of recycling to those who could not initially find benefit in their adopting of the practice of recycling into their lifestyle.

2. Disposing of unnecessary amounts of non-recyclable waste is detrimental to the wider community. Why is it that we feel we should not be penalised for unnecessary damage to an entity that is not our own personal property? (That 'entity' being the earth).

3. As the article on The Guardian points out, we pay for other services by level of consumption rather than by way of a flat rate (for example: energy). Why then should the service of collecting waste be any different?

It is not as if we are faced with no alternate option but to produce large amounts of non-recyclable waste. We have the option to act responsibly and minimise our waste output through re-use & recycling as well as making smarter consumer choices by choosing products with less packaging or packaging that can be recycled. Why then is it that the concept of charging for excessive non-recyclable waste is met with such disapproval by some?

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

What do you think?

New Wind Farm for Australia's Green Energy Future

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:06:00 +0000

In a promising move indicative of the Australian government’s understanding of the future of energy and willingness to invest in sustainable energy alternatives, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd today opened Capital Wind Farm in Southern New South Wales.

Capital Wind Farm is home to 67 wind turbines, giving it the capacity to supply electricity to power 60,000 homes. (source: ABC News)

Mr Rudd spoke of Australia's contribution to carbon emissions ahead of next months United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen, "[we must] show courage and act on climate change ... these are big days for the nation and for the world". (source: Ten News)

Photo by thomas.merton.

Australia is the highest contributor of carbon emissions per capita in the world, with each individual currently emitting approximately four and a half times the global average. Over the last decade carbon emissions from fossil fuels have risen by 30% and in the last year alone carbon emissions increased by 2%. (Source: CSIRO & Yahoo)

With carbon pollution accelerating at such an alarming rate, investment in green technology and adoption of green energy is imperative in curbing emission levels. The launch of this New South Wales wind farm is an encouraging example of Australia's potential to move from coal powered energy towards sustainable options.

Kevin Rudd Says Sorry to the Forgotten Australians

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:57:00 +0000

"When the children arrived at remote Fairbridge Farm in Molong, NSW, they thought they were going to find paradise. They had been signed over by their desperate poverty-stricken parents, who had been persuaded that life in the big sunny new colony would be far more promising than anything available at home."
Review of The Long Journey Home (ABC1, 8:30PM, 17/11/2009) by Jim Schembri published in The Newcastle Herald, Tuesday 17 Nov 2009.

Photos by popppet and spud murphy

For a period of 30 years between 1930 to 1970, under a government migration program, half a million children were removed from their parents care in Britain, some without consent, and placed in to institutions in Australia. It was in these institutions that they were used as unpaid child labour and suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their carers. Abuse that cost them their childhoods and would traumatise them throughout their lives.

There are many heart wrenching personal recounts of the experiences these children moved to Australia under child migration schemes experienced. Here are just a few:

John M.J Hennessy was removed from his mother because he was born out of wedlock. He was abused at Bindoon Boys Town, near Perth, and as a consequence of a severe beating has suffered a stutter ever since. (Source: The Newcastle Herald, 17/11/09)
Vivian Bingham arrived at Fairbridge Farm in 1959. At only 5 years of age, Vivian was sexually abused by a male gardener. This man went on to become the Fairbridge principal between 1966 and 1969 before being dismissed due to further reports of molestation, these allegations were not made public at the time. (Source: The Long Journey Home, ABC1, 17/11/09)
Ron Simpson arrived at Fairbridge in 1938, during his time at Fairbridge he suffered both extreme physical and sexual abuse. On one occasion Simpson was beaten so severely by the Fairbridge principal that he suffered a broken back and continues to experience pain every day. Ron Simpson also suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a male Fairbridge staff member, he recounted the trauma of being forcefully sodomized at just 13 years of age. When Simpson reported this abuse he was accused of lying and beaten as punishment. (Source: The Long Journey Home, ABC1, 17/11/09)

In some cases these abuses were documented in writing, filed away, and ignored. These abuses are no longer being pushed aside.

After years of campaigning, on Monday the 16th November 2009, the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd acknowledged the tragedy of the mistreatment of the group, now referred to as the Forgotten Australians, and issued a long-awaited formal apology.

"Sorry for the tragedy, the absolute tragedy of childhoods lost. We look back in shame at how those with power were allowed to abuse those who had none. Robbed of your families, robbed of your homeland, regarded not as children but regarded instead as a source of child labour. We acknowledge today that the laws of our nation failed you."

This formal acknowledgment will forever be a victory for the generation of children who were promised opportunity and so ardently denied it.

Why Australian PM Kevin Rudd Should Meet the Dalai Lama In December

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:11:00 +0000

In 1950 Tibet was invaded by the People's Liberation Army of China. As a result, since then, over one million Tibetans have died and thousands more have been imprisoned and tortured.

Under the guise of developing Tibet, the Chinese government have committed severe human rights violations and caused environmental devastation through the dumping of nuclear waste and extensive deforestation (source).

You can learn more about the Tibetan cause at the Free Tibet website (see 10 Facts About Tibet).

