Itchy Mother Earth

On a lighter note, Chloe Fox, Parliamentary Secretary to the South Australian Government - ended a session in The Climate Group debate panel during the 24th-26th May World Business Summit on Climate Change:

Two planets in the solar systems are talking with each other. One planet, Mother Earth, says: 'I'm so itchy - what can I do?'. And the other planet says, 'Don't worry, it's just homo sapiens - it will soon drop off.'

A Hot Air Balloon Paradox

Who's to pay? - or rather How to pay? - is the big question in the climate challenge to combat global warming. Or in other words, to pay for the hot air balloon salvation. One of the points repeated over and over again during the World Business Summit on Climate Change is that we need innovative financing. To get a hold of that, we needed to hear the bankers. One very hip way of funding is the mentioned ETS/Emission Trading System and the CDM/Clean Development Mechanism. The financing of which were debated in a working group called 'Carbon Markets', consisting primarily of bankers and regulators. And as was pinpointed by moderator Samuel A. DiPiazza, CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers International, the toughest challenge is to set a price on carbon. And then there is the 'how to':

Some financial suggestions were put forward by Abyd Karmali, Global Head of Carbon Markets at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. He mentioned Derivatives, Futures, and Options - and excused himself at the same time. You see, since the onset of the financial crisis these three little words have had a sad connotation. In particular, it is worthwhile to recall the big save of exactly Merrill Lynch by Bank of America's take-over in 2008 - precisely due to the heavy use of the derivatives/credit default swaps, which are basically loan insurances. Bank of America had too high a risk exposure with its investments in Merryll Lynch - and actually had to buy the whole hot air balloon in order not to fall themselves. The credit default swaps/loan insurances exposure, in the case of Bank of America, were close to 40 times above its net worth/equity. This according to the weekly letter of Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen in september 2008 - the very initiator and organizer of this climate summit.

So here comes the paradox: Is it really a good idea to save one hot air balloon (the global warming of Mother Earth) - financing it through another kind of hot air balloon (futures and derivatives)? Abyd Karmali tried to answer that himself: 'We have to ensure a healthy market'. If Merryll Lynch is included in this 'we' is my big worry. And in the response to the same critical question Tracy Wolstencroft, Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, made a point: 'In the US it should be financed through bonds'. Probably in line with the new policies put forward by the current government under Obama. To stop the hot air balloons - financial or climate ones.

José Manuel Barroso in Town

Yesterday José Manuel Barroso, President of The European Commission, was in town. He saw Denmark as a good place to choose for the World Business Summit on Climate Change, because as he stated 'We have two very important things on our side - public opinion and science'. During the summit he came to speak about the European joint efforts towards 2020. And stressed three points:

1. The EU wants to ensure a comparable CO2 emission reduction, currently set at a 20 percent reduction (according to the 20/20/20 vision), but the EU is willing to set a 30 percent reduction goal - provided that a global deal can be sealed.
2. Developing countries should do their major part in designing and implementing national low-carbon techniques and economy - and in the EU these vary from 15-30 percent below business as usual by 2020.
3. The EU will rely on both public and private funding. And carbon markets should be the resource. I.e. through the ETS/Emission Trading System and CDM/Clean Development Mechanism - an initiated 'additional' carbon project that would not have been realized if not for this purpose alone.

To make a note: The variations beween the European countries are great. On the green house gas emission reduction goals towards 2020, they vary between -20 and +20 percent, compared to 2005. And on the renewable energy goal as a percentage of the total energy mix, they vary between 10 and 49 percent (Sweden is the top scorer here).

Climate - A Political Headache

Second from the left - Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development, Norway, seems to have developed a severe headache during the debate at the summit on climate change

It's just like a game of Mikado, where you throw the sticks and have to carefully pull out your sticks one at a time without moving any of the other sticks. Every game player starts out by removing the sticks the easiest to get to. Then everybody waits for somebody else to make the first risky move and remove the more difficult sticks.

