Press release

World Wired to Canada for Argentina Climate Change Talks

November 18, 1998

The heated climate change negotiations were held a hemisphere away but the world was hot-wired to Canada for coverage of the events.

From November 2 to 13, some 5,000 diplomats, scientists, lobbyists and journalists from more than 145 countries gathered in Buenos Aires for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. During those marathon sessions, the Winnipeg-based International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provided the most comprehensive, immediate and widely accessible coverage of the negotiations.

Written on location each day by an international team of climate change policy experts, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, an IISD print and Internet publication, was distributed to conference participants in Buenos Aires, as well as to an e-mail readership of some 25,000 people around the world. These daily reports provided brief summaries of the day's negotiations, highlighting positions on climate change policy of the participating countries.

Linkages, one of IISD's Web sites, provided text, photographs and audio coverage of the negotiations. As an information clearing house for environment and development policy makers, Linkages featured interviews with high-level officials, coverage of special side events, and daily reports of the proceedings for Internet users in more than 140 countries. Over a 17-day period that included the convention, Linkages registered more than half a million hits.

IISD maintains three Web sites: Linkages, IISDnet and the SD Gateway. In the past six months, IISDnet, the institution's home page, has received more than 2.8 million hits from some 150,000 users in 140 countries.

Funding for Internet coverage was provided by 14 governments and specialized agencies of the United Nations.

IISD is an independent, not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Winnipeg, Canada, established and supported by the governments of Canada and Manitoba. Its mandate is to promote sustainable development in decision-making in Canada and around the world.

For more information about IISD, Linkages or the United Nations Climate Change Conference, please contact:

Langston James Goree VI
Managing Director, IISD Reporting Services
Telephone: (212) 644-0204
E-mail: enb@iisd.org
IISDnet: http://iisd.ca
Linkages: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages

About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 250 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries.