Author Archives: Jeff Conant

By Jeff Conant Published in Z Magazine In A Land to Plant Dreams, historian Yan de Vos describes the history of the Lacandon jungle of Chiapas as a series of dreams that have obsessed and overtaken those who come upon this remote mountain rainforest in the southeastern corner of Mexico. A jungle so dense andContinue reading “Turning the Lacandon Jungle Over to the Carbon Market”

By Jeff Conant, cross-posted from Race, Poverty and the Environment When the implementation of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act, AB32, came to a grinding halt due to San Francisco Superior Court’s March 17, 2011 ruling that it violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), it came as a shock to industry and environmentalists alike. ItContinue reading “Outsourcing Global Warming Solutions”

 by Jeff Conant Cross-posted from Alternet June 8, 2011  | When I learned last November that California’s then-governor Schwarzenegger had signed agreements to build a carbon offset protocol into California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) (see AlterNet’s coverage here and here), and that one of these agreements was with the state of Chiapas, Mexico, whereContinue reading “Why Market-Based ‘Solutions’ to Climate Change Can Cause More Harm Than Good”

Upside Down World recently published this article/interview I conducted on the “Sustainable Rural Cities” of Chiapas, with photos by colleague Orin Langelle Friday, 13 May 2011 Chiapas, Mexico’s poorest state, with the country’s largest indigenous population, has always been extremely vulnerable to volatile climate events. High levels of hunger and marginalization are exacerbated almost annuallyContinue reading “Apartheid Housing Posed as Solution to Climate Vulnerability in Chiapas”

Hanoi, Vietnam, April 29 At the Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution, in Hanoi, you are encouraged to follow the course of Vietnamese history from the thirteenth century to the present. Every museum offers a particular narrative, a story that is in the interests of those who arranged the objects there. In some, the story mayContinue reading “Hanoi Diary 2: Witness the Revolution; Welcome to the Machine”

I’ll be in Hanoi, Vietnam and then ChengMai, Thailand for the next ten days, with the International Accountability Project; and will attempt to keep some sort of, I believe you call it a blog, of my impressions and activities here. — jc April 28, Hanoi, Vietnam First impressions of a place are, insistently, always inContinue reading “Hanoi Diary”

By Jeff Conant Cross-posted from Alternet Amador Hernández, Chiapas. Photo: Orin Langelle 4.21.2011 — California leads the United States in energy efficiency, and is often hailed as a global beacon of environmental protection; at the same time, it is the 12th largest emitter of carbon dioxide worldwide, making the state a significant driver of climateContinue reading “‘Landmark’ Global Warming Bill Outsources Solutions, Putting the Burden on Poor Communities in California and Mexico”

– after Kabir   But that it robs you of who you are, What can be said about money?   Inconceivable, life without it And dismal to live for, Money lessens you.   Pay a wealthy man, there is Much to gain; pay a poor one, All you get is Thanks.   Kick at aContinue reading “But That It Robs You of Who You Are”