UN's latest global biodiversity outlook calls for swift action

Natural systems that support economies, lives and livelihoods across the planet are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse unless there is swift, radical and creative action to conserve and sustainably use the variety of life on Earth.This is one principal conclusion of a major new assessment of the current state of biodiversity and the implications of its continued loss for human well-being.

The third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3), produced by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), confirms that the world has failed to meet its target to achieve a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

World environment ministers signal resolve to realize sustainable development

In the first landmark Declaration issued by ministers of the environment in a decade, governments pledged to step up the global response to the major environmental and sustainability challenges of this generation.

The wide-ranging Nusa Dua Declaration, agreed today in the closing session of the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, underlines the vital importance of biodiversity, the urgent need to combat climate change and work towards a good outcome in Mexico later in the year and the key opportunities from accelerating a transition to a low-carbon resource-efficient Green Economy.

Rwanda named global host of World Environment Day 2010

Rwanda, the East African country that is embracing a transition to a Green Economy, will be the global host of World Environment Day 2010, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today.

World Environment Day (WED), which aims to be the biggest global celebration for positive environmental action, is coordinated by UNEP every year on 5 June.

Tree planting in Kenya's Mau Complex signals new beginnings for a critical ecosystem

Kenya took a step to restore its diminishing water towers and address rapid environmental degradation when it launched a tree planting drive in the Kiptunga area of the Mau Forest Complex on Friday.

20,000 tree seedlings were planted on 20 hectares at a ceremony attended by Kenya's Prime Minister Raila Odinga and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Deputy Executive Director, Angela Cropper.

Mau, the largest indigenous forest in East Africa and Kenya's most vital water tower, covers some 270,000 hectares. After Mau, restoration will also take place in Mt. Kenya, Aberdares, Mt. Elgon and the rest of Kenya's forests and water catchment areas with the aim of increasing the forest cover from the current 1.7 percent to 10 percent by the year 2020.

Bangkok climate talks conclude

The penultimate negotiating session before the historic UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December wrapped up Friday in the Thai capitol Bangkok with progress made on what needs to constitute the "bricks and mortar" of the Copenhagen agreed outcome, but a continuing lack of clarity on key deliverables to make a successful international climate change deal workable.

"A will has emerged in Bangkok to build the architecture to rapidly implement climate action," said UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer, "but significant differences remain. In December, citizens everywhere in the world will have a right to know exactly what their governments will do to prevent dangerous climate change. It is time now to step back from self interest and let the common interest prevail," he added.

Parties made progress on the issues of adaptation, technology transfer and capacity building. They also reached agreement on technical issues such as forests, which according to UNEP's Science Compendium 2009 released in September, play a critical role in emissions reduction.

Whereas the parties made headway on how to assess the global warming potentials of new greenhouse gases and the number of options for strengthening the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, there was little progress was made on the issue of mid-term emission reduction targets for industrialised countries. And clarity is lacking on the issue of finance that developing countries need to undertake additional actions to limit their emissions growth and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.

"A good example with regard to what industrialised countries can do to increase the level of their ambition in the context of an international agreement at Copenhagen is the minus 40% emissions reduction target announced by Norway today," the UN's top climate change official said.

The negotiations in Thailand will be followed by five days of pre-Copenhagen negotiations in Barcelona (2-6 November) before the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (7-18 December).

"Negotiators have three weeks back in their capitals to receive guidance from their political leaders to complete their work," said Yvo de Boer. "Bold leadership must open the roadblocks around the essentials of targets and finance that the negotiators can complete their journey," he added.

Heads of state and government meeting in New York in September identified five politically essential issues to a deliver a comprehensive, fair and effective Copenhagen agreement.

The climate change deal clinched in Copenhagen is to ensure enhanced action to assist the most vulnerable and the poorest to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Furthermore, world leaders have agreed that clarity must be provided on ambitious emission reduction targets of industrialised countries, as well as the need for nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries with the necessary support.

A beacon to guide discussions is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's finding that an aggregate emission reduction by industrialised countries of between minus 25% and 40% over 1990 levels would be required by 2020, and that global emissions would need to be reduced by at least 50% by 2050, in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

The fourth essential identified by heads of state and government is that the Copenhagen agreed outcome needs to generate scaled-up financial and technological resources, with a mechanism put in place that would funds to be generated automatically over time.

Finally, they have agreed that the Copenhagen deal needs to create an equitable governance structure to manage funds for adaptation and mitigation that address the needs of developing countries.

Support for new panel for biodiversity and ecosystem services gathers momentum

Five-Day IPBES Discussions Underline Need for Serious Strengthening of 'Science-Policy Links' to Reverse Declines

Momentum towards the establishment of a new international body to address the loss and degradation of the world's multi trillion dollar nature-based assets gathered pace at a meeting of close to 100 governments.

There was strong support that an intergovernmental panel, similar to the one that has catalyzed political action on the issue of climate change, is now needed to galvanize a step change in respect to the management of biodiversity and ecosystems.

