Latin lessons

Latin American countries were the first to flirt with the conditional cash transfer model. It evolved in response to the economic crisis of the 1990s. Many governments found that in the face of the crisis the poor were not availing themselves of education and health services. At the same time governments had to cut their social spending and subsidies. They wanted the poor to use social services but without expanding the budget for it. Conditional cash transfer programmes emerged as a response to this twin challenge; they put hard cash in the hands of the people but on conditions like they sent their children to school or for health check-ups.

Cash swings votes

Schemes deliver electoral benefits in Brazil, Mexico

Poor man’s burden

World leaders applauded the Cancun agreement even though it violated the right of developing countries to grow with an equal access to global carbon space. Bolivia was the only country that pointed out the inequity. When its ambassador to the UN, Pablo Solon, called the deal a step backward, others booed him. Industrialised countries, along with a few emerging economies, pulled the biggest coup in the history of climate change talks: science and the principle of equity were brushed aside.

Balance sheet

DEVELOPING NATIONS AGREE TO: Writing off historical debt of developed countries Have their own domestic emission targets/ actions Allow third-party verifications of these targets, making it binding Emission targets of developed countries that are not sufficient to limit global temperature increase below 2°C DEVELOPED NATIONS AGREE TO:

New approach to CDM

Will generate large amounts of carbon credits at little cost

REDD diversion

Forest projects tilt towards carbon trade

Whither Cancun

Unlike previous UN climate meets, the 16th Conference of Parties (CoP) held in Cancun in Mexico witnessed very few strong words being tossed between developed and developing countries till this magazine went to press.

An unsteady first step

It is increasingly becoming evident that the world may not be ready for a binding international climate treaty at the ongoing climate summit in Cancun, Mexico. Global attention is now shifting towards domestic policies in the major economies.

Science and Technology - Briefs

LIFE SCIENCES Free access

The Chile effect

ABBC memo was leaked out recently; an e-mail written by Jon Williams, BBC world news editor, to his staff.