Stockholm sends a message to Copenhagen on water

Stockholm, Sweden: Negotiators working towards a global agreement on climate change in Copenhagen in December are to be told that “water is a key medium through which climate change impacts will be felt” and that “a strong and fair agreement on future global commitments on climate change measures—both mitigation and adaptation—is crucial in order to secure future water resource availability”.

WWF, which played a key role in the discussions leading to the Stockholm Statement as a key outcome of World Water Week, strongly endorsed the message which was greeted with a unanimous show of hands by delegates when presented by convenor the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

The statement identifies integrating land, water and forest management as the key to successful climate change adaptation and said that “ecosystem protection and sustainability is fundamental to adaptation and human development”.

Presenting the results of the discussions, WWF head of Freshwater Adaptation Dr John Matthews said that “water is not simply a sector, it is what we are made of”.

“Decisions about water infrastructure and management that we will live with for decades are being made now, all too often under policies and by institutions that were built on an assumption of a stable climate and have yet to adapt themselves,” Dr Matthews said.

“Adaptation measures now going forward in the negotiations are dangerously disconnected from what we are learning about successful climate adaptation and building climate resilience in the field.”

“This Stockholm Statement is important in linking the need for effective mitigation measures through which we can minimise the extent of climate change and core adaptation priorities that can minimise the impacts of climate.”

Dr Matthews said most elements of good adaptation practice were already known but more effort needed to be devoted to the assessment of regional, economic and social vulnerability to climate change impacts, and managing risk for extreme events. There was a need also to reduce the uncertainty in climate projections.

NEW GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PACT SHOULD CONSIDER HUMANITARIAN SUFFERING – UN

NEW GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS PACT SHOULD CONSIDER HUMANITARIAN SUFFERING – UN
New York, Jun 8 2009 6:01PM
A group of 18 of key United Nations and partner aid agencies attending climate change talks in Bonn today called for the humanitarian impacts of global warming to be addressed in a new greenhouse gas emissions agreement to be negotiated later this year.

The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) said that the successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, with nations expected to wrap up negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December, must take a practical approach to help alleviate the suffering of vulnerable populations caused by extreme weather and environmental degradation.

"The scale of the potential humanitarian challenge presented by climate change in the future is huge," said John Holmes, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), one of the UN bodies involved in the IASC.

"This is a defining moment to ensure that the challenge is not insurmountable and human suffering is minimised," added Mr. Holmes, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.

More than 20 million people have been displaced by climate-related sudden-onset natural disasters in 2008 alone, according to a new study by OCHA and the Norwegian Refugee Council's (NRC) Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.

The total number of people affected by natural disasters has risen sharply over the past 10 years, with an average of 211 million people directly affected each year, nearly five times the number impacted by conflict in the same period.

Extreme and slow-onset climate events – such as floods, storms, droughts, rising sea levels and desertification – are impacting more and more people each year, with the most vulnerable including women and children, those already struggling with poverty, insecurity, hunger, poor health and environmental decline.

Climate change is also expected to dramatically affect patterns of migration and population movement, with many millions to be displaced by prolonged droughts, repeated floods or storms, according to an IASC news release.

The Committee noted that the Copenhagen agreement has potential to avert or reduce many of the humanitarian consequences of climate change over the next decade, but adapting to these climatic shocks will mean focusing on prevention and preparation by strengthening national and local r

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esources to cope with future disasters.

The UN talks under way in Bonn entered their second week today, with countries set to start making more detailed proposals on an initial round of comments on a proposed draft for the climate change deal.

"We are getting down to the nitty gritty of the negotiations," said Yvo de Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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‘SMART SOLUTIONS’ NEEDED FOR CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES – SECRETARY-GENERAL

'SMART SOLUTIONS' NEEDED FOR CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES – SECRETARY-GENERAL
New York, Jun 5 2009 6:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for multilateralism and "smart solutions" to confront economic and climate challenges that could result in insecurity and upheaval.

With the world in the midst of the worst economic crisis in the history of the United Nations, Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3901">message to the annual conference of the UN Association of the United Kingdom (UNA-UK) in Edinburgh that "growing poverty is fuelling increased insecurity. Changes in our planet's climate likewise threaten global upheaval."

A "new multilateralism that not only brings together all partners, but also takes account of the connections between the various challenges" is essential, he stressed.

"We need to forge smart solutions, such as ushering in a new green economy that can generate jobs while simultaneously addressing global warming, hunger and the energy crisis."

He also thanked the group for its climate conferences in the United Kingdom, which, he aid helped build momentum for the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, where nations are expected to conclude negotiations on an ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction pact to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.
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TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT ‘NEW DEAL’

TOP UN OFFICIAL CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT 'NEW DEAL'
New York, May 26 2009 7:00PM
The current global economic crisis – the deepest in decades – has underscored the need for a "new deal" for development that addresses both climate change and poverty, the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said today.

The worldwide financial turmoil is exacerbating the effects of high food and energy prices which drove as many as 200 million people into extreme poverty in recent years, said <"http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2009/may/helen-clark-statement-at-the-annual-session-of-the-executive-board.en">UNDP Administrator Helen Clark.

"Alas, those least responsible for the crisis stand to bear the brunt of its impact over the longer term," she told the annual session of the Executive Board of UNDP and the UN Population Fund (<"http://www.unfpa.org/public/">UNFPA).

Simultaneously, the world's poorest are also bearing the brunt of climate change, linked to the world's unsustainable use of natural resources, said Miss Clark, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand.

"These global problems reflect our interdependence, and they require global solutions," she stated, calling for a multilateral system that will boost the standard of living for the most vulnerable people and ensure their voices are taken into account by decision-makers.

The financial crisis, the Administrator said in her first address to the Executive Board since assuming her position earlier this year, is threatening to roll back gains made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (<"http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">MDGs), eight ambitious anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

For example, some sub-Saharan African nations are on target to meet some of the MDGs, but not all by 2015, and the recession could drive up the number of people living in extreme poverty in the region, she noted.

Despite aid commitments for Africa made by donor nations, the pledges remain unfulfilled, Miss Clark said, voicing hope that this year's meeting of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations will mobilize resources.

The global response to climate change should also be folded into development, she said.

Countries are expected to conclude a new pact on curbing greenhouse gas emissions, to replace the Kyoto Protocol whose first commitment period ends in 2012, at a UN conference in Copenhagen later this year.

"To this end, UNDP must step up its work this year to support developing countries achieve an outcome at Copenhagen in December which is consistent with designing a sustainable path out of poverty and for achieving the MDGs," the Administrator said. "The deal to be sealed at Copenhagen must be a development deal, too."
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BAN CHALLENGES BUSINESS LEADERS TO CREATE 'CLEANER, GREENER' GLOBAL ECONOMY

BAN CHALLENGES BUSINESS LEADERS TO CREATE 'CLEANER, GREENER' GLOBAL ECONOMY
New York, May 24 2009 2:00PM
Calling the issue of climate change "the defining challenge of our time," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today issued a challenge to business leaders to lead efforts to transform the global economy into one that is "cleaner, greener and more sustainable."

Mr. Ban told participants at the World Business Summit on Climate Change in Copenhagen that "you and your colleagues have the ingenuity and vision to lead by example where others -- including governments -- are lagging behind."

Governments are expected to wrap up negotiations on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period for reducing greenhouse gas emissions ends in 2012, in the Danish capital in December.

"As business leaders, you are crucially placed to ensure that government negotiators seal a deal," the Secretary-General said, urging their support to harness the political will needed to reach
an ambitious new agreement later this year.

Although he acknowledges the difficulties in concluding the pact, he warned that "if we get it wrong, we face catastrophic damage to people, to the planet -- and to the global marketplace."

The UN will be issuing a so-called "Copenhagen Call" at the end of the three-day meeting on 26 May, Mr. Ban said, appealing to the private sector to use its influence to raise awareness of climate change.

"As business leaders, you must make it clear to your leaders that doing the right thing for the climate is also the smart thing for global competitiveness and long-term prosperity," he said.

"We may never get a better opportunity. And if the world's scientists are right, we may not get a second chance."

Mr. Ban also exhorted participants to mobilize their employees, partners and others to demand urgent action on the issue, as well as to continue finding private-sector methods to slash climate risks.

"Your customers and your shareholders wil
l reward you," the Secretary-General, who will be convening a high-level summit on climate change in September, said. "And your children will thank you one day."

According to some estimates, rising greenhouse gas emissions could lead to a 5 per cent drop, or even more, in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), compared to the prediction by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that it could cost as little as 0.1 per cent of global GDP annually until 2030 to reduce emissions. "And that does not factor in the multiple extra benefits to health and development," he said.

