GLOBE

GLOBE is the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, founded in 1989.

GLOBE's objective is to support political leadership on issues of climate and energy security, land-use change and ecosystems. Internationally, GLOBE is focused on leadership from G20 leaders and the leaders of the emerging economies as well as formal negotiations within the United Nations.

GLOBE shadows the formal G8 negotiations and allows legislators to work together outside the formal international negotiations. Without the burden of formal governmental negotiating positions, legislators have the freedom to push the boundaries of what can be politically achieved.

At an international level GLOBE consists of senior cross-party members of parliament from the 16 major economies - the G8 countries, European Parliament, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. Also, GLOBE facilitates regional policy dialogues amongst legislators.

GLOBE believes that legislators have a critical role to play in holding their own governments to account for the commitments that are made during international negotiations.

History

Since 2005 and following the invitation of the former UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, GLOBE has brought together one hundred legislators from all major political parties within the parliaments of the G8, European Parliament, Brazil, China, India, Mexico & South Africa. GLOBE has convened this group twice a year in a series of focussed policy dialogues held in the US Senate, German Bundestag (2007), Brazilian Senate, Japanese Diet, Mexican Congress (2008) UK House of Commons, Italian Chamber of Deputies, and most recently in the Danish Parliament, the Folketing (2009). The dialogues have included participation by President [Luis Inacio Lula] of Brazil, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, then Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK, then Prime Ministers Fukuda, and Abe of Japan and the Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. In addition, both 2008 U.S. Presidential candidates addressed the GLOBE Forum in Tokyo on 28 June 2008. During COP15 in Copenhagen in December 2009, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown presented Mexican President Calderon with the GLOBE Award for International Leadership on the Environment.

Between the two annual meetings smaller groups of legislators have been convened in working groups and most recently in two International Commissions on Climate & Energy Security chaired by US Congressman Ed Markey, and on Land Use Change & Ecosystems chaired by former World Bank Vice President, Mr Ian Johnson.

Members

GLOBE has legislative members in all of the 16 major economies that have national GLOBE chapters. At a regional level, they also have members in all European Member states and within several African and Latin American countries.

GLOBE’s International Commissions

GLOBE International supports two International Commissions on Climate and Energy Security; and Land Use Change and Ecosystems.

International Commission on Climate & Energy Security

GLOBE’s International Commission on Climate & Energy Security was launched in the US Congress in Washington DC on 30 March 2009. This Commission comprises senior legislators from each of the major economies. The Commission met for two days under the Chairmanship of US Congressman Ed Markey and Lord Michael Jay of the UK House of Lords. The Commission was launched with the support of the Danish Prime Minister, the UK Prime Minister and the Italian G8 Presidency. The aim of the Commission was to produce a major report to the GLOBE Copenhagen Forum in October 2009, and to present its conclusions to the Danish Prime Minister and the major economies.^[1] GLOBE national chapters advanced these recommendations.

The commission's report was adopted by the GLOBE Copenhagen Legislators Forum and submitted to the UNFCCC and leaders of the major economies ahead of COP15.

International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems

GLOBE’s International Commission on Land Use Change and Ecosystems was initially announced in June 2008 by the British Foreign Secretary, Rt. Hon [David Miliband] MP, and the Chief Scientist to the Japanese Cabinet, Dr Kiyoshi Kurokawa, and formally supported by the G8+5 Legislators Forum of one hundred senior legislators. With the support of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the Commission was launched in November 2008 in the Mexican Congress. The Chairman of the International Commission is Mr Ian Johnson, former Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, and the political co-chairs are Barry Gardiner MP (UK) and Senator Renato Casagrande (Brazil).

In 2005, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) concluded that human activity is rapidly and extensively degrading ecosystem services in order to meet growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. Extensive land use change and ecosystem transformation have contributed considerably to economic development. However, these gains have also created barriers to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and significantly depleted the Earth’s natural capital. The International Commission on Land Use Change & Ecosystems was established in order to initiate a step change in the way that policy makers value the ecosystems that are being degraded at a rapid rate.

The International Commission on Land Use Change & Ecosystems has three main work streams: Forest policy, Marine environment policy and Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Policy.

Forestry Policy

The International Commission met twice during 2009 to develop a policy framework to address tropical deforestation, first in July at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and then in the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh, USA, in September. The Commission, consisting of 20 legislators from both developed countries and rain forest nations along with a panel of expert economists and scientists, agreed to a set of “Forestry Policy Proposals” that included recommendations on how to reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) as part of the post-2012 climate change agreement and measures to prevent illegal logging and to address the demand-side drivers of deforestation. These policy proposals were endorsed by the GLOBE Copenhagen Forum in October 2009.

Marine Environment Policy

The International Commission aims to coordinate simultaneous parliamentary debates on the marine environment in the major economies of the world on World Oceans Day, 8 June 2010. Prior to this event, the International Commission, consisting of 20 legislators from the major fishing nations and an expert panel of marine scientists and economists, convened in US Congress in April 2010. At this meeting, the International Commission developed a “Marine Ecosystem Recovery Plan”, outlining the policy framework that is necessary to set the oceans on a path to a sustainable future.

Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Policy

GLOBE’s Programme on Ecosystems Services and Biodiversity aims to mainstream biodiversity and ecosystem services within the world’s parliaments by a creating an international leadership group of parliamentarians from the finance or audit committees of a select group of countries. By developing a common framework for economic and environmental information, GLOBE believes that governments will be able to more accurately gauge the contribution of the environment to the economy and the impact of the economy on the environment.

Statements and reports

GLOBE International concludes each Forum with a consensus statement agreed by all the legislators attending, which is submitted to leaders of the major economies. GLOBE also produces a number of policy papers and reports to support its work. The International Commissions on Climate and Energy Security; and Land Use Change and Ecosystems produce a number of reports and background documents to support their work.

References

External links

• Lobbyists who cleared 'Climategate' academics funded by taxpayers and the BBC, The Daily Telegraph, 23 April 2011

GLOBE Documents

2009

• Summary of the Recommendations from the First Meeting of GLOBE’s Marine Technical Advisory Group, London, October 2009
• GLOBE Policy Positions for Copenhagen
• GLOBE Legislative Principles Paper
• GLOBE Forestry Policy Proposals

2008

• GLOBE Americas Legislators Forum Statement
• GLOBE Post 2012 Framework Agreement

2007

• GLOBE Berlin G8 +5 Legislators Forum Statement
• GLOBE Washington Legislators Forum Statement