Central and Eastern Europe

The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Friday, 14 December 2018: Managing Carbon Risks and Raising Climate Ambition – New Policy Approaches for Countries with Fossil Fuels The Paris Agreement and the Nexus of Water, Energy and Food: Policy Coherence and Serious Games Leveraging Innovative Technology Research Development and Demonstration (RD&D) for Mobilizing International Resources towards Talanoa Pledges Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Managing Carbon Risks and Raising Climate Ambition – New Policy Approaches for Countries with Fossil Fuels Presented by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Chatham House Family photo at the end of the event The side event aimed to draw attention to carbon risks across a range of policy areas, including energy, industrial and long-term development planning. Presenters highlighted areas in policy and practice where development assistance can help countries overcome barriers to transitioning and building carbon resilience into long-term planning. Glada Lahn, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House, moderated the event, and noted that the “elephant in the room” at COP 24 is the role of oil and gas in development in the context of the Paris Agreement. She highlighted global discussions around raising economies out of poverty via oil and gas extraction in order to spur growth and development, and stressed the risks posed by the fossil fuel market in transitioning to a low carbon economy. Siân Bradley, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House, noted high expectations from countries on the role of oil and gas in their economies, highlighting a current reassessment of their value in the global economy. She underscored that the linkages between the oil and gas sector and the wider economy may deliver a shared value under a Business-as-Usual scenarios, whereas they would deliver a shared risk towards the economy under a 1.5°C scenario. She stressed the need to have a joint approach to carbon risks, adding that there is no point in pursuing climate solutions that undermine governance and socioeconomic stability. Chebet Maikut, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda, noted that Uganda has prioritized oil and gas as key sectors to spark socioeconomic development in the country. He stressed that his country needs to learn lessons from producer countries and highlighted his country’s commitment to reduce emissions from oil and gas by 22% by 2030. Rose Mwebaza, African Natural Resources Center of the AfDB, highlighted Nigeria as a good case study for including oil and gas emission reduction measures in its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). She noted, however, that the NDC showed what to achieve but not how to achieve it, drawing attention to the lack of a carbon strategy to implement these reductions. She urged for the exchange of knowledge with producer countries on how to extract the resources in the least disruptive manner. In the ensuing discussion, panelists and participants discussed issues regarding: conflicts between biodiversity conservation and resource extraction, noting that Uganda’s petroleum reserves overlap with 80% of the country’s protected areas; implications of transitioning to low carbon development, considering the heavy dependence of transport systems on fossil fuels; whether subsidies for oil and gas compete with renewable energy; and the role of the insurance industry. Participants listen to moderator Glada Lahn, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House Rose Mwebaza, African Natural Resources Center of the AfDB Siân Bradley, Energy, Environment and Resources Department, Chatham House Chebet Maikut, Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Moderator Glada Lahn, Energy, Environment, and Resources Department, Chatham House Isaiah Owiunji, WWF Uganda Balgis Osman-Elasha, AfDB CONTACT Rose Mwebaza, African Natural Resources Center of the AfDB | r.mwebaza@afdb.org MORE INFORMATION https://www.afdb.org/en/ The Paris Agreement and the Nexus of Water, Energy and Food: Policy Coherence and Serious Games Presented by Stichting Wageningen Research L-R: Floor Brouwer, Wageningen University and Research (WUR); Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly; Robert Oakes, United Nations University; and Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Council on Envergy Enviroment and Water (CEEW) This panel considered the effects of future climate policy in the nexus across water, energy, food, land and climate via simulations and serious games. Sabine Reinecke, University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, moderated the panel and opened the event by pointing out the dearth of references to water, energy and land in the Paris Agreement.  Floor Brouwer, WUR, presented the results of the SIM4NEXUS project’s simulations of the effects of the application of a carbon tax in two scenarios across the globe and in Europe. He showed two examples of carbon price simulations, which suggested that carbon emissions would likely be significantly reduced, even in a 2°C warming scenario, and that livestock production would most likely be stabilized rather than reduced. Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly, drew attention to the growing recognition of the interconnected securities of the Water-Energy-Land-Food-Climate nexus. She highlighted research on the effects of single factor policies on each across the other sectors, and discussed the “downward spiral” whereby population increase has led to increased intensification of agriculture, which places a continuously higher demand on water and energy to extract ground water. This, she said, eventually results in highly reduced water tables that can no longer sustain food production. She presented SIM4NEXUS, a serious game that facilitates the design of policies within this nexus. Robert Oakes, United Nations University (UNU), said that the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be considered an environmental policy nexus of their own. He described the explicit and implicit linkages between the SDGs, and the ways in which the Water-Energy-Land-Food-Climate nexus can align with these linkages. He warned that there will be trade-offs to satisfying the SDGs, because “you can’t maximize everything.” He concluded by presenting a global case study, which used a systems dynamics model to explore these trade-offs in the form of a serious game for policymakers. Vaibhav Chaturvedi, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, India, reported that solar PV and wind power require significantly less water and contribute both to the reduction in freshwater use as well as carbon intensity of power generation. In India, he noted, the transition from once-through to recirculating cooling systems has reduced water withdrawal in the energy sector. He stressed that even though these technologies are reducing water uptake, the land footprint of solar is high, and that the massive areas required for solar will compromise and compete with land required for food production. In the subsequent discussion, participants discussed: using serious games and simulations in urban settings rather than rural ones; the need to obtain accurate data to integrate into modeling; the ways in which communities can play a role in enhancing the Water-Energy-Land-Food-Climate nexus; and challenges in presenting serious games to policymakers. Moderator Sabine Reinecke, University of Freiburg Floor Brouwer, WUR A slide from