Officials at the Green Bay School Districts started thinking about the District's energy use in 2002. Since then, they have done a series of energy audits and made a number of energy efficiency improvements have helped the District save, an estimated, 46.5 million-kilowatt hours of energy, 5 million-therms of gas, 163 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions and $9.7 million.

These improvements — which are being done by a “green team” of local contractors that includes several members of SMART Local 18, IBEW Local 158 and UA Local 400 — allow the District to better use and monitor its energy use. Some of the projects include:

• The installation of Direct Digital Controls (DDC) systems at 37 of the District’s schools allowing the District to better regulate and monitor each building’s energy use;
• The replacement of outdoor air control dampers in order to better control the air entering and leaving the buildings;
• The use of a Peak Demand Limiting system that encourages the schools to pre-cool their buildings and limit energy use during high-demand times;
• The development of new HVAC control sequences that optimize energy savings; and
• The installation of pass-through lighting in the middle and high schools that dim the lights when the hallways are not in use.

Not only do these projects help the District to cut the size of its energy bills, they create a better learning for the students along with new educational opportunities. Several of the schools have incorporated the ideas of energy efficiency and sustainability into their curriculum — ranging from the elementary schools where students are taught about the importance of turning off the lights to the high schools where students can learn about renewable energy and energy conservation careers.

The BlueGreen Alliance recently stopped by the Green Bay School District to talk to the faculty and contractors who are working on these energy efficiency projects. From these interviews, we made a series of three interviews videos about the energy efficiency projects, how they are being incorporated into the school curriculum and the importance of having trained individuals working on the projects. These videos can be watched below or on our YouTube or Facebook pages.

Links for the individual videos are as follows:

• Greening Green Bay Public Schools (5:00): http://youtu.be/NvT2hMWOalE
• Teaching an Energy-Wise Generation (1:31): http://youtu.be/Le7ZlOviMuE
• People Behind Green Bay's Energy Savings (2:16): http://youtu.be/TZQbSi9rFhw

More information about the School District's energy efficiency improvements are available at the following:

• SlidShare.Net: Green Bay Area School District Energy Conservation Story
• District Administration: School District is Greener with Energy-Savings Building Controls
• Focus on Energy: Take Control of Demand
• Green Bay Press Gazette: Green Bay Schools Energy Efficiency Efforts Save $5.6M From 2003-09 As Officials Search For Ways to Go Green

See photos from our stop on the BlueGreen Alliance's Flickr page.

Thank you to all the individuals who took time to talk to us including:
Jeff Christens, Green Bay Public Schools, Service Steamfitter, UA Local 400 Member
Luanne O’Leary, Green Bay Public Schools, Manager of Trades & Internal Service Systems
Eric Ahlgrim, Eland Electric, Journeyman Electrician, IBEW Local 158 Member
Bob Baierl, Eland Electric, Foreman, IBEW Local 158 Member
Dan Christens, Ace Electric, Master Electrician, IBEW Local 158 Member
Miles Cornell, Tweet Garot Mechanical, Pipefitter/HVAC Technician, UA Local 400 Member
Mary Hock, Tweet Garot Mechanical, Sheet Metal Technician, SMWIA/SMART Local 18 Member
Jeff Jarolimek, AutomatedLogic, Senior Project Engineer
Katie Klarkowski, Eland Electric, Apprentice Electrician, IBEW Local 158 Member
Mark Rasmussen, Automated Logic, System Specialist
Allen Rymer, Green Bay Public Schools, Electronics Technician

This is the first of a three-part series on the long-term needs of our nation’s infrastructure. 

While it’s difficult to quantify the human and environmental costs that account for all of the damage Hurricane Sandy caused, the infrastructure costs — specific to energy infrastructure — continue to add up. There were over 8.5 million power outages, service disruptions to 25 percent of cell phone towers in 10 states and gasoline shortages that lasted days and forced rationing for weeks after the storm. While the water surge and powerful winds were the immediate causes of these energy lapses, the real problem is that our energy infrastructure was even more vulnerable than we could have ever imagined. It’s time to fix that. 

It’s a wake-up call moment for America. It is becoming more and more apparent that our country’s energy infrastructure is in desperate need of repair. President Obama and Congress must prioritize the need immediately invest in our nation’s antiquated and ill prepared infrastructure. Doing so will create good jobs and ensure that our nation is prepared for the future impacts of climate change. 