With this metaphor Connie Hedegaard, Minister of Climate and Energy in Denmark, opened the interactive debate on climate change between political leaders. She called for initiative and an ambitious financing plan to overcome the negative effects of climate change.

And they were all waiting for somebody else to make the move. To mention the views of some of the political leaders in the panel: Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment in Canada, was waiting for the USA - not only to sign the deal on climate change, thus living up to the Kyoto protocol standards - but also to ratify the deal.

Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission in China, mentioned that China is doing what it can to meet the standards. With a percentage of 7,5 renewable energy in 2005 to a projected 15 percent in 2020 - i.e. solar power, water, and wind energy (The EU goal is an overall 20 percent on renewable energy of the total energy mix, with variations from 15 upto 49 percent - to make a comparison). He saw the main challenges as being setting standards and mechanisms, ensuring innovation and transfer of energy, and creating financial instruments to back the initiatives.

Erik Solheim, Minister of the Environment and International Development in Norway, called for governments to instigate and initiate efforts to combat climate change. And encouraged governments and private companies to co-operate in partnerships. He revealed that his concern and main headache had to do with too little confidence between the developed and the under-developed world on the issue of climate change. He saw this as the main obstacle to resolve the climate problems.

Meanwhile populations and Mother Earth are waiting for somebody to remove the first difficult stick.

Al Gore in Town

Former US Vice President Al Gore was in town today during the World Business Summit on Climate Change. As a natural follow-up to his much appraised, Oscar winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth about the impact of global warming on the planet. An effort that earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 for 'informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change'. In this address he also focused his attention on renewable energy.

'The market signals are wrong', was one of the points made by the former US Vice President. His point being that market signals have effects on the future for human beings, so it is important that these signals should reflect human interests - not business interests - since 'Mother nature does not do bailouts' - indirectly referring to the financial crisis bail-outs. And he did not omit to mention John Maynard Keynes as an economic inspiration (who saw government control of private enterprise, and public intervention as necessary for growth).

One of the paradoxical one-liners heard a couple of times before was still effective:

'If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We have to go far - quickly'. This way encouraging leaders of private companies to work in partnerships with governements around the world - to concentrate the purpose of this business summit in a nutshell. And aiming his address to political leaders: 'We know that political will is a renewable resource' - this way going full circle in his message.

Ban Ki-moon in Town

Today the Secretary-General to the UN, Ban Ki-moon spoke at the World Business Summit on Climate Change 24th-26th May in Bella Center, Copenhagen. He was highlighted in the programme and opened the event. He welcomed the initiative from Danish think-tank Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen, and expressed a need for public and private companies to work together in partnerships to solve the climate crisis. And to show global responsibility beyond short term profits. One paradoxical demand that will be more likely to be heard due to the financial crisis - yet probably more difficult to live up to in reality.

The Full Dog Kennel Approach

Is a journalist primarily a watch dog for society? A hunting dog? A rescue dog? Or should today's journalist be more of a shepherd? Associate professor Peter Bro from University of Southern Denmark had stopped the guessing game - and done something to explore what we really want. As readers, viewers, users. Or customers. As people.

His research, based on questionnaires to a representative selection of 1.700 Danes from 2008, shows that our favourite dog is the watch dog on society (75 percent), who passively keep people of state and power in check - but also that we already get this to a high extent (62 percent). When it comes to the hunting dog - the aggressive, and highly active journalist to unfold and reveal stories, and demand action from decision makers - we demand this dog to a 61 percent level, but is fed with it to a 67 percent level in the news. So maybe the aggressive hunter is on too loose a line?

When it comes to the docile shepherd dog, who includes citizens in the news mediation process (asks our opinions, arranges polls, vox pops, and to-way-communication) we get this to a 49 percent level - but would really like it to a 72 percent level. And finally the rescue dog - the ever alert St Bernard dog with the tiny whisky barrel around his neck, if you will - to scent, track and help citizens in current distress, and encourages us to show societal commitment. The poll shows that we ask this of journalists to a 60 percent level, but only receive it to a 39 percent level.