the presentation Chrysi Laspidou, University of Thessaly Robert Oakes, UNU Vaibhav Chaturvedi, CEEW, India CONTACT Floor Brouwer, WUR | floor.brouwer@wur.nl MORE INFORMATION https://www.wur.nl Leveraging Innovative Technology Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) for Mobilizing International Resources towards Talanoa Pledges Presented by the Solomon Islands and the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) L-R: Moderator Chien-Te Fan, National Tsing Hua University; Alex Shyy, International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF); Melchior Mataki, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology, Solomon Islands; Robert Yie-Zi Hu, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) This event discussed the importance of technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) for innovating low-carbon development practices. Chien-Te Fan, National Tsing Hua University, moderated the event, which also sought to identify opportunities to scale and share best practices through international cooperation. Melchior Mataki, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology, Solomon Islands, emphasized that combating climate change must be done inclusively with the active involvement of non-Party stakeholders. He said that RD&D is critical for developing climate adaptation and mitigation solutions for countries, such as the Solomon Islands, noting that traditional knowledge can be an important component of this. Mataki closed by stressing the need to “noodilize” new technologies to ensure they are as rapidly and widely adopted as noodles or mobile phones. Robert Yie-Zu Hu, ITRI, presented on ITRI’s work on innovative and cooperative climate solutions from green technology. Noting Taiwan’s energy efficiency efforts to decouple GDP and energy consumption, he highlighted Taiwan’s energy transition goals, including to phase out nuclear power plants and grow the share of renewable energy from 4% to 20% by 2025. He further outlined Taiwan’s green technology development, including cross-disciplinary software and hardware integration, and building energy simulation technology with artificial intelligence to improve building energy efficiency. Hu concluded by emphasizing the importance of demonstrating the applicability of these technologies in pilot projects and scaling up through international cooperation. Alex Shyy, International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), discussed ICDF’s work in the Solomon Islands, and, in particular, its comparative advantage in supporting agricultural development there because of Taiwan’s agricultural history, RD&D strength, and comparable climates and geographies. Shyy highlighted case studies of ICDF supporting crop resilience and diversification and circular economy practices for agriculture. He suggested that circular economies could play an important role in supporting resilience in the Solomon Islands, which face high transport costs with its population spread across over 190 islands. In the following discussion, responding to a question on how Taiwan plans to reach 20% renewables, Hu underscored the importance of simultaneously sustaining Taiwan’s industry through seeking further investment, for example, in solar energy. Commenting on linkages with the Talanoa Dialogue, Mataki stressed the importance of increasing ambition on finance, technology and capacity building in addition to directly reducing emissions. He thanked Taiwan for its support to the Solomon Islands in this regard. Moderator Chien-Te Fan, National Tsing Hua University Melchior Mataki, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology, Solomon Islands Robert Yie-Zi Hu, ITRI Alex Shyy, ICDF Participants take notes Participants pose for a photograph with Melchior Mataki, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster and Meteorology, Solomon Islands Panelists pose for photographers CONTACT Chanel Iroi Iroi, Solomon Islands | c.iroi@met.gov.sb Wen-Cheng Hu, ITRI | vincenthu@itri.org.tw MORE INFORMATION https://pace.usp.ac.fj/ https://www.itri.org.tw/eng/ Around the Venue The IISD Side Events team at COP 24 (L-R) Ben Abraham, New Zealand; Bernard Soubry, Canada; Natalia Mroz, Australia/Poland; Panos Pomakis, Greece; Wanja Dorothy Nyingi, Kenya; Ikuho Miyazawa, Japan; Diego Noguera, Colombia; Tallash Kantai, Kenya; and Nancy Williams, US

The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Wednesday, 5 December 2018: Research and Development of Climate Change The Importance of Agriculture in the NDC-P: Current and Future Activities of the TWG Black Soils for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Decarbonizing the Cities and Communities through Distributed Energy Resources and Transition Delta Electronics Booth Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Research and Development of Climate Change Presented by the Government of Qatar L-R: Saleh Alharbi, Abdulhadi Nasser Al-Marri, and Moderator Yousef Ahmad Al-Hussaini, Qatar This event, hosted by Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Environment, addressed research related to water security, air quality and food security in Qatar. Yousef Ahmad Al-Hussaini, Qatar, moderated the session. Huda Al-Sulaiti, Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI), spoke about climate change and water security in her country. She reported that recent findings have shown that, if water resources are properly managed, Qatar will not face a projected water deficit in 2050. She listed types of water resources available for agriculture, including desalinated seawater, groundwater that is now highly depleted, brackish water, and treated wastewater for irrigation. She also spoke about the additional risks to these limited resources posed by climate change. To address water scarcity, she highlighted that QEERI is engaging in research on adaptive technologies. Al-Sulaiti highlighted results from recent research on groundwater mapping for vulnerability assessments, noting that water deficits in the Middle East are related to both anthropogenic climate change and poor water management. She drew attention to the development of advanced materials for desalination and water treatment that are energy-efficient and cost-effective, including filtration membrane technology and new desalinization technology. Mohammed Ayoub, QEERI and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, spoke on climate change impacts on meteorology and air quality in Qatar. He noted that QEERI focuses on building knowledge and developing capabilities in understanding and addressing air quality, and that the Institute also works on costing the impacts of air pollution Qatar. Highlighting that Qatar accounts for less than 0.