One of the most indelible images flashing across television screens after the storm was a divided Manhattan — one half of the island continued to light up the night and the other half of it was lost in the dark. The fact that a fundamental need such as electricity, in one of the world’s largest and most influential cities could not be met, was a jaw-dropping moment for so many of us across the country. 

As Americans, we’re not prone to standing around waiting for our problems to be solved for us. We are ready and eager to roll up our sleeves and get to work addressing the deficits in our energy infrastructure. Hospital employees should never again have to make life-saving runs with patients up and down stairs because both the electricity has failed and so has the backup power source. Families should never again have to wait for federal aid funding to arrive for weeks while outside temperatures get colder and colder. 

The ‘to do’ list is long, but with the right investments, so potentially are the economic benefits: motors and electrical equipment must be waterproofed or raised above newly established flood levels and dams and levees may have to be built at some facilities to keep rising water levels induced by climate change and severe weather at bay. Failure to address these issues could leave population centers in the Northeast vulnerable to public health and environmental hazards in the future. 

Local residents, workers and utility companies can’t shoulder the full weight of the repairs and reconstruction after Hurricane Sandy alone though. The problem is much bigger than the destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. Continued strain from population growth, lack of investment in the systems we rely on to protect our communities, and emerging threats from climate change have all increased the burden on our energy infrastructure system across the country in the best conditions. When extreme weather hits, an aging system is burdened much more than usual. 

By investing now in our utility and energy infrastructure, including transmission infrastructure and smart grid, we can cut down on inefficiencies, reduce carbon pollution and create good American jobs. 

Modernizing our electrical grid to be more intelligent flexible and resilient are foundational steps to efficient implementation of clean energy. We must invest in the technology to generate clean energy and the capacity to transport that energy to where it is needed most. The power grid must be properly managed in order to deliver the greatest benefit. The grid and other utilities are vital to our communities. They must be maintained and improved in a way that recognizes our reliance on them.  All of these initiatives draw on the massive American skilled labor force, creating good jobs that work for the 21^st century. 

Expanding clean energy and clean energy infrastructure will work towards mitigating the impact of a changing climate and adapting to its current effects, such as Hurricane Sandy. We can sensibly finance these major investments in a way that prepares for the climate disruptions before us and create millions of jobs. It’s time to respond to this wake-up call moment. We can’t afford to hit “snooze” again this time while we wait for the next superstorm to endanger people, devastate our infrastructure and wash away homes and businesses. 

BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director appeared on the Leslie Marshall Show Tuesday evening, providing some perspective on the Hurricane Sandy aid package, the need for long term transportation and infrastructure investments and the Production Tax Credit (PTC).  

Check out the interview.

The following post is from Stephanie Hernandez, Communications Intern for the BlueGreen Alliance.

Hurricane Sandy revealed our vulnerability to powerful storms and extreme weather. This exposed the weakness of our nation’s utility, transportation and energy infrastructure. In response to the impact of these storms on the lives of New Yorkers, Governor Andrew Cuomo convened the NYS2100 Commission in response to the “recent, and unprecedented, severe weather events experienced by New York State and the surrounding region.”

The Commission’s mandate is to examine and evaluate the state’s infrastructure systems and create recommendations for building long-term resilience to a variety of “shocks and stresses.” The commission focused on five areas, including land use, energy, transportation, insurance and infrastructure finance.

The disaster preparedness Commission predicts future chaotic and frequent weather events, heat waves, droughts and more storm surges surfacing in multiple areas. Also, the Commission calls for the hardening of power systems by generating electricity in diverse locations. In other words, the report recommends strengthening power grids, which would help to prevent situations — like those caused by Hurricane Sandy — where most of New York City had no power.

The co-chairwoman of the commission Judith Rodin said, “Research, practice, thought, conversation, debate and hard experience with disasters around the world — from post-Katrina New Orleans to post-tsunami Asia — from the bedrock of the recommendations in this preliminary report; many of which we can implement immediately, and all of which would ultimately save dollars and even lives.”

Addressing climate change and preparing for its inevitable impacts can create jobs. Necessary changes to buildings, streets, and electricity will create jobs ranging from construction to architecture. It’s time that preparedness for the impacts of climate change, as well as measures to mitigate the worst potential impacts, is a top national priority — for the sake of our communities and our economy.

Preparing for and adapting to the impacts of climate change is essential. Communities and countries around the world are creating and implementing new policies aimed at increasing safety and preparing infrastructure for the future. For example, due to worsening storms, major actions behind a rail connection between the Metro-North commuter lines and Pennsylvania Station and new rail connection under the Hudson River are being reconsidered. Before Hurricane Sandy, these projects were approved and underway, but now there is the push to finish them.