Photos by reurinkjan and Oriol Gascón.

What We Can Do
The Dalai Lama is Tibet's political and spiritual leader and a man whose tireless dedication to achieving true liberation for the Tibetan people saw him receive 1989's Nobel Peace Prize. From the 1st through until the 10th of December 2009, the Dalai Lama will be visiting Australia.

If the Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, was to meet with the Dalai Lama, this would send a clear message to China and to governments around the world that Australia is serious about achieving peace.

Show your support for the freedom of the Tibetan people by asking Kevin Rudd to meet with the Dalai Lama. Take a photo of yourself with a sign asking, "Dear Mr Rudd, Please meet the Dalai Lama". Email your sign to metibet@gmail.com before Friday 20th November, where your sign will be compiled with those of other from around the world, as a video, and sent to Prime Minister Rudd, opposition leader Malcolm Turnball and other politicians. This action is coordinated by Tenpa & Karen of Our Tibet.

"Almost everything you do will seem insignificant, but it is important that you do it"
Mahatma Gandhi

You can also tweet Kevin Rudd (@KevinRuddPM) asking him to meet the Dalai Lama by clicking the button below.

Upload you and your sign to flickr or your website and share it in the comments!

Trinidad & Tobago Beg for Solidarity on an ATT while Egypt Stands Defiant

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:34:00 +0000

As an individual who is optimistic about achieving peace and living in a society free from abuse, it can be difficult to understand objections to the implementation of a comprehensive and universal Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

What an Arms Trade Treaty would cover...
The aim of creating an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is to implement measures by which to control the diversion of conventional arms to states who utilise the weaponry for human rights abuses. An ATT would have in place comprehensive risk assessment processes to ensure the treaty was upheld.

Why An ATT Is Needed
To address the problems that are caused by the diversion of conventional arms.

Arms Trade Treaty Myths Debunked
So what are some of the common reasons for opposing an Arms Trade Treaty? A lot of the reasons are based on ill conceived ideology, lets take a closer look at what an ATT is not about:

An ATT is not about infringing on an individuals right* to bear arms. (*under the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution)

On a broader scale, an ATT is not about denying trade to any UN member state without robust and legitimate evidence of previous human rights abuses - an ATT is not about halting the trade of weaponry that is to be used for legitimate national self defence purposes.

An ATT is also not about enabling political alliances or allowing any particular exporting country a financial advantage.

UN Member States Represent the Full Spectrum of Views
The United Nations is made up of 192 states. This means that when it comes to decision making, there is a vast variety of opinions put forth for consideration. A fellow Conflict Voice blogger, Rombo Kins, takes an in depth look at country self-interest and identifies three key stand points member states have adopted.

Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica: Shared Concerns
On 30 October 2009, an overwhelming majority of United Nations member states, 153 countries in total, voted in favour of a "strong and robust" Arms Trade Treaty* (source). This means that, with 2012 as a deadline, the UN will now work together towards creating the treaty. Two of the nations that are whole-heartedly in favour of the implementation of an ATT are Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

Neither country are small arms manufacturers and yet due to a lack of arms trade regulation, criminals are acquiring weaponry and using this weaponry to perpetrate violent crime and to fuel the illegal narcotics trade. This sort of crime is extremely detrimental to both states, putting great strain on the national economy and in particular, the limited resources currently allocated for border control and policing crime.

Eden Charles, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations, spoke of how the current lack of international control on small arms is adversely affecting the social fabric of Trinidad and Tobago. Charles said that greater solidarity amongst United Nations member states on the issue of small arms is needed to protect the smaller and more vulnerable states, "We have become parties to treaty's that deal with disarmament, we know there are no nuclear weapons in the Caribbean but felt it necessary, out of international duty, to sign on".

Novelette Grant, Jamaica's Assistant Police Commissioner, took a similar impassioned stance. Having dealt first hand with the devastation of gun crime, Grant whole-heartedly supports an Arms Trade Treaty and too urges for solidarity amongst UN member states. For more information on what Novelette Grant had to say about why Jamaica needs and Arms Trade Treaty, see 'Jamaica's Criminal Underbelly: A Chat With Novelette Grant'.

* The only state to vote against an ATT was Zimbabwe. The States that abstained were:

Bahrain, Belarus, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, Iran, Kuwait, Libya, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Venezuela and Yemen. (source: Oxfam)

What Egypt Is Afraid Of?
When attempting to summise any sort of event (in this case the lead up to a vote on moving forward with the resolution to implement an Arms Trade Treaty) one is keen to hear all sides of an argument in order to present an accurate and informed review. Having spent several days at the United Nations I had the opportunity to speak with several diplomats, ambassadors and Non-Government Organisation representatives, all of whom ardently supported an ATT. However, finding a representative willing to put forward a case for not moving towards an ATT proved a little more difficult. With only hours before my flight out of New York City, the Egyptian Ambassador agreed to discuss why his nation is 'less enthusiastic about it [an ATT] at this stage'.

