Issue #2 ENB on the side - UNFCCC SB-16 PUBLISHED BY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (IISD) in cooperation with the UNFCCC Secretariat Written by: Dagmar Lohan Kira Schmidt Editor: Kira Schmidt Digital Editors: David Fernau Andrei Henry Leila Mead Diego Noguera Managing Director: Langston James Goree VI "Kimo" Issue #2 Tuesday, 11 June 2002 The WWW version of ENB on the side (with photos), can be found at http://enb.iisd.org/climate/sb16/enbots/ Events convened on Monday, 10 June Title: Presentation of new national communications from non-Annex I Parties Presented by the UNFCCC Secretariat Juan Mancebo, Dominican Republic, reviewed progress made and problems faced by the Dominican Republic in preparing its national communication. He said that technical problems with compiling greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories included the lack of statistical information from various sectors, data inconsistency, and insufficient collaboration with the private sector. He noted that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the energy sector in 1994 amounted to over 92,000 gigagrams (GG). According to the scenarios used, temperature is projected to increase from 26.2° C in 2010 to 29.6° C in 2100, and rainfall to decrease from 1277 mm in 2010 to 542 mm in 2100. The national communication identifies several adaptation measures, including building new dams and improving existing ones, protecting water and forest resources, and implementing educational programmes for farmers. Pierre Moïse, Haiti, noted that in 1994, CO2 accounted for 67% of all GHG emissions, with the forest sector and grassland conversion accounting for 85% of these emissions. By 2060, 50% of Haiti's land is expected to be exposed to desertification due to adverse climate conditions. Mitigation options include: reducing deforestation; conducting reforestation and afforestation activities; using renewable energy; and restructuring the system of power plants. Adaptation measures were identified, including developing national agro-climate forecasts, increasing irrigation efficiency, and monitoring groundwater sources. Moïse explained that problems and constraints faced in compiling the national communication included limited data, insufficient national expertise, and lack of technical documents available in French. Carlos Mansilla, Guatemala, said that a total of 7.5 GG of CO2 were emitted in Guatemala in 1990. He explained that temperature and aridity are expected to increase by 2050. A vulnerability study on human health, grain production, and forest and water resources projected increases in breathing illnesses, diarrhoea and malaria, the loss of significant forest area, the decrease of maize, black bean and rice production, and the loss of water resources. Mansilla concluded that there is a need to build capacity and operationalize the CDM by adopting a legal and regulatory framework, identifying projects, and improving negotiating abilities. More information: http://unfccc.int/resource/natcom/nctable.html Contact: Juan Mancebo Pierre Moïse Carlos Mansilla Title: Climate change, adaptation and vulnerable communities Presented by IUCN - The World Conservation Union John Drexhage, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), introduced this event, which discussed a joint project by IUCN, IISD and the Stockholm Environment Institute to bring together climate change adaptation, disaster reduction and environmental management strategies to reduce communities' vulnerability to climate change. He explained that a Task Force on Climate Change, Vulnerable Communities and Adaptation was established and held its first meeting in November 2001, and a framework paper was developed and is currently undergoing peer review. Sálvano Briceño, UN Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), explained that UNISDR is an inter- agency body that coordinates agencies addressing risk and vulnerability reduction. He noted a shift from focusing on disaster management to integrating vulnerability reduction into sustainable development and sectoral plans. Pavel Kabat, International Dialogue on Water and Climate, highlighted efforts by the World Water Forum to establish a global programme of dialogues fostering communication between the climate science and water management sectors, and to incorporate climate change into integrated water management programmes. Liza Leclerc, Canadian International Development Agency, described adaptation projects being supported by the Canada Climate Change Development Fund, which examine how climate change can be integrated into regular development programming. She noted that Canada is advocating national adaptation programmes of action and a multi-disciplinary approach to climate change in the negotiations. Brett Orlando, IUCN, outlined elements of an integrated adaptation framework that reduces poor communities' vulnerability and strengthens their resilience to climate change. He stressed the need for complementarity between top-down and bottom-up approaches to adaptation and for community-based approaches to enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable people. He emphasized that adaptation should be bottom-up and user-driven; address present vulnerabilities and examine existing adaptation strategies; include support from external agencies; be mainstreamed into wider development; focus on gaps between local and national processes as well as formal and informal patterns of activity; develop institutional capacity; and offer immediate benefits and contribute to longer-term capacity development. He outlined the project's next steps, including expansion of the dialogue, integrated pilot or demonstration studies to strengthen concepts, a systematic survey of previous efforts, and specific policy papers to revisit difficult development policy issues from a new perspective. Discussion: In the ensuing discussion, Kabat highlighted a paradigm shift from protection against natural disasters to accepting damage and loss from natural disasters, and stressed the need to consider local communities' coping strategies. Briceño recommended that the framework paper highlight existing research and capacity-building efforts to increase communities' resilience, and refer to UNISDR's ongoing work on terminology. Leclerc highlighted the need to identify obstacles to mainstreaming the environment into development, and to determine whether existing development processes, including development aid, help reduce vulnerability or exacerbate it. Participants highlighted the need for, inter alia: a toolkit of options to address climate change vulnerability rather than policy papers; acknowledgment that climate change is exacerbating natural disasters; engagement of the insurance industry; and participation by indigenous peoples. More information: http://iucn.org http://www.iisd.org http://www.unisdr.org http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca Contact: John Drexhage Sálvano Briceño Pavel Kabat Liza Leclerc Brett Orlando The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) on the side is a special publication of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in cooperation with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat. This issue has been written by Dagmar Lohan and Kira Schmidt . The Digital Editors are David Fernau , Andrei Henry , Leila Mead and Diego Noguera . Funding for publication of ENB on the side at UNFCCC SB-16 is provided by the UNFCCC Secretariat. The opinions expressed in ENB on the side are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and funders. Excerpts from ENB on the side may be used in non-commercial publications only and only with appropriate academic citation. For permission to use this material in commercial publications, contact the Managing Editor at . Electronic versions of issues of ENB on the side from UNFCCC SB-16 can be found on the Linkages website at http://enb.iisd.org/climate/sb16/enbots/.