UNDP SENDS A MESSAGE FROM DOHA TO POZNAŃ
On 3 December 2008, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Kemal Derviş commended the outcome document from the Financing for Development Conference, held in Doha, Qatar, from 29 November-2 December 2008, for endorsing the call of the UN Secretary-General to reaffirm international commitments to address poverty reduction and achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. The UNDP Administrator highlighted that Doha recognized the centrality of meeting developed countries' commitment made in Monterrey 2002 to increase official development assistance (ODA) by 0.7 percent of GNP to developing countries by 2015, as essential to resolve the triple crisis posed by financial turmoil, global poverty and climate change. He stressed that the crises are interconnected and called upon negotiators at the UN climate change conference in Poznan to focus on opportunities, such as establishing an effective carbon market and price of carbon, and mechanisms for resource flows to developing countries to finance green growth policies and poverty reduction. He noted that UNDP will continue to support developing countries to build up the capacities required to promote sustainable green growth, while reducing poverty.

Links to further information
UNDP Newsroom, 3 December 2008
UN News Centre, 4 December 2008

UN HCHR CALLS FOR A HUMAN RIGHTS APPROACH TO TACKLING CLIMATE CHANGE

As the world celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (HCHR) Navi Pillay stressed that a wide range of universally recognized rights – such as the right to food, to adequate housing and water, and to life – are under threat due to climate change. Earlier this year, the Human Rights Council mandated the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to undertake a study on the interlinkages between human rights and climate change. The OHCHR study is emphasizes the need for a human rights based approach to provide the legal rationale to climate change policies and programmes currently under negotiation, indicating that human well-being and security in developed and developing countries are under risk. The study also gives special consideration to the poorest and most marginalized groups, as age, gender, and socio-economic status can reduce or increase vulnerability. The Human Rights Council will consider the study next March and make it available to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, in December 2009.

Links to further information
OHCHR News

OHCHR climate change consultation meeting

Meanwhile, the UNFCCC chief has also highlighted the crucial role of technology in a future international agreement. At the opening of the Beijing High-Level Conference on Climate Change: Technology Development and Technology Transfer, de Boer stressed that technology and finance are crucial to achieving stronger action on mitigation and adaptation, and that technology is crucial for an ambitious outcome in Copenhagen 2009.

One of most effective alternatives to methyl bromide in pre-plant uses, methyl iodide, has been approved for use in the US. The approval, however, concerns some due to the toxic chemical's neurotoxicity, among other serious human health effects of methyl iodide.

Chemical & Engineering News, 27 October 2008

San Francisco Chronicle, 2 November 2008
USEPA's methyl iodide website

OZONE SECRETARIAT PREPARES FOR QATAR MEETING
The parties to the Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention are preparing for the twentieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, which will convene in Doha, Qatar, from 16-20 November 2008. Parties are expected to consider decisions on, inter alia, the replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, disposal of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), and essential-use and critical-use exemptions.

Link to further information
Meeting website

UNEP Children's Art Exhibit Focuses on Climate Change
The UN kicked off its "UNite to Combat Climate Change" campaign on 23 October 2008 with the "Paint for the Planet" art exhibition. The exhibition was followed by an auction on 25 October 2008 in New York and on eBay.com. The auction's proceeds will be donated to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), to be directed towards children affected by climate-related disasters. The exhibit and auction mark the beginning of the "UNite to Combat Climate Change" campaign, the UN's campaign calling for a definitive agreement at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December 2009. The paintings will travel to climate change meetings for the next 14 months, and will finally be displayed in Copenhagen in December 2009.

In conjunction with the campaign, the UNEP has released results of a survey it says highlights how concerned young people are about climate change. The results show that youth worldwide believe climate change to be a top concern.

Links to further information
Paint for the Planet website
UN News Centre article, 23 October 2008
CNN.com article, 24 October 2008

"Present circumstances make it hard to talk about 'smart money.' But many scientists and other experts believe fervently that clean energy will be the investment wave of the future, and that there are fortunes to be made by putting resources behind wind, solar, biomass and other renewables.  Last year alone, this part of the energy sector attracted nearly $150 billion in investments," he said.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the great benefits of acting "for people, for the environment and for the bottom line." He warned that delaying action on climate change would make the world "poorer, more polluted, more prone to natural disasters and less stable."