Concluding negotiations on a new climate pact in December will be a boon to businesses, Mr. Ban, who arrived in Copenhagen from a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, stressed.

"We know that the right kind of deal will provide the regulatory certainty and long-term price signals that businesses are demanding," he said. "We know that a deal can unleash investment, stimulate innovation and facilitate the global
spread of low-carbon technologies."

If the Copenhagen conference in December ends in failure, countries could turn inward in a misguided attempt to solve the climate problem on their own, the Secretary-General cautioned, pointing out that protectionist barriers could result.

He countered the argument that action on climate change should be put on hold during a global recession, emphasizing that while a global bail-out may seem costly now, "it will pale next to the enormous human and economic costs of delaying action on climate change."

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MAJOR NEGOTIATIONS FOR NEW UN CLIMATE CHANGE PACT KICK OFF IN GERMANY

The first round of United Nations-backed negotiations designed to culminate in an ambitious new international climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December got underway today.

More than 2,000 delegates from government, business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions, have gathered in Bonn, Germany, for the first of a series of three sessions aimed at producing a draft document to succeed the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period to reducing greenhouse gas emissions ends in 2012.

"This first negotiating session this year is critical for moving the world closer to a political solution to climate change," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

"The clock is ticking down and countries still have much work to cover," stressed Mr. de Boer at the start of the nine-day meeting.

Discussions on
greenhouse gas emissions reductions to be achieved by industrialized countries after 2012 will centre on issues relating to the scale of the reductions, improvements to emissions trading and the Kyoto Protocol''s carbon offset mechanisms, as well as concerns relating to land-use change and forestry.

"Industrialized countries are committed to lead the way, and the world is looking to them to agree on ambitious targets, in line with what science is telling us, in Copenhagen in December," said Harald Dovland, who chairs the working group leading the negotiations.

"We must lay the groundwork for this in Bonn at this session by shifting gears and moving into serious, in-depth negotiations," he added.

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BAN CALLS ON WORLD’S CITIZENS TO JOIN UN IN SENDING A MESSAGE ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged people everywhere to join the United Nations and millions of citizens around the world in sending a message to government leaders to protect the planet by switching off their lights for an hour tomorrow night.

The UN will flip off the light switch at 8:30pm at its landmark Headquarters in New York to observe "Earth Hour" on 28 March to raise awareness of climate change and mobilize nations to reach agreement on a for a new agreement later this year in Copenhagen on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period ends in 2012.

"It promises to be the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted," Mr. Ban said in a message marking the event.

By marking Earth Hour, people will send a message to their representatives to "seal a deal in Copenhagen" and reach a deal that will protect people and the planet," he noted. "We need an ambitious agreement. An agreement that is fair and effective. An agreement based on sound science."

The symbolic gesture will be observed by more than 1,000 cities and close to an estimated one billion people, who will turn off their non-essential lights for one hour starting at 8:30pm local time on Saturday.

This year, Earth Hour, which was launched two years ago in Australia by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), falls the day before 2009's first round of UN negotiations on new climate change agreement in Bonn, Germany. The talks, which are slated to wrap up on 8 April, will be the first of three sessions leading up to the Copenhagen talks in December.

"Let us use this unique opportunity to protect people and the planet. The United Nations is committed to this vision, but we need your support," stressed Mr. Ban. "Together, we can make a difference."
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ECONOMIC CRISIS POSES DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR FORESTS, WARNS NEW UN REPORT

ECONOMIC CRISIS POSES DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR FORESTS, WARNS NEW UN REPORT
New York, Mar 16 2009 12:00PM

The global economic turmoil has resulted in reduced demand for wood, shrinking investments in industries and forest management, according to this year's United Nations "State of the World's Forests" report.

The double challenges posed by the financial crisis and climate change are highlighting the need for bolstered forest management and stepped-up investments in science and technology, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) publication said, voicing concern that the economic downturn could lead governments to water down ambitious 'green' targets.

Countries in the early stages of development – which suffer from institutional weaknesses – struggle with forestry decisions, facing the difficult choice between short-term and long-term benefits.

In the coming decades, the report said, demand worldwide for wood products and environmental services will increase, with the use of wood as a source of energy on the rise, although this could be attributed to the recent economic downturn.

It also stated that there is a possibility that countries may focus their energies on reversing the economic downturn, diluting their green goals and putting off decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation, including actions on slashing emissions from deforestation.