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions but also that the country’s warming rate is 2.6 times the global average, he drew attention to the decreasing atmospheric moisture content as a result of climate change, particularly between March and July. Commenting on unusually high rainfall in June 2018, he highlighted the heat island effect experienced in Doha with heavier rainfall experienced in the city. He also spoke about the current increase in sand and dust storm events over the past decade, and further highlighted the trend of increasing aerosol optical thickness. Masoud Jaralla Al Marri, Executive Secretary, Food Security Committee, Qatar, spoke on the country’s food security initiatives, highlighting that water scarcity and air pollution related to climate change negatively affect the country’s agricultural production. Acknowledging that Qatar’s climate is not conducive to food production due to depleted water aquifers, he stressed that this makes the country one of the most vulnerable to climate change. He underscored a significant drop in agricultural production due to heat stress and decreased water availability and pointed to the fact that the country imports over 90% of its food and beverages. Outlining the country’s food security initiatives, he noted that Qatar is currently working to reduce water use in irrigation and has also adopted modern climate- and computer-controlled food production systems. He further highlighted that Qatar is focusing on local production only for the most essential commodities (such as dairy and poultry), and is building strategic storage reserves of other commodities to reduce climate vulnerability. To achieve this, he explained, the country is working with a diverse range of international trade partners to meet national demand. Ho Chin Siong, University of Technology, Malaysia, spoke on transforming to a low carbon society and how to move from science to action. Noting that cities are both a challenge and a solution when it comes to climate change, he reported that his university has published extensively on low carbon societies, based on test cases in Malaysia. On translating science to action, he stressed the need to decouple economic growth from increasing carbon emissions, and described the cycle of science, policymaking and action. He underscored the need for pro-poor, pro-job, pro-environment and pro-growth development. Siong then discussed low carbon strategies for the region of Iskander Malaysia, which integrates both spatial and non-spatial planning tools to achieve a green economy community. In the ensuing discussion, participants addressed: the effect of new technologies on climate change; the need for energy-efficient technologies to address water scarcity; the need for landscaping to cover Qatar with vegetation to address sand and dust storms; the need to ensure recycled water does not negatively impact human health; and the need to engage communities in the shift to low carbon development. Moderator Yousef Ahmad Al-Hussaini, Qatar Huda Al-Sulaiti, QEERI Mohammed Ayoub, QEERI and Hamad Bin Khalifa University Masoud Jaralla Al Marri, Executive Secretary, Food Security Committee, Qatar Ho Chin Siong, University of Technology, Malaysia Alaaeldein Abdelrahman Yousif, Sudan Partcipants ask questions to panelists Huda Al-Sulaiti QEERI (left), and Ho Chin Siong, University of Technology, Malaysia, receive tokens of appreciation from Abdulhadi Nasser Al-Marri, Qatar. Masoud Jaralla Almarri, Executive Secretary, Food Security Committee, Qatar, and Mohammed Ayoub, QEERI and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, receive tokens of appreciation from Abdulhadi Nasser Al-Marri, Qatar. Participants during the event A view of the Qatar Pavilion CONTACT Ministry of Municipality and Environment | info@mme.gov.qa MORE INFORMATION www.qeeri.org The Importance of Agriculture in the NDC-P: Current and Future Activities of the TWG Presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) L-R: Desire Nemashakwe, Green Impact Trust; Martial Bernoux, FAO; Leslie Debornes, CUTS International; and Martin Frick, UNFCCC Secretariat This panel presented case studies from the Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Agriculture, Food Security and Land Use of the FAO, which works to facilitate the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the agriculture sector. The TWG is a forum for countries and organizations to exchange experiences around food security and agriculture to overcome sector-specific barriers to agricultural adaptation. The event was moderated by Martial Bernoux, FAO.  Desire Nemashakwe, Green Impact Trust, described his organization’s work in Zimbabwe to promote climate smart agriculture (CSA) techniques. In particular, he highlighted the Trust’s CSA Manual, which has been mainstreamed across public schools in Zimbabwe. He also discussed the Students Agricultural Innovation and Development (SAID) programme, which aims to connect colleges and communities to create student-led CSA interventions to address community needs. Nemashakwe underlined the challenges of technology transfer to promote climate change adaptation in agriculture, including: limited extension services; high capital costs; and the need to develop gender-sensitive technologies. He concluded by outlining Green Impact Trust’s priorities for Zimbabwean agriculture, which center around the development of CSA “centers of excellence” matched to each of Zimbabwe’s five agricultural zones, building capacity among farmers, and focusing on research and development into agricultural techniques. Leslie Debornes, Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) International, described her organization’s PACT East African Community project, which stands at the nexus of climate change, food security, agriculture and trade. She highlighted that, through the project, CUTS has organized workshops which aim to help climate negotiators appreciate the importance of including agriculture in high-level dialogue, as well as develop shared positions to bring to the negotiations table. She said the project aims to share knowledge and build stakeholder capacity to promote coherent strategies at the international, national and regional levels. Debornes stressed that stakeholder engagement is critical to CUTS’ work, and that most of the organizations’ activities are developed on demand, stemming from frequent networking events and regular exchanges with agricultural stakeholders. Debornes concluded that, while a need exists to support stakeholder participation in UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations, it is equally necessary for them to be empowered to influence appropriate decisions at the national and regional levels.  Frank Fass-Metz, Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany, described Germany’s role as a provider of climate financing, emphasizing that climate change and food security are key international aid issues for the future. He underlined the importance of identifying the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food security, stressing that agriculture developments must be considered in light of future climate change impacts. In conclusion, he raised the example of BMZ’s support of knowledge-sharing regarding livestock research, which is essential to furthering both mitigation and adaptation efforts.  Martin Frick, UNFCCC, stressed that, while the agriculture sector needs the support of the international climate regime, the climate regime equally needs the support of agriculture to develop effective policies. Stressing that the successful implementation of NDCs is “where the rubber hits the road,” he explained that climate negotiators were initially reluctant to include agriculture in negotiations, lest it unfairly increase the mitigation burden in the Global South. He stressed the importance of success stories of on-the-ground adaptation to build developing countries’ trust in a global climate regime. He also discussed the broader co-benefits of agricultural adaptation to climate change, including: rural development, disaster risk reduction, gender equality, greenhouse gas mitigation and water security, which can all emerge from adequate adaptation schemes. Frick also praised the private sector’s increased responsible investment in farmers, which provide the financial security by which adaptation can occur. In the ensuing discussion, participants considered: FAO support in African states; the role of smallholder farmers; other possible areas of intervention regarding livestock; and private sector interventions. In response to a question about smallholder farmers in the Global South, participants raised the need for smallholder farmers to be organized to interact with different market mechanisms. Bernoux highlighted a series of regional analyses on NDC implementation published by the TWG on Agriculture, Food Security and Land Use of the FAO, that are now publicly available.  