TOP UN OFFICIALS EXHORT COUNTRIES TO TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

TOP UN OFFICIALS EXHORT COUNTRIES TO TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
New York, May 14 2009 7:00PM
Warning that the clock is ticking towards a major United Nations conference in Copenhagen this December where nations are expected to reach agreement on a new greenhouse gas emissions pact, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the world body's top climate change official today urged the international community to pick up the pace of negotiations.

<"http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2009/090514_Climate_Change.doc.htm">Addressing reporters in New York, Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (<"http://unfccc.int/2860.php">UNFCCC), noted that the Denmark gathering is only 200 days away.

He said he is encouraged by progress made in the past 100 days, including the "very clear commitment of the new United States administration to the issue of climate change, to re-engage in the international negotiations to come to an agreement in Copenhagen in December, but also to put an ambitious domestic policy package in place."

Further, Mr. de Boer said he is heartened to see that many countries – China and the Republic of Korea in particular – are seriously considering changing the direction of their economic growth as part of their recovery packages.

"Climate change as an issue has survived politically the financial crisis," he said.

Even if there is "strong commitment" to conclude negotiations in December, Mr. de Boer cautioned that the limited amount of time remaining could threaten the comprehensiveness of any agreement.

The international community is "on track" to clarifying four key issues, Mr. de Boer said. Firstly, developed countries must lay out how much they are willing to slash emissions by 2020, and secondly, major developing countries must in turn identify what actions they are willing to take to curb their own emissions.

Thirdly, the topic of financial support for adaptation and mitigation for poorer nations is crucial. "I do not believe that developing countries will be willing to address climate change in a much more vigorous way unless there is international support," he said. "They've made it clear that their overriding concern is economic growth and poverty eradication."

Lastly, he called for the establishment of an international governance structure to oversee a long-term climate change regime.

Speaking at the launch of a report by the Commission on Climate Change and Development, comprising 13 renowned individuals, Mr. Ban emphasized that "climate change is happening, now."

Stressing the necessity of leadership in reaching a deal in Copenhagen, he called attention to the need for adaptation for the world's poor to help them to deal with some of the worst consequences of global warming.
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UN AGENCY CALLS FOR THE INCLUSION OF FARMING IN TALKS ON NEW CLIMATE CHANGE TREATY

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today urged policy makers gathered in Germany to include farming in their negotiations on an ambitious new international greenhouse gas reduction pact which will replace the Kyoto Protocol.

More than 2,000 delegates from government, business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions, are meeting in Bonn, for the first of a series of three sessions designed to culminate in a draft climate change treaty for discussion at the high-level UN-backed conference in Copenhagen in December.

Crop production and livestock release large amounts of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, including methane from cattle and wetlands, nitrous oxide from fertilizer use and carbon from deforestation and soil degradation, according to a news release issued by FAO.

The agency warned that annual greenhouse gas emissions from farming – already accounting of 14 per cent of the world's discharge while another 17 per cent comes from deforestation and soil degradation – are expected to increase in coming decades due to a rise in demand for food and shifts in diet.

"But millions of farmers around the globe could also become agents of change helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Alexander Mueller, FAO Assistant Director-General on the occasion of the ongoing UN negotiations.

By keeping higher levels of carbon in the soil – a process known as "carbon sequestration" – farmers can help reduce carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, enhance the soil's resilience and boost crop yields, according to FAO.

"Agricultural land is able to store and sequester carbon. Farmers that live off the land, particularly in poor countries, should therefore be involved in carbon sequestration to mitigate the impact of climate change," said Mr. Mueller, who also noted that farmers and their families, particularly in poorer countries, will become victims of climate change.

Farmers can alleviate agriculture's contribution to climate change by reducing tillage, increasing organic soil matter and soil cover, improving grassland management, restoring degraded lands, planting trees, altering forage and by sustainable use of animal genetic diversity, using fertilizer more efficiently, and improving water management.

However, Mr. Mueller said, "Current global funding arrangements, like the Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] under the Kyoto Protocol, are inadequate and are not offering sufficient incentives for farmers to get involved in climate change mitigation and adaptation.

"For example, soil carbon sequestration, through which nearly 90 per cent of agriculture's climate change mitigation potential could be realized, is outside the scope of the Clean Development Mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol. Neither climate change mitigation, nor food security, nor sustainable development, benefit from this exclusion."
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