2009
Climate and Atmosphere Media Reports Archives:
2010;
2008;
2007;
2006;
2005;
2004;
2003;
2002
DECEMBER 2009
UNEP PROVIDES
TRAINING TO YEMENI RESEARCHERS TO COMBAT WATER SCARCITY
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has extended the Online Access
to Research in the Environment (OARE) project to Yemen, with a view to
transferring scientific knowledge that may contribute to fighting
climate change, food crises and water scarcity. UNEP, the World Health
Organization, Yemen's Environmental Protection Authority and the
Ministry of Water and Environment trained 30 Yemeni researchers,
scientists, planners and lecturers in the use of OARE to support the
country as it faces increasing environmental challenges due to climate
change. According to a recent World Bank report, Yemen, whose economy
largely depends on the fishing and oil industries, is facing a steep
decline in fish stock and production.
The OARE project started in 2007, when UNEP,
in partnership with the WHO, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization,
Yale and Cornell Universities, international publishers and private
sector groups built one of the largest electronic collections of
scientific knowledge in environmental and related areas.
Link to further information
UN press release, 30 December 2009
GEF TO FUND CLEAN
ENERGY TRANSPORT IN LATIN AMERICA
The World Bank has approved two Global
Environment Facility (GEF) grants to fund clean energy transport in
Mexican and Brazilian cities. Grants for US$5.38 million for cities in
Mexico and US$8.53 million for cities in Brazil were approved as part of
the regional Sustainable Transport and Air Quality (STAQ) Program, which
seeks to reduce the emission of air pollutants in several important
Latin American cities, fostering long-term increases in the patronage of
less energy intensive transport modes. Participating cities were
selected through a competition in which 47 cities from 12 countries in
Latin America participated as part of the GEF's STAQ Program implemented
in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.
Links to additional information
World Bank press release, 28 December 2009
World Bank press release, 29 December 2009
NORWAY LAUNCHES
CLIMATE GROUP ON FORESTS
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg announced, on 22 December
2009, that he would put together a group of rainforest countries,
including Brazil, Indonesia, Guyana, Gabon and Papua New Guinea, with
the goal of ensuring that efforts against deforestation will be central
in a climate agreement in Mexico in 2010.
In related news, during the Copenhagen
negotiations, Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and
the United States collectively agreed to dedicate US$3.5 billion as
initial public financing between 2010-2012 for REDD+ (reducing emissions
from deforestation and forest degradation, including conservation,
sustainable forest management (SFM) and stock enhancement).
Links to further information
Norwegian Government website, 22 December 2009
UK Government press release, 16 December 2009
CLIMATE
INVESTMENT FUNDS INVEST IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND CLEAN ENERGY
TECHNOLOGIES
Countries governing the Climate Investment
Funds (CIF) endorsed the infusion of a total of US$800 million from the
CIF Clean Technology Fund (CTF) for Vietnam, the Philippines, and
Thailand to invest in a range of innovative climate activities. These
include catalyzing private sector investments in energy efficiency and
renewable energy through local banks, transmission system upgrades to
reduce losses and support renewable energy development, and significant
urban transport improvements.
The CIF have also launched a new
program: Scaling up Renewable Energy in Low Income Countries (SREP),
with pledges for US$260.7 million. The Clean Technology Fund (CTF) also
approved financing of US$750 million on 2 December 2009, to accelerate
global deployment of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP). It will do so by
investing in the CSP programs of five countries: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,
Morocco and Tunisia.
Links to additional information
CIF press release, 16 December 2009
World Bank press release, 14 December 2009
UNEP AND ICLEI LAUNCH CARBONN
The United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced a joint initiate with
the Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) to create the Bonn
Center for Local Climate Action and Reporting - carbonn.
According to UNEP, carbonn aims to facilitate the access of local
governments to climate benchmarking instruments. carbonn will
assist local governments report and compare their commitments, policies,
programs and performance in greenhouse gas emission reductions. It will
also play a role in developing standards and providing guidance on local
emissions accounting and reporting.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 14 December 2010
EMISSION REDUCTIONS
COMMITMENTS AND PLEDGES ANNOUNCED IN THE RUN UP TO COPENHAGEN
With the anticipated Copenhagen Climate
change talks set to convene from 7-18 December 2009, various countries
have unveiled emission reduction pledges and commitments. US President
Barack Obama has announced he will attend the event and address
negotiators on 9 December, where he will make a provisional pledge to
cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels by 2020.
China has announced that it will trim its "carbon intensity" by 40-45
percent by the year 2020 as compared to 2005 levels. Carbon intensity is
defined as the amount of greenhouse gases emitted for each unit of
nation income. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged
to cut Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions by between 36.1-38.9 percent
from projected 2020 levels, if industrialized countries provide the
requisite support. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh unveiled what
they called a "green partnership," affirming their commitment to
fighting climate change. Russia has also raised its 2020 targets from an
earlier 10-15% pledge up to 22-25% (from 1990 levels).
Links to further information
Reuters press report, 26 November 2009
China View press report, 19 November 2009
Voice of America press report, 26 November 2009
Chicago Tribute press report, 26 November 2009
Clean Tech brief, 1 December 2009
ANI News report, 25 November 2009
UNDP, IEA AND WHO REPORT UNDERLINES NEED FOR CLIMATE
CHANGE AGREEMENT TO ADDRESS ENERGY POVERTY
On 23 November 2009, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the World
Health Organization (WHO), with the support of the International Energy
Agency (IEA), released a new report titled "The Energy Access Situation
in Developing Countries: A Review Focusing on the Least Developed
Countries and Sub-Saharan Africa." The report indicates that over 1.5
billion people currently lack access to electricity.
At the launch
of the publication at UN Headquarters in New York, US, Olav Kjorven,
Assistant Administrator and Director of Development Policy at UNDP,
highlighted the need to ensure that any new climate agreement adequately
addresses energy poverty. Noting that over three billion people rely on
highly polluting solid fuels for cooking, he stated that "For a climate
deal to work, it also has to be a development deal." IEA Chief Economist
Fatih Birol added that improving energy access for the disenfranchised
would not have a significant impact on the environment, citing a recent
study that found that if everyone in the world got access to
electricity, carbon dioxide emissions would rise by only 0.9%.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 23 November 2009
UNDP press release, 23 November 2009
UN press conference transcript
UNFPA REPORT FOCUSES
ON WOMEN, POPULATION GROWTH AND CLIMATE CHANGE
On 18 November 2009, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) launched "The State
of World Population 2009 Report on Facing a Changing World: Women,
Population and Climate Change." At the launch of the report, UNFPA
Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid noted that the report focuses on
the impacts of climate change on the most vulnerable, such as the 1.5
billion poor people living under US$1 dollar a day, and on poor women
who are most likely to lose their livelihoods and to die of natural
disasters. The report stresses that policies, programmes and
international agreements should take into account the special and unique
needs and potential of women as agents for change. It makes the case
that access to reproductive health services, including family planning
and lower fertility rates, can contribute to climate mitigation and
reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The report also focuses on investments
that can empower women and girls, such as education and health
interventions, which can reduce poverty and contribute to addressing
climate change.