Governments agreed that there was now an urgency to strengthen the link between science and policy so that the knowledge being generated by researchers across the globe gets turned into action by governments on the ground.

Delegates, who were meeting at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), agreed that a final meeting would be held in 2010 on whether to establish an Intergovernmental Panel or Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

2010 marks the International Year of Biodiversity when governments in 2002 agreed to reverse the rate of loss of biodiversity at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said," The deadline date for this decision on IPBES is significant. This is the year when the world had hoped to have turned the tide on the loss of biodiversity. This however is unlikely to be achieved which does not undermine the goal but speaks volumes of the need for an effective mechanism which IPBES could represent".

"This week's meeting has certainly moved the process a long way forward towards that opportunity. The vast majority of countries now agree that a body akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is now needed to translate the science into policies for positive change," he said.

"Indeed, the momentum here in Nairobi was encouraging—there is a clear recognition that the status quo is not an option. More discussions on the detail, the financing, the issue of capacity building for developing economies and the precise role of an IPBES is now needed. But a deadline has now been set for a full and final decision," he said.

Robert Watson, chief scientist at the UK's Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the chair of the meeting, said, "This week's meeting comes in the wake of mounting evidence of the serious and significant economic impact of the inadequacy of the current policy response".

"The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project, which UNEP hosts and whose final report will coincide with the biological diversity convention's crucial meeting in Nagoya next year, estimates that damage and degradation of ecosystems such as forests may be costing between $2 trillion and $5 trillion a year," he added.

Ibrahim Thiaw, Director of UNEP's Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, said, "This threatens not only human well-being and the achievement of the poverty-related Millennium Development Goals but the opportunity for a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy for the 21st century-we urgently need a step change in the way science and economics are translated into transformational policy decisions."

India hopes to set new one-day tree planting record

On Wednesday August 12, villagers in the small city of Dungarpur in Southern India will attempt to plant 600,000 trees in one day, a feat which if they accomplish, could earn them a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

Last July, volunteers from Pakistan set a twenty-four hour world record by planting 541,176 trees in twenty-four hours without using any mechanical equipment in the vast wetlands of the Indus River.

Nevertheless, Dr.Arushi Malik an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) official coordinating the Indian tree-planting drive said, "We just want to plant. This is not about beating Pakistan's record. It's about creating livelihoods and providing the people of Dungarpur with food security."

The volunteers will be planting Mango, Neem, Teak and Jatropha trees; all indigenous species that will eventually provide food, medicinal value and timber to the community.

"The land in Dungarpur had become barren as a result of deforestation, and this led to water shortages and food scarcity. By planting trees, we will ensure this does not happen again. It will also help the fight against climate change," said Dr. Malik.

Once planted, the trees will be 'adopted' by local villagers to ensure that they are watered and maintained. The after-care will be supervised by the Indian Forestry Service. The trees will also be registered under UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign, and will go a long way to helping it meet its target of 7 billion trees planted by December 2009.

"Volunteers will be given pledge forms to record their commitment to looking after the trees they planted. We hope that this sense of ownership will make them good stewards of the environment", added Dr. Malik.

"From the onset, the Billion Tree Campaign has engendered a lot of emulation between communities. In fact, people at the grassroots level often approach the campaign as a competition, and proudly visit UNEP with a sheet of paper listing the trees planted, said Meryem Amar, Coordinator of this global tree-planting initiative, which won the UN 21 award in 2008.

African Ministers Adopt the Nairobi Declaration on Climate

UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

On 29 May, ministers from more than 30 African countries adopted the Nairobi Declaration on climate at a weeklong special session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in the headquarters of the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UNEP which hosts the AMCEN secretariat, told the meeting: "Africa's environment ministers have today signaled their resolve to be part of the solution to the climate change challenge by forging a unified position, within their diversity of economies, in advance of the crucial UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen in just 192 days' time."

The landmark document highlighted the major challenges and opportunities that African countries face in the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen on a climate agreement that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol. The Declaration urges all parties - and particularly the international community - to base increased support for Africa on the priorities for the continent, which include adaptation, capacity-building, financing and technology development and transfer.

The Declaration could not have come sooner. "Africa is in peril. The continent faces disease, limited food security and more," warned Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in a press conference on the last day of the meeting.

Climate change is clearly impacting Africa in every way. According to the latest indicators, globally the climate is changing more rapidly than estimated. Today, nine out of every ten recorded disasters are climate related. Rising temperatures and more frequent and prolonged floods, droughts and storms are impacting millions of people's lives. And Africa is feeling the brunt of the changing weather patterns. Increasing numbers of natural disasters have left people grappling with drought, flooded houses and growing poverty.

Home to some of the major ecosystems in the world, climate change is also threatening some 20-30 per cent of species in Africa which now face the danger of extinction if global warming continues. According to a detailed study by Mozambique's national Disaster Management Institute, over the next 20 years and beyond the country will be overwhelmed by more natural disasters like cyclones, floods, droughts and disease outbreak as a result of climate change.