'How will that [an ATT] affect us and our legitimate right in acquiring arms from the international market?' the Ambassador begged rather rhetorically, conveying what appeared to be one of Egypt's key concerns: the acquisition of weaponry for legitimate national defence purposes. Would a robust risk assessment process ease Egypt's concerns? Perhaps so. The Ambassador went further into explaining Egypt's apprehension with the potential level of control that manufacturing countries would have, citing the '...possibility for nations to throw blanket embargo's on countries acquisition of arms with regards to allegations of human rights issues'. Right, this would be the strategic national self-interest my fellow blogger Rombo Kins explores in her post, 'Up in Arms: Some Follow-up Thoughts on the Arms Trade Treaty'/. Speaking of a need for 'no hidden agenda' or 'imposed regulation, the Ambassador was surprisingly transparent in his concern that this treaty was currently favouring certain UN member nations over others, Egypt falling into the 'others' category.

In addition to concerns around weaponry acquisition and risk assessment, consensus of all United Nations member states versus majority agreement on a robust and comprehensive treaty was a recurring theme throughout our discussion.

When asked about how his nation could justify not presently supporting the implementation of a treaty that has the potential to save thousands of lives, the Ambassador explained that '[Egypt has] been constructively engaged [in the ATT process] since the beginning', however, the 2012 deadline meant that the process was '...very fast paced, it would not help us arrive at something at something that would work for all', and that an ATT without universal consensus would '...not address real concerns and would not save lives'. And so, as it stands, Egypt remain unconvinced of the integrity of the ATT resolution.

An interesting conversation, if one can call it that, interjection was often difficult and at times it felt as though I was hearing a speech I'm sure dozens have heard before me. While impressed with the honest revelations about Egypt's concern with certain motivation behind the treaty, for the most part, it was difficult to ascertain answers to questions raised. As our discussion drew to a close, the Ambassador asked that we didn't write anything that could get him in to any trouble - and I couldn't help but wonder, was he concerned with what he had said or with what the political rhetoric and, at times, silence, had failed to address.

Would you vote for an Arms Trade Treaty? Do you think that Egypt's concerns are warranted?

Blog Action Day: Uncovering Greenwash

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Linguistically playing on the word 'whitewash' and utilising the colour green, as is now intrinsically linked to the concept of environmentalism, GREENWASH refers to "...the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly" (source).

'Greenwash' is not a new concept. The word was first used by environmentalist, Jay Westerveld, in 1986, when referring to the hotel industry and specifically the concept of guests being encouraged to re-use towels. The concept was spruiked as a way for the guest to 'save the environment'. However, the hotel industries business policies remained unenvironmentally conscious, leading one to inevitably consider that this was more an exercise in cost cutting than in genuine support of a cleaner, greener environment.

Climate change is an inevitable and globally pertinent issue and as such, we as consumers from across the world are becoming more aware of the simple ways that we can contribute to acting ethically when it comes to environmentalism. In becoming aware of the existence of greenwash we can avoid supporting companies that are deliberately misleading us, as consumers, by cashing in on our desire to shop ethically.

Driving company profitability can be a key factor behind employing this sort of tactic - that is utilising public relations companies or advertising campaigns to push products and services as an eco-friendly option, or going further, to rebrand a company on a whole.

Companies are very aware that 'green' sells. A key reason why it is so important to ensure we are do not support these companies that falsify or exaggerate their environmental pursuits is that we are allowing them to profit and gain greater power within their industry - essentially, we enable their growth.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

For more information about how to identify whether companies are genuine in their support of environmentalism, click to download the pdf 'The Seven Sins of Greenwash'.

By making smarter environmental choices we can be the change that the world so desperately needs.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

When you are shopping is an environmentally friendly product/service important to you? Would you purchase an obviously 'greener' product/service if you had the option?

UN, General Assembly, 1st Committee, Arms Trade Treaty - What does it all mean?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Apathy
Originally uploaded by Toban Black

When you don't see first hand the detriment of gun crime, it can be difficult to gauge the scale of the problem. It's like all of the television commercials about poverty in third world countries - it can be simple to switch off when you can't relate. The key to overcoming this sort of apathy is to become aware.

So let's break it down a little and get across the agenda of the United Nations and in particular, the first committee - because right now, it may just seem like a whole bunch of guys and girls in suits, shaking hands and pushing paper, but what happens inside the walls of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City is pretty spectacular. There may not be designer gear and post-conference parties that see delegates spilling out of cabs at 5am looking scandalously worse for wear - and for this reason the UN won't make the cover of People magazine - but the work that is done at the UN? It's well worth page space and it's well worth your time.

Photo by scazon.

The United Nations: It's an international organization, founded in 1945, comprised of 192 member states (see full list here). These member states have agreed to accept and uphold the obligations of the Charter (view the charter here). In brief, the UN does not make laws, what it does do is provide a global body that works towards "solve[ing] problems that challenge humanity" (source). The UN has a focus on peacekeeping, development and human rights. You can learn lots more about the United Nations at the official UN website.

General Assembly (GA): The GA provides a forum for the 192 member states to discuss and make recommendations on the issues outlined in the Charter of the United Nations. For a more detailed outline of the functions and powers of the General Assembly, click here.

