BirdLife Europe e-news, Vol XI, Issue 2, February 2015 View this email in your browser

Climate change: the obliquetragedy, the paradox and thebirds

Featured in this issue

• EU Policy news

• Featuring: Audubon

Climate change is like no other man-inducedphenomenon: it will affect (meaning, starve and kill)the poorest and most defenceless on Earth. Most whohave done little or nothing to deserve it and innumbers never seen before in global conflicts. It’s an“oblique” tragedy: we, in the rich economies, pollutetoday (and yesterday), and tomorrow someone in oneof the poorest regions on the planet suffers. Anethical paradox that makes global warming possiblythe most unacceptable of all externalities. That’s what early economists called thesephenomena from the beginning: “externalities”,referring to the accidental nature of these unwantedconsequences of economic activities. It was the dawnof industrialization and the main problem was thepollution poisoning and causing early deathsamongst workers in factories. Free market economists believe, to this very day, thatexternalities depend on some “inefficiency” inpricing: if “polluting” is too cheap, there will be“excessive” pollution. That’s all, really. A system oftaxes/incentives/rules will, on paper, solve that(hence the much debated “carbon tax”, emissionstrading, etc.). Much has been done since then, in terms of natureand health protection, and yet today we areconfronted with the biggest externality in the entirehistory of human kind. A market failure so big that itwill put our entire civilization’s future in question. Working to save birds and biodiversity does notimply, at any stage, an underestimation of the tragicending we are meticulously writing for our story. Onthe contrary, a “birdseye” view allows us to put thishuman tragedy in the wider context of one regardingall life forms on our planet; birds included of course. This is why today, BirdLife Europe proposes a“manifesto”, a list of “musts”, for the EuropeanUnion climate and energy policy to follow towards2030: six “chapters” to help write a new story. The Paper reads: «How the EU responds matters.How ambitious we are on climate, and how wedeliver emissions cuts ‘on the ground’ in the energyand land use sectors, will greatly affect the world’schances of averting a climate driven eco-disaster. We need more ambitious targets on climate action,and we need a better approach to delivering the newfuels, carbon sinks, energy technologies andnetworks of tomorrow. The world’s people andwildlife need an ecologically resilient climate andenergy revolution, led by Europe».

• Partnership Stories

• Events I Jobs

EU Policy news

Read BirdLife Europe's Manifesto onthe EU Climate and Energy Package

Which Energy Union? A vision of hopevs. the geopolitics of fearThe Energy Union is the next Big Idea of the EUwhich is supposed to breathe new life into aEuropean project that has lost its appeal with citizensand national governments. At the moment, theEnergy Union is an empty shell and every lobbypushes its own individual product or technology. Thetangible risk is that we will end up with a muddledmess.By Ariel Brunner

Energy Infrastructure for a SustainableEuropean Energy UnionFor Europe to remain a global leader in tacklingclimate change, the Energy Union and all EU energypolicy must embrace the vision of a renewableelectricity-based energy system. By Ivan Scrase

Decision time nears in EU biofuelspolicyA news website is online, right when decisionmakers are negotiating the final stages of the newlegislation on biofuels and the so-called IndirectLand Use Change. Biofuelsreform.org will help youunderstand what is happening and help you make up

It is not solely a “European Union” problem: ifglobal warming has a “virtue” it is certainly that ofshowing us how interconnected we are, acrossspecies, lands, and time. A concept dear to Ecologybut apparently ignored by Mr. Juncker, the freshadvocate of the latest “buzzword” in the EU: EnergyUnion. In this issue, Ariel Brunner explains how this newBig Word in President Juncker’s vocabulary issupposed to breathe new life into a European projectthat has lost its appeal with citizens and nationalgovernments. At the moment, the Energy Union is anempty shell and every lobby pushes its ownindividual product or technology. The tangible risk isthat we will end up with a muddled mess. Ivan Scrase goes into some of the operational detailsof the energy transition and writes: "An EnergyUnion focused around prolonging the lives of nuclearand coal power stations and securing supplies offoreign gas offers no positive vision for the future...for Europe to remain a world leader in tacklingclimate change, the Energy Union and all EU energypolicy must embrace and operationalize a vision ofa renewable electricity-based energy system". Although some success stories come from countriessuch as Germany and its Energiewende, writesNABU, real life examples of good ideas going wrongare abundant. A decision nears in EU biofuels policyand yet strong limits on land based products have notbeen implemented, writes Trees Robijns, introducinga new website (biofuelsreform.com) that will helpyou understand what is happening and help youmake up your mind about this controversial issue. An American friend from BirdLife Partner Audubon,Ginny Kreitler, reminds us just how troublesome thefootprint of EU renewable policies can be for theentire world. It is truly an inconvenient truth: thewood pellet production for EU energy marketscreates a carbon debt and fosters unsustainabletimbering practices. Will policy makers listen to bird experts? RomanSenators certainly consulted their greatgrandfathers, writes David Howell about theAugures, the wise men who studied the flight ofbirds to give advice about decisions affecting thefuture. A lesson from the past that should find asecond youth in our times. Enjoy the reading (and send us your thoughts)...

your mind. By Trees Robijns

COP 21 NegotiationsIn 2011, countries at the UNFCCC Conference of theParties in Durban, South Africa, agreed to establish abinding international agreement to tackle climatechange by 2050 in the hopes that this would set theblueprint for national action. At COP21, which willbe held in Paris later this year, we expect thisagreement to be finalised. By Bruna Campos

Turning German Energy AroundThe Energiewende – Germany’s energy transition - isstill under pressure, even though the Germangovernment recently confirmed their CO2 emissionstarget (40% lower than 1990 levels). To reach thisdesired target, Germany needs to increase efficiencyin the building sector, restructure its distributionnetwork, phase out dirty supplies like lignite, butalso ensure that renewable energy develops in anenvironmentally sustainable manner. By SebastianScholz, NABU (BirdLife in Germany)

Policy makers and birdwatchers:remember the Roman Augures?Our society is far from sustainable and the EU’sobjectives for 2030 are not ambitious enough. Onceupon a time politicians would look at birds to takedecisions regarding their future. A lesson from thepast that has been forgotten. By David Howell

Featuring: Audubon

Ginny Kreitler, reminds us just howtroublesome the footprint of EUrenewable policies can be for theentire world:

USA vs. Europe: the troublesomefootprint of EU renewable policies Wood pellet production for European energymarkets, as practiced recently, creates a carbon debtthrough 2030 and fosters unsustainable timberingpractices. Running power plants on imported woodpellets will weaken progress on decarbonizingEurope’s energy supply while contributing to thedegradation of important habitats abroad. By GinnyKreitler

Inspiring BirdLife Partners activities and success stories

RSPB resolves to tackle climate change from its ownbackyardBirdLife Partners are committed to reducing their own carbon footprint,notably by generating their energy needs from renewable sourceswherever possible. This year, the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) will beinstalling a wind turbine at its headquarters, which should help theorganisation to reduce its emissions by 3%. Read more...

We want you to Spring Alive for birds this yearNature is preparing for spring and providing everything that birds willneed: thawing frozen lakes; waking animals from hibernation; buddingleaves and berries; and taking insects to the air. Millions of birds flyenormous distances every year to feed and breed in Europe and Asia,and they need your support too. Read more...

Saving birds from electrocution: BirdLife BulgarianPartner rewarded for its work on power linesOn 27 January, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds(BirdLife in Bulgaria) and the BirdLife Partnership were rewarded withthe Renewables-Grid-Initiative (RGI) “Good Practice Award” for theirwork on preventing bird deaths due to electrocution and collision withpower lines in Bulgaria and Sudan. Read more...

Growing network is helping Montenegrin migrantsThe BirdLife Partnership is building a growing network of people andorganisations who are working together to look after migrant birds in theMediterranean. Read more...

Of birds, mud and spas: the special chemistry of LakeRusandaLake Rusanda in Serbia, has provided alkaline, highly therapeutic,mineral-rich muds for over a century. The lake and it’s unique alchemyhas also made it an unusual hotspot for avian fauna as well. Read more...

Scientific breakthrough reveals evidence of ‘humanfish’ locked away in cave systemHow do you find physical evidence of a rare species when most of itshabitat (the subterranean waters of limestone cave systems in theBalkans) is inaccessible to humans? The ‘human fish’ is the largest caveanimal in the world. Despite this, Proteus anguinus – a blind, entirely-aquatic salamander commonly known as the olm, and endemic to theDinaric Alps – is incredibly difficult to find. Read more...

The British Embassy becomes a haven for birds in the

heart of AthensThe Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS, BirdLife in Greece) placedseven artificial bird nests in the garden of the British Embassy in Athens,following an invitation from the British Ambassador. Read more...

Events January - June 2015: Latvian Presidency of the EU. Learn more about BirdLife Europe' s recommendations for asuccessful Presidency on our website.

26 February 2015, London (9.30am - 5pm): BESTGRID workshop "Good practice exchange". More details andregistration.

4 March 2015, Brussels: Sustainable Future for EU Farming? Conference organised by the European EnvironmentalBureau, the Danish Ecological Council and BirdLife Europe. More information and registration.

Jobs Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in in Brüssel EU-NaturschutzpolitikFür unser Büro in Brüssel suchen wir zum 1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/n Mitarbeiter/in für daszweijährige Projekt "EUNaturExchange" sowie weiterer Aufgaben (vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details• Closing date: 27 March 2015

Wiss. Mitarbeiter/in EU-NaturschutzpolitikFür unser Team in der Bundesgeschäftsstelle Berlin suchen wir zum1. April 2015 eine/n wissenschaftliche/nMitarbeiter/in für das zweijährige Projekt "EU-NaturExchange"(vorbehaltlich Projektbewilligung). More details• Closing date: 27 March 2015

BirdLife International Admin/Event Intern• Location: Brussels, Belgium• 6 month paid internshipThe intern will assist the administration and event departments in the BirdLife Europe Secretariat Office in Brussels.Contact us for application information.

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Responsible editor: Angelo Caserta

This publication receives its support by the European Commission and the RSPB

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