UN-HABITAT REPORT FOCUSES ON COASTAL CITIES' VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The UN Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) has launched the State of the World's Cities 2008/2009: Harmonious Cities, a flagship report published every two years by the UN agency. The Report indicates that half of humanity currently lives in cities, and that this proportion will increase to 60% within two decades. The report also finds that urban growth is most rapid in the developing world, and stresses the importance of harmony among the spatial, social and environmental aspects of a city, and between their inhabitants. In relation to climate change, the report finds that many cities are at risk from rising water levels, and more needs to be done now to mitigate the impact this will have on their populations and assets.

Link to further information
UN-HABITAT Press Release, 23 October 2008

COUNTRIES SELECTED TO SERVE ON WORLD BANK CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUND BOARDS
Two sets of seven donor countries and seven potential recipient countries have been selected to serve on the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) Trust Fund Committee and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF) Trust Fund Committee, respectively, to oversee decisions concerning investments and implementation of the recently created World Bank Climate Investment Funds (CIF). The US$6 billion Funds were created in September to provide interim, scaled-up funding to help developing countries in their efforts to address climate change in their development strategies. According to the CIF design, donor and potential recipient countries must hold an equal number of seats, to be selected through a consultation process. Both Trust Fund Committees will meet again in November to carry on their work. The selection of projects is expected early in 2009.

Link to further information
World Bank Press Release, 17 October 2008

UN AND EU PARTNERSHIP – HIGHLIGHTS OF DEVELOPMENT SUCCESS
The UN Team in Brussels has released its third annual report, which details UN/EU partnership achievements. The report is based on inputs collected from UN Country offices around the world. Emphasis is placed on the support that the UN and EU provide to national development strategies and initiatives related to strengthening national capacities. The report details how UN/EU cooperation has positively impacted people in the areas of humanitarian assistance, sustainable livelihoods, democratic inclusive processes and policy formulation. Special emphasis is given to human rights, as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates its 60th anniversary, and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) vis-à-vis emerging challenges such as high food and energy prices and climate change. The report also includes a section on strengthening governance, which details the work of the European Commission at different international fora, in particular the OECD/DAC Environment Working Group. The report also recalls that the 2007 European Development Days focused on climate change, and takes stock of such events.  

Link to further information
Improving Lives: Results from the Partnership of the United Nations and the European Commission in 2007

UNWTO Summit: Responding to the Economic Downturn and Staying on Course with the Climate and Poverty Reduction Agenda
The UN World Trade Organization (UNWTO), in partnership with the World Travel Market, will hold a Ministers' Summit at the World Travel Market in London, UK, on 11 November 2008, under the theme "Responding to the Economic Downturn and Staying on Course with the Climate and Poverty Reduction Agenda." During the meeting, tourism ministers will consider climate and poverty goals in the context of the economic downturn. Items on the Summit's agenda include: tourism as a driver of socio-economic progress and poverty alleviation; the UNWTO's Davos Declaration Process on Climate Change; and TOURpact, the first UN Global Compact Industry Sector Network, which calls on the tourism sector to actively support UN objectives.

Link to further information
UNWTO Ministers' Summit website

In a press briefing at UN headquarters in New York, US, on 10 October 2008, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary referred to the financial crisis as the "biggest earthquake" to hit the financial system in generations, warning that it could hurt progress on combating climate change. However, he added that combating climate change could provide an opportunity to develop new markets, investments and jobs by targeting clean energy development. During the briefing, he also commented on the EU's response to the current crisis, noting that the EU is struggling to pass its energy and climate package. He said such difficulties were unfortunate because the current crisis presents an opportunity to rebuild the financial system in a way that supports sustainable growth and clean industry.

On the upcoming climate negotiations in Poznan in December, de Boer said it will be the first time where a "real negotiating text will be on the table" following the exchange of ideas on mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance since the Bali conference in December 2007. He indicated that a single negotiating text should be presented in Poznan, and that it would serve as the basis for negotiations in 2009 in the lead-up to the Copenhagen negotiations in late 2009. He also highlighted Poznan as the first formal opportunity for ministers to take stock of progress since Bali, and to provide guidance for 2009. He urged ministers in Poznan to affirm their intention to take a cooperative approach to climate change and provide developing countries with the financial and technological support they will need.