Links to
further information
UNFPA press release, 18 November 2009
UNFPA state of the world population 2009
NOVEMBER 2009
DEVELOPMENT BANKS
ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLES IN CHINA AND
ADAPTATION IN THE PACIFIC
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is
providing a total of EUR 134 million in four operations that will
contribute to the abatement of 830 thousand tons of CO2 emissions per
year in China. The projects include, inter alia, the construction
and operation of a sodium carbonate and ammonium chloride co-product
plant, using the CO2 currently vented from the existing fertilizer
complex. All projects will seek CDM registration for carbon credit
generation.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has
approved US$3.47 million in grants to help the 14 Pacific developing
countries build up their capacity to respond to challenges posed by
climate change. Projects will support the mainstreaming of climate
change risk management into each country's development strategies and
programs.
In related news, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Investment
Bank (EIB) signed a cooperation agreement to share their expertise in
support of sustainable development, including on the economics of
climate change. The two institutions have agreed to cooperate by sharing
knowledge in several areas including sustainable urban development,
environmental sustainability and the economics of climate change.
Links to further information
EIB press release, 30 November 2009
ADB press release, 24 November 2009
OECD press release, 27 November 2009
WORLD BANK
ORGANIZES ROUNDTABLE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
The World Bank organized a roundtable on
Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change organized by the World Bank
and First Peoples Worldwide, in Washington DC, USA. The event brought
together indigenous peoples representatives from around the world as
well as non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and
bilateral and international organizations to exchange ideas, forge
partnerships, and create synergies to map the way forward for an
Indigenous Peoples Climate Action Fund (IPCAF), a fund to be managed and
implemented by First Peoples Worldwide, with the World Bank playing an
advisory role.
Link to further information
World Bank press release, 18 November 2009
WORLD BANK GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT MARKETPLACE AWARDS US$4.8 MILLION TO
INNOVATIVE ADAPTATION IDEAS
The World Bank awarded close
to US$5 million to twenty-six innovative climate adaptation projects,
through a contest for community-based ideas to tackle the effects of
climate change. Winning projects include SZTR Sunce's initiative to
mitigate the effects of climate change induced bacterial blooms on
commercial fishponds (Serbia); the University of Los Baños 'Bell and
Bottle' initiative – providing a low cost, high efficacy flood and
landslide warning system (the Philippines); and the International
Network for Bamboo and Rattan's idea to build elevated bamboo houses,
essentially lifting communities in flood zones out of harm's way
(Ecuador).
Links to further
information
World Bank press release, 13 November 2009
UNDP AND SPAIN SIGN NEW PARTNERSHIP TO BOOST EFFORTS
TO ADDRESS POVERTY AND CLIMATE CHANGE
On 10 November 2009, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator
Helen Clark and Spanish Secretary of State for International Cooperation
Soraya Rodriguez signed a multi-year Strategic Partnership Agreement
primarily supporting UNDP projects targeting poverty and addressing
climate change. The close to 400 million partnership will help finance
projects that aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability by supporting
interventions that improve environmental management and service delivery
at the national and local levels, increase access to new financing
mechanisms and enhance capacity to adapt to climate change.
The earlier
agreement signed between Spain and UNDP dates back to 2006, when the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Achievement Fund was established to
manage 528 million – the largest contribution from a single bilateral
donor into the UN system. Currently, the MDG Achievement Fund has
financed about 130 projects across 50 countries in five regions. The
Fund has six thematic funding windows including gender equality and
women's empowerment; culture and development; economic governance;
youth, employment and migration; conflict prevention and peace building;
and environment and climate change.
Under the
thematic window for environment and climate change, 16 Joint Programmes
have been approved so far, and are being implemented in Afghanistan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala,
Jordan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Philippines,
Senegal and Turkey, with an estimated total budget of $90 million.
Links to further information
UNDP press release, 10 November 2009
MDG Achievement Fund
CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUNDS TO CHANNEL US$1.1
BILLION FOR AFRICA
The Climate Investment Funds
(CIF) will invest US$1.1 billion through several projects. Mozambique,
Niger and Zambia will each receive up to US$50-70 million in additional
resources to help integrate climate risk and resilience into their core
development planning. South Africa will receive US$500 million to
support its goals of generating four percent of the country's
electricity needs from renewable energy by 2013, and Morocco will
receive US$150 million to help establish a national Energy Development
Fund. Egypt will use US$300 to support relevant sector development
policies and strategies, such as the Power Sector Strategy and Greater
Cairo Urban Transport Strategy.
Link to further information
World Bank press release, 5 November 2009
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS ENCOURAGED TO NOMINATE
OBSERVERS TO CLIMATE INVESTMENT FUND'S SUB-COMMITTEES
The
self-selection process for non-profit civil society observers on two
sub-committees of the Climate Investment Fund's (CIF) Strategic Climate
Fund – the Forest Investment Program (FIP) and the Scaling up Renewable
Energy Program in Local Income Countries (SREP) – is accepting
nominations to participate as observers during CIF meetings and to
register to vote on the nominees. Application instructions and criteria
will be posted in Arabic, Bahasa Indonesian, Chinese, French, Nepali,
Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and nominations are due by 4 December
2009.
Links to further
information
Call for nomination of experts
CIF CSO Self-selection process website
CIF website
WORLD BANK
LAUNCHES MULTICAT PROGRAM TO INSURE AGAINST FLOODS, HURRICANES AND WIND
STORMS
The World Bank launched the MultiCat
Program – a catastrophe bond issuance platform that gives governments
and other public entities access to international capital markets to
insure themselves against the risk of natural disasters. The types of
events that may be insured are earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and other
wind storms. The platform, designed specifically to help governments
from developing countries access affordable insurance coverage through
the capital markets, allows participants to buy insurance coverage for
multiple perils, countries and regions. The program is flexible and
supports a wide variety of structures, including the pooling of multiple
risks, to take advantage of diversification benefits.
Link to further information
World Bank press release
OCTOBER 2009
INDIA AND CHINA SIGN
MEMORANDUM TO COOPERATE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
A Memorandum of
Agreement on Cooperation on addressing Climate Change between the
Governments of the People's Republic of China and India was signed
during a bilateral meeting in New Delhi, India, involving the countries'
respective environment ministers. This Agreement is aimed at
strengthening cooperative activities between China and India on
mitigation, programmes and projects. Technology development and
demonstration, including energy conservation efficiency, renewable
energy, methane recovery and utilization, afforestation and sustainable
management of forests and ecosystems and transportation will also be
covered by the Agreement.