First Committee - Disarmament and International Security Committee: This is a committee within the General Assembly at the United Nations. It deals with issues surrounding international security and disarmament ("the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing weapons" source)

Treaty: A treaty, in the context of the United Nations, is a binding agreement that the UN member states can opt to sign and uphold.

Image by JimBowen0306.

Arms Trade Treaty (ATT): An ATT was first addressed in the UN in 2006. Since then, diplomats have been discussing this potential treaty. Also since then, 2.1 million people have died, that's 2000 a day, as a result of armed violence (source).

The ATT is about regulating the conventional arms trade. There is presently no international regulation standard governing the import, export and transfer of conventional arms. This means that conventional weapons, like guns, that are intended for military purposes end up in the hands of criminals and other human rights abusers. These weapons are used to kill and maim civilians, as well facilitating the narcotics trade and other crimes such as armed burglary and rapes. This sort of criminal activity at the hands of conventional weaponry holds direct links to lack of development, which in turn makes for economic underdevelopment and poverty.

A key focus of an ATT would be on Risk Assessment - where are these weapons going? For what purpose? Does the end user have a history of negligent use of weaponry?

In 2006, 153 of the UN member states voted in favour of Resolution 61/89, a document that set out to achieve support on implementing an common international standards for the conventional arms trade (view Resolution 61/89 in full). 24 countries chose to abstain from voting (these counties included: Bahrain, Belarus, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Laos, Libya, Marshall Islands, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, UAE, Venezuela, Yemen, Zimbabwe (source). Only 1 country voted against the resolution, that country was the United States.

For more information about why an Arms Trade Treaty is needed urgently, watch the short video below:

For a more in depth look at the reason an Arms Trade Treaty is required, download the Oxfam report 'Dying for Action' (pdf).

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

What are your thoughts on an Arms Trade Treaty and the role of the United Nations?

The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 minutes

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:05:00 +0000

"You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer. You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct. And you can't bring back the forest that once grew where there is now a desert."

"If you don't know how to fix it, please, stop breaking it."

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

How to Use Twitter to Create Change - Tweeting a Treaty

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Skeptics of twitter will spend boundless energy on discouraging it's use and dismissing it's value. Their argument based on the belief that the tool is used primarily as a means to promote ones self and in particular, the mundane aspects of ones day. However, the value of twitter as a platform truly transcends that of Facebook style status updates. Twitter offers an outlet for all people to become citizen journalists and break up-to-the-minute news. It allows us to connect with politicians and celebrities with whom we would otherwise have had no level of conversation with. It also offers an opportunity to learn about topical issues through use of the search function.

The immediacy of Twitter has allowed for access to groundbreaking news from around the world, even before it has been picked up by traditional media outlets, such as television networks and radio stations. What follows are some examples of how twitter has been used to break and share up to the minute news:

In November 2008 twitter saw a flurry of texts offering accounts of the terrorist attack in Mumbai, as the tragedy unfolded. Soon after, twitter was used as a means of communicating the urgent need for blood donors to assist with those injured in the attacks (source).

January 15 2009 saw Janis Krums posting a photograph of the US Airways flight that crashed into the Hudson river, he was soon contacted by television networks to offer an eyewitness account of the events.

At London's G20 demonstrations in April 2009, Alok Jha reported on the Police tactic of kettling demonstrators and noted that those disallowed to leave the guarded pen outside of the Bank of England included accredited press (Alok Jha is a science and environment correspondent at The Guardian).

Examples of this sort of news reporting are limitless and citizen journalism will continue to see social networks like Twitter at the forefront of eyewitness accounts on breaking news stories from across the globe. For this reason, we will continue to turn to online for the latest news.

Images by mfilej and treslola.

As well as offering citizen news reporting, twitter is also a great tool for communication with those who we may otherwise have the opportunity to reach. From Ashton Kutcher to the Mayor of London, The X Factor to the United Nations - everyone who is anyone is using twitter to share with the world, 140 characters at a time. And you too can use Twitter to share with them, in fact, it would be inopportune not to.

Let's consider the ways that we could make best use of this dynamic online tool: from tweeting a politician or ambassador to act on pressing issues to sharing petitions and promoting causes - twitter has the power to transform and we, as individuals can provoke transformation.

Tweeting a Treaty, an Oxfam initiative held at the Beekman Hotel, just uptown from the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, was an event that saw international diplomacy and social media collide. Speakers from Avaaz, Witness and Social Change Camp as well as Ambassadors to the UN from both Netherlands and the United Kingdom gathered and shared how they were able to use social media as part of their humanitarian and diplomatic outreach.

Avaaz is a global movement with a simple goal 'to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people everywhere want'. Brett Soloman spoke of their campaigns which
have seen Avaaz members rapidly responding to calls to demonstrate on urgent humanitarian issues, from petitioning for justice in Guinea to Climate Change demonstrations that saw Gordon Brown agreeing to attend Copenhagen. Avaaz are leading the way when it comes to global humanitarian calls to action.