New York stands at the center of a burgeoning debate about finally addressing climate change and preparing our infrastructure for the impacts we can no longer avoid. “Climate change is dramatically increasing the frequency and the severity of these situations,” Governor Cuomo said last week. “As time goes on, we’re more and more realizing that these crises are more frequent and worse than anyone predicted.” 

It’s been a year marked by both successes and challenges. The great debates we’ve engaged in throughout 2012, on climate change, green jobs, renewable energy, manufacturing and transportation, have set up for some big things to come for next year.

We can finally point to some good news on the economy. After 32 consecutive months of private sector job growth more people are getting back to work. The comeback of the American auto industry is helping facilitate that growth. This year automakers, labor groups and environmental groups helped broker a historic agreement raising fuel efficiency to 54.5 miles per gallon for cars by 2025. This important move is projected to create up to 570,000 American jobs by 2030 by saving money on fuel and building the cars of the future here in America.

Next year we hope to see even better safeguards on vehicle pollution. A stronger “Tier 3” air quality standard will reduce pollution from transportation fuels. Combined with the 54.5 mpg program, this will help promote innovation in the automotive sector and create jobs producing cleaner fuels in America’s refining industry. 

Taking another step forward for cleaner air, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed limits to greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants and California adopted its landmark cap-and-trade law. Signatures from local unions and union groups in support of the standard representing over 240,000 union workers were gathered by the BlueGreen Alliance and sent to the EPA in support of the proposed standard. Next year this rule needs to be finalized.

This year, Hurricane Sandy caused billions in damages and devastated homes and businesses in New York and New Jersey. It was a rude awakening that revealed dangerous weaknesses in our transportation and infrastructure and also led to a call for action on climate change. Senator Barbara Boxer recently signaled willingness from Capitol Hill to act on climate change. President Obama also expressed a need to act on climate change and said it will be among his top priorities during his second term. Rumored to be the next Secretary of State, Senator Kerry’s strong record on climate change would likewise make strides in elevating this issue. Americans are truly ready for big, bold action on climate change in 2013.

Working to counter the effects of climate change, the shift over to more renewable energy is helping to diversify our energy supply and create thousands of new jobs across the country. Often-touted wind energy is enduring severe cutbacks this year as a result of the expiring Production Tax Credit. If this credit does not get extended immediately, more devastating cutbacks in direct wind industry jobs and indirect jobs in manufacturing and construction will take place. On the bright side, offshore wind shows tremendous potential to be up and running next year.  However, projects along the Atlantic Coast including a project by Fisherman’s Energy in New Jersey and the Block Island Offshore Wind Farm in Rhode Island and Cape Wind in Massachusetts are leading the way and closest to seeing turbines in the water.

This year has not been without its share of hurdles to overcome, but there’s progress even in overcoming those hurdles.  Henry Kaiser, the engineer, businessman, and entrepreneur whose shipyards in Oakland built a battleship a day in World War II, who designed and built the Hoover Dam, and who left his name on one of the largest healthcare companies in the country, once said, “Problems are just opportunities in work clothes.”

This year the track for success has been laid out on so many important issues and the conversations on the more difficult are happening now or will happen over the coming year. Americans and the economy are sturdy and resilient and have shown that they want to build on the progress we’ve already made – onto 2013!

Part 2.

This post is by Andreas Marcotty, Legislative and Policy Aide for the BlueGreen Alliance.

In the last post, we posited the question that even with the current momentum in developing offshore wind as an energy resource in the United States, advocating for a new industry is aided by some concrete examples. So where are they? 

As is typical in progressive policies, Europe, and specifically Germany, come to mind. 

Beginning in Washington D.C., and making our way to Maryland through Annapolis and Baltimore, and then to Albany, New York, our delegation embarked on a tour to present the benefits of an offshore wind industry, as told through the experiences of the German city-state of Bremen and its port of Bremerhaven. As an expert witness, the Heinrich Böell Foundation brought over Dr. Joachim Lohse, Senator for the Environment, Construction and Transportation of Bremen to tell the story that state and federal government audiences need to hear: offshore wind fulfills both expectations as a economic powerhouse and as a potent resource. 

The tour stops read like an offshore wind highlight reel: Bicameral congressional briefing hosted by Senators Carper and Snowe and the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Department of Interior, White House Council on Environmental Quality, Maryland Energy Administration and Public Utilities Commission, Office of Governor Martin O’Malley, New York’s Workforce Development Institute, Office of New York Lieutenant Governor Robert Duffy and Assistant Deputy Secretary for Energy Tom Congdon, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. 

