Luzo Orbit Second Life blog

Audio streams still down

2008-07-05T06:36:00.000-07:00

Apologies that the audio streams on this blog and into Second Life have not been working since April.

This is due to failings with the service provider, then known as Mediamax, now known as The Linkup.

I have contacted the company about this, but have no joy so far.

Check back to these streams from time to time to see if we are getting anywhere:
http://luzoorbit.blogspot.com/2007/03/climate-change-policy-forum-28-february.html

Global justice action - what shall we do this week?

2008-04-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Second Life Simultaneous Policy Adopters' Group (SL-SPAG) has an idea for increasing action in support of global justice. Simply pledge to take at least one action per week in support of the campaign.

You can sign up to this at Pledge Bank:

http://www.pledgebank.com/slspagaction

The Simultaneous Policy (SP) campaign is an international democratic movement, bringing people together to decide how they want global problems to be addressed and to make the solutions a reality. It is free to join in. More people need to know about SP and so we will take at least one action every week in support of SP. It could be visiting the discussion board, listening to a talk from Second Life SP Adopters' Group, sending a message to a newspaper. Action ideas will be sent to the SP campaign yahoo group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simpol/

From Second Life SP Adopters' Group.
http://luzoorbit.blogspot.com/

There is more about SP and a discussion forum at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/

SL-SPAG at the Second Life Book Fair

2008-04-19T04:02:00.000-07:00

Second Life SP Adopters´ Group has a booth at the SL Book Fair on Publishing Island.

If you have a Second Life account, then this link will get you to the Book Fair office in Second Life.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wallaby/134/96/54/?title=SLBF%20Office

If you don´t have an account, you can sign up free of charge at:
http://www.secondlife.com/

The Book Fair runs for the next three weeks. Luzo Orbit will be at the booth when possible to talk about the new book ´Global Obligations for the Right to Food´ for which he wrote a chapter with the ideas for a World Transnational Corporation Regulatory Authority. In Real Life, SP Adopter Mike Brady, has submitted this proposal for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy. Find out more about the policy suggestion and the book at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?board=30.0

Second Life - international events without air travel!!

World Transnational Corporation Regulatory Authority

2008-02-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

You can second this proposal by sending an email to Mike by clicking here or sign up in Pledge Bank.

Mike Brady, Coordinator of Cambridge SP Adopters' Group, will be speaking about the following policy proposal in the SP Adopters' amphitheatre in Tangun. Many of the ideas appear in a chapter he has written for the book 'Global Obligations for the Right to Food' published this month. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/02/global-obligations.html

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who has come to the meetings. A further round will be held in the near future. Return here for news.

You can listen to a short introductory talk by clicking here. It should open in your mp3 player. If not, paste this link:
http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/tncmarch08.mp3

You can register as an Adopter (which is free) when you do so or visit the Simpol site, where you will also find further information. Adopters undertake to either vote for candidates, within reason, at elections who pledge to implement SP alongside other governments or to encourage their preferred party to make this pledge.
http://www.simpol.org/

Second the proposal by sending an email to Mike by clicking here or sign up in Pledge Bank.

Title: World Transnational Corporation Regulatory Authority

Proposer: Mike Brady

Can your suggested policy be implemented by a country acting alone?: No. The fear of competitive disadvantage is fundamental to the reluctance of governments regulating transnational corporations.

Summary: This new body will be responsible for ensuring that transnational corporations abide by existing human rights, environmental, labour and other relevant agreements. It will accept reports of breaches from appropriate authorities or public petition and, if it finds there is a case to answer, will bring a prosecution before the International Criminal Court. The Court will be empowered to levy fines based on annual turnover on the corporation and to award governments the right to levy punitive tariffs on the home government of the corporation for seeking an unfair competitive advantage by failing to enforce the agreements. Corporations with a turnover and geographic coverage above set minimums will be required to register as 'globally incorporated companies' and submit annual independently-audited reports of their performance against standards already agreed to in the UN Global Compact for assessment.

Further information:

As summarised above there are several elements to the proposals.

* Formation of the World Transnational Corporation Regulatory Authority.

This is analogous to national regulatory authorities, such as the Office of Fair Trading or Trading Standards officers that exist in the UK to ensure businesses abide by legislation.

It is to be an autonomous body with a protected budget from the UN and a mandate to carry out investigations at the request of third parties and on its own initiative. It is also to be proactive in seeking evidence that transnational corporations are abiding by internationally-agreed standards.

A central philosophy to the formation of the Authority is that it is to take as its starting point existing agreed international instruments in the areas of protection of human rights, the environment, labour conditions and other relevant areas.

* Authority's role in investigating complaints against corporations

The Authority will accept allegations of malpractice by any corporation or business whatever its type or size from:

- governments
- registered non-governmental organisations
- public petition

The public petition system will be analogous to the 'civil public action' used in countries such as Brazil. If a community has a grievance against a business then it can petition the Authority by collecting signatures of people in the affected area or areas. The threshold for triggering an investigation by the Authority will need to be set.

The Authority will then appoint an investigator tasked with determining:

- if there is a case to answer
- if national measures in the affected country and the home country of the corporation provide a satisfactory means of complaint and redress
- if national measures, where available, have been used
- whether governments have failed in their responsibility to hold the corporation to account

If there is a case to answer and there is a failure at national level the investigator can pass a file to a prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which will have its mandate extended to accept these reports and to hear cases involving transnational corporations as well as governments. If the case is being dealt with satisfactorily at national level in a reasonable time scale then the case will be monitored, but action not necessarily taken by the authority.

* Authority's role in auditing company activities

The Authority will require corporations above a set turnover and global coverage to register as 'globally incorporated companies' and submit annual independently-audited reports on their performance, both financial and against the internationally-agreed standards (this is inspired by a similar proposal from the European Parliament for a European Incorporated Company - which has been blocked by the European Commission).

The initial requirements will be in line with the 10 points of the existing UN Global Compact, a voluntary system which invites companies to submit reports. The Global Compact is fundamentally flawed, however, as it does not require audited reports to be submitted, does not audit the reports itself and does not have a complaints or monitoring mechanism.

The Authority will have the power to investigate reports submitted and a designated member of the board of the corporation will be legally responsible for ensuring they are accurate, in the same way that is is common practice for the Financial Director to be legally responsible for financial reports.

The Authority will be empowered to levy fines itself if reports are not submitted on time and to provide a file of evidence to prosecutors of the International Criminal Court if:

- reports are not truthful or complete
- there is evidence of breaches of the agreed standards

* Role of the International Criminal Court

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court will act like a barrister briefed by the investigators of the Authority.

Corporations will be prosecuted for breaches for redress for the affected community and for punitive fines, which are to be based on company turnover (there are examples of existing sanctions at EU and national level following this approach).

Governments will to be prosecuted for seeking unfair competitive advantage by failing to enforce the agreed standards on corporations. The onus will be on the home government of the corporation to enforce the regulations. The government of the country where the offence took place may also be prosecuted, but it should be recognised that the power of such governments is sometimes limited because of the power of corporations and their home nations.

The International Criminal Court may require governments to pay redress for the affected community and punitive fines. It may also or alternatively award other governments the right to levy punitive tariffs on exports from the guilty country to recoup lost income due to the unfair trading practice. This is similar to the enforcement mechanism used by the World Trade Organisation and found to be effective in forcing governments to change trading policies judged to be illegal under WTO agreements.

Note on the background to this proposal:

This policy suggestion arises from public meetings held by the Cambridge SP Adopters' Group (CAMSPAG) since 2002, on a variety of topics such as 'Making all trade Fair Trade' and 'Holding corporations accountable'. These meetings had input from experts in these areas. One meeting looked at the specific case of Coca Cola's alleged trade union busting activities in Colombia as a case study. Policy discussion papers were produced as a result of these meetings, which have been made available in the policy zone of the Simpol-UK site, a way open to all SPAG's for sharing the results of their discussions. Simpol-UK held a policy forum at the House of Commons on the same topic with the Coordinator of CAMSPAG and an expert from the campaign to hold Nestlé to account over its environmentally damaging water bottling activities in São Lourenço, Brazil. This was written up in the It's Simpol ! newsletter.