It was signed on
the sidelines of an Indo-China joint workshop on national action plans
on climate change, which opened on 21 October 2009. The technical
workshop was organized to enable representatives from the two countries
to share their experience on scientific, technical and policy aspects
relating to climate change issues, in light of similarities in the
national action plans both countries have prepared.
Link to further information
Indian Government Press Information Bureau, 19 October 2009
EU DECLARES SUPPORT FOR FAST ACTION ON HFCS UNDER THE MONTREAL
PROTOCOL
At the recent Bangkok Climate Change Talks that convened from 28
September-9 October 2009, the European Union (EU) declared support for
using the Montreal Protocol to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The
EU joined the US, Canada, Mexico, the Federated States of Micronesia,
Mauritius and other nations in seeking rapid action under the Montreal
Protocol to eliminate the acute threat to climate posed by HFCs. The
proposal leaves HFC emissions in the "basket" of gases regulated by the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but allow the
Montreal Protocol to phase down production and use of HFCs. Primarily
used as substitutes for ozone-depleting chemicals, HFCs, although ozone
friendly, have global warming potentials hundreds to thousands of times
greater than CO2. Proponents of the proposal point to the Montreal
Protocol's historic success in controlling and eliminating ozone
depleting substances, which indicates that it already has the
infrastructure necessary to phase out HFCs quickly.
Link to
further information
Reuters, 8 October 2009
SEPTEMBER 2009
UNEP
ANNOUNCES NEW CLIMATE NEUTRAL NETWORK MEMBERS
The United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) has announced that sixteen new umbrella
organizations, including cities, cooperatives, railways, postal
services, industry and civil society associations, have joined the
Climate Neutral Network – an initiative to promote global action to
de-carbonize our economies and societies. The announcement came on "Go
Carbon Neutral Day," 23 September, which was held as part of Global
Climate Week, 21-25 September 2009.
Link to further information
UNEP press release, 23 September 2009
AFRICAN NATIONS PROMOTE CLIMATE "RIGHTS", CONSIDER
COMPENSATION DEMAND
Industrialized countries should pay significant compensation to African
countries to help them cope with climate change, according to a draft
proposal to be considered by the African Union in October. The proposal
reportedly proposes at least US$67 billion per year in environmental
damages. Commenting on the idea, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Meles Zenawi
suggested African nations might walk out of talks in Copenhagen if their
demands were not met.
In other
related news, West African countries have established a common position
on climate change and human rights. A declaration on the topic was
adopted in September by members of the Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS). The issue will also be addressed by the African
Union at its meeting in October.
Links to
further information
ECOWAS human rights-climate declaration, 17 September 2009
AFP/Yahoo report, 3 September 2009
VoA report, 24 August 2009
JAPAN ANNOUNCES NEW EMISSIONS TARGET
Japan's
incoming Prime Minister, Yukio Hatoyama, has pledged to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. The Democratic Party of
Japan, which won last month's national elections, promised during the
campaign to reduce the country's emissions 25 percent from 1990 levels.
It is not yet clear how much of the emissions cuts will come from
domestic reductions in Japan, and how much from carbon offsets. However,
Prime Minister Hatoyama said this pledge would be contingent on
similarly ambitious goals by other major polluters.
Links to
further information
New York Times press article, September 2009
Brisbane Times press article, September 2009
US SUBMITS REVISED AMENDMENT PROPOSAL TO PHASE
DOWN HFCS UNDER MONTREAL PROTOCOL
The US
Government has submitted a revised amendment proposal to phase down
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) under the Montreal Protocol. The submission
builds on the proposal submitted by the Federated States of Micronesia
and Mauritius and discussed at the 29th Open-Ended Working
Group of the Montreal Protocol in July this year. The US submission
proposes an alternative methodology for establishing baselines and
proposes phase-down targets for developed and developing countries. The
US also proposes to establish arrangements between the Montreal Protocol
and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in the
"very near future."
Links to
further information
US HFCs submission, September 2009
US cover letter
IDB RELEASES NEW
VERSION OF BIOFUELS SUSTAINABILITY SCORECARD
The
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has released a new version of its
Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard, which will enable users to better
anticipate the impacts of potential biofuel projects on sensitive issues
such as indigenous rights, carbon emissions from land use change, and
food security.
Link to further information
Biofuels Sustainability Scorecard
OZONE DAY CELEBRATIONS
International Ozone Day 2009 was celebrated on 16 September. As part of
the celebrations UNEP, together with United Nations Development
Programme, United Nations Industrial Development Organization and
others, produced a documentary looking at the challenges faced in trying
to phase out HCFCs, a coolant gas used in air conditioners across the
developing world, which is the main ozone depleting substance that also
contributes to climate change. The documentary will be aired on the BBC
World Service.
Link to
further information
OzonAction website
UN AGENCIES TO USE CLIMATE-RELATED DATA TO FIGHT HUNGER
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have partnered to share
information on weather patterns and other climate-related data that can
help predict the occurrence of the next emergency food shortage and to
fight against global hunger.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding
signed by both agencies, WMO will facilitate WFP's access to data on
droughts, lower precipitation, floods, hurricanes, mudslides and other
forms of weather events and climate change impacts that can damage crops
and peoples' livelihoods. This information will enable
WFP to expand its emergency forecasting
abilities and analyses for its emergency preparedness, disaster risk
reduction and vulnerability assessment efforts to facilitate prompt food
assistance.
Links to further
information
UN News Centre, 4 September 2009
WFP News, 4 September 2009
TEEB UPDATE
HIGHLIGHTS ECOSYSTEM PRESERVATION'S KEY ROLE IN COUNTERING CLIMATE
CHANGE
Investing in the restoration and maintenance of the Earth's
ecosystems can play a key role in countering climate change and
climate-proofing vulnerable economies, says a new climate issues update
by The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, which
was launched by Germany and the European Commission and is hosted by the
UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
The issues update was launched by TEEB study leader Pavan Sukhdev,
with German Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, European
Commission Director-General for Environment Karl Falkenberg, and UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner. The update indicates that ecosystems
represent one of the biggest untapped allies against climate change, and
underlines the need for an agreement on funding for forests and for
addressing damage caused by rising temperatures and ocean acidification
to coral reefs.
Investing in ecosystem-based measures such as financing Reduced
Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) could assist
in combating climate change and also be a key anti-poverty and
adaptation measure. Coral reefs, on the other hand, have a key role to
play in coastal defense against a predicted rise in storm surges and
other extreme weather events.
Links to further information
UNEP press release, 2 September 2009
TEEB website
WORLD BANK
ANNOUNCES DEVELOPMENT MARKETPLACE FINALISTS
The World Bank announced 100 finalists of
the Development Marketplace contest on Climate Change Adaptation.
Twenty-five projects will receive grants of up to US$200,000 and were
selected based on their innovation, objective and measurable results,
project design and organizational capacity, sustainability of impact,
and growth potential. The finalists come from 47 countries and will
present their projects at World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC, US,
in mid-November.
