Dear ATCA Colleagues; dear IntentBloggers

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

. Andrew Leung based in London for "China & ME: An Eastern Alchemy for Global Harmony?";
. Anthony Whitehouse based in Coppet and Geneva, Switzerland, for "Countering Climate Chaos and the Richard Branson Initiative";
. Dr Ian Davis, Co-Executive Director, British American Security Information Council, based in London and Washington DC, for "Countering Nuclear Weapons and Climate Chaos";
. The Lord Howell of Guildford from The Palace of Westminster for "The Short Term Inconvenient Truths"; and
. John Elkington and Geoff Lye from SustainAbility in London for "A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes -- True or False?";

in response to the ATCA think-piece, "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convening in Paris has issued an Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming."

Andrew Leung has over 40 years of experience in a number of senior positions working closely with mainland China, including Hong Kong, with a focus on commerce, industry, finance, banking, transport, social welfare and diplomatic representation. He has addressed numerous local and international business and strategic fora, groups and organisations on China, including making regular television appearances. He has written many key commentaries on China for various organisations including ATCA. His target audience includes finance and investment houses, institutional investors, large businesses, think tanks, senior officials and business schools. Andrew was twice sponsored personally by the US Government on briefing visits to the United States, including a month-long visit to brief Chairmen and CEOs of multi-nationals in regard to China, post-Tiananmen Square. He was also sponsored by the Economist as a speaker at the China conference in Berlin with the German Foreign Affairs Institute. He was invited to brief personally the Duke of York and the Lord Mayor of London prior to their China visits.

Andrew is on the Governing Council of King's College London; the Advisory Board of Nottingham University's China Policy Institute; and the Executive Committee of the 48 Group Club with historical and working links with the Chinese leadership. He has been appointed as a Global Representative for Changsha City, China. He chairs the China Interest Group of the Institute of Directors' City Branch. He is a Visiting Professor of the International MBA Programmes of China's Sun Yat-Sen and Lingnan Universities. He will shortly begin lecturing as a Visiting Professor at NIMBAS University, Utrecht, Holland. Andrew is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). He was awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in the 2005 Hong Kong's Honours List. He has qualifications from the University of London, Cambridge University, The Law Society and Harvard Business School. He speaks Cantonese and Mandarin and practices Chinese calligraphy as well as fine art. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: China & ME -- An Eastern Alchemy for Global Harmony?

In a world awash with liquidity, there have emerged two noticeable mountains of gold in the East: China's stupendous foreign currency reserve of USD 1.1 trillion growing annually by some USD 200 billion, as well as the vast build-up of Middle East petrodollars due to rising energy prices.

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Following the overwhelming scientific consensus in the latest IPCC Report, it is evident that the time to act is now.

Andrew Leung

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-----Original Message-----
From: Intelligence Unit
Sent: 12 February 2007 15:07
To: 'atca.members@mi2g.com'
Subject: Response: Whitehouse - Countering Climate Chaos and the Richard Branson Initiative; Dr Davis - CCC & Nuclear Weapons; Lord Howell - Short Term Inconvenient Truths; Elkington & Lye; IPCC

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

. Anthony Whitehouse based in Coppet and Geneva, Switzerland, for his response "Countering Climate Chaos and the Richard Branson Initiative";
. Dr Ian Davis, Co-Executive Director, British American Security Information Council, based in London and Washington DC, for "Countering Nuclear Weapons and Climate Chaos";
. The Lord Howell of Guildford from The Palace of Westminster for "The Short Term Inconvenient Truths"; and
. John Elkington and Geoff Lye from SustainAbility in London for "A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes -- True or False?";

in response to the ATCA think-piece, "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convening in Paris has issued an Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming."

Anthony Whitehouse, based in Switzerland, has substantial experience in trust creation and administration and the management of offshore structures, especially as they relate to the administration of intellectual property. In addition, he has expertise in the business management of high net worth individuals in the entertainment sector. He has recently given up business to enter into the public ministry of his Church. Anthony entered the trust business as a senior manager with the Lausanne-based branch of a Bahamas Trust company in 1978 before leaving to join a major international bank in 1988 as manager of Fiduciary Services Operations in Geneva. Together with Richard Bittiner he set up Bittiner Whitehouse, an accounting and trust administration practice, in 1992. Bittiner Whitehouse was acquired by the Maitland Group in 2003. Anthony qualified as a Chartered Accountant in England in 1968. He obtained his MBA from IMD in 1973 and was one of the founding members of STEP in the French-speaking area of Switzerland. He speaks English and French. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Countering Climate Chaos and the Richard Branson Initiative

In the context on the current ATCA Socratic Dialogue on countering climate chaos and especially in view of Richard Branson's offer of USD 25 million for the best invention for reducing carbon emissions, I would like to offer the following thoughts:

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Nonetheless I don't despair. Economics has a habit of forcing change. And when the cost of a particular behaviour becomes too high alternatives will always appear. The cost is just not high enough at the moment.