Bukeni Waruzi from Witness, a website that 'uses video and online technologies to open the eyes of the world to human rights violations', spoke about The Hub. The Hub, he said, is essentially 'a humanitarian youtube', where users are able to watch and upload videos to create global awareness for humanitarian causes or to share their own human rights stories.

UK Ambassador to the United Nations for Multilateral Arms Controls and Disarmament is particularly passionate about twitter as a means to reach an audience that has opted in to the information he is sharing on twitter. In a separate conversation with John Duncan that took place earlier in the week in the United Nations delegates lounge, Ambassador Duncan spoke of the twitter as a very powerful tool with international reach that allowed for the formation of relationships, but not before recommending his Twitter client of choice, Hoot Suite. Duncan said Twitter was 'unlike the press', explaining that it had allowed him to reach '700 people who are articulate and informed and interested in what I want to say'.

John Duncan speaks further on 'digital diplomacy' and his use of social media in the video below.

So how can you make greater use of twitter, right now? The ways are many and varied but why not start by tweeting a petition? David Miliband will meet with Hillary Clinton this Sunday and he needs to persuade her that the United States should support a strong Arms Trade Treaty. You can show your support by clicking the little red button below - tweet your support, click now:

Act.ly is a fantastic tool by which to tweet for change - check it out, tweet your cause and encourage your followers to do so too.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

How are you using twitter?

Jamaica's Criminal Underbelly: A Chat with Novelette Grant

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:00:00 +0000

I'm in New York City, sitting across from me in the United Nation's cafeteria is Novelette Grant. Novelette cuts a chic yet bold figure and as she introduces herself there is no mistaking that Grant is a woman on a mission. As Jamaica's Assistant Commissioner of Police, Grant is here to address diplomats at the UN's First committee and explain why it is that an Arms Trade Treaty is so important to Jamaica.

Photographs by fightingtheboss, Radio Capsula.

For most people the most pertinent image of Jamaica is that which was forever cemented in our minds after the release of the 1993 box office hit Cool Runnings: Jamaica as a a pretty island nation, and it is. However, Jamaica is not all dreadlocks and cool vibes - there is a gritty criminal underbelly that is facilitated by the transfer of guns and ammunition into Jamaica.

'Gun crime numbers are horrendous ... a huge percentage of sexual assaults and robberies are accompanied by the use of fire arms' Grant explains, 'Jamaica does not manufacture guns and yet we are on the receiving end of the misuse of fire arms'. Grant goes on to tell me that that weapons intended for military purposes are on the streets, in the hands of criminals and that a staggering 77% of murders are committed by guns.

The dilemma facing Jamaican police is that seizing guns and ammunition from criminals is having little impact on the rate of violent crime, this is due to the continuing flow of illegal arms and ammunition into the country. So where are the guns coming in from? Grant says 'If we knew, we'd stop them'.

After our conversation Novelette Grant addressed diplomats at an Amnesty event, held in the United Nations headquarters, where the question was asked 'How can an Arms Trade Treaty help stop arms fuelling human rights abuses?'.

For Jamaica, the persistent and cyclical nature of the guns trade has so many detrimental effects on the nation: murder and abuse of innocents, facilitation of the narcotics trade and direct economic cost and impact on development. To put a monetary figure on the cost to Jamaica, Grant told delegates, that the cumulative loss to Jamaica since 1960 is about 75% of GDP.

Grant is determined to see a resolution, she explains that her expectations as a police officer are simply that there needs to be proper governance and regulation over the arms trade, just as there is for all other trades. Speaking on the need for an Arms Trade Treaty be put in place, Grant asks delegates '[to] consider that the arms trade is no less important than any other legal trade that criminals are misusing .... we are asking you to come up with the kinds of standards necessary'.

Her argument is simple and befitting, just like all other trades, governance is necessary, there needs to be accountability when it comes to the transfer of guns. Finishing her impassioned address, Grant puts it simply, 'Look at countries like Jamaica and look at the devastation'.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

Get involved - tweet your questions or comments on an Arms Trade Treat to @conflictvoice and watch the event at http://www.conflictvoice.org, live streamed from the United Nations at 1.15pm 7/10 New York time.

Behind Closed Doors: A Glimpse Inside the United Nations Head-Quarters

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:59:00 +0000

No I'm not talking about Peter Andre's latest musical offering - today I am inside the United Nations headquarters in New York City. It's big, it's secure and I'm still waiting for someone to tell me and my shiny red dell netbook that we really don't belong here and to kindly move along....

Photographs by Fox Fotography.

I am here as part of ConflictVoice, an Oxfam initiative that is taking discussions out from behind the closed doors and into a more accessible realm. ConflictVoice is about encouraging conversation between mates and colleagues as well as between diplomats and officials. We all know that change can only happen when the masses shout loud enough - and to be impassioned we need to be educated and aware - so let's get across it and be part of the progress towards an international, legally binding Arms Trade Treaty (ATT).