The discussion has also been informed by proposals made by George Monbiot in his book 'The Age of Consent' for an International Fair Trade Organisation to replace the World Trade Organisation.

The proposals for a world regulatory authority and the creation of 'globally incorporated companies' appear in a chapter in the book entitled: "Global obligations for the right to food" published in January 2008. See:
http://boycottnestle.blogspot.com/2008/02/global-obligations.html

This book arises from a project led by Professor George Kent of the University of Hawaii to be presented to the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition. The book argues that the global community of nation states has a responsibility under existing human rights instruments to act collectively to ensure the right to food. The chapter on transnational corporations by the proposer of this policy suggestion, argues that current forms of regulations by individual governments and voluntary agreements (specifically the UN Global Compact and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises) are failing to provide the protection necessary. The UN once had an office for Transational Corporations, which proposed binding regulations and was wound up for daring to do so. The Special Representative on Transnational Corporations, John Ruggie, who reported to the UN Human Rights Council in 2007 made some constructive suggestions regarding regulations, but recognised there are substantial obstacles to such an approach. He concluded:

"The permissive conditions for business-related human rights abuses today are created by a misalignment between economic forces and governance capacity. Only a realignment can fix the problem. In principle, public authorities set the rules within which business operates. But at the national level some governments simply may be unable to take effective action, whether or not the will to do so is present. And in the international arena states themselves compete for access to markets and investments, thus collective action problems may restrict or impede their serving as the international community’s “public authority.” The most vulnerable people and communities pay the heaviest price for these governance gaps."

There is, therefore, pressing need for the suggested policy to be supported within SP and eventually implemented.

Annual voting results

2007-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since the last event in SL - mainly due to problems with the audio streams which have now been resolved.

So in 2008 meetings will begin again.

An annual round of voting on policy suggestions took place recently. Some suggestions gained significant support for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy package. Others now drop out of the process due to lack of support.

For information on the policies people are supporting to address global problems and the top issues see the 'policy' section of:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/

And I hope to see you at the SL-SPAG hang out on Tangun in the new year!

Climate Change Policy Forum - 28 February 2007

2007-03-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Organised by Simpol-UK

It was not possible to broadcast this live due to regulations in the House of Commons (UK Parliament), where the meeting took place.

You can hear the presentations here using an on-line mp3 player, either separately or in one go. You can also download all presentations as a podcast.

A: Chair, Donald Martin, welcome and introduction. 1 min 20 secs

B: John Stewart, Director Airport Watch. 7 mins 25 secs

C: Martin Horwood MP, host. Mr Harwood has signed the pledge to implement the Simultaneous Policy alongside other governments. 3 mins 58 secs

D: Aubrey Meyer, Director, Global Commons Institute. 24 mins 11 secs

E: John Bunzl, National Coordinator, Simpol-UK. 9 mins 23 secs

All presentations - listen on-line.

All presentations - podcast.

An edited version of Aubrey Meyer’s presentation will be broadcast in Second Life as part of the Second Life SP Adopters’ Group event during the Diversity Festival at 9 pm UK time on Sunday 11 March.

Live speakers and question time too. Visit the blog for full details and the URL for the streaming server if you won't be in Second Life to attend the meeting.

Guardian letters on SP and climate change

2007-07-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

There are some interesting letters in the UK daily newspaper, The Guardian, on climate change following the Live Earth concerts.

Including one on SP and another on Contraction and Convergence, a suggestion submitted for consideration by SP Adopters.

See:
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2121720,00.html

Problems with audio files

2007-07-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Apologies to anyone who is having difficulty accessing audio streams. This is due to problems with major maintenance at the host.