De Boer also highlighted his other expectations for Poznan, including his hopes that negotiators would operationalize the Adaptation Fund, launch reforms to help streamline the CDM, clarify further how action to avoid deforestation can be part of a long-term climate regime, and discuss how reducing emissions on agriculture can contribute.

De Boer's comments came just days before a gathering of environment ministers was scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland. The ministerial gathering from 13-14 October is intended to help prepare for the Poznan talks.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SUPPORTS EMPHASIS ON CHALLENGE OF WATER SCARCITY AND DROUGHT IN UNCCD AND UNFCCC
The European Parliament adopted an own-initiative report on water scarcity and droughts in the EU on 9 October 2008. In doing so, the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) urged the European Commission and Member States to acknowledge that deforestation and unrestrained urban development are contributing to growing water scarcity. The Parliament also emphasized that any supply of water, regardless of the purpose of its consumption, must comply with the principle of fair water tarification. MEPs also supported the view that the environmental value of forests and agricultural production must be reassessed in a context of climate change, and supported the Commission's commitment to continue to highlight the challenge of water scarcity and drought at the international level, in particular through the UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Link to further information
European Parliament Press Release, 9 October 2008

OZONE HOLE LARGER THAN IN 2007

According to the European Space Agency, German and Dutch researchers' analysis of satellite data suggests that the ozone hole over Antarctica is larger this year than in 2007. The area of the thinned ozone layer this year was about 27 million square kilometers, while in 2007 it was 25 million square kilometers.

Links to further information
CNN article, 7 October 2008

WMO's Antarctic Ozone Bulletin, 24 September 2008

Germany Increases Support to UNEP

During a meeting with UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, at UNEP's headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, German Federal Minister for the Environment Sigmar Gabriel announced that his country will increase its funding for the organization's work on clean energy and climate proofing vulnerable economies.

Gabriel specified that the additional US$18 million will be raised by auctioning emission certificates on the European carbon market, and will be provided over three years. The funds will be used in UNEP projects supporting: developing countries' clean energy and energy efficiency efforts; adaptation in vulnerable economies; and developing countries' capacity in international climate negotiations.

Link to further information
UNEP Press Release, 3 October 2008

HFC-FREE REFRIGERANT USED IN US, INDIA PHASES OUT CFCs
The first US trials utilizing a Greenpeace-developed refrigeration technology are being run by Ben & Jerry's in Boston and Washington, DC. Since the phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), due to their ozone-depletion potential, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) have been widely used as coolants, but they have been found to be both ozone-depletors and potent greenhouse gases. Two German scientists developed the HFC-free technology, which has been taken up widely in Japan and Europe, but until now it has not been allowed in the US.

In other CFC news, Indonesia has reported that the illegal import of CFCs persists, while India has reported phasing out CFCs 17 months ahead of the deadline imposed by the Montreal Protocol

Links to further information
Environmental News Service article, 1 October 2008
Jakarta Post article, 17 September 2008
Tribune News Service, 16 September 2008

USEPA EMPLOYEE RECOGNIZED FOR OZONE WORK
Stephen Andersen, a long-time employee of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), recently received the Career Achievement Medal of the Service to America Medals, in recognition of his role in implementing the Montreal Protocol. Andersen, who is currently the Director of Strategic Climate Projects for the USEPA, began work on the ozone layer in 1974, and has since played a key role in motivating the public and private sectors to collaborate in addressing ozone depletion.

Link to further information
Details of award

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently released data showing that the ozone hole is already larger in September 2008 than it was in 2007. Their press release emphasized the need for continued ozone measurements to monitor the ozone hole, and highlighted the Montreal Protocol's climate benefits. The release also emphasized the atmospheric interactions between ozone and climate change, saying that the cooling effect of greenhouse gases on the stratosphere, coupled with possible increased moisture, appear to facilitate ozone depletion and could delay recovery of the ozone layer.

UNEP LAUNCHES COLLABORATION ON CHEMICAL SAFETY
On 16 September 2008, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Dow Chemical of China launched a partnership on emergency preparedness and safety in the Chinese chemical industry. The collaborative project, in line with UNEP's Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Support and Capacity Building, will build capacity in China's Ministry of Environmental Protection, as well as in the chemical industry.