Link to additional information
Development Marketplace website
UNEP LAUNCHES SEAL THE DEAL WEBSITE
The
UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has launched a website – Seal the Deal (http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/)
– to support the UN-led Seal the Deal climate change campaign. Users are
encouraged to support the Seal the Deal campaign by signing an online,
global petition that will be presented by civil society to governments
of the world in Copenhagen in December 2009. The website also includes
climate news and a forum for public discussion.
Link to further information
Seal the Deal website
NORTH AMERICAN LEADERS COMMIT TO PHASE DOWN HFCS
UNDER MONTREAL PROTOCOL
In the lead up to the 21st session of the Meeting of the Parties to the
Montreal Protocol (MOP 21) and to the December 2009 Copenhagen meeting
on climate change, Mexico, the US, and Canada released the North
American Leaders' Declaration on Climate Change and Clean Energy.
Released on 10 August 2009, the declaration committed leaders to work
together under the Montreal Protocol to phase down the use of
hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thereby bringing about significant reductions
of this potent greenhouse gas.
Link to
further information
North American Leaders press release
OZONE DAY PUBLIC AWARENESS POSTERS AND PRIVATE
SECTOR ENGAGEMENT GUIDELINES AVAILABLE
The Ozone Secretariat has produced six posters to raise public awareness
about the ozone layer. The posters can be downloaded and adapted for use
in Ozone Day national events. International Ozone Day is 16 September
2009. OzonAction has also released guidelines for National Ozone Units
to celebrate International Ozone Day by engaging the private sector.
Links to
further information
Ozone Secretariat website
UNEP DTIE OzonAction website
EVALUATION OF COSTS OF ADAPTATION
TO CLIMATE CHANGE PUBLISHED
The International Institute
for Environment and Development (UK) and the Grantham Institute for
Climate Change, Imperial College London (UK) have published an
evaluation entitled "Assessing the costs of adaptation to climate
change: a review of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) and other recent estimates." The costs have been used as
the basis for discussion regarding the levels of investment needed for
adaptation to climate change and have
been influential in the debate concerning funding for climate change.
The purpose of the report is to assess these estimates and consider ways
to improve them in the future.
The report maintains that the
real costs of adaptation are likely to be two to three times greater
than estimates for the year 2030 made by the UNFCCC in 2007,
and it
indicates that this
underestimation could weaken the outcome of UNFCCC negotiations, which
are due to culminate in Copenhagen in December.
The UNFCCC has
estimated the global costs of adapting to climate change to be US$40-$170
billion each year. But the report's
authors say that these estimates were produced too quickly and did not
include key sectors such as energy, manufacturing, retailing, mining,
tourism and ecosystems. Other sectors that the UNFCCC did include were
only partially covered. The report also evaluates estimates of the costs
of adaptation made by preceding studies by the World Bank, 2006; by Sir
Nicholas Stern, 2006; by Oxfam, 2007; and by the UN Development
Programme, 2007.
Links to further information
The
report
ENS News report,
27 August 2009
NITROUS OXIDE THE MOST SERIOUS CAUSE OF OZONE
LOSS: REPORT
In a report published in Science magazine, researchers from the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration find that nitrous oxide
is emerging as the leading artificial cause of ozone loss. According to
the report, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), the major chemical targets of
the Montreal Protocol, inhibit the ozone-destroying actions of nitrous
oxide, so as CFCs are phased out, the harmful influence of nitrous oxide
increases. Most of the nitrous oxide in the atmosphere emerges
naturally, through the action of bacteria in the soil, but the gas is
also produced as a result of human activity, including through the use
of nitrogen-based fertilizers, the application of livestock manure to
fields and the burning of biofuels.
Links to
further information
New York Times, 27 August 2009
Abstract
AUGUST 2009
ITTO FUNDS PROJECTS ON FOREST GOVERNANCE AND
BUILDING A VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKET SCHEME
The International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) has disbursed
funds to initiate implementation of two projects under its new thematic
programmes, Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (TFLET) and
Reducing Deforestation and Forest Degradation and Enhancing
Environmental Services in Tropical Forests (REDDES). The funded projects
aim to strengthen the capacity of local communities to manage their
forests in Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand, and to build a voluntary
carbon marketing scheme to promote SFM.
Link
to further information
ITTO media release, 19 August 2009
UN GLOBAL COMPACT TO SET UP CLIMATE CHANGE THINK
TANK ON US CONTAMINATED SITE
The UN has
announced that one of the US' most polluted sites will be redeveloped as
a green technology complex. When completed in 2012, the complex will
house a climate change think tank called the UN Global Compact
Sustainability Center, which will work to identify green solutions to
global environmental challenges and provide a conference centre and UN
offices.
The
Hunters Point Shipyard, located on San Francisco Bay, US, was once the
US military's largest facility for applied nuclear research. A
US$500-million clean-up project is headed by the UN Global Compact group
and the US Environmental Protection Agency. The UN Global Compact was
launched in 2000 and is supported by six UN agencies, including the UN
Environment Programme.
Link to further information
UN press release, 11 August 2009
JULY 2009
US AND CHINA SIGN MOU
TO ENHANCE CLIMATE CHANGE COOPERATION
The US and China have signed a "U.S.-China
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Enhance Cooperation in Climate
Change, Energy, and the Environment." The agreement was signed during
the first round of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which
convened in Washington, DC, US, from 27-28 July 2009. The MOU indicates
that the two countries "resolve to pursue areas of cooperation where
joint expertise, resources, research capacity and combined market size
can accelerate progress towards mutual goals," including on: energy
conservation and energy efficiency; renewable energy; cleaner uses of
coal, and carbon capture and storage; sustainable transportation,
including electric vehicles; modernization of the electrical grid; joint
research and development of clean energy technologies; clean air; clean
water; natural resource conservation; and combating climate change and
promoting low-carbon economic growth.
Through the MOU, the US and China agree to establish a "Climate Change
Policy Dialogue and Cooperation" as a platform for the two countries to
address global climate change and to identify and resolve areas of
concern. They agree that this platform will promote: discussion and
exchange of views on domestic strategies and policies for addressing
climate change; practical solutions for promoting the transition to
low-carbon economies; successful international negotiations on climate
change; joint research, development, deployment, and transfer, as
mutually agreed, of climate-friendly technologies; cooperation on
specific projects; adaptation to climate change; capacity building and
the raising of public awareness; and pragmatic cooperation on climate
change between cities, universities, provinces and states of the two
countries.
Link
to further information
The MOU
UNEP AND ICRAF DEVELOPING CARBON MEASURING METHODS
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), a research center of the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), are partnering in
a project to provide the basis for widespread adoption of agroforestry
and other sustainable forms of agriculture. The Carbon Benefits Project,
launched in May 2009, is developing a standard and reliable method for
accurately measuring, monitoring, reporting and projecting how much
carbon each kind of land use is storing. This global project makes use
of the latest remote sensing technology and analysis, soil carbon
modeling, ground-based measurements and statistical analysis.