"Every day 2000 people die from armed conflict. Since the UN's process towards and arms trade treaty started in 2006, 2,1 million people have died. Unnecessarily. In October, diplomats are meeting again (the UN's first committee on Security and Disarmament) to discuss the next steps. Oxfam, with its partners Amnesty, IANSA and others, are calling for negotiations to start in 2010 with an end date in 2012. We demand a treaty that will stop irresponsible arms transfers fueling conflict, poverty and serious human rights abuses."

It can be really difficult to start conversation like this as it's something that seems so far from home. When we don't see direct consequences in our day to day lives, understanding the scale of impact can be a difficult task. Essentially, an Arms Trade Treaty would prevent the illegal movement of weapons from country to country. The reason an Arms Trade Treaty is necessary is because arms are currently being flowed into countries where they are being used in a way that abuse human rights. This is a nice way of saying that guns are being sold between countries and used to kill and maim people. This is happening every single day.

To break it down even further, this means that American guns could potentially be being used to kill and injure American peacekeepers. By not supporting an international Arms Trade Treaty we are placing our military peacekeepers in harms way - the threat is coming from within and we need to start regulating the arms trade to prevent this.

You can learn more about the unregulated arms trade and what Oxfam is doing here.

Tomorrow Oxfam are launching a report called 'Dying for Action'. This event will be live streamed from Conflict Voice website and will be interactive so if you have a comment or better yet, a question to be put to international diplomats or Oxfam, please tweet it to @conflictvoice and use the hashtag #conflictvoice.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

What does Lily Allen have in common with Kofi Annan?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:56:00 +0000

A belief in climate justice...

Photos by neil365, Devina Pereira, Anirudh Koul.

October 1 marked the international release of an all-star remix of Beds Are Burning. Originally written and performed by Midnight Oil, and now rewritten for the 2009 release; the song is as pertinent in rallying global support and creating passion for political justice today as it was in 1987.

"Music is the universal language, capable of transcending cultures, generations, religions and races. A song or an artist truly has the power to translate a message or a movement more than any politician or world leader can on a global scale.

"This will create a voice for all of us who deserve to have a say leading up to Copenhagen in December. The goal is to draw enough attention to an event that will affect everyone's lives on the planet."

Alexandre Sap, CEO of The:Hours (who assembled the artists and produced the soundtrack, source: media release)

The rerelease of Beds Are Burning saw over 60 celebrities and musicians from across the globe have come together to collaborate, for a game of spot-the-celebrity on a scale not seen since the release of Jimmy Kimmels parody clip, "I'm f*cking Ben Affleck". They did it because they care: about something bigger, something global, something that requires all of us, from wherever we are in the world, to band together, to learn about and act upon. Climate change is inevitable and it is now our responsibility to move towards climate justice. The release of Beds Are Burning is a demonstration of the reach of passion for climate justice, "...the greatest humanitarian crisis facing humankind today", from Fergie to Duran Duran, they're doing it because they care.

TckTckTck, a global alliance of non-government organisations, trade unions and faith groups, are the organisation behind this epic release. They are urging the global community to become climate allies by stepping up and saying "I am ready for our leaders to sign a global deal in Copenhagen that is ambitious, fair and binding". The climate talks to be held in Copenhagen this December offer leaders from across the world an opportunity to join together and make a binding and viable commitment to actively working towards combating climate change.

As well as being a killer track with an impressive video and inspired by a most worthwhile cause, the song is free to download. View the video embedded below or at Time for Climate Justice and if you want to load the song onto your ipod you can download the song here. Be sure to stop by tcktcktck for more information on climate justice and Copenhagen.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

What do you think about Beds Are Burning? Has it peaked your interest in Climate Justice?

Copenhagen 101: What's happening at December's Climate Change conference?

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Photos by UN Climate Talks, Net Efekt.

With an overwhelming amount of media attention concentrated around the upcoming climate change talks to be held in Copenhagen, it can be difficult to make head nor tail of the basics - what follows is your guide to the basics of the United Nations Climate Change conference, or COP15, which stands for the 15th Conference of the Parties (the official name of the summit).

What?

COP15 is a two week United Nations conference. It runs from the 7th December 2009 through until the 18th December 2009. The talks are being held to coordinate international action against climate action.

Who attends?

Environment ministers and officials from 192 countries.

Why?

To negotiate ways to combat climate change. Climate change is now widely regarded as inevitable.
For international officials to agree on targets and strategies to "...reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable" (source: UNFCCC).

Quick climate change fact: A recent study by the British Met Office found that if greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced, the global temperature could rise to the extent that we would see major climate climate change by 2060, a year that is within what most would fore-see as within our lifetimes!
Essentially, the aim of COP15 is to sign onto an agreement, regarding climate change, to succeed the Kyoto Protocol and cover the period from the year 2012, going forward.

Kyoto 101: The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement that "set binding targets ... for reducing greenhouse gas emissions" (source: UNFCCC). The commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 and so Copenhagen is a chance for the international leaders to come together and look beyond 2012.

How?

By creating a legally binding agreement that is signed by the attending 192 countries. By accepting a new agreement, a top down approach to tackling climate change is being put in place.

