It seems inappropriate to post a blog about deforestation or climate change when as a global population we are faced with the utter catastrophe of the earthquake in Haiti. There aren’t really words that can adequately describe the death and destruction that has become the every day reality of an entire nation virtually overnight. Everyone has seen videos and pictures and heard devastating and horrific accounts of life lost and life attempting to be lived amid such chaos.

These images and stories are in many ways the kind that you want to immediately tune out or turn away from. Akin to television advertisements for UNICEF or ASPCA, such horrors brought into living rooms and onto kitchen counters can often effect in an audience the opposite of their intended purpose – people turn away because of the disturbance, not because they don’t care, but because they are shaken or unsettled.

Since the earthquake, however, we haven’t turned away. As a planet, as a people, we have gone into crisis management mode, doing anything and everything we can to offer support. Honestly, the number of TV promos, text message donations and everyday stories of individuals dropping everything to go and help is astounding. This has never happened before. That previous sentence applies to the quake itself, but if you look at it a different way it also applies to the coordinated and comprehensive help being given to Haiti in a time of ultimate need. The outpouring of support for Haiti is unlike any response I’ve seen to any other tragedy in my lifetime, including New Orleans, the Tsunami, and September 11th.

Over the past month, I’ve seen Michelle Obama television ads, received and sent several donation texts, heard Conan O’Brien pleading for support and watched local bars run fundraising events to do whatever they are capable of to help the people of Haiti survive and rebuild. It’s sometimes tragic to think that it takes crisis to elicit this kind of response, but it is this we got you answer to a call for help that we are capable of when backs are against the wall. But it isn’t always tragedy, President Obama’s election campaign for example shown a glowing light on the power of organized and motivated human beings; the earthquake in Haiti has galvanized that power into a staying force determined to be there until things get better.

As humans, we need to look at Haiti and realize how capable we really are when push comes to shove. Birthright Earth is founded on this innate human quality. We are able to change, we are able to help one another, we are able to maintain a serious focus on serious issues until they are resolved. It doesn’t require tragedy or historic proportions on the outset, an issue like climate change is all around us everyday. When push comes to shove, which it has, there are two paths we can take – allow climate change to become historically tragic or act as we know we can and achieve a historic victory over the issue of our generation.

See It, Save It

- Tim

For anyone mildly interested in what was accomplished these past two weeks in Copenhagen, it is easy to be disappointed. Walking downstairs this morning, The Washington Post cover greeted me with one of many depressing headlines I’ve seen today: “Climate Deal Falls Short of Key Goals.” Skimming articles on the web, titles clearly exhibit anger and frustration at the perceived lack of progress at the UN Climate Change Conference.

The obvious question is “What exactly is in that non-binding accord that the US, China, India, Brazil, and several others signed at the conference?” The Huffington Post has a clear and succinct summary of the press release that was given to the media here.

First of all, various countries have made nonbinding commitments to reduce emissions by 2020. The US has pledged a 3-4% reduction from 1990 levels. The EU, on the other hand, has pledged a 30-40% cut and Japan a 25% cut. President Obama addressed this disparity in his press conference (I highly recommend reading the entire transcript here), stating:

“I think that the one principle that I brought to this is that whatever commitments we make, I want to be able to be sure that they’re actually commitments that we can keep.  So we tried to be modest in what we thought we could accomplish.  I think there was interest on the part of some to, for example, increase our mitigation targets.  Although when you look out in the years 2025 or 2030, our goals are actually entirely comparable with Europe’s.  On the front end they appear to be less, because frankly, they’ve had a head start over the last several years in doing things like energy efficiency that we care about.”

Secondly, there was significant pressure put on increasing transparency amongst nations. This is a particular source of contention between the US and China, the two greatest emitters in the world. Without a clear verification system, countries fear that others will cheat and get a significant economic advantage above the others as a result. Hilary Clinton spoke frankly about her inability to move forward without progress on this front, telling the press:

“There has to be a willingness to move toward transparency in whatever forum we finally determine is appropriate. So if there is not even a commitment to pursue transparency that is kind of a dealbreak for us.”

The third, and largest development at the conference was the commitment by world leaders to spend $30 billion over the next three years and $100 billion by 2020 to help poor nations grapple with the effects of climate change and help them convert to a cleaner economy without impeding economic growth. The US is willing to contribute to this fund as long as all major nations, China and India in particular, are willing to submit their reductions to transparent verification.

As expected, rainforests received a substantial amount of attention and discussion at the conference. Six countries – Australia, Britain, France, Japan, Norway, and the US – have all agreed to spend $3.5 billion to help fight deforestation. This program will run from 2010-2012. Though there was a lot of hope that negotiators would finally develop a legal and undisputed framework for reducing deforestation, known as REDD, leaders could not come to agreement and there were concerns about rich nations being willing to finance the program. This is not to say that the REDD program has not made progress as some of the money from the $100 billion fund could go towards helping prevent deforestation.

While these developments are certainly a disappointment compared to the optimistic predictions that circulated prior to the conference, the lack of progress in Copenhagen highlights for the general public how truly difficult the task at hand is. For the first time, the world is facing a common crisis whose solution will have severe economic and political implications. Obama recognized the difficulty of negotiating an international agreement given these circumstances, stating at his press conference, “Climate change threatens us all; therefore, we must bridge old divides and build new partnerships to meet this great challenge of our time. That’s what we’ve begun to do here today.” David Fahrenthold, in a Washington Post article, also recognized that we underestimated the difficulty of the political task at hand:

“Just because climate change doesn’t respect borders doesn’t mean borders don’t matter. In past months, the Senate climate debate has shown that, despite exhortations that the problem threatens every American, many senators have focused on their states’ interests first. In past weeks, a similar dynamic has played out among nations. Altering the dynamic of future conferences will require finding a way to make them feel their short-term national interests are served.”