Link to
further information
UNEP press release
PROTOCOL TO THE
ARHUS CONVENTION TO ENTER INTO FORCE
The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers to the UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Aarhus Convention is set to enter
into force on 8 October 2009, after France's ratification was deposited
with the UN Secretary-General on 10 July 2009. Pollutant release and
transfer registers are inventories of pollutants from industrial sites,
but also smaller, widespread sources such as traffic, agriculture and
small and medium-sized enterprises. Under the Protocol, facilities will
be required to report annually on the amounts of certain pollutants they
release to the environment or transfer to other facilities. The Protocol
on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers will help identify the
biggest polluters in communities across Europe. The Protocol also covers
facilities releasing large quantities of greenhouse gases known to
contribute to global warming and thus offers a new tool to countries
battling climate change. The European Union's 27 Member States are
expected to release their first annual reports on the release and
transfer of the Protocol's list of pollutants on 30 September 2009.
Link to further information
UNECE press release
UN EXECUTIVE HEADS CALL FOR COPENHAGEN TO BE TURNING
POINT FOR A GLOBAL GREEN ECONOMY
The United Nations System
Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), which groups the
executive heads of the organizations of the UN
system,
issued a statement saying that the solidarity of the international
community is being tested and economic recovery should be "the turning
point for an ambitious and effective international response to the
multiple crises facing humanity." They further noted "the most
representative testing case is when governments meet to seal the deal on
climate change in Copenhagen in December 2009. Let Copenhagen be the
turning point for ushering in a global green economy." Their joint
statement was issued as an initiative of
CEB's
High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP).
Link to further
information
Joint statement
WORLD BANK SEEKS COMMENTS ON ITS WORK ON CLIMATE
CHANGE
The World Bank is seeking
comments on the implementation of its Strategic Framework on Development
and Climate Change. In order to help disseminate its climate-related
work since the adoption of the Framework in 2008, the Bank has issued a
special report on "The Bank Group at Work" and a "Technical Report."
Comments will be posted online, and the deadline for submissions is 31
July 2009.
Links to further
information
World Bank consultations
SHARING GENETIC
RESOURCES KEY TO ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN AFRICA
As temperatures in Africa rise rapidly, the
food security of many Africans will depend on farmers in one country
gaining access to climatically suitable varieties cultivated in other
African countries and beyond, a study published in Global
Environmental Change concluded. The study, conducted by researchers
at Stanford University's Program on Food Security and the Global Crop
Diversity Trust, warns that neglect of African crop collections held in
genebanks means that breeders do not have access to all varieties of
Africa's primary cereal crops that would allow farmers to adapt to
climate change.
Links to further information
Global Crop Diversity Trust press release, 19 June 2009
The
study's abstract
MAY 2009
UNDP ASSISTS GEORGIA IN
TRAINING OF REFRIGERATION WORKERS
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has
reported on its efforts to assist the Georgian Ministry of Environment
and Natural Resources in meeting its country's international commitments
under the Montreal Protocol. This assistance includes support for
training for refrigeration service specialists. In late May 2009, UNDP
assisted three Vocational Education and Training Centres in Tbilisi,
Kutaisi and Kobuleti, Georgia, through the provision of safety equipment
for the training of refrigeration and air conditioning service
professionals, as well as through funding study tours to Germany for
some graduates.
Link to further information
The Messenger Online, 29 May 2009
APRIL 2009
GAMBIA WORKING WITH
UNDP TO PHASE OUT ODS
The Gambia's National Environment Agency
and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) convened a one-day seminar, on
15 April 2009, in Banjul, Gambia. Organizers presented tools, equipment
and checks to companies that are end users of ozone depleting substances
as an incentive from UNDP.
Link to further information
Foroyaa news service, 15 April 2009
UNEP ANNOUNCES 2009 CHAMPIONS OF THE EARTH
On 22 April 2009, the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) announced seven innovators of positive
environmental change as UN UNEP 2009 Champions of the Earth at a gala
event in Paris, France. This year's winners were: Norwegian Environment
Minister Erik Solheim; tropical forest and climate campaigner Kevin
Conrad; photographic and public awareness pioneer Yann Arthus-Bertrand;
wind power entrepreneur Tulsi Tanti; biomimicry specialist Janine Benyus;
recycling innovator Ron Gonen; and the Ethiopian youth organization Tena
Kebena. This year, the awards moved away from geographical distribution
to recognize achievements in the areas of Policy Leadership, Science and
Innovation, Entrepreneurial Vision, Inspiration and Action, and
Next-Generation Champions.
Link to further
information
UN press release
NEW EU REGULATION ON SUBSTANCES THAT DEPLETE THE OZONE LAYER
Members of the
European Parliament (MEPs) approved a compromise update to the EU law on
substances depleting the ozone layer. The new law brings EU legislation
in line with developments of the Montreal Protocol aiming at protecting
the ozone layer, but goes beyond it. The agreement covers the marketing
ban of certain substances, but also substances contained in
refrigerators and insulation material in buildings. As well as
preventing the destructive effects of UV radiation, it will also assist
against climate change.
The phasing-out
of the production of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) will be brought
forward by five years and shall be achieved by the end of 2019. MEPs
agreed that the production of HCFC's has to be further decreased during
the period 2017-2019: it should fall to 7% in relation to 1997 levels.
The EU expects
further environmental and health benefits will be gained through a
reduction and ultimate phase-out by 18 March 2010 of the use of methyl
bromide (used as a pesticide), which until that time can be used only
for preventing the introduction and spread of pests through
international trade (quarantine and pre-shipment applications).
Although most of
the harmful substances are no longer produced and used in new equipment,
thousands of tonnes are contained in existing refrigeration equipments
and insulation material in buildings. The new regulation lists
responsibilities for undertakings to prevent the substances from being
released into the atmosphere to prevent further damage to the ozone
layer. It also tightens up the provisions on recovery and destruction of
these substances.
Link to further
information
EU press release
EBRD FUNDS CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENTS ACROSS EASTERN EUROPE AND THE
BALKANS
The European Bank
for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is intensifying its lending
for energy efficiency and clean energy projects. It has recently
established two new facilities worth a total of 110 million to finance
investments by enterprises in the Western Balkans in energy efficiency
and renewable energy projects. This is a continuation of the EBRD's
drive to promote energy efficiency and to unlock new sustainable sources
of energy throughout the whole EBRD region, including in the Western
Balkans where energy intensity remains relatively high.
The EBRD also
approved a 15 million loan to the United Bulgarian Bank to promote
lending to private industrial companies in Bulgaria to finance energy
efficiency and small renewable energy projects. It is also financing an
independent Siberian energy firm's gas flaring project, with a loan of
up to 90 million to help Irkutsk Oil Company implement a plan to cut
gas flaring at its East Siberian oilfields by the end of this year and
to restructure its debt.