Link to further information
UNEP Press Release, 16 September 2008

World Tourism Day focuses on Climate Change
The World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) World Tourism Day, which focused on the response of the tourism industry to climate change and was hosted in Peru, was observed on 27 September 2008. World Tourism Day kicked-off a year-long campaign during which the UNWTO aims to: raise awareness of the positive role of tourism in sustainable development; advance tourism in the UN global response to the challenges of climate change and poverty alleviation; promote the Davos Declaration Framework for the Tourism Sector and encourage its implementation by all stakeholders at a global level; encourage tourism stakeholders to adapt, mitigate and use new technology; and secure financing for the poorest countries.

Link to more information
World Tourism Day website

In addition, UNEP, UNESCO, UNICEF and WHO have launched a new interactive multimedia ozone education pack for secondary schools.

The previous day, outgoing UNGA President Srgjan Kerim closed the Assembly's 62nd session, noting that while Security Council reform had been the most difficult issue of the session, climate change and the Millennium Development Goals had been "the closest to his heart." He recalled the commitments by member States to negotiate within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to fix the common goals for future greenhouse gas emission targets after the Kyoto Protocol expires. He also highlighted the importance of the discussion of public-private partnerships to tackle climate change, underlining that this challenge cannot be resolved solely by intergovernmental negotiations.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) honored Harris Teeter and Giant Eagle as the recipients of the first GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership Environmental Achievement Award last week. In addition, USEPA announced it has welcomed eight new GreenChill partners, including Dow Chemical and the grocery stores Shop'n Save and Alberstons. GreenChill is a USEPA cooperative alliance with the supermarket industry and other stakeholders to reduce emissions of ozone-depleting substances and greenhouse gasses.

In other ozone news, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer was celebrated on 16 September 2008, with the theme "Montreal Protocol – Global partnership for global benefits."  In the UN Secretary-General's message recognizing the day, he emphasized that the success of the Protocol demonstrates that environmental protection can be sustained through economic downturns, and encouraged governments to look for synergies among multilateral environmental agreements as the Parties to the Protocol did when deciding to accelerate the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs).

COPENHAGEN CLIMATE TALKS "MOST IMPORTANT GATHERING SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR"
The Copenhagen climate change negotiations scheduled for December 2009 will be the most important gathering since the Second World War, according to Nicholas Stern. Speaking at a conference in Switzerland, the British economist, who authored the 2006 Stern Review on the economic implications of climate change, warned that failure to reach agreement would be a serious setback to efforts to combat climate change, and would severely damage the carbon markets.

Link to further information
Environmental Finance/WBCSD, 11 September 2008

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RECONSIDERS BIOFUELS TARGET
The European Parliament's industry committee has proposed reducing the EU's existing 10% target for adopting traditional biofuels for road transport by 2020. Instead, the committee had advocated a 6% target for traditional biofuels, with the other 4% coming from electricity or hydrogen from renewable sources, or from second-generation biofuels. The proposal comes in the wake of concerns that biofuels have affected food prices and deforestation. The biofuels target is part of a larger series of goals that address climate change and energy issues.

Links to further information
BBC news, 11 September 2008
Spiegel Online International, 11 September 2008

The Ozone Secretariat has released numerous documents in advance of the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention (COP8) and the Twentieth Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol (MOP20), which will convene 16-20 November 2008, in Doha, Qatar. The released documents include: financial reports and the past and future budgets of the Trust Fund for the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and of the Trust Fund for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; the provisional agenda for MOP20 and COP8; the Report of the Implementation Committee under the Non-Compliance Procedure for the Montreal Protocol on the work of its fortieth meeting; and an Information Note for Participants. MOP20 and COP8 will consider, inter alia, the outcomes of the seventh meeting of the Ozone Research managers of the Parties to the Vienna Convention, the status of the trust funds and of ratification, replenishment of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol, disposal of ozone-depleting substances (ODS), and essential-use and critical-use exemptions.

Toyota Motor Europe has become the first car manufacturer to join the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Climate Neutral Network. This initiative, launched in February 2008, aims to bring together public and private entities that pledge to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Additional companies that joined the Climate Neutral Network in August included  the Carbon Association of Australasia, CO2focus, EcoSecurities, Green Cabs and Wairau River Wines.

UNEP Press Release, 18 August 2008

SOUTH AFRICA, INDIA AND JAPAN ANNOUNCE CLIMATE PLANS

The governments of South Africa, India and Japan have each set out their visions for tackling climate change in the coming years. The announcements were the latest in a series of recent policy announcements by a number of countries as multilateral negotiations on climate change begin to intensify.