Apparently readers/viewers/users/customers/people are not getting what they really want in the news, which seems to be a combination of the full dog kennel - with a little less hunting dog, with an emphasis on the watch dog and shepherd - and a little more rescue dog than is currently the case. Me? I would take the St Bernard with a little keg of single malt any day. In or out of distress.

For further information about Peter Bro's published research, see:
http://www.sdu.dk/staff/ppe.aspx

From Information to Navigation

'We should look at readers more like customers', Erik Rasmussen, editor-in-chief of the weekly letter of Ugebrevet Mandag Morgen, firmly manifested. His point was that journalism hadn't been able to follow suite with the needs of these customers, hence the declining market for news providers. Erik Rasmussen was directly at odds with Mr. Public Service, DR chairman Michael Christiansen, when he saw readers and viewers more like customers. But that didn't deter him.

Instead of maintaining an old-fashioned view of the journalist, to have a responsibility towards the very abstract 'society as a whole'. The future journalist should be one to care and show responsibility for the reader = the customer. In his mind, the future would hold a shift in paradigme: From information to navigation. Erik Rasmussen held hands with future researcher Anne Skare Nielsen on this point.

This shouldn't stop the journalists from researching stories - it would instead take the best from the analytical, investigative journalism and couple it with the best of the entertaining elements in delivering the stories. I'm paradoxed here: Aren't journalists already doing all they can to do this? Provided the time and the resources.

Future News = No News

What's up with the news in the future? If it looks this grim already, it would be a case of nice to know - if not need to know. During this week's conference on news journalism at DR, we had a look into the crystal ball of news. In the panel future researcher Anne Skare Nielsen from the institute of Future Navigator gave her best bid:

In the future, we will be so fed up with products, possibilities, options, information, news, channels, good stories, satisfier services, and gadgets - that we will be looking for peace and tranquility. So what will really be our need, won't be services, news, and information - but rather instruments for dealing with them. We will need navigation tools. To get what we really need. Apparently future news will be - no news. According to Anne Skare Nielsen tomorrow's scarce commodities will be:

Attention, peace of mind, relations, to do good, absorption, concentration, confidence, passion, originality, and people will be looking for MY story. Here's my paradoxical bewilderment: Isn't that 'future' already here - and hasn't that been the case for quite some years in our highly mediated, 2.0 society?

Conference on News Journalism

Journalists should be more like Shakespeare, was the bold statement of chairman of the board of The Danish Broadcasting Corporation/DR, Michael Christiansen. In the sense that Shakespeare really knew how to catch and maintain the interest and curiosity of his audiences - with characters, interplay, and dramatical build ups. Well, it should be noted that Michael Christiansen comes from a long career as CEO of The Royal Danish Theatre - so it is probably fair to say that he was inspired there...

The DR chairman was one of a panel of media people to debate the purpose and future of news journalism during a conference held this week at the new concert hall of The Danish Broadcasting Corporation. And his Shakespeare opening aside, the chairman also called for the necessity of journalists to be the eyes and ears of the public - to go find, investigate, and to make the public more knowledgeable. Many cheers for standing firm on this public service basis. The paradox is why this should be necessary to repeat, but apparently it is.

Winner of The DR Literature Prize

Lost for words. The 2009 winner of the DR Literature Prize was announced at the end of Copenhagen International Literature Festival and went to Sissel Jo Gazan for her fourth novel Dinosaurens Fjer (translates into Feather of the Dinosaur) - a scientific crime novel and a psychological drama. And though not lost for words in her writings - with the praisings of many critics for her well written style - Sissel Jo Gazan accepted the prize with a happy, though baffled and tongue-tied face. According to her blog sissel-jo.blogspot.com the novel will be translated and sold to the US market.

International Author Encounter

Host of an art radio programme of The Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Karsten Pharao mediated an encounter between Icelandic author Auður Ólafsdóttir and Danish author Helle Helle (this is her name).