Link to further
information
EBRD press releases
WORLD BANK CLIMATE INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK REQUESTS FEEDBACK ON FOREST
PROGRAM
The World Bank is seeking
feedback on the design documents for its Forest Investment Program (FIP),
a part of its Climate Investment Framework (CIF) that seeks to pilot and
demonstrate new approaches to forest management that lead to major
impacts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forests. The deadline
for comments on the design documents is 6 April 2009. A revised document
will then be prepared for approval at the final design meeting, to be
held on 7-8 May 2009, in Washington DC, US.
Link to further information
World Bank CIF website
MILLIONS OBSERVE EARTH HOUR
Millions of people around the
world took part in the third annual WWF sponsored event to call
attention to climate change by turning off their lights for an hour at
8:30 pm on 28 March 2009, in a symbolic call to change the Kyoto
Protocol. It is predicted that participation in this year's event
exceeded that number for 2008, when some 53 million in 371 cities in 35
countries participated.
Links to further
information
Text from Secretary-General's video message
Eweek.com News Report, 30 March 2009
US AND CANADA PETITION
IMO TO CREATE EMISSIONS CONTROL AREA AROUND THEIR COASTLINES
The US and Canada
submitted a joint proposal to the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) on 27 March 2009, requesting
that specific areas of their coastal waters be designated an Emissions
Control Area (ECA). The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA),
which announced the submission, indicated that, by 2020, the ECA
designation could prevent between 3,700 and 8,300 premature deaths
annually, and avoid approximately 3.4 million instances of respiratory
ailments, such as asthma, by reducing by 96% the sulfur in ships' fuels,
as well as cut emissions of PM by 85% and NOx by 80%. The IMO is
expected to begin reviewing the proposal in July.
Links to further information
USEPA Oceangoing Vessels webpage
ENS news report, 30 March 2009
MARCH 2009
ARCTIC COUNCIL AND CBD SIGN MEMORANDUM OF COOPERATION
The Arctic Council
Working Group on Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna and the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) signed a memorandum of
cooperation aiming at increasing cooperation and addressing the
increased challenges to arctic flora and fauna as a result of climate
change.
Link to further
information
Arctic Council press release, 31 March 2009
US TO HOST MAJOR ECONOMIES FORUM
US President
Barack Obama has announced that he will host a "Major Economies Forum on
Energy and Climate" to help facilitate efforts to negotiate a post-2012
climate change agreement. Leaders from 16 major economies have been
invited to a preparatory session on 27-28 April 2009 in Washington, DC,
US, to "help generate the political leadership necessary" to achieve an
international pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions later this year. Two
additional preparatory sessions are expected, but the dates and venues
have not been determined yet. The sessions will prepare for a meeting in
La Maddalena, Italy, in July 2009, on the sidelines of the G8 meeting
and hosted by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
Links to further
information
US State Department Press Release, 28 March 2009
US State Department Press Briefing, 29 March 2009
EC RELEASES REPORT ON SOILS' ROLE IN CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION
The
European Commission (EC) has released a report that underlines the role
that soils can play in mitigating climate change. The report "Review of
existing information on the interrelations between soil and climate
change," is a synthesis of the best available information on the links
between soil and climate change, and highlights that soils contain
around twice the amount of carbon in the atmosphere and three times the
amount to be found in vegetation. The authors underline the need to
sequester carbon in soils, adding that the technique is cost competitive
and immediately available, requires no new or unproven technologies, and
has a mitigation potential comparable to that of any other sector of the
economy.
Links to further
information
CLIMSOIL study
Europa press release, 5 March 2009
UNEP's Carbon Finance Initiative Proceeds
Carbon Finance for Agriculture, Silviculture, Conservation and Action
against Deforestation (CASCADe), which is coordinated by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UNEP Risø Centre in partnership
with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International
Development and the French National Forestry Office, recently selected
four projects to move forward, pending formal approval of their Project
Idea Notes. The initiative, which began in December 2007, seeks to
enhance expertise in generating carbon credits, primarily in land use,
land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) and bioenergy, and focuses on the
following countries: Benin, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal.
Link to
further information
CASCADe Website
US AND CANADA
LAUNCH CLEAN ENERGY DIALOGUE
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President Barack Obama
announced on 19 February 2009 that their countries would launch a new
initiative to further cross-border cooperation on environmental
protection and energy security. The US-Canada Clean Energy
Dialogue will commit senior officials from
both countries to undertake efforts to collaborate on the development of
clean energy science and technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases.
Link to further information
White House press release
GEF APPROVES CLIMATE-RELATED PROJECTS
The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Council has approved an intersessional work programme, including climate
change projects amounting to US$47.46 million. Climate projects approved
include several energy efficiency projects in China, India, Turkey and
Russian Federation, and a sustainable transport project in Pakistan. The
energy efficiency projects target energy efficiency in commercial
buildings, in the railway system, in small and medium-sized enterprises,
and in industry.
Link to
further information
GEF intersessional working programmes
FEBRUARY 2009
UNEP'S CN
NET RECORDS 100th PARTICIPANT
The City of Copenhagen, which
will host the UN Climate Change Conference in December 2009, became the
100th participant in the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). CN Net is an
initiative of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) that promotes
low-carbon economies and involves cities, companies, non-governmental
organizations, countries and UN agencies. Other recent additions to CN
Net include Microsoft, Daejeon, South Korea, the Norwegian County of
Aust-Agder, Deutsche Bank and News Limited.
Links to further information
UNEP press release,
19 February 2009
UN press release, 19 February 2009
Informal
Consultations on Draft UNGA Resolution on Security and Climate Change
Held
In closed meetings convened by the Permanent Mission of Tonga and the
Pacific Small Island Developing States, informal consultations were held
on 6 February 2009 and 12 February 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York,
US, on the UN General Assembly (UNGA) draft resolution on "Security and
climate change" (A/63/L.8). The threat posed by climate change to
security and prosperity emerged at the Sixth UK-Caribbean Ministerial
Forum in July 2008, and has gained prominence in the UNGA with this
draft resolution, which calls on the UN Security Council to consider and
address the security threat posed by climate.
Links to further information
UN Journal, 6 February 2009
UN Journal, 12 February 2009
Draft Resolution
UNEP's CN Net
Announces New Members: Sporting Events
The UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Climate Neutral Network (CN Net)
has added new participants, including the 2014 Sochi Olympic and
Paralympic Winter Games, the FIFA 2010 World Cup, "Rally Norway," the
Norwegian Grand Prix and the Norwegian Golf Federation. These sporting
events and organizations will work to neutralize their carbon footprint
through greening of the events and offsetting of the remaining carbon
emissions, including from travel. CN Net, which now has over 100
participants, was launched in February 2008 during UNEP's Governing
Council in Monaco, and is an online forum set up by UNEP, in cooperation
with the UN Environment Management Group, to tackle the challenge of
increasing greenhouse gases.