In closing, Frick urged that in creating successful agricultural adaptations, NDCs need to be implemented in the style of the Sustainable Development Goals, “leaving no one behind.” L-R: Martial Bernoux, FAO; Desire Nemashakwe, Green Impact Trust; Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ, Germany; Leslie Debornes, CUTS International; and Martin Frick, UNFCCC Secretariat Martial Bernoux, FAO Leslie Debornes, CUTS International Desire Nemashakwe, Green Impact Trust Frank Fass-Metz, BMZ, Germany A participant asks a question to the panel Martin Frick, UNFCCC Secretariat Adriana Opromolla, Caritas Internationalis Rashid Kaukab, CUTS International Participants during the event CONTACT Martial Bernoux | martial.bernoux@fao.org MORE INFORMATION www.fao.org Black Soils for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Presented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland and the Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation (IUNG) L-R: Grzegorz Siebielec, IUNG; Olcay Ünver, Land and Water Division, FAO; Zitouni Ould-Dada, Climate and Environment Division, FAO; Karol Krajewski, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Poland; Malgorzata Buszko-Briggs, Forestry Department, FAO This side event aimed to raise awareness on the importance of black soils for food security and climate change adaptation and mitigation. Participants discussed the importance of sustainable management of black soils as a concrete action towards avoiding and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Malgorzata Buszko-Briggs, Forestry Department, FAO, moderated the event. Karol Krajewski, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Poland, stated that farming generates a significant amount of GHG emissions and that the protection of black soils is related not only to climate change mitigation but to food security as well. Heemphasized the importance of accumulating carbon in the soil and highlighted that only about 25% of Poland's soils are characterized as black soils. He reported that his ministry has developed a strategy for better preservation of soils in Poland, and stressed the need to align this strategy with European agricultural policies to ensure black soils are appreciated for their ability to improve water retention. Zitouni Ould-Dada, FAO, said that the general public has limited knowledge regarding soils and stressed that they are important to ensure food security, and the provision of medicine, clean water and carbon sequestration. He noted that a third of global soils are degraded due to poor soil management practices in agriculture that result in reduced soil organic carbon content. He stated that education and awareness raising can help maintain healthy soils, and thus ensure food security, and that sustainable management of soils can contribute to meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the Sustainbable Development Goals. Olcay Ünver, FAO, stressed that soils provide the means for food production for rural families and support the maintenance of ecosystem functions and services. He reported that the majority of black soils are located in the Northern Hemisphere, and noted ongoing research on ways to enhance the productivity of black soils, while protecting them from the impacts of climate change. He highlighted that the FAO’s global soil partnership is developing voluntary guidelines on sustainable soil management. Grzegorz Siebielec, IUNG, cautioned against overestimating the capacity of soils to sequester carbon. He reported that organic carbon content is a basic indicator of soil quality and affects its capacity to retain water and combat soil erosion. He said that risks related to the decline of soil carbon include release of carbon dioxide, nutrient leaching and biodiversity loss. He noted that IUNG monitoring programmes look at trends of soil carbon and properties in different regions in Poland, and urged the sharing of soil databases between organizations. Budi Wardhana, Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency, said that 80% of Indonesia’s peatlands have been degraded due to agriculture and called for peatland restoration. He highlighted the need to provide alternative livelihood options to farmers, including fisheries and poultry production, to address sustainable management of peatlands. Tekini Nakidakida, Fiji, noted that many island states do not have much soil due to the high amount of sand, which poses a major challenge to agriculture-based food security. He suggested that incorporating compost would enable cultivation of legumes, and discussed the Kronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, which addresses soil health and fertility on the island. Maya Hunt, New Zealand, reported that farmers in New Zealand are committed to protecting black soil carbon in their fields. She highlighted challenges related to the measurement of the anthropogenic effect on soil organic carbon and the rate of carbon change in the soil. She concluded that the development of simple incentives and education campaigns and policies can encourage real change on the ground. Wiesław Oleszek, General Director, IUNG, said that IUNG has 60,000 sample points across Poland and 10,000 soil profiles that compare carbon concentrations between current and previous years. He said that the Institute is collaborating with European universities, which provide new tools and software and exchange databases on soil carbon content. In the ensuing discussion, panelists answered questions on the importance of early school education on the benefits of soil and peatlands, emphasizing that children need to interact with farmers at an early age. Panelists also noted that peatlands may store 100 times more carbon than other soils and, as a result, potentially release much more into the atmosphere. Malgorzata Buszko-Briggs, Forestry Department, FAO Karol Krajewski, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Poland Zitouni Ould-Dada, Climate and Environment Division, FAO Grzegorz Siebielec, IUNG The second panel during the event Budi Wardhana, Indonesian Peatland Restoration Agency Tekini Nakidakida, Fiji Maya Hunt, New Zealand A participant takes a photo Questions from the floor CONTACT Malgorzata Buszko-Briggs | Malgorzata.Buszkobriggs@fao.org MORE INFORMATION http://www.fao.org/world-soil-day/en/ Decarbonizing Cities and Communities through Distributed Energy Resources and Transition Presented by the Delta Electronics Foundation (DEF) and the Renewable Energy Institute (REI) Panelists pose for a group photo Posted by IISD Reporting Services on Friday, 7 December 2018 This event focused on the role of innovative energy efficiency and distributed energy resources to empower cities to lead the fight against climate change, and relevant urban policies and practices that facilitate decarbonization and resilience in the building and transport sectors. Yvonne Chan, DEF, opened the event, and highlighted that cities matter because they are the biggest CO2 emitters and