Sincerely

Anthony Whitehouse

[ENDS]

-----Original Message-----
From: Intelligence Unit
Sent: 06 February 2007 16:58
To: 'atca.members@mi2g.com'
Subject: Response: Dr Ian Davis -- Countering Nuclear Weapons and Climate Chaos; Lord David Howell - Short Term Inconvenient Truths; John Elkington & Geoff Lye - Shifting Climate for Tech Fixes; IPCC

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

. Dr Ian Davis, Co-Executive Director, British American Security Information Council, based in London and Washington DC, for "Countering Nuclear Weapons and Climate Chaos";
. The Lord Howell of Guildford from The Palace of Westminster for "The Short Term Inconvenient Truths"; and
. John Elkington and Geoff Lye from SustainAbility in London for "A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes -- True or False?";

in response to the ATCA think-piece, "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convening in Paris has issued an Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming."

Dr Ian Davis is Co-Executive Director of the British American Security Information Council (BASIC). With offices in Washington DC, and London, BASIC acts as a transatlantic bridge for policy makers and opinion formers on these issues, and seeks to promote public awareness of security and arms control in order to foster a more informed debate leading to creative and sustainable solutions. Ian has a diverse background in government, academia, and the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector. He received both his PhD and BA in Peace Studies from the University of Bradford, in the United Kingdom. Ian has published widely on British defence and foreign policy, transatlantic security issues, the international arms trade, arms control and disarmament issues. He has made high-level presentations in Washington, DC and in Europe on WMD non-proliferation and transatlantic security issues. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Countering Nuclear Weapons and Climate Chaos

The scientists have provided the diagnosis and its now time for the politicians to prescribe the cure. Last Friday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries -- issued its starkest warning yet on the consequences of global warming, describing as "unequivocal" effects that are likely to last for centuries. The IPCC scientists also say that humankind is almost certainly to blame.

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There is an historic opportunity for Britain to lead the world in real solutions to the two greatest challenges of our time: the threat of a second nuclear age and the expected consequences of climate chaos.

Best regards

Ian Davis

[ENDS]

-----Original Message-----
From: Intelligence Unit
Sent: 04 February 2007 10:50
To: 'atca.members@mi2g.com'
Subject: Response: Lord Howell - The Short Term Inconvenient Truths; Elkington & Lye - A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes - True or False?; IPCC issues Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

. The Lord Howell of Guildford from The Palace of Westminster for "The Short Term Inconvenient Truths"; and
. John Elkington and Geoff Lye from SustainAbility in London for "A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes -- True or False?";

for their responses to the ATCA think-piece, "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convening in Paris has issued an Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming."

The Right Honourable Lord (David) Howell of Guildford, President of the British Institute of Energy Economics, is a former Secretary of State for Energy and for Transport in the UK Government and an economist and journalist. Lord Howell is Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords and Conservative Spokesman on Foreign Affairs. He also Chairs the Windsor Energy Group. Until 2002 he was Chairman of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, (the high level bilateral forum between leading UK and Japanese politicians, industrialists and academics), which was first set up by Margaret Thatcher and Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1984. In addition he writes a fortnightly column for The JAPAN TIMES in Tokyo, and has done so since 1985. He also writes regularly for the International Herald Tribune. David Howell was the Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1987-97. He was Chairman of the House of Lords European Sub-Committee on Common Foreign and Security Policy from 1999-2000. In 2001 he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan). He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: The Short Term Inconvenient Truths

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I would feel reassured to hear more about these imminent issues and the measures to meet them from the great figures in the IPCC and the UN, and from all the environmental evangelists around us, than I hear at the moment.