Link to further information
UNEP Press Release,
11 February 2009
UNite to Combat Climate Change Campaign Organizes
Kilimanjaro Climb
In cooperation with the UN's UNite to Combat Climate Change campaign and
as a part of the Kilimanjaro Initiative's fourth annual ascent to the
"rooftop of Africa," ten underprivileged youth from urban areas in
Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana summited Mount Kilimanjaro. This year's climb
is intended to raise awareness of climate change.
The Kilimanjaro Initiative,
which has brought close to 100 people to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
since 2006, is supported by the UN Federal Credit Union, the UN
Environment Programme, the UN Human Settlements Programme and the UN
Office on Sport for Development and Peace. The Initiative aims to
encourage young people to have self-belief and to enable youth to take
on a constructive role in their communities.
Link to further
information
UNEP press release, 5 February 2009
NGOs QUESTION WORLD BANK LOANS FOR
ADAPTATION
A group of non-governmental
organizations, Action Aid USA, Friends of the Earth International and
Jubilee USA Network, have issued a press release questioning the
adequacy of World Bank loans to poor countries to address adaptation.
They stress that, the "World Bank must provide grants, not loans, to
finance adaptation to climate change. After all, the Bank's largest
shareholders caused the climate crisis through their emissions. Asking
poor countries to go into further debt to clean up a mess they didn't
create is outrageous."
The Pilot Program on Climate Resilience (PPRC) is the
first operational program in the World Bank's Strategic Climate Fund.
The objective of the PPCR is to explore ways to integrate climate risk
and resilience into core development planning. The PPCR would provide
approximately US$500 million in grants and loans. Bangladesh, Bolivia,
Cambodia, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Tajikistan and Zambia have been
invited to participate in the PPCR.
Links to further information
Joint NGO Press Release, 5 February 2009
World Bank Press Release, 30 January 2009
Carbon Investment Funds website
ADB CONSIDERS REVISED ENERGY POLICY TO
INCORPORATE CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES
The Asian Development
Bank's (ADB) Board of Directors is currently reviewing an update to its
Energy Policy, a document that guides the Bank's operations in the
energy sector. The draft policy has been finalized incorporating views
received from both internal and external stakeholders and will align
ADB's energy operations to meet energy security needs, facilitate a
transition to a low-carbon economy, and achieve ADB's vision of a region
free of poverty. ADB expects the Board of Directors to adopt the updated
energy policy in March 2009.
Link to further information
Proposed updated ADB Energy Policy
WORLD BANK SEEKS FEEDBACK ON CLIMATE
CHANGE STRATEGY IN SOUTH ASIA
The World Bank's South Asia
region is in the process of seeking feedback from interested parties on
its draft climate change strategy. The strategy, titled "Towards a
Climate Change Strategy for South Asia," will articulate the guiding
principles for the Bank's climate-related work in the region. This is
part of an ongoing consultation process that will be held around the
region from 1 February-31 March 2009.
Link to further information
"Consulting on climate change in South Asia"
WORLD BANK ANNOUNCES CLIMATE CHANGE-RELATED
COMPETITIONS
The World Bank invites young people up to
25 years old to enter its annual essay competition on how climate change
affects youth, and how to tackle it with youth-led solutions. The
deadline for submissions (which may include videos and photos) is 22
February 2009. Authors should think how climate affects them in their
country, town or local community, and evaluate its consequences, as well
as the role of youth-led initiatives in the 'green economy.'
This
year's Development Marketplace competition for seed grants will be
focused on innovations for climate change adaptation. Eligibility
requirements and grant size will be announced soon.
Links to
further information
The
essay competition
The Development Marketplace awards
EC RELEASES CLIMATE
CHANGE PROPOSAL, US APPOINTS SPECIAL CLIMATE CHANGE ENVOY
The European Commission has released a
communication titled "Towards a comprehensive climate change agreement
in Copenhagen." The 28 January 2009 document calls for 30 percent cuts
in greenhouse gases for developed countries along with other measures it
hopes will provide a blueprint for global talks in Copenhagen. It also
proposes 15-30 percent cuts from all but the poorest developing
countries below "business as usual levels." Additional proposals address
the creation of an Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and
Development-wide carbon market by 2015, and innovative international
funding sources based on the polluter pays principle and the ability to
pay. The Communication is addressed to the Council, Parliament and EU
consultative bodies. The European Council is expected to give its
response in March 2009.
In other climate change-related
developments, the US Administration has appointed Todd Stern as Special
Envoy on climate change. In this position, the former senior White House
negotiator in the Kyoto and Buenos Aires climate talks will be the chief
climate negotiator in UN and other climate sessions. Secretary of State
Clinton noted, in announcing Stern's appointment, that President Obama
is also considering allowing California to implement stricter car
emission regulations and is pushing the US auto industry to improve the
fuel-efficiency of its fleets.
Links to further information
EC Communication
US State Department Transcript of Todd Stern Appointment
DENMARK LAUNCHES COP15 WEBSITE
The Danish Government, which will host the 15th
Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP15) and Fifth Meeting of the
Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP5) in December 2009 in Copenhagen,
has launched a host country website. In addition to providing
information on practical matters such as accreditation and accommodation
for COP 15, the site is aimed at stimulating global debate on climate
change in order to create support for an ambitious agreed outcome in
Copenhagen. The website is available in the six official UN languages
and Danish.
Link to
further information
The
website
INTERNATIONAL
RENEWABLE ENERGY AGENCY ESTABLISHED
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held its founding
conference in Bonn, Germany, on 26 January 2009, bringing together
representatives from over 100 governments. IRENA was set up to promote
renewable energy worldwide and help create conditions for renewable
energy development. IRENA will focus on providing policy advice for
national governments, facilitating technology transfer and capacity
building.
On 27 January, the Preparatory Commission
convened for the first time, and decided on the Agency's initial steps,
including the procedure and criteria for selecting IRENA's interim
Director-General and interim headquarters. Signatories of IRENA were
invited to put forward applications for the interim headquarters and
nominations of candidates for the post of interim Director-General until
30 April 2009. The Preparatory Commission is scheduled to decide on the
location of the interim headquarters and the interim Director-General in
June 2009.
Link to further information
IRENA Founding Conference website
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMS DAY OBSERVED
International Customs Day
was observed on 26 January 2009, with the theme "Customs and the
Environment: Protecting our Natural Heritage." Celebrations at the World
Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels, Belgium, highlighted the growing
problem of illegal trade in environmentally sensitive items, including
ozone depleting substances, as well as measures developed by the WCO to
put in place relevant international agreements' provisions related to
the trade of ozone depleting substances and other
environmentally-sensitive items.
Link to more information
Information note
JANUARY 2009
LEADING SCIENTISTS AT UN FORUM CALL FOR ACTION TO
HALT RISING ACIDITY IN WORLD'S OCEANS
Prince Albert II of Monaco urged political leaders to take notice of the
Monaco Declaration on Ocean Acidification, which was developed by
participants attending a UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) symposium on "The Ocean in a High-CO2 World,"
which took place from 6-9 October 2008, in Monaco.