You can still hear the streams on the rolling SL-SPAG Radio station. See the links at the side.

Global action on climate change

2007-06-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

Monday 2 July 4pm PDT (12 midnight UK time).
Tuesday 3 July 11pm PDT (7 am 4 July UK time).

SP Adopters' amphitheatre (see the link at the side).

Human activity, such as burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, has increased levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. These so-called greenhouse gases trap heat reaching the Earth from the sun and temperatures are increasing. If this continues unchecked the planet will become inhospitable to human life.

Second Life Simultaneous Policy Adopters' Group (SL-SPAG) is holding a policy forum on climate change. SP brings people together around the world to discuss solutions to global problems, with a strategy for gaining political support for their implementation, a strategy that is working.

Aubrey Meyer, Director of the Global Commons Institute, spoke at an SP event at the UK Parliament earlier this year and his presentation will be played with live explanation of SP from Luzo Orbit and discussion.

You can listen to the full set of presentations from the event at:
http://luzoorbit.blogspot.com/2007/03/climate-change-policy-forum-28-february.html

Meetings 2-5 July

2007-06-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

Due to popular demand from North American SL residents, there will be a series of meetings from 2-5 July held later in the SL day.

The programme will be posted here shortly.

Discussion on top SP policies: 4-8 June

2007-06-01T00:42:00.000-07:00

SP Amphitheatre, Tangun.
4-8 June, 5 am PDT - 1 pm UK time (GMT+1).

Discussion forums have been added to the Simpol-UK website where it is possible to comment and vote on policy suggestions submitted so far.

Go to the 'policy zone' of:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/

The next SL-SPAG Radio special will look at the current ranking of suggestions. What's the most popular? How can Adopters submit proposals and get them climbing the list? How will the detail of policies be developed and decided?

Follow the link at the side to visit the SP Amphitheatre in Second Life, or listen on line by clicking on the link or cutting and pasting it into your mp3 programme:
http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/topideas0607.mp3

Remember to vote for SL-SPAG to win a New Media Award if you have not done so already. It would great to see more comments on the Award site, as well as the ranking votes. See:
http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200703130001

Shaping the Simultaneous Policy

2007-05-28T06:23:00.000-07:00

Discussion forums have been added to the Simpol-UK website where it is possible to comment and vote on policy suggestions submitted so far.

Go to the 'policy zone' of:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/

The next SL-SPAG Radio special will look at the current ranking of suggestions. What's the most popular? How can Adopters submit proposals and get them climbing the list? How will the detail of policies be developed and decided?

It will be ready for the next round of meetings, starting on 4 June. More details shortly.

Feedback on last series of meetings

2007-05-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of things came from our last series of meetings. One is that now is a good time to lobby candidates for the US Presidency as they are looking for votes and through local party organisations, you should be able to get word to their campaigns fairly easily.

Second, is the rather obvious need for information in the right language! Fortunately a Brazilian volunteer has offered to translate the Simpol website into Portuguese. There are other languages on the international site, which has just gone live in its new format.

How to get your politicians to sign the SP pledge

2007-05-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Campaigners workshops
SP Amphitheatre, Tangun.
8-11 May, 5 am PDT - 1 pm UK time (GMT+1).

Politicians are asked to sign a pledge to implement the Simultaneous Policy alongside other governments. More and more are doing so. If your representatives haven't signed, come to learn how can you persuade them. If they have, come to share your experiences.

Follow the series of meetings, I'll prepare an audio summary for broadcasting on SL-SPAG Radio and selecting on the audio library in the SP Amphitheatre.

For resources for campaigning and press releases on past successes, see the Simpol websites (links at the side).

Remember to vote for SL-SPAG to win a New Media Award if you have not done so already. It would great to see more comments on the Award site, as well as the ranking votes. See:
http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200703130001

Listen to Luzo Orbit's talk to the Babylon group

2007-04-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

You can listen to the talk by clicking:

http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/babylonintro.mp3

For further information see the previous posting.