The report pointed to opportunities stemming from the financial turmoil, such as green development to spur tree-planting and increased investments in sustainable forest management.

In a related development, this year's first round of UN climate change negotiations is gearing up to kick off later this month in Bonn, Germany.

These negotiations are expected to wrap up in December in Copenhagen, Denmark, with countries agreeing on an effective successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases whose first commitment period ends in 2012.

The two-week Bonn gathering is expected to draw over 2,000 participants, including representatives from governments, business, industry, environmental organizations and research facilities.

"The road to Copenhagen is under intensive construction and all its builders are seriously committed to its successful completion," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCFCC). "Real negotiating mode is just beginning and with only around six weeks of actual face-to-face talking time, the Copenhagen clock keeps steadily ticking down."
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LEADERS OF UN, US DECLARE 2009 THE YEAR OF CLIMATE CHANGE

LEADERS OF UN, US DECLARE 2009 THE YEAR OF CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, Mar 12 2009 6:00PM

With nations set to conclude negotiations on an ambitious new greenhouse gas emissions agreement this December, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States President Barack Obama have stressed the need for 2009 to be the year of climate change.

Mr. Ban, who met with the "visionary" American leader earlier this week at the White House in Washington, told journalists in his monthly press conference at UN Headquarters today that they both agree that climate change poses an "existential threat."

The two men share a commitment that "2009 must be the year of climate change," he said, stressing the importance a comprehensive successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol – the legally binding emissions reduction regime whose first commitment period ends in 2012 – at December's UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"With US leadership, in partnership of the United Nations, we can and will reach a climate change deal that all nations can embrace," the Secretary-General noted.

Reports of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate – have shown unequivocally that the world is warming, almost certainly due to human activity, with potentially disastrous effects including worsening drought in some regions and heavier rainfall in others.

Mr. Ban said today that he and Mr. Obama were of the same opinion that 'green' investments are an essential part of any stimulus package targeting the current global economic turmoil.

"If we are going to spend such tremendous sums of money, let us be smart about it," he said.

He said that during his two-day visit to Washington, climate change also dominated his discussions with key American officials, including Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Last week, the top UN climate change official said that he sees "enthusiasm" in the current US Government to pass laws to reduce gas emissions and a willingness to work towards a new global climate change pact.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said he was "very much encouraged" following his recent meetings with officials in Mr. Obama's administration and members of Congress.

"There is, I believe, a huge enthusiasm and energy in both the House and the Senate to put cap and trade climate change legislation in place in this country," he added.

Mr. de Boer also underscored the willingness in the current US administration "to work towards an agreement in Copenhagen, to come with an ambitious domestic policy [and] to engage with international partners" to come to an accord.
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UN OFFICIAL ‘ENCOURAGED’ BY NEW US STANCE ON REACHING CLIMATE CHANGE PACT

UN OFFICIAL 'ENCOURAGED' BY NEW US STANCE ON REACHING CLIMATE CHANGE PACT
New York, Mar 6 2009 3:00PM

There is "enthusiasm" in the current United States Government to pass laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a willingness to work towards a new global climate change pact, a top United Nations official said today.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), was speaking to journalists in New York after returning from his recent trip to Washington, D.C., where he met with leaders in US President Barack Obama's administration, as well as members of Congress.

"I must say I come back from those meetings very much encouraged," Mr. de Boer stated.

"There is, I believe, a huge enthusiasm and energy in both the House and the Senate to put cap and trade climate change legislation in place in this country," he added.

Mr. de Boer also underscored the willingness in the current US administration "to work towards an agreement in Copenhagen, to come with an ambitious domestic policy [and] to engage with international partners" to come to an accord.

At the UN climate change conference slated for December in Copenhagen countries are expected to reach agreement on a successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, the legally binding regime for reducing greenhouse gas emissions whose first commitment period ends in 2012.

Mr. de Boer noted that the US administration realised that financial support for developing countries to help them adapt to becoming more environmentally friendly and mitigate their carbon emissions is going to be an essential part of the Copenhagen "puzzle."

"The new administration with the full backing of the House and the Senate is working towards and ambitious agreement in Copenhagen," said Mr. de Boer.

The climate change official also found encouragement in the US economic stimulus package, saying that "What I believe President Obama is trying to do is use the recovery money to create the clean economy of tomorrow instead of trying to prop up the economy of yesterday."
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