Auður Ólafsdóttir presented her current novel of Stikling (Cutting), referring to rose cuttings which the main character of the novel takes to Southern Europe to plant - and begins a new life. After leaving his father, his disabled twin brother, and a newborn daughter from a one-night stand. The one-night stand later seeks him out in Southern Europe with his daughter, and events take off from there - all slowly finding new meaning in life. The Icelandic word of Stikling/cutting also refers to a baby and to a detour.

Danish author Helle Helle's most current novel of Ned til Hundene (roughly translates into 'down to the dogs'). A low key novel about a woman who gets off a buss stop somewhere in provincial Denmark only carrying a suitcase on wheels. All we know is - she is looking for a good place to cry. She finds a temporary home with John and Putte who cares for her, as she slowly finds meaning in the daily routines of local life - among them caring for some local dogs.

The debate between the two Nordic Council Literature Prize nominees 2009 (announced in April go to Norwegian author Per Petterson in October) took us through many comparisons, but all-in-all the two novels focus on the ever paradoxical theme of 'the kindness of strangers'.

Poetry Framed by Music - Two

Poetry was framed in music on several occasions during Copenhagen International Literature Festival '09. One of these was when much acclaimed poet Lone Hørslev read her poems, before the same poems were interpreted by a musical group with the paradoxical name of Er de sjældne (Are they rare). Yes, the event was not only rare - but highly emotional and sensitive.

Poetry Framed by Music - One

During the Copenhagen International Literature Festival '09 a very impressive reading of poetry took place. Poet Nicolaj Stochholm read some of his poems, set to music by many-facetted musician Martin Hall with great intuition an empathy - in a work called Færden (Movements), inspired by the travels and tales of Ulysses. It left the editor of Paradoxical News if not paradoxed, then just that - moved.

Salman Rushdie in Town

Salman Rushdie - here seen on arrival to Huset i Magstræde with festival manager Ivan Rod

Author Salman Rushdie was in town Thursday and Friday during the Copenhagen International Literature Festival, CPH:LITT.09. He gave an hour long talk about his latest book The Enchantress of Florence, and other works and themes.

He was interviewed by his Danish translator, Thomas Harder, and it turned out to be an event of witty, verbal fencing. As witty as are the books and writings by Salman Rushdie in general. Some of the serious questions were rebuffed with answers like 'I hadn't really thought about that' or 'The good thing about translators is, that they think harder about your work than you do - so you can steal their ideas.'

Or on the theme of the many illusions in the historic tales of The Enchantress of Florence - he referred to the Medieval times when people couldn't get fresh bread, so they had to eat old, mouldy, stale bread. This mould gave them hallucinations - so this could be the explanation, when people saw illusions and told hallucinatory stories. If that is the paradoxical fact, Sir Salman Rushdie - please keep eating stale bread!

Happy Mother's Day!

Paradoxical News wishes all mothers everywhere the best day - may appreciation come your way.

A Workers' Day Progression Paradox

1st of May - the workers' day procession

1st of May in the Copenhagen park of Fælledparken is an annual event that draws thousands. Several hundred thousands were reported to show up. An this workers' day should still be relevant with the growing dissatisfaction, rather than progression, of the red block opposition. But it has become somewhat of a cirkus - where the most red you will see comes from the procession standards and the red noses and cheeks of sunburnt onlookers.

Still, in the afternoon some of the speakers - among them Frank Jensen (S), heading for a carreer as mayor of Copenhagen, Bente Sorgenfrey from a Danish union for public employees, and Ole Sohn (F) - and later Villy Søvndal (F) and Helle Thorning-Schmidt (S) repeated the same points over and over again: The current government should initiate a much more comprehensive growth plan with investments in the public sector, should assure jobs in a situation where unemployment is on a rise, should assure a more diverse and inclusive jobmarket - and should bring down the rising inequality between different income groups.

Here's what the youth organisation of The Social Democrats (S) thought of the prospects of government under PM Lars Løkke Rasmussen (V), hinting to a news raid against him for fiddling with receipts for draught beer - as public spending: (themselves having had several draught beers under their vests)