A key component to the tour was the ripple effect throughout the manufacturing supply chain, felt not just in Bremen and Bremerhaven but throughout Germany as a whole (note: Google offers a ‘translate’ service for those not fluent in German…). This provides state governments in the U.S., near the coast or not, a way to create a surge of economic activity and reflects the deep investment of labor interests in ensuring that domestic offshore wind reaches it’s full economic potential by working for the American worker. 

After the excitement of this news wore off, we found people had one question: How did Germany get to this point? The answer is the same argument clean energy advocates have long been shouting: long-term policy support. Germany’s clean energy industry has become the behemoth it is through sustained long-term planning and financial certainty due to the implementation of the feed-in-tariff, among other direct investments and market mechanisms. Passed in 2000 as an update to the original legislation passed in 1990, the feed-in-tariff has benefitted from around 22 years of institutional and cultural support for renewable, clean energy technologies; this, in contrast to the debate around 1-year extensions of the Production and Investment Tax Credits here in the U.S.… 

The tour made it clear that offshore wind has a distinct role to play in America’s energy mix, and is part of the solution to many pressing economic issues in our states. The German model and the great successes in Bremen are a target at which to aim - Germans even have a unique word for this effort: Energiewende. And here at the BlueGreen Alliance we refer to it as the 21^st Century Clean Energy Economy. For this to become a reality, and for our energy needs to be met in a sustainable way that leverages the America’s industrial base, it needs firm, consistent support. And it needs that support right now. 

It will be to the benefit of our economy and our ecosystem (read: general livelihood) if we can recognize the potential of offshore wind without the visual support of already spinning turbines or the subtle hypnosis of a well-designed map. But, should our calculations and endeavors prove unconvincing, thankfully we have our friends-in-energy across the Atlantic to help us keep the wind at our backs.

Part 1. (Part One of a Two Post Series)

This post is by Andreas Marcotty, Legislative and Policy Aide for the BlueGreen Alliance.

As a proponent of wind energy as a critical tool for job creation, environmental stewardship and energy security, I often find myself hypnotized by this map. The beauty and dynamism of the map are undeniable, but what is truly striking is the commentary on wind as a resource – it keeps coming. This map does not show a finite cache of wind in different locales, but rather a continuous, albeit shifting, flow of potential energy. With 51,630 out of an identified 10,400,000 MW of onshore wind energy currently captured, we certainly have not taken full advantage of this service. 

By reading even FURTHER into this map, as a proper wind nerd would, a particularly interesting and unintentionally symbolic aspect of this map is that the winds represented stop abruptly at our shores. Similarly, these offshore winds are not included in our nation’s energy mix. As mentioned previously on BlueGreen Alliance blogs, this is too large of a resource to let sit idle. 

Others agree. President Obama’s administration has made massive inroads to implementing offshore wind technologies, and recently announced the first-ever competitive lease sales for renewable energy off of the Atlantic seaboard on the outer continental shelf. The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management proposed the sale of 278,000 acres of identified wind energy areas off the coasts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, supporting between 1,350 and 2,000 MW and Virginia, supporting more than 2,000 MW of clean, renewable energy. This is a significant milestone in the “Smart from the Start” initiative, if not the entire clean energy movement. 

Speaking of Massachusetts, their Department of Public Utilities approved the 15-year power-purchase agreement between NSTAR and Cape Wind for 27% of the clean, renewable energy generated by the offshore wind facility (another 50% has been agreed to between Cape Wind and National Grid). A contract that guarantees a buyer for offshore wind power is critical to a project’s development, and Cape Wind is inching closer and closer to realization. 

Not to be left out of the newsworthy mentions, Maryland’s Governor, and perennial advocate for offshore wind, Martin O’Malley released a letter urging President Obama to play an aggressive role in championing the passage of clean energy incentives and further efforts to address climate change and energy security. With 53.8 GW of offshore wind energy identified off of its coast, Maryland has attempted twice to pass offshore wind legislation and will try a third time this January in the New Year and begin to leverage its extensive labor sector in the establishment of the industry. 

Making the case for a new energy industry is not easy. Energy resources have long benefitted in their development by supportive policies, and if policy parity is not enough, the large economic and environmental benefits of clean energy technologies should necessitate their support, especially given the economic and environmental stresses of our time. 