also are vulnerable to natural disasters. She outlined DEF’s efforts to: promote urban energy efficiency, especially in the building sector; increase private sector engagement through facilitating leadership in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Climate Disclosure Project Leadership Index; and participate in the Climate Group’s electric vehicle 100 (EV100) program. Yuri Okubo, REI, noted the importance of improving, speeding up and scaling up energy efficiency, particularly in the building sector in Japan. She said 2018 was another year that Japanese citizens witnessed the adverse impacts of climate change and the importance of a decentralized energy system, with severe heat waves inside buildings and the Hokkaido earthquake that saw more than three million households suffer from a blackout, which was partially blamed on the centralized power generation system. Noting the high share in cities’ CO2 emissions in the building and transport sectors, Moderator Yuko Nishida, REI, emphasized the role of local governments and urban policies to achieve energy efficiency, such as green building and energy ratings, emission trading schemes, green leasing and awareness rising programmes. She stressed that a pathway to net zero energy and carbon building and communities requires demand-side actions, including reducing energy consumption, introducing renewables, and supply side actions to move towards more renewables and a distributed energy system. David Ribeiro, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), described ACEEE’s 2017 City Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which shows energy efficiency efforts in large cities in the US, noting the differences on where cities stand. In the building sector, he said that home energy efficiency policies, such as ratings and labels, can help consumers by increasing transparency regarding costs associated with powering a home. In the transport sector, he stressed the importance of benchmarking that measures a building's energy use and transparency policies, which require that benchmarking results be made publicly available, and called for enhanced data transparency on energy use. Emmanuelle Pinault, C40 Cities, introduced C40’s new Deadline 2020 initiative, which outlines the pace, scale and prioritization of action needed by C40 member cities over the next five years and beyond. She also highlighted the ambitious Net Zero Carbon Building Declaration, launched in September 2018, which pledges to enact regulations and/or planning policies to ensure new buildings operate at net zero carbon by 2030 and all buildings by 2050. She called for more cities and other actors to sign onto the Declaration. Elizabeth Beardsley, U.S. Green Building Council, described the Leadership in Energy and Environment Decision (LEED) certification of green buildings, which is creating impacts in ensuring low-carbon emissions from buildings. She described LEED Zero, a net zero carbon programme launched to recognize buildings operating with net zero carbon emissions from energy consumption over a period of 12 months. She said the challenge is in shifting heating and cooling systems to renewables. She further presented the Arc platform that helps the building community improve sustainability technologies and adopt a more holistic approach to buildings. Shan Shan Guo, Executive Director, DEF, stressed the importance of supplementing the traditional centralized power infrastructure with distributed energy resources (DER), which allows storage of energy. In the transport sector, she described a vehicle-to-grid charger that enables people to automatically use electricity from EV batteries for home appliances. She also discussed the restoration of the Namasia Ming Chuan School after a typhoon, noting that the restoration transformed it into a net zero carbon school. The campus, she reported, is highly energy efficient, and shelters thousands of people from indigenous communities during typhoons. In the ensuing discussion, participants considered: the importance of stakeholder engagement in the building and transport sectors; education to fill knowledge gaps on energy sources; the role of city networks to catalyze urban climate actions; and the need to strengthen coordination between all levels and across sectors. L-R: Yvonne Chan, DEF; Yuko Nishida, REI; David Ribeiro, ACEEE; Emmanuelle Pinault, C40; Elizabeth Beardsley, U.S. Green Building Council; and Shan Shan Guo, Executive Director, DEF Shan Shan Guo, Executive Director, DEF Yvonne Chan, DEF, and Yuko Nishida, REI David Ribeiro, ACEEE Emmanuelle Pinault, C40 Elizabeth Beardsley, U.S. Green Building Council Joseph Avrum Kruger, Georgetown University A participant poses a question Participants listen to questions from the floor A participant poses a question Shan Shan Guo greets participants after the event CONTACT Yi Chieh Chan | Yvonne.Chan@Delta-Foundation.org.tw Yuri Okubo | y.okubo@renewable-ei.org MORE INFORMATION https://www.renewable-ei.org/en/ http://www.delta-foundation.org.tw/ Delta Electronics Booth Participants visit the Delta Electronics booth Wim Chang and Alessandro Sossa, Delta Electronics Around the Venue Participants attend a WWF pavilion side event

The following events were covered by IISD Reporting Services on Tuesday, 4 December 2018: Shocks and Stressors: Water’s Essential Role in Addressing Climate Change and Disaster Risk Island Resilience Initiative (IRI) From Science to Policy: Achieving the SDGs in a 1.5°C Warmer World Science and Policy Must Come Together to Successfully Implement Countries’ NDCs Making climate action more transparent and ambitious: lessons learned from the NDCs Community Based Adaptation in Islands: Recycling Plastic to Mitigate Climate Change Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz / Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Shocks and Stressors: Water’s Essential Role in Addressing Climate Change and Disaster Risk Presented by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and the World Water Council L-R: John Matthews, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA); Cees van de Guchte, Deltares; Anil Mishra, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Kenzo Hiroki, UN High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters; Karounga Keita, Wetlands International; Kevin Adams, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI); and Pasquale Cappizi, Arup This event focused on water as a mechanism for finding common ground within the disaster risk reduction (DRR) community. Moderated by John Matthews, Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), it demonstrated how water can be a catalyst for action to confront new threats and existing long-term risks stemming from climate change. Cees van de Guchte, Deltares, highlighted the need for improving coherence between climate change adaptation and water-related DRR, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He called for enhanced participation of DRR communities in climate processes. Outlining UNESCO’s Global Risk Landscape Report 2018, Anil Mishra, UNESCO, emphasized the importance of increasing the understanding of the finance community on this topic and addressing trade-offs while enhancing synergies between climate mitigation options and the SDGs. He highlighted his work on identifying the needs and risks of local communities, including monitoring floods and droughts, through a participatory approach. Kenzo Hiroki, UN High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters, highlighted that 95% of natural disasters