The Declaration notes that levels of acidity are accelerating and
that its negative socio-economic impacts can only be limited by cutting
back on the amounts of greenhouse gases released to the atmosphere. The
Declaration was released in January 2009, with a call from over 150
leading marine scientists from 26 countries for immediate action by
policymakers to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions so as to avoid
widespread and severe damage to marine ecosystems from ocean
acidification. James Orr, UN Marine Environment Laboratories, a
Monaco-based subsidiary of the International Atomic Energy Agency,
stated that "the chemistry is so fundamental and changes so rapid and
severe that impacts on organisms appear unavoidable."
Link to further information
UNESCO Press Release, 30 January 2009
UN Secretary-General DISCUSSES CLIMATE in Davos
In two events at the World Economic Forum in Davos,
Switzerland, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined the threat of
climate change, called on the world's leaders to use the current
economic crisis to launch a new Global Compact entailing a "Green New
Deal," and called for a positive outcome from the Copenhagen Climate
Change Conference. In addition, he called for investment in renewable
energy and technological development as a means of addressing the
economic crisis, and highlighted the need for long-term thinking.
Achim Steiner, UNEP
Executive Director, also participated in sessions in Davos, discussing
the need for countries to agree on reduction targets for carbon dioxide
this fall. In a session on "biofuelling the future," Steiner discussed
the many factors that must be taken into consideration when thinking
about the tradeoffs inherent in a possible transition towards biofuels.
Links to further information
UN Press Release, 29 January 2009
UNEP Press Release, 29 January 2009
UN Secretary-General's Remarks, 29 January 2009
UNEP's CN Net Announces New Members
The Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane, in
addition to Greenfest, an Australian music festival, Clean Up the World,
an Australian community-based environmental campaign, and BalanceCarbon,
an Australian carbon management company, have joined the UN Environment
Programme's (UNEP) Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). Sydney, Australia's
biggest city, became Australia's first carbon neutral local government
in 2007. Brisbane, Australia's third largest city, aims to become carbon
neutral by 2026.
Link to further information
UNEP Press Release, 26 January 2009
QATAR JOINS GLOBAL GAS FLARING REDUCTION PARTNERSHIP
The World Bank's Global Gas Flaring
Reduction partnership (GGFR) welcomed Qatar as the first Gulf State to
join the global effort to reduce the flaring of gas associated with oil
production. The GGFR partnership estimates that globally some 150
billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas are flared or wasted every year,
adding about 400 million tons of greenhouse gases in annual emissions.
This is equivalent to almost all the potential yearly emission
reductions from projects currently submitted under the Kyoto mechanisms.
The amount of gas flared in the Middle East alone (about 30 bcm) could
feed a 20 million ton liquefied natural gas plant. The World Bank thus
called on other oil producing countries and companies in the Middle East
to join worldwide efforts of reducing the venting or flaring of natural
gas, and of increasing energy efficiency to mitigate climate change.
Link to
further information
World Bank
Press release, 25 January 2009
Link to further information
AFP News release, 22 January 2009
Documentary on the UN Calls for Global Efforts to Tackle Climate
Change
A new documentary on the work of the UN, entitled
"Planet UN," had its world premiere at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
The film calls for unprecedented and concerted global efforts to
confront threats such as the food, energy and financial crises, climate
change and nuclear threats. The film features interviews with UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior UN officials, and is
directed by French documentary-maker Romuald Sciora.
Link to further
information
UN Press Release, 21 January 2009
UN secretary-general: Climate Change is the "One True
Existential Threat to Our Planet"
In his first press conference of the year,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted 2009 as "the year of
climate change." He stressed that the climate change conference in
Copenhagen is only 11 months away, and indicated that he would engage
world leaders, including in the US, on the key issues in the
negotiations, beginning later this month at the World Economic Forum in
Davos and working toward a high-level meeting on the margins of the UN
General Assembly's general debate in September.
Link to further information
UN Press Release, 12 January 2009
GEF DEVELOPS FIVE NEW PROGRAMMATIC APPROACHES
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has
highlighted its shift in the focus of its portfolio to a programme-based
approach, in an effort to secure larger-scale and a more sustained
impact on the global environment. In this regard, five new programme
approaches approved by the GEF Council during its 34th
Council meeting in November 2009 include: a GEF Strategic Programme for
West Africa on Biodiversity, led by the World Bank, to scale-up
biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in the region in support
of poverty alleviation and growth; a GEF Strategic Programme for West
Africa on Energy led by UNIDO, to scale up investments in renewable
energy and energy efficiency in the region; a Framework for Promoting
Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Buildings led by UNDP, aimed at promoting
low-energy and low-emissions buildings, with projects submitted by UNDP
and some by UNEP; a programme to Reduce Industry's Carbon Footprint in
Southeast Asia through Compliance with a Management System for Energy,
led by UNIDO, which aims to promote sustainable energy efficiency
improvement in the industrial sector through training at the level of
systems and facilitating the introduction of energy management
standards, involving five national projects in Indonesia, Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia; and a Strategic Programme for
Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin led by the World Bank,
aimed at strengthening the protection and sustainable management of
forest ecosystems, and also contributing to long-term innovative finance
architecture for sustainable forest management in the region by
supporting payment schemes for ecosystem services, public-private
partnerships and the establishment/strengthening of trust funds.
Links to
further information
GEF Press Release, 9 January 2009
GEF Council documents
DIGITAL MAP OF AFRICA'S DEPLETED SOILS TO BE PRODUCED
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), a research
center of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
(CGIAR), will produce a detailed digital soil map of 42 sub-Saharan
countries. The project, named the African Soil Information Service (AfSIS),
will provide information necessary to overcome soil depletion and
improve crop production through better soil management. AfSIS is
supported through a four-year grant of US$18 million from the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in
Africa. The project will use innovative technologies such as remote
sensing via satellite and infrared spectroscopy to analyze the chemical
and physical properties and organic matter of soil samples. This
information will be made available via the Internet and ultimately will
become part of a global soil mapping initiative called
GlobalSoilMap.net.
Links to further information
CIAT press release
AfSIS website
FAO RELEASES FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE VIDEO
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (UN), with the Forestry
Commission of the United Kingdom, has produced a 17-minute video on
"Forests and Climate Change: a Convenient Truth." The video shows how
forests can contribute to the mitigation of climate change, stressing
the importance of reversing forest loss. The video explains how society
can combat climate change by conserving and managing existing forests,
by tackling causes of deforestation and by planting new forests. It
stresses the use of wood as a renewable energy source and as a raw
material. A section on adaptation notes how the world's changing climate
will affect the health and composition of forests and stresses the
importance of adapting and planning ahead for the changes. The DVD is
available in all UN languages, as well as Italian.
Links
to further information
FAO Press Release
The
Video
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