In a media statement issued on 28 July 2008, South Africa's Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, indicated that his Government wanted to limit global temperature increases to 2°C above pre-industrial levels. He stated that greenhouse gas emissions should stop growing at the latest by 2020-2025, stabilize for up to ten years, and then decline in absolute terms, and that South Africa would "demonstrate leadership in the multilateral system by committing to a substantial deviation from baseline, enabled by international funding and technology." Mitigation strategies would include mandatory targets for energy efficiency and in other sub-national sectors, increasing the price of carbon through an escalating carbon tax or alternative market mechanism, exploring carbon capture and storage, and "ambitious and where appropriate mandatory national targets for the reduction of transport emissions." The government will hold a national summit in February 2009 and will adopt a final domestic policy by the end of 2010, once international negotiations for the post-2012 period have been completed.

India's National Action Plan on Climate Change was released recently by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Plan stresses the development and use of new technologies. It outlines eight "national missions" dealing with solar energy, energy efficiency, a sustainable habitat, water, the Himalayan ecosystem, a "green India," sustainable agriculture, and strategic knowledge. Further, it states that India's per capita greenhouse gas emissions would never exceed those of developed countries. However, it maintains India's previous position of not outlining specific emission reduction targets.

On 29 July 2008, Japan's cabinet approved a plan to cut emissions by up to 80 percent by 2050 and set up an experimental carbon trading system in late 2008. The plan was first proposed by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda in June. The plan also includes plans to increase solar energy by forty times by 2030, build more nuclear power, and develop carbon capture and storage technology.

Links to further information

South African climate vision statement, 28 July 2008

India's National Action Plan on Climate Change, July 2008

AFP/Yahoo report on Japan's climate plan, 29 July 2008

Linkages Update report on Japan's carbon trading plan, 20 June 2008

NORTH AMERICAN REGIONAL CLIMATE INITIATIVE SETS OUT WORK PLAN
The Western Climate Initiative – a collaboration involving several US and Mexican states and Canadian provinces – has released plans for a regional cap-and-trade programme for 2012-2020. The plans, published online on 23 July 2008, contain recommendations for the design of the emissions trading scheme, allowance banking, and an offsets component that would give opportunities to lower emissions reduction costs. The Initiative, which was launched in 2007, has set a goal of reducing emissions by 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2020. On 17 July 2008, Ontario became the latest state/province to request formal membership as a full partner in the group. The Initiative now includes provinces representing three-quarters of Canada's economy and states worth one-fifth of the US economy.

Links to further information
Cover Memo for the Western Climate Initiative's draft design, 23 July 2008
Draft Design Recommendations for the WCI cap-and-trade programme, 23 July 2008
Ontario announcement, 17 July 2008

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY VIOLATES US CLEAN AIR ACT
Bristol-Meyers Squibb, a pharmaceutical company, has agreed to reduce its emissions of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), an ozone-depleting refrigerant, as a part of an agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency. The changes agreed under a consent decree filed in US federal court will cost the company about US$3.7 million, in addition to the $127,000 in civil penalties assessed.

Links to further information
Consent Decree, 8 July 2008
PharmTech article, 17 July 2008

The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved the CIFs on 1 July 2008, following an extensive public consultation process. The funds are designed to provide grants, highly concessional loans, and/or risk mitigation instruments for the implementation of country-led programs and investments. Developing countries will have an equal voice in the governance structures of the funds, and decisions on the use of funds will be made by consensus. An annual Partnership Forum will be held to provide a venue for talks on the strategic directions, results and impacts of the CIFs, the first meeting of which will take place in September, 2008, with initial project or programme approval expected by the end of 2008.

PRIVATE SECTOR URGES G8 TO SUPPORT "GREEN INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION"
Executives from 100 of the world's largest multinational corporations delivered a message to the G8 to support significant long-term cuts in greenhouse gases and support a green "revolution." The recommendations, which were delivered to the Japanese Government ahead of the 7-9 July 2008 Hokkaido G8 Summit, support an "environmentally effective and economically efficient" agreement post-2012, when the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period expires. The recommendations, which also include at least halving emissions by 2050, were developed following discussions supported by the World Economic Forum and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Links to further information
CEO Climate Policy Recommendations to G8 Leaders (full statement), July 2008
World Economic Forum news release, 20 June 2008
Globe-Net article, 26 June 2008

UNEP CONSIDERS ENVIRONMENTAL REFUGEES ON WORLD REFUGEE DAY
On World Refugee Day, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) noted the high proportion of refugees that are environmental refugees. Citing the International Federation of the Red Cross, UNEP highlighted that climate change is a bigger cause of population displacement than war and persecution.