Your key to Copenhagen related jargon

Unlocking the lingo!

UN United Nations
COP15 15th conference of the parties (official name of the summit)
UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
GHG Greenhouse Gas
CO2 Carbon Dioxide

Learn more:

Copenhagen negotiating text: 200 pages to save the world?

Official COP15 Website

The essentials in Copenhagen

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

What do you want to come out of the Copenhagen Climate talks this December?

Dispelling The Sensationalism - The Truth About London's G20 Protests, From Inside The Police Barricades

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:41:00 +0000

DISCLAIMER: This article is somewhat of a departure from the usual content found on Tres Lola and as such I feel it necessary to write this disclaimer. When I created Tres Lola, the editorial direction had one key focus and that was to deliver articles that were relevant to young women and that had a focus on positivity. I was also determined to steer clear of personalising the articles by way of injecting excessive subjectivity and using personal story telling to support the information being presented.

Since May 2008 I have stuck to this editorial direction. I have preferred to keep a more neutral tone and I write without date stamps in an effort to reach a wider audience with content that will remain relevant. I try to avoid isolating readers by publishing articles that are only relevant to a minority (ie. I try to avoid writing seasonal, regional, political, religious etc based articles).

However, sometimes issues are too important to be concerned with offending a portion of audience and I feel that in the light of the events that I was fortunate enough to experience today, NOT using Tres Lola as a platform to share knowledge on social justice would be a missed opportunity to showcase something that is truly important and offer some truth that is so often missing from traditional media coverage.

I believe whole heartedly that as young people we should be equipped with unbiased recounts of events. I believe that knowledge empowers and that together we can create great change. I believe that if we have the power to share knowledge and truth and we choose not to; we are part of the problem.

What follows is a report on today's G20 demonstrations outside of Bank underground in central London. This article is not written with agenda to indoctrinate or as propaganda to attempt to align you, as readers of Tres Lola, to any particular political or social justice group, this is also not opinion that is tainted by affiliation with any particular demonstration group. This is merely my version of the events of 1 April 2009. I hope that those of you that choose to read on can appreciate that this is a report of events from someone inside the police barricades, without a press pass or a protest flag. I know anything political is always going to be contentious and so I ask that you refrain from waging war in the comments section, let’s share our knowledge and opinions but keep it mature.

What Is G20 & The London Summit?
G20 is a meeting of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 19 countries. It exists as a forum for discussion on global economics and was created as a response to the financial crisis of the late 90's as well as to open the lines of communication regarding "...recognition ... [of] key emerging-market countries...". The significance of the 2009 G20 summit lies in the current global economic crisis. The way our elected leaders have responded to issues such as bank bail outs, senior management pensions and bonus allocation is a major driving force behind the demonstrations that have been staged across central London. Learn more about the G20 Summit here.

The London Summit is a gathering of our elected leaders "...to address the global financial crisis.", amongst those leaders present in London ahead of the April 2 talks are Kevin Rudd, Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama - click here for a full list of the leaders participating in the summit. Having this collective, essentially representative of elected world power, sets the perfect stage for those passionate about creating change to step up and make themselves heard - campaigning is about creating awareness and working towards positive change... and all the square mile is a stage.... now that our world leaders are town.

What were the campaigns about?
The "four horsemen of the apocalypse" best represent the key issues that campaigners were focusing campaign efforts on: financial crimes, war, climate change and homelessness.

What Really Went On?
For around 3 hours, from 12:30pm, police officers formed human barricades to block the free movement of demonstrators in and around the Bank of England. Police officers disallowed people the right to leave the campaign area, they decided that the best way to communicate this lock down was to yell at and push back any demonstrator that dared come close to their shoulder-to-shoulder blockade. We were detained without reason and with force.

Essentially, anyone inside this penned off area spent three hours without any provision of water, food, toilet facilities and with limited access to shaded areas. For the most part, those in this area were keen to be there and thus being disallowed free movement around London was not of key concern. I am sure that those in charge of ensuring peace was the order of the day could reason that they were hoping to contain the crowd to prevent violent overspills and rioting in the streets surrounding demonstration spots - but the force used to ensure no one escaped this makeshift lock down was excessive ... thankfully, enough was going on that rather than being angered at this display of undemocratic police sanctioned behaviour we were able to roll up our trousers, listen to some music and lay out in the sunshine while appreciating the peaceful demonstration going on. However, the fact remains that the police decided to hold a group of people against their will and reacted violently to any who dared question this and in a supposed free and democratic country, this sort of behaviour is more than a little disturbing.

After 3 hours of this police imposed lock down, campaigners were allowed to wander freely again. Unsurprisingly, rioting, chaos and anarchy did not break out. This was not enough to assure police however, with media reporting that by 5pm police lock down was back in place outside the Bank of England.