David Howell
____________________________________________________________________________

John Elkington has worked in the environmental and sustainable development fields since 1972. A co-founder and then Managing Director of Environmental Data Services (ENDS) in 1978, he also co-founded SustainAbility in 1987. He served as the organisation's Chairman from 1995 to 2005, and is now Chief Entrepreneur. He chairs the Export Credits Guarantee Department's Advisory Council and The Environment Foundation, and sits on advisory boards of organisations like the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes in Switzerland and Instituto Ethos in Brazil. In 2004, BusinessWeek described him as "a Dean of the Corporate Responsibility movement for Three Decades." John has authored or co-authored 16 books, including 1988's million-selling Green Consumer Guide and Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business (1997), and has written or co-written some 40 published reports. One current project is a book on social entrepreneurs with Pamela Hartigan of The Schwab Foundation. He is also working closely with The Skoll Foundation on a new 3-year field-building programme in relation to social entrepreneurship.

Geoff Lye is Vice-Chairman of SustainAbility. He was previously Director (1994-2005) at SustainAbility. His expertise lies in the corporate engagement of the triple bottom line agenda linking economic, environmental and social accountability; executive board level reviews of corporate responsibility issues; development of corporate responsibility programmes with particular reference to the alignment of values and behaviours and routes to building trust in stakeholder relations; and Development of and advice on corporate climate change strategies. He has consulted with Shell post Brent Spar and Nigeria; with Ford on development and implementation of corporate citizenship programmes; with BAA and BT on environmental and sustainability reviews; and is the Co-author of "The Changing Landscape of Liability." His previous experience includes corporate issues and reputation management, advertising and marketing strategy development, and organisational development. He is a British subject and has an MA in Classics. They write on ATCA and openDemocracy:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: A Shifting Climate for Technological Fixes -- True or False?

If railways replaced horses and cars replaced trains, what will be the next evolutionary step after the car? Like its counterparts in North America and Asia, the EU auto industry believes the answer is the car. Some manufacturers in Detroit still hope - against the odds - that their beloved, highly profitable sport utility vehicles will long roam the freeways as the vast, lumbering buffalo herds once did the Great Plains. But the evidence suggests that they, too, are doomed.

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. Politics: The biggest challenge is a political challenge, requiring political will, leadership and action. We need to see more US Climate Action Partnerships, working for smarter, more effective incentives for change. If Stavros Dimas and the rest of our Cecil B DeMille cast of Commissioners can't persuade us and move us along, maybe we need a new Commission.

Best wishes

John Elkington and Geoff Lye

[ENDS]

-----Original Message-----
From: Intelligence Unit
Sent: 02 February 2007 12:39
To: 'atca.members@mi2g.com'
Subject: ATCA: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convening in Paris has issued an Urgent Warning in regard to Global Warming

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- which draws together 2,500 scientists from more than 130 countries -- issued its strongest warning on the consequences of warming in Paris today as it published the most authoritative research on the issue. The influential global panel of scientists declared today that global warming is "unequivocal", that its effects are likely to last for centuries, and that humankind is almost certainly to blame.

While the IPCC's previous assessment in 2001 rated the link between the warming planet and human behaviour as "likely", which is said to mean a probability rate of between 66% and 90%, this has now been revised to "very likely" -- a greater than 90% chance that humankind is to blame. Sea levels will continue to rise for centuries along with temperatures, the IPCC has found, because the process has already begun.

According to the 20-page summary of the IPCC report, "Most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic (human) greenhouse gas concentrations. The observed widespread warming of the atmosphere and ocean, together with ice-mass loss, support the conclusion that it is extremely unlikely that global climate change of the past 50 years can be explained without external forcing, and very likely that is not due to known natural causes alone. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice, and rising global mean sea level."

Temperature rises of 1.1 to 6.4 degrees Celsius were predicted by the year 2100, which is wider than the previous IPCC report's forecast. For sea levels, it predicted rises of 7 inches to 23 inches by the end of the century. A further 3.9 inches to 7.8 inches are possible should the recent, unexpected melting of polar ice continue.

Dr Susan Solomon, Vice-Chairman, IPCC, said that there is no doubt now about a link between human behaviour and global warming. "Global concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased markedly since 1750. They are now far above the values seen in the ice cores in many thousands of years. "We have very high confidence that the net effect of human activity since 1750 has been one of warming. The dramatic rise (in temperatures) is so different from behaviour in thousands of years. Most of the increase since the mid-20th century is due to the observed increase in greenhouse gas concentrations. This discernible human influence extends to ocean warming, temperature extremes and wind patterns." The overall impact was "affecting the Earth's energy balance", she said. Temperatures rose 0.7 degrees in the 20th century and the 10 hottest years since records began in the 1850s have been since 1994.

UN officials say they hope the report will prompt governments and companies to do more to cut greenhouse gases.

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