Link to further information
UNEP press release, 20 June 2008

REGIONAL CONSULTATION CONVENES ON CLIMATE CHANGE STRATEGIES FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK AND WORLD BANK
The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank jointly organized a regional consultation on their respective strategies on climate change, on 4 June 2008, in Dakar, Senegal. Participants at the event agreed that energy security and long-term climate risk management and adaptation constitute strategic priorities that need to be implemented in their respective countries, and called on both institutions to harmonize their strategies in order to: make them complementary; reflect national and sub-regional strategies in their climate change strategies; and set up an innovative financial mechanism for African countries.

Link to further information
AfDB press release, 6 June 2008

The European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) was launched on 10 June 2008. This EU research project is a consortium of over 100 scientists from 27 organizations in nine countries to address ocean acidification. Its goal is to document ocean acidification, investigate its impact on biological processes, predict its consequences for the next 100 years, and advise policy-makers on potential thresholds or tipping points that should not be exceeded.  

USEPA HONORS OZONE LAYER PROTECTION WINNERS
The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) honored the winners of this year's Climate Protection and Stratospheric Ozone Layer Protection Awards on 19 May 2008, in Washington, DC, US. Thirty-nine individuals, organizations and companies from around the world were recognized for their efforts to protect the Earth's climate and stratospheric ozone layer. Ozone protection awardees included  the Chinese negotiators at the 19th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol, who played a key role in the agreement to accelerate the phase-out of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), and the National Ozone Unit from Bahrain, which has led efforts to phase-out ozone depleting substances in the region. Climate protection awardees included the Climate Protection Team of Durwood Zaelke and Scott Stone (US), Romina Picolotti (Argentina) and Rajendra K. Pachauri (India).

Links to further information
USEPA Press Release, 19 May 2008
2008 Ozone Protection Awards website
2008 Climate Protection Awards website

INDUSTRY WARNS ABOUT HCFC IMPORTS
The Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy is warning that illegal hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) imports appear to be rising, as demand for these refrigerants remains strong in the face of diminishing supply given the recent agreement to accelerate their phase-out under the Montreal Protocol. 

Link to further information
Earth Times article, 21 May 2008

Meanwhile, the European Commission is calling for a reform to the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) for the post-2012 period, according to reports. The Commission apparently favors sectoral approaches and limiting the number of credits available under the CDM.  

In related news, 11 large Brazilian companies have agreed to start measuring and reporting their greenhouse gas emissions using a voluntary registry – the Brazil Greenhouse Gas Protocol Programme.

In related news, Greenpeace has released a new report that labels CCS as a "scam." Its report, entitled "False Hope," refers to technologies for capturing carbon dioxide as "unproven." The use of CCS is currently being considered as part of an agreement for the post-2012 period, although a final deal is not expected until December 2009.

In other news on the interaction of ozone depletion and global warming, scientists have reported that a suggested global warming solution, in which sulfate particles would be sprayed into the stratosphere to block the sun and cool the planet, would exacerbate Arctic ozone depletion and delay recovery of the Antarctic ozone hole by 30 to 70 years.

CDM PASSES 1000 PROJECTS
The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has passed a major milestone with the registering of its 1000th project. The CDM, which allows for developed countries to receive credits for their emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol by developing projects in developing countries, has registered 1000 projects in two-and-a-half years.   

Links to further information
UNFCCC press release, 14 April 2008

ILO DIRECTOR-GENERAL CALLS FOR DIALOGUE TO ADDRESS EMPLOYMENT DIMENSION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
On 10 April 2008, on the occasion of the Spring 2008 Meetings of the IMF and World Bank, International Labour Office (ILO) Director-General Juan Somavia identified four priorities for the multilateral system: fiscal policies for social and economic stability; international regulation of financial markets; sustainable enterprise development; and the employment dimension of policies to address climate change. Somavia noted that enterprises will invest in building up an economic infrastructure to tackle carbon emissions, adapting production systems and shifting to renewable resources to mitigate climate change effects. He emphasized the role for dialogue between management and union representatives as "an essential mechanism for developing strategies for such transitions that are both efficient and equitable," as existing jobs become redundant and new jobs are created. He highlighted that "green" jobs may be one of the solutions against the current economic slowdown, and said that the ILO is partnering with UNEP on the Green Jobs Initiative, to promote dialogue and action to address the challenges of climate change to employment.   