are water related and that their impacts are felt disproportionately by low-income groups. He explained that while heavy rain often appears to be a local phenomenon, it is tied to global meteorological changes. He also suggested that DRR, water management and climate adaptation should not be treated as separate. Karounga Keita, Wetlands International, noted that the flood area of the Inner Niger Delta has decreased dramatically and, that concurrently, there has been steep growth in the population that depend on it for their livelihoods. He explained that this has led to increased water stress, with the region becoming the “epicentre of conflicts” in the region. Kevin Adams, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), stressed the evolving linkages between climate change adaptation and DRR, highlighting the work of the European Platform on Climate Adaptation and Risk Reduction (PLACARD), the Stockholm Climate and Security Hub, and the SEI Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk. He emphasized that water is the key mechanism to integrate the DRR agenda into the climate agenda. Pasquale Capizzi, Arup, outlined the importance of: reconciling shocks and stressors through improving understanding and communication; and engineering decision making and institutional settings by improving coherence between DRR, climate change and sectoral policies. During the discussion, participants reflected on the importance of considering the social and environmental costs of hydroelectric dams, and how pricing mechanisms may disadvantage the poor. Oclay Ünver, UN Water, provided closing remarks, emphasizing the need to think holistically, as neither the costs nor effects of water disasters are siloed. John Matthews, AGWA, moderated the event. Cees van de Guchte, Deltares, called for enhanced participation of DRR communities in climate processes. Anil Mishra, UNESCO, highlighted his work on identifying the needs and risks of local communities, including monitoring floods and droughts, through a participatory approach. Kenzo Hiroki, UN High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters, suggested that DRR, water management and climate adaptation should not be treated as separate. Karounga Keita, Wetlands International, noted that the Niger Delta is the “epicentre of conflicts” in the region. Kevin Adams, SEI, emphasized that water is the key mechanism to integrate DRR agenda into the climate agenda. Oclay Ünver, UN Water, addressed participants at the end of the event. Pasquale Capizzi, Arup, underscored the need to find an adequate planning scale for all local communities and to ensure finance for resilience projects. Participants listen to panelists CONTACT Ingrid Timboe (AGWA) | policy@alliance4water.org MORE INFORMATION http://www.globalwaterforum.org/ http://www.globalwaterforum.org/2018/12/02/mastering-disaster-in-a-changing-climate-reducing-disaster-risk-through-resilient-water-management/ Island Resilience Initiative (IRI) Presented by Pacific Islands Development Forum (PIDF) This event, moderated by Mark Borg, Team Leader, PIDF, considered the work of the Global Island Partnership’s (GLISPA) Island Resilience Initiative (IRI). In her video message, Kate Brown, Executive Director, GLISPA, highlighted that the President of Palau launched the IRI, with Fiji and the Marshall Islands, to strengthen implementation of community-based adaptation efforts, which align with nationally-led sustainability commitments by building public-private partnerships. She drew attention to the importance of the public-private partnership to support and track resilience and sustainability goals through enhancing resilience projects to implement the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, IRI, spoke about the work of the Initiative so far, noting, in particular, funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme. He stressed that the IRI has created a definition of island resilience which includes traditional knowledge and multisectoral efforts, and noted that the IRI distills the big goals on the global agenda into six pillars to promote resilience: community, environment, energy, equity, food and water. Underlining the importance of enhancing resilience at the community level, François Martel, Secretary General, PIDF, described PIDF’s multi-stakeholder board and regional strategic plan, which aims to deliver community-based programmes through an online dashboard, linking the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate action into a single focus. He also spoke on the Island Resilience Partnership, a USD 100 million investment, which he described as a public-private partnership designed to support island communities to move towards renewable energy solutions. Arno Boersma, Aruba Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, spoke on the Centre’s Partnership with the IRI, noting that the Centre tries to help island nations to harness best practices from other programmes so as not to reinvent the wheel. He highlighted a number of the events the Centre has run to promote best practice in creating resilience, including on financing the resilience of island states and on promoting energy strategies for resilience. In the ensuing discussion, participants considered, inter alia: climate mitigation in SIDS; the Pacific Climate Treaty which focuses on mitigation, and loss and damage; the importance of promoting and implementing sustainable, circular economy solutions; how to communicate the impact of the IRI; and the importance of country ownership of the IRI to promote sustainability. Mark Borg, PIDF, moderated the event François Martel, PIDF, Secretary General, PIDF, said that, for island states, resilience relates to the community, because “when a community is resilient, it can endure anything.” Participants at the event CONTACT Mark Borg, PIDF | mark.borg@pidf.int MORE INFORMATION http://www.glispa.org/11-commitments/203-islandresilience From Science to Policy: Achieving the SDGs in a 1.5°C Warmer World Presented by Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), the German Committee Future Earth, the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the UN Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) L-R: Daniela Jacob, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); Bettina Schmalzbauer, Executive Director, German Committee Future Earth; Ione Anderson, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI); Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR); Thelma Krug, IPCC Vice-Chair; and Douglas Leys, Green Climate Fund (GCF) The event focused on the impacts of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, and the avoided risks on ecosystems and human wellbeing compared to a 2°C scenario. The discussions highlighted cooperative actions required to communicate, mitigate, adapt and reduce risks, and how to finance climate resilient development. Panelists also addressed the outcomes of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 ºC (SR15) and the upcoming UN Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), set to be released in 2019. Ione Anderson, IAI, introduced the event, announcing that her organization is launching a communication competition to raise awareness on the SR15 and GSDR. Bettina Schmalzbauer, German Committee Future Earth Executive Director, moderated the event. Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2019 Climate Summit, said the Summit will elevate climate change to the highest level on the environment agenda, and will allow for accelerated climate action required to mitigate climate-related disasters. Thelma Krug, IPCC Vice-Chair, discussed the linkages between the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement, drawing from the SR15. She cited a chapter addressing sustainable development, poverty eradication and the reduction of inequalities, and emphasized that, if unchecked, current climate trajectories will increase the likelihood of not achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, GSDR, emphasized the linkages between climate action and sustainable development, saying the development models in the next decade will influence the way climate will evolve. He pointed to synergies in energy efficiency in the building sector that offer reduction of energy bills and pollution, and enhance human wellbeing. Daniela Jacob, IPCC, said the last five decades have seen the intensification of climate change impacts, observed through intensified extreme event,s such as floods and droughts. She said that in a 2ºC scenario, losses would be observed in all sectors, including the loss of agricultural land caused by salt intrusion due to sea-level rise. Douglas Leys, Green Climate Fund (GCF), said his institution has observed that transformative adaptation can be achieved. The Fund, he said, can help achieve 1.5°C goals by supporting country-driven paradigm shifts towards low emission and climate-resilient development pathways. Luis Alfonso de Alba, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2019 Climate Summit Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, GSDR, said we have no choice but to transform to sustainable development models. Thelma Krug, IPCC Vice-Chair, said net effects of mitigation or adaptation actions will depend on, among other things, the pace and magnitude of the actions and the composition of the mitigation portfolio Bettina Schmalzbauer, Executive Director, German Committee Future Earth, moderated the session. Douglas Leys, GCF, discussed ways in which new scientific knowledge on different mitigation pathways can guide GCF projects on the ground and contribute to policies for long-term sustainable decisions. Daniela Jacob, IPCC, said every increase in temperature counts, and affects all aspects of life. Ione Anderson, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research Participants listen to panelists CONTACT Ione Anderson, Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) | ianderson@dir.iai.int MORE INFORMATION http://www.iai.int Science and Policy Must Come Together to Successfully Implement Countries’ NDCs Presented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Cornell University, and Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) L-R: Timothy Thomas, IFPRI; Allison Chatrchyan, Cornell University; Catherine Mungai, CCAFS; Diana Haruyunyan, UNDP Armenia; J. Angelina Espinosa, Ministry of Agriculture, Chile; and Carolina Balian, Ministry of Agriculture, Uruguay This event explored the implementation of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in the agriculture sector across scales, and posed questions about how agriculture and climate researchers can most effectively interact with policymakers. Timothy Thomas, IFPRI, presented the results of a seven-year study on the impacts of climate change on agriculture in Central America. He called attention to the negative impacts of climate change on crop production, stressing that impacts are not evenly distributed across regions, and that NDCs must therefore mirror the diversity of effects. Angelina Espinosa, Ministry of Agriculture, Chile, presented Chile’s NDCs on agricultural mitigation and adaptation. Stressing that, while actions are important, impact measurement and monitoring are key to generating resilience in agriculture. She cited Chile’s National Adaptation Plan, which is structured such that future resilience policy is iteratively informed by monitoring results. Carolina Balian, Ministry of Agriculture, Uruguay, highlighted her country’s livestock sector as both vulnerable to climate change and an important area for emission reductions. She noted that Uruguay is developing a sectoral adaptation plan for agriculture. Raising the persistent challenge of obtaining high-quality activity data, she nevertheless emphasized that mitigation, adaptation and agricultural productivity can be synergetic. Diana Harutyunyan, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Armenia, presented water management in Armenia as an example of the drivers of “evident and very hurtful” agricultural losses. Supporting proactive rather than reactive support schemes, she drew close links between food security and national security, and noted the important role of extension services in connecting policy and practitioners. Catherine Mungai, CCAFS, described her organization’s Policy Action for Climate Change Adaptation in East Africa (PACCA) project, which includes non-state actors and smaller-scale parties in discussions around climate change and agriculture. She also cited CCAFS’ Climate Smart Villages programme, which allows policymakers to observe climate-smart agricultural practices in action. Allison Chatrchyan, Cornell University, addressed the challenge of scaling up climate-smart agriculture when disparity exists between locally-specific adaptation requirements and global mitigation policies. She called for more policy support from research institutions, underlining that the challenge was not in developing support mechanisms, but in implementing them, adding that “we know what we need to do.” In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed, among others: financial instruments necessary for agricultural adaptation and resilience; the importance of support for and by research institutes in incorporating adaptation in NDCs; acknowledging the vulnerability of smallholder farmers, and the necessity of including them in decision-making processes; and the challenges of communicating science to agriculture policymakers. Timothy Thomas, IFPRI, stressed the importance of developing successful adaptation practices for farmers, saying that “resilience now can equate to resilience in the future.” Carolina Balian, Ministry of Agriculture, Uruguay. J. Angelina Espinosa, Ministry of Agriculture, Chile, noted that Chile’s NDC commitments for emission reductions in agriculture could become even more ambitious with international support. Diana Haruyunyan, UNDP Armenia, highlighted the role of extension services in connecting climate adaptation policy to practitioners in the agriculture sector, saying that “scientific knowledge must be nationally embedded.” Citing Nobel laureate and political economist Elinor Ostrom, Allison Chatrchyan, Cornell University, argued that nested scales of global to local policies are necessary to transform agriculture within a changing climate. Catherine Mungai, CCAFS Participants during the event CONTACT Allison Chatrchyan | amc256@cornell.edu MORE INFORMATION https://www.cgiar.org/ www.ifpri.org Making Climate Action More Transparent and Ambitious: Lessons Learned From the NDCs Presented by the German Development Institute (DIE) L-R: Angel Hsu, Yale University; Pieter Pauw, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management; Arunabha Ghosh, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW); Clara Brandi, German Development Institute (DIE); Saleemul Huq, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED); and Niklas Höhne, NewClimate Institute This event was grounded in the notion that current nationally determined contributions (NDCs) lack sufficient ambition and clarity