COP-16 Day 2: The Specter of Tragedy and Klimaforum Intlibecosoc The second day of the sixteenth Conference of Parties (COP-16) summit in Cancún follows much the same as the first, a day that saw Mexican President Felipe Calderón assert in remarks before the delegates assembled in Moon Palace—a highly exclusive hotel, center of the COP-16 talks—that the potential failure of the Cancún talks—that is, their failure precisely to look beyond dominant individual and national interests—would be a “tragedy,” and that climate-negotiators should act during the summit’s two weeks with the interests of humanity in mind. He stressed in particular the concern that should be evinced in Cancún for existing children and future generations. In his address to delegates on the same day, Mario Molina, a Mexican scientist awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995, declared it to be “necessary and urgent” that COP-16 produce a climate-agreement—this, amidst a widespread lack of confidence among country-governments and commentators that Cancún will produce any agreement at all.

COP-16 in Cancún: Day 1 Intlibecosoc Entering the city of Cancún—site of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change’s sixteenth Conference of Parties (COP-16), which began today—one is struck immediately by the number of ‘areas de revisión’—checkpoints, effectively—maintained by the Mexican police, with the support of the Mexican military. The checkpoints on the highway leading north from the coastal Yucatan cities of Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Chetumal, like their counterparts throughout Cancún itself, seem for the most part to be mere formalities: drivers are asked to slow down but not stop and are then subsequently hailed on. The purpose for these checkpoints, beyond that of being able to project force and control movement, may then in part be to intimidate onlookers and passersby, to remind members of the subordinated classes of the presently ubiquitous power of the State: any other explanation for the stationing of Hummers that have soldiers manning machine-gun mounts in locations in which large numbers of people congregate would defy the imagination.

Gulf Coast Resistance: What Does Resistance Look Like? The Niger Delta Model Ray Boudreaux Calculated Risks When black plumes of oil began gushing forth from the silent bottom deep in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20th, everyone in South Louisiana reverted to the crisis mode we have all lived in for periods of time since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Our first question became “What can we do to help save our wetlands?” Thousands of willing Louisianians signed up to volunteer in the protection and cleanup efforts, and people began planning to carpool down the road to the coast to help out.

Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment Sushil Yadav The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature.

Crews Rush To Contain Massive Oil Spill in Kalamazoo River Jim Lynch, The Detroit News At least 16 miles of the Kalamazoo River system have been touched by crude oil in what could rank as the Midwest's worst spill. An unexplained rupture of an underground pipe south of Marshall has released more than 800,000 gallons of oil that has made its way to the river via Talmadge Creek.

Hacktivists Attack European Climate Exchange Website On Friday, July 23 at 23:23 UTC, the public website of the European Climate Exchange (ECX), the leading marketplace for trading CO2 emissions in Europe, has been targetted by hacktivists of the autonomous tech collective *decocidio* (#ϴ).

Protesters on 'Reclaim Power' Day Set to Face Zero-Tolerance Approach by Police Chris Green and Ben Ferguson One thousand of them have already been arrested, and tomorrow will bring protesters' largest, angriest demonstration in the Danish capital – right outside the building where the crucial negotiations are underway. Mass arrests are likely as a predicted 5,000 demonstrators descend on the Bella Centre on the same day as many world leaders are scheduled to arrive. The hardline climate-change activists have come prepared with maps, bicycles – and swimming goggles, to protect against police use of tear gas and pepper spray. The event is being billed as "Reclaim Power" day, threatening both the security of the building and the fragile state of the talks within.

Nearly 200 Copenhagen Arrests After Protesters Set Fire to Barricades Bibi van der Zee Almost 200 people were arrested late last night after protesters set fire to street barricades in a central Copenhagen neighbourhood. Protesters hurled fire bombs at riot police who responded with tear gas, officers said. But pressure is growing for Danish police to account for their tactics, after four days of demonstrations have seen the controversial "kettle" tactic used three times, and more than 1,500 arrests, with 200 official complaints already filed. The 194 arrests last night took place after several demonstrations during the day had been relatively peaceful. Climate Justice Action (CJA), the network organising an attempt tomorrow to take over the official talks at the Bella Centre, were holding a party in the Fredens Eng area of Christiania at which author Naomi Klein spoke.

High-Profile Activist's Arrest Fuels Fears of Police Crackdown in Copenhagen Climate Justice Action Spokesman to Face Charges, as Danish Police Prepare for Mass Protests at Copenhagen's Bella Centre Bibi van der Zee A high-profile climate activist was arrested ahead of tomorrow's major protests planned outside the Copenhagen climate summit, fuelling anxiety about how the Danish authorities are policing demonstrations. Tadzio Mueller, a spokesman for the umbrella group Climate Justice Action (CJA), was arrested today by plainclothes police as he left the Bella centre, where the official climate talks are taking place. The police are holding him at the Retorvej detention centre, and he will be charged in court tomorrow morning. The police refused to say what charges will be brought. Kevin Smith, an organiser for activist group Climate Camp, said: "It's unbelievable that in a supposed democracy, undercover police are silencing spokespeople that are criticising the climate talks. How far are the Danish authorities prepared to go to stop tomorrow's protest from going ahead?" Mueller's arrest comes on the eve of a Reclaim Power action that aims to "disrupt the sessions and open a space inside the UN area to hold a people's assembly" from 10am tomorrow.

Denver Anarchist Held Without Bail in Copenhagen Dirty Hands Today we learned that an anarchist comrade and dear friend of ours has been arrested on two charges at the ongoing Cop15 actions in Copenhagen, Denmark and will be held without possibility of bail for at least three weeks. Solidarity in the form of letters of support (free to send), as well as legal donations, is urgently needed. Noah "Rockslide" of Denver, Colorado moved to Copenhagen several months ago and has been active in the organizing of resistance to the Cop 15 Summit. He has been arrested and charged with two counts (one is the Danish equivalent of a felony, the other a misdemeanor): Violence Towards Police and Disturbing the Public Peace. He is being held on remand at a jail outside Copenhagen awaiting a preliminary hearing on Jan 4th 2009, when he will be able make a petition for his release. It is possible that this preliminary hearing could be his trial, though this is unexpected because they normally take longer to prepare and the courts will be on holiday because of Christmas.