As we look into the future, especially here in the US, it is important that we fight to get climate change legislation passed in the house. Currently, senators John Kerry (D-Mass.), Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) are working to draft a bill. With the Copenhagen conference reaching a close, the focus will switch to ensuring that next year at the UN Conference in Mexico City we overcome some of the obstacles that we encountered at Copenhagen and make progress where we failed.

Check out some great pictures from the conference here!

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- daphne

Tim Muse and I returned late last night from Guatemala City after a five day Familiarization trip sponsored by the Rainforest Alliance. The trip took us, along with local tourism operators and journalists, to several lodges that have been certified by the Guatemalan Green Deal program, which is overseen by the Rainforest Alliance standards for sustainable tourism.

The Green Deal program and the Rainforest Alliance have been working together to legitimize sustainable tourism at many lodges in the country and hosted the 2009 FAM trip in order to show tourism companies and media outlets how effective their efforts have been.

Tim and I were accompanied by representatives from tourism companies including ReContur S.A., Condor Tours & Travel, Holbrook Travel, a German journalist and media representatives from Costa Rican based Destinos TV and finally communications employees from the Rainforest Alliance. Eager and dedicated from day 1, everyone on the trip had unique perspectives and insights into sustainability in Latin America.

Our trip began with a walking tour of colonial Antigua, one of the most visited towns in the world in 2008 and a stunning area full of religious and cultural history. We visited a local Cloisters as well as the Church of San Francisco, where Hermano Pedro, the only canonized saint of Guatemala, is buried. After eating dinner at wonderful Casa Santo Domingo, the whole group spent the night in the Hotel Villa Colonial. The next morning we visited the Mayan ruins of Iximche, an impressive plateaued ruins outside of Antigua. After the ruins, we took a bus ride to Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, nestled between three volcanos, Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango.

A 45 minute boat ride brought us to Hotel Uxlabil, a sustainable lodge built into the lakeside and adjacent to the artisan co-op village of San Juan La Laguna. This tiny village is home to textile, painting, and coffee co-ops that work together to sell goods and educate their youth. The following morning, we took a bus to the archeological site of Tak’alik Ab’aj, which is home to both Mayan and Olmeca civilization ruins. That night the group checked into the Takalik Mayan Lodge, which is operated by 22 local community families and recently earned the Green Deal tourism certification from Rainforest Alliance.

Perhaps the highlight of our trip came on the second to last day, when the group took a bus, van, and two-hour kayak trip through mangrove wetlands to the isolated community of Playa de Chico. This area is home to 200 families that live in grass huts, sell sesame seeds, and live primarily of fish caught from the river. There are no combustion engines within earshot except for the occasional boat bringing mainland supplies to the families. Unloading from the kayaks, we were utterly floored to see beach on the far side of the village, with the vast Pacific Ocean in the distance. Perfect sets of rolling waves, lukewarm water, and pristine, empty beach made for an unforgettable afternoon that none of us will soon forget. That afternoon we made our way back to Gautemala City for our departing flights the following morning.

For Birthright Earth this trip gave us the chance to meet several Latin American tour operators as we consider future expansion for BE trips outside of the Amazon. Furthermore, we were able to connect with local media outlets and Rainforest Alliance employees who are eager to help our organization grow and achieve its goals.

A wonderful and successful trip! Please stay tuned for photos albums from the trip!

See It, Save It

- tim

In a few short hours, Tim Muse, Birthright Earth’s Corporate Sponsorship Liaison, and Tim Devane, Birthright Earth co-founder, will embark on a four day journey to Guatemala as part of the FAM Guatemala Trip sponsored by the Rainforest Alliance.

The duo will spend the week at three different lodges, the Hotel Villa Colonial, outside Antigua Guatemala, Hotel Uxlabil, on the shore of Lake Atitlan, considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and the Takalik Mayan Lodge. The Rainforest Alliance sponsors this trip for all its tourism affiliates as a way to promote sustainable tourism in a specific area and get a substantial number of tour operators together to discuss sustainability strategy for the future.

Stay tuned for live blog updates and what will certainly be some fantastic photos!

See It, Save It

- tim

It’s been a hectic few weeks at Birthright Earth, but the fun is about to begin. We are gearing up for two straight weekends of events and wanted to let everyone know where we’ll be and how you can get involved:

Saturday Oct. 31st - Birthright Earth Presents: The Amazon Monsters’ Ball

What: Open Bar featuring live music and catering provided by Touche de Finesse

Where: Gallery Bar on New York City’s Lower East Side: 120 Orchard street.

When: Halloween, 7-11 pm, open bar from 8:30 – 10:30 pm

Donate: $20 cover, $35 open bar

Are you going? Because I know….

Saturday Nov. 7th - Birthright Earth Tailgate at Wesleyan University Homecoming

What: BBQ and drinks provided by Birthright Earth to all students, parents, and alums on campus for homecoming festivities

Where: Andrus Field, to the left of the Football field just outside the Usdan Campus Center

When: Saturday, Nov. 7th from 12 to 4 pm

Donate: In addition to food and drinks, Birthright Earth merchandise will be available for purchase and we will have an informational booth next to the tailgate.

We hope you can make it out to these events!

See It, Save It

– tim