Introductory talk on SP to Second Life Babylon Group 26 April 2007

2007-04-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

Luzo Orbit will be giving an introductory talk to members of the Babylon group on 26 April at 9am (5 pm UK time, GMT + 1) repeated 1 pm SLT (9 pm UK time, GMT + 1).

The event takes place at Babylonia. You can find out more about the Babylon group at:
http://babylonia.triss.be/

If you are a member of SL-SPAG, log into SL and you shold find a message from me with the Landmark to the location (I am unable to build an SLURL to it for some reason). If you are not a member then join now by doing a group search for 'SP Adopters'. If you are not a member of Second Life, then you can download the browser at http://www.secondlife.com/

You will also be able to hear the talk on SL-SPAG radio at the same times. A link to an archive of the talk will be posted here afterwards.

If you have not already voted forSL-SPAG and SL-SPAG radio in the New Media Awards, please do so by clicking here. You can leave a comment and a rating.

I'll be covering the basics of the Simultaneous Policy (SP) campaign in the audio broadcast, then there will be time for a text chat.

For background information in advance of the meeting see the Simpol websites, particularly http://www.simpol.org.uk/

There is a multi-lingual international website, which is currently being revised at http://www.simpol.org/

SL-SPAG Radio talks to the world!

2007-04-05T06:40:00.001-07:00

Second Life SP Adopters' Group (SL-SPAG) has set up an internet radio station to complement its meetings in the on-line virtual world. This is great for people who don't think Second Life is for them, or don't have the technology to access it.

There is over 3 hours of material on the radio loop, with regular updates. This includes presentations by John Bunzl, the recent policy forum on climate change at the UK Parliament, past radio interviews and reports on the policies that SP Adopters are talking about. The Second Life meetings have attracted people from North America, Europe, Australia, Brazil, China and New Zealand.

The radio station is also reaching an international audience. The stats show listeners from:
USA, UK, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Sweden, Argentina, Netherlands, Australia and Italy.

Spread the word by directing people to Luzo Orbit's blog at:
http://luzoorbit.blogspot.com/

And vote for SL-SPAG to receive a New Media Award for innovation at:
http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200703130001

Discussion groups 2-6 April

2007-03-30T23:54:00.000-07:00

Holding corporations accountable

1 pm UK time (BST), 5 am SL time (PDT) SP Adopters' Amphitheatre, 45 minutes.

Transnational corporations become increasingly powerful and have the economic power to threaten governments.

How can the power of corporations be balanced? In a globalized world is it time for global systems of accountability?

Some of the proposals from RL Simultaneous Policy Adopters will be on SL-SPAG radio at 5 am, with 30 minutes of text chat afterwards.

Listen on-line by clicking this link:
http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/tnc020407.mp3

For further information, see the policy zone of the Simpol-UK website.

If you think these meetings are cool, vote for SL-SPAG in the New Media Awards. See:
http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200703130001

New Media Award for SL-SPAG? Please vote!!

2007-03-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Second Life Simultaneous Policy Adopters' Group (SL-SPAG) is having meetings most week days now.

This week they have been on the them of 'Climate change - cultural diversity is part of the solution'. This includes an interview about a Real Life (RL) project on climate change, which serves as a starting point for discussion.

At today's meeting there were participants from Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, UK and United States. An international meeting with no air travel!

The events are starting to get picked up by others, as on this blog:
http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2007/03/riks_picks_for__3.html

This is a great new way to spread the SP message and hear what people around the world think of the issues and the potential and challenges of SP.

As an innovative way to campaign, it has been submitted for a New Media Award. You can give SL-SPAG your vote at:
http://www.newstatesman.com/nma/nma2007/nominations/200703130001

Discussion groups 26-30 March 2007

2007-03-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Climate change - cultural diversity is part of the solution

Simultaneous Policy Adopters Group (SL-SPAG) meeting - all welcome.

1pm UK time (BST), 5am SL time (PDT).