for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. Moderated by Arunabha Ghosh, CEEW, the panelists shared preliminary findings for a special issue of Climate Policy, which aim to help improve future NDCs. Pieter Pauw, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, stressed the importance of climate finance and support, noting that 134 NDCs are conditional upon receiving additional finance. He highlighted that the estimated cost of implementing existing NDCs exceeds the USD 100 billion per year of climate finance that has been pledged for 2020-2030. Angel Hsu, Yale University, articulated the importance of non-state actors to climate mitigation, pointing to research suggesting they can plug much of the ‘emissions gap’ between NDCs and pathways that will limit warming to 1.5 or 2ºC. She also noted that while few Annex 1 countries mention non-state actors in their NDCs, most non-Annex 1 countries do, especially in reference to adaptation. Making this reference, she suggested, is key to facilitating the link between state and non-state actors. Niklas Höhne, NewClimate Institute, shared research on lessons learned from the process of NDC preparation, saying that it has kick-started national mitigation policy processes. He also argued that political momentum for NDC development must be maintained, and highlighted translating high-level considerations to the sectoral level as the key challenge for creating the next NDCs. Saleemul Huq, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), pointed out that while including adaptation in NDCs was optional, most countries did. He argued that the ability to adapt is not necessarily tied to wealth and that rich communities and countries have much to learn from the poor, who are often forced to develop adaptive capacity due to having faced climate impacts with more regularity. Clara Brandi, DIE, presented on the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and NDCs, highlighting many overlaps between the two, while also drawing attention to room for improved policy coherence. Future NDCs, she suggested, could become more ambitious by taking into account national sustainable development strategies. In the discussion, participants considered the NDC financing gap, noting that while it may appear huge, there are reasons to believe it may decrease due to technology development. They also noted that the ‘global goal’ for adaptation has yet to be defined and that this should be a priority for adaptation researchers. Participants also raised the point that in examining NDCs, we should not lose sight of actual national climate policies, which are ultimately more important. Pieter Pauw, Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, posed the question of whether conditional NDCs are a foothold for equity or an “Achilles’ heel.” Angel Hsu, Yale University, highlighted the Talanoa Dialogue as key for incorporating the important mitigation contribution of non-state actors. Niklas Höhne, NewClimate Institute, said that assessing financial support needs and potential co-benefits were two of the key difficulties during NDC preparation. Arunabha Ghosh, CEEW, moderated the event. CONTACT Pieter Pauw, DIE | p.pauw@fs.de MORE INFORMATION www.die-gdi.de/en/ Community Based Adaptation in Islands: Recycling Plastic to Mitigate Climate Change Presented by Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation (EQPF) and theTaiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE) Family photo with panelists at the end of the event This event highlighted the vulnerability of island coastal areas and ecosystems to climate change, and examined island partnership schemes that build ecosystem resilience through a community awareness and livelihood sustainability-recycling programme. Cheryl Jeffers, Department of Environment, Saint Kitts and Nevis, moderated this event. She reported that plastic waste management is an emerging problem for her country, due to the high dependence on single-use plastic bags and bottles. She welcomed the support and collaboration provided to her country for recycling plastics. Tao-Sheng Lee, EQPF, shared experiences from the Taiwan Forestry Bureau in the rehabilitation and management of forests, which account for 60.7% of the country’s landmass. He said sustainable management of forests in collaboration with communities in Taiwan has ensured integrity of forest ecosystems, while preserving the rights of indigenous peoples. I-Chan Cheng, EQPF, noted the Foundation’s efforts to provide innovative education to schoolchildren on environmental issues and said that the focus on climate education came as a result of responding to Article 12 of the Paris Agreement. He stressed that they are trying to combine children’s rights and environmental sustainability using principles from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). He noted that children are encouraged to share their opinion and get more involved in environmental education and urged more educators to join this endeavor. He also said that the CRC could link the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) together. Alex Shyy, International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), said that ICDF has 84 ongoing projects in 38 countries and is cooperating with various partners. He stressed the difference between small island developing states (SIDS) and non-SIDS regarding production losses from natural disasters, with the Caribbean ranking third. He presented two case studies in Saint Kitts and Nevis, describing how Taiwanese meteorologists and agriculture specialists helped to enhance the country's capacity in adapting to climate change. Yuh-Ming Lee, Center for Corporate Sustainability, TAISE, outlined Taiwan’s low-technology adaptation measures to respond to floods, including through improvement of evacuation routes and early warning system, and to overcome overheating through cooling and preserving vegetation. He said that Taiwan’s “Four-in-One Recycling Programme” has contributed to hazard mitigation and climate change adaptation, involving government, manufacturers, consumers and licensed recycling enterprises. In the ensuing discussion, participants discussed the role of the private sector in Taiwan’s experience and opportunities for South-South cooperation. L-R: Alex Shyy, ICDF; Yuh-Ming Lee, TAISE; Eugene Chien, Chairman, TAISE; Cheryl Jeffers, Department of Environment, Saint Kitts and Nevis; Tao-Sheng Lee, EQPF; and I-Chan Cheng, EQPF Cheryl Jeffers, Department of Environment, Saint Kitts and Nevis, moderated this event. Tao-Sheng Lee, EQPF, said that people are a key to forest resource management in Taiwan. Eugene Chien, Chairman, TAISE, introduced the panel presentations. I-Chan Cheng, EQPF, stressed that writing and other forms of activity can be a powerful tool to improve creativity in the school environment on climate education. Yuh-Ming Lee, TAISE, highlighted Taiwan’s “per-bag trash fee” initiative as an effective policy tool to increase recycling volume. Alex Shyy, ICDF, noted that the impact of climate disasters in agriculture worldwide resulted in USD 93 billion of losses as a result of declines in crop and livestock production between 2005 and 2014. Hanan El-Amin Muddathir, Environmental Initiative for Sustainable Development (Envl), Sudan, asks a question to Alex Shyy CONTACT June Hughes (Saint Kitts and Nevis) | ccodoe@sisterisles.kn Szu Chi Kao (EQPF) | ted.eqpf@gmail.com Yuh-Ming Lee (TAISE) | yml@gm.ntpu.edu.tw MORE INFORMATION http://www.eqpf.org/en/Site/index.html http://taise.org.tw/en/ Around the Venue