Let's talk about the violence...
Unfortunately, on a day like today, it is far too easy for those in positions of authority to get away with unnecessary force and brutality under the guise of protecting themselves and their city. Defence against risk or personal injury is of course more than understandable, no one should be assaulted during performing their job. However, no one should be abused by the people who we trust to enforce the rules of our 'democratic' society, especially not for being passionate about social justice. It is disappointing and a scary reflection of our society to walk away from a demonstration and be able to say that a large proportion of violence was initiated by those in positions of authority. While for the most part, police officers acted as it seemed they had been instructed and without using force, there were some that abused their role as enforcers of our laws and resorted to displays of exactly the kind of behaviour and exhibited the aggressive attitudes that they were put in place to prevent. Hands and voices were raised unnecessarily far more than once and it is difficult to promote peaceful campaigning amongst an environment of police officers not willing to set an example.

What occurred outside of the Bank of England was a largely peaceful demonstration attended by a multitude of social justice groups. The minority that hurled objects through windows and started small blazes in the street were given extensive media coverage and exceptional focus was placed on these people as if they were indicative of what the greater proportion of campaigners were about. It is true that the way in which this small group of protesters behaved is absolutely not acceptable, but it is so important to understand that these people were such a very small group - a group that will no doubt sell far more newspapers than if coverage were focused on those laying in the sunshine with flowers in their hair while holding out their well crafted signs.

What was really evidenced at this demonstration was that the most powerful messages aren't spread through violence and activist groups do understand this.

...Let's wrap it up.
What I want to understand most is when passion for social justice became so undesirable and unacceptable? The misinformed masses seem so full of fear and so quick to judge those of our community who have the passion to take action against injustice.

A few things to keep in mind:

'Demonstration' is not synonymous with 'Violence';
Demonstrators/Campaigners/Protesters are not all unemployed creative types with nothing better to do with their time;
Unemployed creative types are not aggressive and uninformed;
Sensationalism makes a better story than truth.

Passion IS Positive. Passion invokes action. Action brings about CHANGE. We need change.

We need to refocus our energy on educating ourselves on the issues that are truly important to us as a global community. We need to make democracy work. We need to care more and judge less.

And so I walk away from this demonstration with overwhelmingly apprehension. It is truly astounding to feel such monumental hope and intense belief in a better world, as well as witness selfless devotion to brilliant social causes, while at the same time feeling intensely fearful for having seen first hand unprovoked aggression exhibited by those we trust to enforce and uphold our laws. It is concerning that, even for a moment, one could consider the vast and possible truth held in the simple statement adorning one protest sign from this G20 demonstration, 'Democracy is an Illusion'.

This post was originally written for and published on treslola.com.

Alright, over to you, say your piece and keep it clean....

About Tres Viva

tresviva@gmail.com (Kate @ Tres Viva) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 04:03:00 +0000

Tres Viva is an environmental and social justice blog. Born out of a desire to start conversation about the stuff that really matters, Tres Viva aims to deliver no-nonsense articles on everything from climate change to humanitarian issues. If you have an article suggestion, please do not hesitate to put it forward.

VIVA –interjection
1. Italian, Spanish. (an exclamation of acclaim or approval): Viva Zapata!

Tres Viva is best viewed on 1280 x 800 resolution. It was created on a shiny red Dell netbook, using Windows & Chrome. Notepad was used to script the HTML and the graphics were created in Ulead Photoimpact 12. Fonts used are Georgia, Arial Black and Edwardian Script. All icons are from IconsPedia. I use FTP Commander and Blogger to manage my content. Blogger captures comments, Sitemeter and Google Analytics track readership trends and traffic statistics. Tres Viva is registered and hosted at Doteasy. If you have any other questions about Tres Viva, please do not hesitate to ask.

About Kate
An Australian currently based in Sydney, I have always been interested in journalism as a career option and this coupled with my passion for online made creating an online lifestyle magazine seem like the perfect outlet for exploration of such aspirations. Consequently, in May 2008 and on the back of 10 years of online web site design and content producing experience, Tres Viva's sister site, Tres Lola was launched, a website that I feel passionately about every aspect of, from design to promotion to editorial. In November 2009 my second website was launched: Tres Viva, an environmental and social justice blog.

What I love about the medium of online is the immediacy of publication and the opportunity it provides for anyone with something to share to become content producers and conversation starters. It provides a way to build like minded international communities that can share opinions, experiences and knowledge. The true beauty of online is that it allows content producers to speak with their audience and offer a genuine opportunity for real time interaction.

Online Background
When I first logged onto the internet in the summer of 1997, I had little clue that I was entering into a medium that would evolve into such an immensely beneficial & dynamic platform for learning, sharing, publishing and network building; a platform that was to become such a fundamental part of my life both personally and professionally.

It has been over 10 years since I created my first website on the now defunct Expage server, from there I moved onto various hosted platforms and was able to learn about HTML, CSS, graphic editing, content creation and web site promotion. I saw website creation evolve from static HTML pages to its current state making use of blogging and podcasts, and with these changes came adjustments to the way I made use of online. Over time I have published websites in various formats including personal, webcam, celebrity and news websites, some of which were featured in national (Australian) print & televised media.

Connect with me at the following places online:

Be sure to stop by Tres Viva's sister site on all thing style & positivity, Tres Lola.