There will be an interview from SL-SPAG Radio with Shilpa Shah of the RL Akashi Project. You can find out more about the project at:
http://www.myspace.com/theakashiproject

Here is how it is described:

---
I'm an innovative, exciting new project exploring what climate change is and making the issues relevant and interesting to different community and faith groups. I'm a partner project, between Cambridge Carbon Footprint (a small funky environmental organisation), Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum (an umbrella organisation for lots of cool organisations in and around Cambridge) and Cambridge Architectural Research (a sustainability consultancy, who host the project in their offices). I'm coordinated by Shilpa Shah, who likes to talk lots and meet new people.
---

SP is all about bringing people together around the world to discuss the policies they would like to see to address global problems, so Luzo Orbit thought it would be interesting to hear how Shilpa is working with people from different cultural backgrounds at a local level in Cambridge. It turns out there is a lot to learn as many people from minority cultures in the UK have links to other countries through relatives. On climate change this may mean they have a better understanding of the impact climate change - and over-consumption in the rich world - is having elsewhere.

Find out more by listening to the 12 minute interview.

You can listen in-world in the SP Amphitheatre or through the internet at:
http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/akashi0307.mp3

The interview is now in the rolling programme on SL-SPAG Radio at:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit/

At the meetings during the week 26-30 March, the recording will be played and then there will be a text chat discussion for about 30 minutes. Come along on any of the days.

For alerts about SL-SPAG events, search for the group SP Adopters in world. To support the campaign officially, you will need to register in RL (see the links to the Simpol websites).

At recent week day events, there have been typically 4 or 5 participants from around the world taking part in discussions led by Luzo Orbit. We've had people from countries including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States.

So please do come along and join in.

Discussion groups 19-23 March 2007

2007-03-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Simultaneous Policy Adopters Group (SL-SPAG) meeting - all welcome.

1pm UK time (GMT), 6am SL time (PDT).

There will be an interview from SL-SPAG Radio about Fair Trade, which sets out criteria for assuring producers in developing countries receive a fair price for their produce. It is a voluntary scheme. Should the Simultaneous Policy (SP) include measures to make all trade Fair Trade?

SP Adopters discuss the policies they would like to see to address global problems, such as unfair trade, and call on politicians to sign a pledge to implement SP alongside other governments. A growing number are doing so around the world, moving us closer to implementation.

SL-SPAG has regular discussions and a programme of more in-depth polic fora with guest speakers.

You can also listen to interviews and presentations on SL-SPAG Radio in-world in the SP Amphitheatre or through the internet at:
http://www.mediamax.com/mikebrady/Hosted/fairtrade03.mp3

Listen to the rolling programme on SL-SPAG Radio at:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit/

For background information see the SP websites (links at the side) and the discussion paper from RL Cambridge SP Adopters' Group (CAMSPAG). See:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/policy_fairtrade.php

The politics of climate change

2007-03-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

Climate change is dominating the headlines in the UK at the moment, with opposition and governing parties arguing over what they will do. See:
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2032532,00.html

The opposition is arguing for taxation of air travel and personal allowances. The government is saying international action is required - otherwise the economy will suffer. It is a classic Simultaneous Policy (SP) scenario.

John Bunzl explained to Luzo Orbit what is going on, what we can hope for from the politicians and what it all means to SP in an interview broadcast on SL-SPAG radio at 6pm yesterday. You can now select it on the radio player in the SP Ampthitheatre (Button dated 13March07). Alternatively listen here:

Listen now/Download mp3

It is now on the loop with past interviews, presentations and the climate change policy forum. Listen to the loop via:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit/

Report on climate change event on 11 March

2007-03-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

SL-SPAG (Second Life Simultaneous Policy Adopters' Group) held its first policy forum on Sunday 11 March 2007.

It was a great success and great fun, with people teleporting in to sit in the SP Adopters' Amphitheatre in front of a screen showing slides about the Contraction and Convergence (C&C) policy proposed to address climate change.