Links to further information
UN News Centre, 10 April 2008
Statement of Juan Somavia, ILO Director-General

GEF-FUNDED BIOMASS GAS PLANT INAUGURATED IN RURAL INDIA
On 24 March 2008, a biomass gasifier plant that converts wood or agricultural residues into a combustible gas mixture was inaugurated in Boregunte, a remote village in the Karnataka region of southern India. The plant was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and supported by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India, the Government of Karnataka, and the UN Development Programme. It is the second plant commissioned under the Biomass in Rural India (BERI) project, which seeks to promote remote communities' access to electricity in an environment friendly, carbon neutral way, and it has the capacity of delivering 250 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Additional plants are scheduled to be commissioned in the same region during 2008.

Links to further information
UNDP press release, 24 March 2008
BERI website

UNDP RECEIVES US$ 137 MILLION GRANT FROM JAPAN

With a view to strengthening its partnership with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Japan transferred a grant of US$ 137 million to UNDP on 12 March 2008. According to UNDP, the grant will support projects such as reconstruction assistance in Afghanistan and the response to humanitarian crisis and peace-building in Africa, with a particular focus on African countries that are vulnerable to climate change. US$ 96 million will be earmarked for the latter project.

Links to further information
UNDP press release, 12 March 2008

STRATOSPHERIC OZONE AFFECTS ATMOSPHERIC AIR FLOWS
The results of climate simulations conducted at the Alfred Wegner Institute, published in "Geophysical Research Letters," suggest that stratospheric ozone chemistry significantly influences airflow patterns. The authors of the article highlighted these interactions between ozone and climate as one source of uncertainty in climate models.

Link to further information
NASA media alert, 7 March 2008
Geophysical Research Letters article abstract, 8 March 2008

Meanwhile, the US has also been engaged in talks with Danish and Chinese officials. According to reports, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told US President George W. Bush in a meeting on 1 March 2008, that American leadership was needed to reach a new global agreement in Copenhagen in 2009, and to help motivate countries such as China and India to contribute. United States and Chinese officials also met on the weekend of 1-2 March 2008, in Seattle, Washington, to discuss clean energy. The meeting is expected to lead to more high-level discussions in the future.

"The MDG Carbon Facility enables us to do two things at once: Support sustainable development at ground level and also make a real contribution to worldwide efforts to mitigate emissions," said Olav Kjørven, UNDP Assistant Administrator and a member of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Climate Change Team. The partnership between UNDP and Fortis covers an initial pipeline of projects that will generate 15 million carbon credits during the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008-2012).

DEFORESTATION IN SUMATRA FOR PULP AND PALM OIL CAUSES GLOBAL CLIMATE IMPACT AND LOCAL WILDLIFE LOSSES
A recent study by WWF and partners has found that 4.2 million hectares of tropical forests and peatlands have been cleared in the last 25 years in a central Sumatran province. The land conversion, mostly for industrial palm oil and pulp and paper production, released annual carbon emissions equivalent to 58 percent of Australia's annual emissions. Concurrent to the loss of 65% of the province's forest cover, elephant populations declined by 84%, and tiger populations by 70%.

Link to further information
WWF Media Release, 26 February 2008

Meanwhile, a senior Chinese official has reiterated his government's position that China would not accept binding greenhouse gas emissions targets or limits as part of the current multilateral negotiations. In an interview reported by the Greenwire news service, Ambassador Yu Qingtai indicated that China would continue domestic initiatives but would not be bound by emissions targets.

CRITICAL USE EXEMPTION FOR GOLF COURSES DERIDED
Golf courses' receipt of a critical use exemption from the phaseout of methyl bromide in the US is, according the author of this opinion piece, an example of a drift away from enjoyment of the "natural environment."

