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  UNFCCC - COP5 Negotiations Wednesday, 27 October
 
 

  Witches' Warning, Signs of Warming (COP-5, Act XI, Scene 1, Macbeth - The Sequel)

To warn the world about the consequences of cooking up a recipe for global warming, the World Wide Fund for Nature summoned five Shakespearean "witches" to COP-5. "It doesn't take magic to reduce carbon dioxide emissions," according to WWF's Lars Georg Jensen. "There are easy solutions to avoid the 'double, double, toil and trouble of global warming."

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned that proposals on LULUCF being considered by some governments could allow industrialized countries to increase rather than reduce their emissions of GHGs. To warn the world about the consequences of global warming, WWF summoned five Shakespearean "witches" to the UN conference bearing the faces of US President Clinton, Russian President Yeltsin, Japanese Prime Minister Obuchi, German Chancellor Schröder and UK Prime Minister Blair. The witches threw models of cars and power stations into a smoking cauldron representing the world, and while their destructive recipe boiled, they chanted out the impacts of global warming: "Drought, flood, storms. Death, disease, destruction." For more information, visit http://www.panda.org.

Right: Andrew Kerr, Public Affairs Manager, WWF Climate Change Campaign, reads from Macbeth, repeating 'double, double, toil and trouble' as the witches plot to begin mixing their deadly recipe.
 

Above and below: Clinton, Yeltsin and Obuchi prepare to throw a power plant into the brew.
Left: The witches added to their brew pictures of animals, plants and landscapes that could be wiped out if global warming continues to accelerate.
Jennifer Morgan, WWF, played the part of Clinton

Capacity-building workshop

The UNDP sponsored an event on capacity-building for sustainable development and climate change policies. The event was chaired by John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) and speakers included Thomas B. Johansson (UNDP), Mark Mwandosya (Tanzania), and Thomas Black Arbelaez (Colombia). Arbelaez identified both international and national contstraints to implementing CDM projects and discussed the development of capacity-building approaches to address each of the constraining factors. Mwandosya stressed that the aim of capacity-building programmes should be self-reliance for developing countries and said that a minimum of five years was necessary for the programmes to be successful. He emphasized partnerships with developed countries.

Mark Mwandosya (Tanzania)
Thomas Black Arbelaez, Chief Economist, Colombian Ministry of the Environment
Thomas Johansson, UNDP

Third Forum on Emission Factors and Activity Data of Greenhouse Gas Inventories of non-Annex I Parties

This UNFCCC-sponsored event provided a forum to discuss a technical paper from the Convention Secretariat on Comparative Analysis of Activity Data and Emissions Factors Used in Preparing GHG Inventories in the Energy and Land-Use Change and Forestry Sectors in Some Developing Countries. The event paper also addressed the outcomes of a workshop on Emission Factors and Activity Data in Accra, Ghana, held from 4-6 August.

Emílio Lèbre La Rovere, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Co-Chair of the Energy Sector Working Group (E-mail: emilio@ppe.ufrj.br)
From left to right: La Rovere, N. H. Ravindranath, Centre for Ecological Sciences and Co-Chair of the Land-Use Change and Forestry Sector Working Group (E-mail: ravi@ces.iisc.ernet.in); Martha Perdomo, UNFCCC Secretariat; Youba Sokona, Environmental Development Action in the Third World (ENDA) and Co-Chair of the Land-Use Working Group (E-mail: ysokona@enda.sn, http://www.enda.sn/energie), and Samir Amous, Apex Conseil and Co-Chair of the Energy Working Group (amous.apex@gnet.tn)

Communicating Climate Change - Innovative Approaches to Communicating Scientific Knowledge to the Public

The Swiss delegation presented a number of innovative tools and products designed to improve public understanding of climate change. Speakers addressed on-going research programmes, an on-line demonstration of communication tools, and user experience. The presenters were: Beat Nobs of the Swiss delegation (Chair of the event, right), SAEFL, Claudia Pahl-Wostl, Swiss Federal Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), Marin Bussenschutt (bussenschutt@eawag.ch), EAWAG, and Frank Neidhofer, Sigmaplan.

The presentation covered:

  • The Impacts Internet Site on Climate Change in Alpine Regions: http://clear.eawag.ch/impacts
  • A Personal carbon dioxide calculator to allow users to work out the impact of their lifestyles on the atmosphere: http://clear.eawag.ch/co2
  • A CD-ROM entitled Climate Effects - Questions and Answers about Climate Change in Alpine Regions
  • A video education tool called 'The Climate Conspiracy'.
  • Books including popular publications for lay audiences.

Martin Bussenschutt talks to Peter Doran about the Swiss approach to communicating climate change


Who Owes Who? Climate Change, debt, equity and survival

Christian Aid and the Global Commons Institute teamed up for this side event, linking the issues of climate change and debt. The event was based on the recent launch of a Christian Aid report which draws attention to the carbon debt owed to the global community by industrialized countries as a result of their profligate use of fossil fuel. Meanwhile the rich pursue poor countries to service their foreign financial debts.

Resource: Who owes who? Climate change, debt, equity and survival. A report for Christian Aid, written by Andrew Simms in collaboration with Nick Robins of the International Institute of Environment and Development, and Aubrey Meyer of the Global Commons Institute. Christian Aid, Tel.: 0171 523 2225 (London) .

Aubrey Meyer, Global Commons Institute, delivered an animated talk on the compelling case for a contraction and convergence approach to emissions reductions. Meyer was one of the collaborators in the preparation of the Christian Aid report.

Paul Clements-Hunt, Policy Manager, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC, left) shamelessly working the crowd at a reception hosted by ICC. Contact details for information on the ICC's work on the environment and energy: e-mail: paul.clementshunt@iccwbo.org, ICC web site: http://www.iccwbo.org

ISO Standards in Climate Change mitigation: an overview of ISO's work

The International Standardization Organization (ISO) convened an event on ISO standards in climate change mitigation and an overview of ISO's work to date, illustrated with case studies on implementation. Ahmad Husseini, Secretary, ISO, gave an overview of ISO, the ISO process and what it can do to help mitigate climate change. He urged participants to avoid reiventing the wheel with respect to environmental management. Pilot projects were presented, including the Illumez, a high efficiency lighting project in Mexico. A project on sustainable coffee production in the international supply chain, which looked at the links between Costa Rica and the Netherlands, was also outlined. (contact Myrtille G. Danse; e-mail: myrdanse@sol.racsa.co.cr)

Ahmad Husseini
Dr. Larsen presenting the Illumez project


Horacio Peluffo, External Relations Officer, UNFCCC, enjoys a birthday massage

UNFCCC Secretariat members Richard Kinley, Secretary of the COP, Salwa Dallalah, Manager, Conference Support, Michael Zammit Cutajar, Executive Secretary, toast the birthday celebrant

 

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