KAIROS Briefing Papers
Policy Briefing Paper #30: Coal and Shale Gas Obstacles to Climate Justice
December 14, 2011 By
While much attention has focused on the tar sands as the fastest growing source of Canadian greenhouse gas emissions, climate justice demands that we also curb emissions from coal and shale gas. The most recent KAIROS briefing paper examines these two carbon-intensive energy sources, the dangers they pose and movements to curtail their use. … [Read more...]
Arctic Melting Sounds the Alarm for Life on Earth
December 1, 2011 By
Accelerated melting of Arctic ice and permafrost is among the clearest signals that climate change is rapidly approaching a point of no return. This latest KAIROS Briefing Paper “Arctic Melting Sounds the Alarm for Life on Earth” summarizes several recent scientific studies. Like canaries in a coal mine, Arctic melting is a clear warning that we must curtail greenhouse gas emissions before it is too late. … [Read more...]
Policy Briefing Paper #28: Is Durban the world’s last, best hope to avoid climate disaster?
November 13, 2011 By
"Our Mother Earth is ill. The development model of unlimited economic growth and overconsumption has broken the balance between human beings and the envi-ronment. The current proposals on the table in the nego-tiations are not enough to stop climate change. We pro-pose the model of living well in harmony with Mother Earth as the way forward to re-establish the balance between humans and nature." … [Read more...]
KAIROS Briefing Paper #27: Can Quantitative Easing Fund Green Jobs?
December 22, 2010 By
In our August 2010 Policy Briefing Paper, “G20 Surrenders to the Money Traders,” we discussed how central banks have the option of creating money out of nothing through what is known as“quantitative easing” or QE for short. In that paper, we note that the US Federal Reserve created US$1.2 trillion in 2008 through QE. It used that money to purchase toxic assets from private financial firms anxious to offload their holdings of subprime mortgage backed securities. At the time, we had no idea that a new round of quantitative easing, known as QE2, would meet with so much resistance. … [Read more...]
KAIROS Briefing Paper #26: Decisive Action Vital at Cancún Climate Talk
November 22, 2010 By
Canadians have just sweltered through the hottest summer in more than 60 years. Heat and drought conditions contributed to a rash of forest fires in British Columbia, while excessive rain wiped out a fifth of the wheat crop in Manitoba and Saskatchewan... … [Read more...]
KAIROS Briefing Paper #25: G20 Surrenders to the Money Traders
July 27, 2010 By
KAIROS latest Policy Briefing Paper provides an in-depth analysis of the G20 Meetings and Final Statement. The paper examines how the outcome represents a caving in to pressure from the same bond and derivative traders whose irresponsible actions caused the financial crisis in the first place. With its emphasis on deficit reduction the outcome will certainly mean added pressure on the poor and vulnerable to pay for the financial bailout of speculators. The paper concludes with a consideration of the future of both the G8 and G20 Summits and the prospects for important issues like the Financial Transfers Tax. … [Read more...]
KAIROS Briefing Paper #24: An Idea Whose Time Has Come: Adopt a Financial Transactions Tax
May 1, 2010 By
A growing number of politicians, civil society organizations, economists and some financiers have become strong advocates of a global Financial Transactions Tax (FTT). An FTT is a tiny tax on financial market transactions such as equity, bond, derivative or foreign exchange trades … [Read more...]
The Robin Hood Tax: KAIROS Calls for a Global Financial Transactions Tax
April 21, 2010 By
A Tiny Tax That Will Do A World of Good A Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) –a small levy on financial market transactions including equity, bond, derivative and foreign exchange trades– is one of the best ways to fund programs to fight climate change and world poverty, and make financial institutions pay their fair share of the costs of the global economic crisis. During the week of April 19th KAIROS joined with partners from across Canada to launch a campaign to persuade leaders from the G20 to endorse an FTT –also known as the Robin Hood Tax– at their Summit in Toronto in June. Check out KAIROS' online campaign for the Robin Hood Tax! >> _____________________ For … [Read more...]
Copenhagen Accord or Discord
February 23, 2010 By
Read the Briefing Paper (PDF) The UN climate summit in Copenhagen December 2009 has been variously described as a “failure”, a “setback”, or “utter chaos.” Since the climate conference in Bali in 2007, the hopes of the world had been pinned on Copenhagen to yield a new global agreement on climate change that would dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world, particularly in developed countries, and provide urgently needed funding to poor countries already deal-ing with the impacts of climate change. What do the outcomes from Copenhagen mean for people calling for climate justice for the poor and mar-ginalized in the global South? Where do we go next … [Read more...]
KAIROS Briefing Paper #23: Copenhagen Accord or Discord?
February 22, 2010 By
The UN climate summit in Copenhagen December 2009 has been variously described as a “failure”, a “setback”, or “utter chaos.” Since the climate conference in Bali in 2007, the hopes of the world had been pinned on Copenhagen to yield a new global agreement on climate change that would dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions around the world, particularly in developed countries, and provide urgently needed funding to poor countries already dealing with the impacts of climate change. … [Read more...]