Link to further information
Monterey County Herald, 3 February 2008

MONTREAL PROTOCOL CONTINUES TO BE HIGHLIGHTED AS BIPARTISAN SUCCESS
Former US President Ronald Reagan's support for the Montreal Protocol is discussed by this author as one of the arenas in which pragmatism overcame the divide between Democrats and Republicans in the US.

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The Daily Green, 3 February 2008

Meanwhile, the US has reportedly warned that the EU should not use climate change as a reason for trade protectionism, with US trade representative Susan Schwab expressing concerns at a meeting in Brussels after French President Nicolas Sarkozy suggested that an EU tax could be placed on countries that do not agree to limit their carbon emissions.

The US also recently announced plans for a large fund to assist developing countries gain access to clean energy technologies – an announcement that Yvo de Boer, the head of the UNFCCC Secretariat, praised as a "Marshall Plan" for climate change.  

In other news, reports suggest that Japan may propose using the year 2000 as the baseline year for emissions targets for the post-2012 period, rather than the Kyoto Protocol's current 1990 baseline. For most countries, emissions were higher in 2000 than in 1990, making targets based on a 2000 baseline potentially easier to achieve.  

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AFP report on Japan's baseline proposal, 21 January 2008
BBC news report on climate change "protectionism," 21 January 2008
Barroso's speech on climate change, European Commission release, 21 January 2008
AFP/India Times article on EU plans, 21 January 2008
Reuters/PlanetArk report on US technology fund, 17 January 2008

US ALLOCATES 2008 METHYL BROMIDE CRITICAL USE EXEMPTIONS

The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has issued final methyl bromide production and import critical use exemptions for 2008. Under the Montreal Protocol, industrial nations agreed to end all use of methyl bromide by 2005, because it is a potent ozone depletor. Since 2004 however, some countries have invoked a "critical use exemption" to extend their deadline. The EPA authorized 4,813,452 kilograms (4,813.5 metric tonnes) of methyl bromide for approved critical uses in 2008, which will include strawberry and tomato production, as well as commodity fumigation. This amount is less than the amount authorized by the meeting of the Montreal Protocol parties, which authorized 5,355,946 kilograms. According to the EPA, the authorized amount was adjusted to account for the increased use of alternatives among methyl bromide users, and unused methyl bromide from previous years, effectively reducing more than 500,000 kilograms of potential methyl bromide releases.

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US EPA Newsroom, 20 December 2007

KYOTO PROTOCOL'S FIRST COMMITMENT PERIOD BEGINS
The first "commitment period" has started for countries with emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol. The commitment period, which began on 1 January 2008, will continue for five years, concluding on 31 December 2012. During this period, most industrialized countries and countries with "economies in transition" (including the Russian Federation, the Baltic States, and several Central and Eastern European States), are obliged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions below levels agreed under the Protocol. These targets compare emissions for the period 2008-2012 against a baseline year of 1990. While each country's target differs, the average reduction expected from this group is five percent. In an effort to meet their obligations, many countries are already employing domestic measures, as well as using the Protocol's "flexible mechanism" (emissions trading, joint implementation, and the Clean Development Mechanism, CDM). In December 2007, the 100 millionth certified emission reduction (CER) credit under the CDM was issued, with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer highlighting this as a significant achievement after only two years in operation.

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Background information on the Kyoto Protocol
UNFCCC Secretariat press release, 18 December 2007

EU TO INCLUDE AVIATION IN EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME
The EU's Environment Council has decided to include aircraft emissions in the EU's emissions trading scheme. The decision, which was taken on 20 December 2007, just days after the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali drew to a close, would include aviation emissions starting in 2012. Under the scheme, aviation emissions would be capped at the level of emissions during 2004-2006. The Council agreed on an exemption for operators with "very low traffic levels" - mostly operators from some developing countries. There will also be exemptions for military flights, and allowances for new entrants and "very fast-growing airlines."

While the European Commission praised the agreement, some others have been critical. Industry groups said the proposal would cost airlines billions of dollars annually, while environmental organizations have said the scheme is too lenient and would represent a subsidy to industry. Some were also concerned at the level of ambition of the scheme and the timing for its introduction, since an earlier proposal would have seen the scheme introduced in 2011, one year earlier than the final deal.

Links to further information
European Commission press release, 20 December 2007
ENN/Reuters news report, 20 December 2007
BBC news report, 20 December 2007
Transport and Environment/Aviationwatch press release, 2 January 2008
Aviationwatch news release, 23 December 2007

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