With no examples of offshore wind turbines spinning in the ocean, where do we, as blue-green advocates, look for case studies to drive this point home to the public and to their elected officials?

This post is by Michael Williams, Senior Legislative and Policy Advocate for the BlueGreen Alliance, reporting from Doha, Qatar, where the United Nations climate change negotiations are underway.

In Doha, a diverse group of US-based organizations called on our US delegation to use the forum to stake out a more aggressive approach in President Obama's 2nd term to addressing climate change. Additionally, the groups called for our delegation to work towards a more productive atmosphere at the talks and concrete progress towards a new treaty by 2015 during the second week of negotiations.

Leading the panel was Alden Meyer, Director of Strategy and Policy for the Union of Concerned Scientists - one of the BlueGreen Alliance’s valued partners. In addition to Alden, the other speakers included Bob Baugh, Executive Director of the AFL-CIO's Industrial Union Council, Lisa Jacobson, President of the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, David Waskow, Climate Change Program Manager for Oxfam America and Hannah Bristol from SustainUS.

In particular, I wanted to highlight Bob's remarks included below. 

AFL-CIO Perspectives on COP 18 and US Leadership
UNFCC COP 18 Doha, Qatar
November 30, 2012
Remarks as prepared for delivery 

The AFL-CIO is in Doha with our colleagues from the International Trade Union Confederation to work in support of a global agreement on climate change involving commitments by industrial and developing nations. We must take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower the vulnerability to climate change and ensuring a Just Transition to a low carbon and climate resilient society. 

Recent events bring this message home. 

President Obama noted the devastation of hurricane Sandy in his post-election press event and his commitment to focus on climate change in the next four years. Sandy was preceded by  extreme weather events: Hurricane Irene, June’s derecho – a violent wind storm over 500 miles long - and one of worst droughts in recent history that threatens to close barge traffic on the Mississippi River in the next few weeks. 

The AFL-CIO believes that the US government must play a leadership role, internationally as well as at home. And, we are committed to working with the Obama Administration to help it lead. 

We have legitimate concerns about the potential impacts of climate policies on workers and communities but inaction is the worst option. Many more jobs will be at risk without taking measures to save the climate, and most importantly, we will forego the economic opportunities that putting our societies on a path towards sustainability offers. This is a matter of vision and political will. 

We are guided by a global vision for a Just Transition defined by ambitious objectives and containing a long term sustainable industrial strategy. 

A Just Transition to a greener economy requires an aggressive sustained commitment of national resources to create and retain good union jobs in the United States, increase per capita income, modernize industry, develop and deploy technology and educate and train current and future workers. It requires assistance for any workers, families or communities that may be adversely affected by the transition, and a democratic voice for workers in their workplaces and in their communities. 

The ideals embodied in a Just Transition are reflected in the climate and related energy legislation our unions have worked on at the federal, state and local level. We have also promoted other government actions as well as joining other public and private sector initiatives. For example:

•The UAW helped develop and promote some of the most aggressive fuel efficiency standards in the world which will make a significant contribution to reduced greenhouse gas. 

• The AFL-CIO has joined with the Clinton Global Initiative to drive domestic private and public sector investment in commercial building energy efficiency. Union pension funds have already surpassed their commitments and the AFL-CIO will shortly begin an energy efficiency retrofit of our headquarters. 

• The AFL-CIO encouraged President Obama’s recent executive order on industrial energy efficiency. We are working with our affiliates to educate their members and their employers about industrial energy efficiency. We are also working with the investment community to create vehicles that will enable employers to partner with pension funds and private sector capital to accelerate this transition.   

Finally, sustained investment is critical to a sustainable future. The US needs to be a leader on this. 

The AFL-CIO strongly supports the enactment of a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) in the U.S. and across the globe as a means of providing a steady secure source of income for nations to meet their domestic and international climate finance obligations. We encourage the Obama Administration to join with other nations around the world in supporting such a tax. 

A tax on financial transactions (of between 0.02% and 0.05%) could raise USD $650 billion a year globally. The Federation has helped introduce FTT legislation in Congress and is working closely with the ITUC to get the G20 and other nations to implement the same. Nations must ensure that a portion of the revenue goes to development and climate finance. 

The Federation applauds President Obama’s declaration that his Administration is committed addressing climate change. We welcome his leadership. We are here today to encourage that leadership at home and in Doha.

The following post is from Erin Bzymek, Press Secretary. 

