Topics for Saturday(10/6)

[나바둑]

TOPIC 1

LEADERS OF MAJOR INDUSTRIAL NATIONS CLASH OVER CLIMATE CHANGE

Amid a growing call to address global climate change, the leaders of the major industrial

nations are set to debate some of the most ambitious climate change proposals at an

international meeting since the mid-1990s.

The conversations will come this week in Heiligendamm, Germany, during the annual Group of

Eight (G8) Summit, a gathering of the world's largest economic powers.

The host country, Germany, has proposed that the participating countries adopt a plan to

"stabilize" global temperatures, keeping them from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6

degrees Fahrenheit). Most scientists predict that if global temperatures rise more than this

amount, changes to the climate could be catastrophic.

After six years of refusing to agree on a global framework for addressing global warming,

President Bush issued his own plan for high-level talks on climate change among the world's 15

biggest emitters of greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse gasses, like carbon dioxide and methane, are components of the atmosphere that trap

heat in the atmosphere and contribute to the process of global warming.

China, though not a member of the G8, will attend the summit and has recently released its first

national plan to address climate change. Currently, China is the world's second biggest emitter of

greenhouse gases, but it will likely become the biggest within a few years.

The G8 and climate change

Members of the G8 are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and

the United States. Combined, these nations represent about two-thirds of the world's economy.

Germany's decision to focus on climate change at the G8 this year comes only months after an

international panel of scientists convened by the United Nations published a report saying that it

was "very likely" (more than 90 percent probable) that rising global temperatures are linked to

human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels.

The topic is also taking on additional importance as the last major international treaty aimed at

reducing emissions, the Kyoto Protocol, is set to expire.

The Kyoto Protocol

Countries that signed the Kyoto Protocol committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions

to levels at least 5 percent below 1990 levels between 2008 and 2012. The agreement was signed

in 1997 but did not go into effect until 2005.

One hundred sixty-nine nations ultimately ratified the Kyoto Protocol. The United States, the

world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, did not.

In 2001, President Bush said that he would not sign the agreement because it exempted some of

the world's largest nations and biggest polluters, China and India, from reducing their emissions.

Under the agreement, China and India were exempted because they were developing

economically and facing challenges cutting emissions while trying to expand their industries.

The Bush administration argued that the two countries would have an unfair economic advantage

if they weren't required to reduce their emissions.

A new international framework

President Bush's recent proposal would bring both India and China to the negotiating table,

starting this fall. Each of the 15 countries included in the talks -- which produce 85 percent of

world greenhouse gases -- would be responsible for coming up with its own plan to reduce

emissions between 2012 and 2030.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel initially welcomed Mr. Bush's push for talks on climate

change, calling it an "important step forward." But she also cautioned that the talks should not

replace United Nations negotiations and will continue to advocate for a stabilization of global

temperatures.

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations' secretary-general, called the White House proposal, "a

positive statement, in the sense that the United States, at the level of President Bush, has realized

the urgency and importance of climate change," the New York Times reported.

Ban Ki-moon has plans to renew talks on climate change within the United Nations this fall. The

White House has already given assurances that the president's talks would "feed into" this

discussion, the Financial Times reported.

China's role

China, in the meantime, has said that it is against mandatory caps on emissions and rejects

Germany's goal of stabilizing world temperatures, saying they both run counter to its

development goals.

Discussion Activity:

1. Though China is not a member of the G8 why is it important that the Asian nation play an active role in coming up with a plan to address global climate change?

2. What is more important to a country, a robust economy or a clean environment? Is it possible to have both? Why or why not?

3. How would you try and address the issue of climate change at the international level? Should more be done? If so, why has it not happened up until now?

4. The G8 Summit is dealing with the issue of global climate change on the international level. What is being done about climate change on the national or even local level? What can you do, as one person, to lessen your impact on global climate change?

TOPIC 2

Marriage only for convenience has little chance of success

DEAR ABBY: I have lived with my best friend, "Lance," for five years on and off. Lance is 30; I am 24. Lately we have been discussing marriage. The problem is, he is gay, and the marriage would be for convenience only. I am not in love with Lance, nor is he in love with me. He thinks this would be a good idea because of the financial benefits, tax breaks and the like.

I am a little hesitant because I still want the fairy tale. I want the little house with its white picket fence and kids running around in the yard. We have discussed children, and we know it's possible to have them without having to have sex. What is your opinion?

UNDECIDED IN NEW MEXICO

DEAR UNDECIDED: I recommend against what you have in mind. You and Lance are still young. Your lives are just beginning, and the chances of you both meeting someone you could fall in love with are great. Rather than "settling" in order to take advantage of tax breaks, you would both be happier in the long run if you stay true to yourselves and live your lives as who you really are _ best friends, but not spouses.

 Q> What do you think are the keys to a successful marriage?

[나바둑]

내일 토요일 참석하실 분은 댓글을 달아 주세요. 내일 오후 12시 이전까지 달아 주세요(참석자가 없으면 모임을 취소해야 합니다)

[나바둑]

시간은 오후 4시 30분부터 6시 30분까지 두 시간 동안 하려고 합니다.

[나바둑]

오늘 참석자가 없는 것 같아서 모임 취소합니다.

[Dominique]

다른 시간에 모임시간을 잡거나 모이는 것에 대해서는 기존 멤버들과 먼저 상의를 해주시기 바랍니다. 현재 모임의 날짜, 시간, 장소 등은 현재 멤버들의 사정과 의견 등의 수렴을 거친 결과입니다. 해당사항을 변경하는 데에는 멤버들의 충분한 합의가 필요함을 유념하여 주시기 바랍니다.

[Kee淸潭@Mars]

의욕적으로 활동하시고자 하는 마음은 이해합니다. 그렇지만 모임의 운영을 위해서는 Dominique의 의견을 따라야 할것 같습니다.