There was an audio stream from the RL (Real Life) policy forum held by Simpol-UK at the UK Parliament last week, with Aubrey Meyer, Director of the Global Commons Institute, presenting C&C. SL-SPAG Coordinator, Luzo Orbit, hosted the event with text chat in the virtual world. Many thanks to Verum Vacirca for including the event in the Diversity Festival.

Key slides from Aubrey's presentation are given below. A full powerpoint presentation can be downloaded from:
http://www.gci.org.uk/

You can still hear the presentation. See
http://luzoorbit.blogspot.com/2007/03/climate-change-policy-forum-28-february.html

Slide 1: Business as usual (BAU). Carbon dioxide concentration and temperature rising out of control.

Slide 2: Squiggly line - economic growth cycle imposed on carbon concentration. Coloured graph - Contraction of overall carbon dioxide production with time, with different colours signifying different countries outputs.

Slide 3: Without swift action, the sinks that absorb Carbon Dioxide (such as the Amazon) could fail and become sources of Carbon Dioxide (the Amazon is already drying out to such an extent in some areas, that there are forest fires). Below, the plan for rapid contraction, with convergence of per capita output of carbon dioxide.

Participants in the meeting were from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States.

SL-SPAG enables international meetings, without the air travel.

In RL voting last year in the UK, Simultaneous Policy (SP) Adopters voted climate change as the top issue to be addressed. SP provides a democratic space for discussion, development and approval on policies people around the world wish to see implemented. Adopters undertake to vote for any candidate at elections, within reason, who pledges to implement SP alongside other governments, or, if they have a party preference, to encourage their preferred party to support SP. Politicians in an increasing number of countries are doing so. SL-SPAG members are encouraged to sign up to the campaign in RL.

The day after the meeting, the UK Finance Minister (or Chancellor, Gordon Brown) was under pressure to support taxation on air travel, proposed by the leader of the opposition. The Government response is that action is only possible by simultaneous international agreement, otherwise UK airports and businesses will lose out. This fear of putting a country at a competitive disadvantage is the obstacle SP aims to overcome by bringing people together around the world to provide the lead to politicians. See:
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,2032532,00.html

See the websites (links at the side) to sign up as an SP Adopter if you have not already. Time is of the essence!

See the Simpol-UK website to comment on policy suggestions and propose your alternatives if you wish.

Climate change event in Diversity 2007 Festival - 11 March 9 pm GMT (UK time)

2007-03-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

Diversity Festival event, 11 March, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PST.
Peoples' Theatre, Han Loso and
SP Adopters' Hang out, Tangun
With Aubrey Meyer (recorded last week) and Luzo Orbit.

You can listen in live on SL-SPAG radio. See:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit/

Human activity, such as burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests, has increased levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. These so-called greenhouse gases trap heat reaching the Earth from the sun and temperatures are increasing. If this continues unchecked the planet will become inhospitable to human life.

Second Life Simultaneous Policy Adopters' Group (SL-SPAG) is holding a policy forum on climate change during the Diversity Festival 2007. SP brings people together around the world to discuss solutions to global problems, with a strategy for gaining political support for their implementation, a strategy that is working.

Aubrey Meyer, Director of the Global Commons Institute, spoke at an SP event last week and his presentation will be played with live explanation of SP from Luzo Orbit and discussion.

SL-SPAG Radio launches

2007-03-08T08:14:00.000-08:00

If you visit the SP Amphitheatre in Second Life now the radio player gives you the option of SP Radio.

You can still select specific interviews and tracks, but the radio runs continuously.

I am planning to do an 'SP update' slot each week, with a live broadcast of news and responses to questions.

So look out for the first 'SP update' next week. Wednesday 14 March at 1pm PST (9pm UK time), with a special report on climate change event on 11 March (I hope you'll be listening).

You can listen to SL-SPAG radio in the amphitheatre, or visit the station home page at:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit/

Alternatively post the following URL into your browser window and it should open up your radio player:
http://www.live365.com/stations/luzoorbit?play

It's not too slick at the moment. Recording of public meetings needs some quality control.

And I'm working on the jingles.