After a long campaign season and hopefully a restive and reflective Thanksgiving break, lawmakers are back, working to check off items on a long “to do” list before the short lame duck session of Congress wraps up in December. Looming large over the next few weeks are legislative priorities such as an agreement to avert the fiscal cliff, expiring Bush tax cuts, and an issue that hasn’t received the attention it deserves this week, the Production Tax Credit, crucial for the wind industry.

While the importance of averting the fiscal cliff can’t be diminished, it shouldn’t entirely overshadow important priorities that can save and create jobs immediately across the country.

The PTC, a 2.2 cent per kilowatt hour for new wind energy projects, is crucial to the wind industry, and the nearing expiration date on December 31 has already forced hundreds of layoffs in the wind and manufacturing industries.

Groups outside the beltway are bringing much needed attention to this issue while Congress has delayed addressing it.

On Wednesday, Environmental Minnesota released a report concluding that wind turbines in Minnesota alone save the equivalent in greenhouse gas emissions of taking 757,000 cars off the road each year. Minnesota now gets about 13 percent of its electricity from wind, the fourth-highest amount of any state.

“We can continue on this path of cutting dangerous pollution and saving water if Congress acts now to extend critical wind incentives” said Michelle Hesterberg of Environment Minnesota to the Duluth News Tribune. “Our message to Congress is clear: Don’t let wind power blow off the fiscal cliff.”

Thursday, a petition signed by 3,500 veterans from across the country was released jointly by PTC champions Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.) and Steve King (R-Iowa). Hundreds of veterans have found work in the wind industry post-military.

"Already over the past several months we’ve seen the real-life effects of Congress’ failure to quickly extend what is a common sense tax credit," Udall told reporters at the Capitol.

The same week world leaders convened in Doha, Qatar to tackle the challenges posed by climate change on a global scale, Environment America released a new report, “Wind Power for a Cleaner America: Reducing Global Warming Pollution, Cutting Air Pollution and Saving Water,” on how diversifying energy sources domestically can contribute to reducing emissions across the world.

According to DomesticEnergy.com the report “…states that over the next three years, at the current rate of expansion, power generation from wind energy would double, and with that growth would come increased environmental and public health benefits. Should this come to fruition, wind energy would then prevent as much global warming pollution as taking an additional 11 million cars off the road, and save enough water to supply an additional 600,000 people.”

The PTC is one of the best and easiest ways to build on the economic growth over the past year. The alternative, failing to renew the PTC, is not an option. Join the BlueGreen Alliance, its partners, and thousands of others across the country to urge Congress stop delaying, and renew the PTC!

The following post is from Michael Williams, Senior Policy and Legislative Advocate. 

If the eighteenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) negotiations in Doha have you feeling somewhat lost or confused, wondering why there is such a focus on technical implementation issues (making the Durban Accord operational, getting more country pledges) when the breadth of the climate change problem is so huge, you're not alone. Deep, sweeping change is needed, but this COP will not be delivering. 

However, getting the elements of the Durban Accord (and the agreements from Cancun and Copenhagen before it) up and running and encouraging more countries to engage in the effort (making official pledges would be best, as 105 have not) is actually quite important. How can we achieve a meaningful global deal in 2015 (as the Durban Accord maps out) if we do not operationalize many important elements countries have already agreed upon? 

The answer is that we cannot, and that is significantly unfulfilling. But these negotiations, dispiriting as they might be, must address two highly controversial - and vital - issues to make a global deal successful. Ambition - how are we making sure we're doing enough to address the problem? Equity - how do we structure this global effort so that everyone is doing their fair share? (The burden decreasing from developed to developing.) 

There are fundamental differences in how countries believe these issues should be addressed, but we will not just argue our way to solutions here. This is pretty evident here in Doha. Fights over agendas, draft texts, so on and so forth take up so much time, but that should not prevent this process from arriving at solutions on undeniably difficult and fundamental issues like ambition and equity in time to actually get the world on a 2 degree path. 

For right now, we must take what we can agree upon and move it forward. Operationalize the commitments on the table. Increase ambition wherever possible, especially when it comes to mitigation and finance. If we can do this we can build the political will at home and subsequently, at the international negotiating table, to finally address those two issues and strike a global deal. If we avoid these interim – some say boring – actions, then we won't even have a shot. 

Finally, I just want to leave you on a positive note. In the ADP roundtable on workshop 2 (the discussion taking us on the path to, hopefully, an agreement in 2015), the Chair, Harald Dovland, stated rather emphatically in response to a call for greater political will in the room, "We are here to deliver, and to deliver in the short term."

After a period of deep pessimism, I'm starting to think he might be right.