"Africa is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and has no means to respond to climate change," said Buyelwa Sonjica, President of AMCEN and Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs in South Africa, in her statement to the meeting.

"Climate change is the most serious threat to humanity," warned Erik Solheim, Minster of Environment of Norway, in his address to the AMCEN participants. "And Africa is facing this major threat and must rise to the occasion," he stressed.

Africa has to adapt to climate change but must also be compensated for having been the victim of the industrial pollution that it did not create. The continent has the lowest per capita emissions, and yet it is bearing the highest impact of climate change ? with projections showing that by 2020, in some African countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50 per cent.

"Africa has today shouldered its domestic and global responsibilities. It is now time for other Continents and countries, especially the developed economies, to now seriously shoulder theirs," said Steiner.

Endemic poverty, limited access to capital, including markets, infrastructure and technology; ecosystem degradation; and multifaceted disasters and conflicts have all contributed to Africa's struggles. The continent represents less than 10 per cent of the carbon trading in the world even though its forests absorb a huge amount of the carbon emissions. These in turn have contributed to Africa's weak adaptive capacity, increasing the continent's vulnerability to climate change.

Adaptation therefore emerges as the most immediate priority. Since the Kyoto Protocol was drawn up in 1997, there has been some progress in acknowledging the need to support adaptation in developing countries. But most of the work remains to be done, particularly with the cost of adaptation in Africa estimated between USD1 billion and USD50 billion per year.

As existing financial mechanisms have proven inadequate, complex and fragmented, African countries have not yet been able to gain full access to these resources. The Declaration highlights the need for a coherent financial architecture for climate change and simplified access procedures.

In the run-up to the meeting in Copenhagen, it is clear that Africa needs a detailed strategy for combating climate change in a way that helps achieve sustainable development, particularly in terms of alleviating poverty, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable such as women and children who are bearing the brunt of the impact from climate change. "Africa's vote will be considered and that's why a strong African vision is crucial," said Mr de Boer.

"Africa must be united for Copenhagen," added Jean-Louis Borloo, French Minister of the Environment. "The world cannot refuse anything in Copenhagen but African countries must be ready," he stressed.

The AMCEN meeting took place six months before the critical climate meeting in Copenhagen where the global climate agreement will be negotiated. As Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, which oversees the talks in Copenhagen, de Boer in an interview in Nairobi warned of the challenges ahead: "The scientists have also told us that if we don't get emissions under control quickly and if we don't adapt to the impact of climate change quickly, then things are going to get worse and worse."

He highlighted three points that need to be met in Copenhagen:

-clear and ambitious reduction strategies for rich countries, who have to show leadership;

-major developing countries have to limit the growth of their emissions;

-significant financial support must be mobilized for developing countries to limit their emissions and adopt to the impact of climate change.

While debates marked the elaboration of the Nairobi Declaration, the AMCEN participants were clear on one issue: time is running and action is needed. Having adopted the Nairobi Declaration, African Ministers are now hoping there will be similar consensus in Copenhagen. "We the African countries endorse the efforts of the UN Secretary General to combat climate change and to encourage governments around the world to 'Seal the Deal' and support a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement in Copenhagen in December," said John Michuki, Minister of Environment in Kenya, in his address to the AMCEN gathering.

African environment ministers reach significant climate change accord

UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced a landmark agreement reached by over 30 African ministers to mainstream climate change adaptation measures into national and regional development plans, policies and strategies.

The Nairobi Declaration adopted at the Special Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) aims to ensure adequate adaptation to climate change in the areas of water resources, agriculture, health, infrastructure, biodiversity and ecosystems, forest, urban management, tourism, food and energy security and management of coastal and marine resources.

The Declaration also calls on the international community to support the continent in implementing climate change programmes while at the same time achieving sustainable development, with an emphasis on the most vulnerable, such as women and children, who bear the brunt of the impact of global warming.

“Africa’s environment ministers have today signalled their resolve to be part of the solution to the climate change challenge by forging a unified position, within their diversity of economies, in advance of the crucial UN climate change convention meeting in Copenhagen in just 192 days time,” said UNEP executive director Achim Steiner.

The head of UNEP, which hosts the AMCEN secretariat, added that the “development prize for Africa is an acceleration of clean and renewable energy projects and payments for carbon-storing ecosystems from forests up to eventually perhaps dry land soils, grasslands and sustainable agriculture.”

Mr. Steiner stressed that Africa has “shouldered its domestic and global responsibilities. It is now time for other continents and countries, especially the developed economies, to now seriously shoulder theirs.”

According to UNEP, Africa has the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions rate, but bears the highest impact of climate change. It is predicted that some African countries will suffer reduced harvests of up to 50 per cent from rain-fed agriculture by 2020. During the same timeframe, between 75 million and 250 million people are expected to be exposed to increased water stress due to changes in the continent’s environment.

Since the Kyoto Protocol – a UN treaty designed to limit greenhouse gas emissions – was drawn up in 1997, there has been some progress in acknowledging the need to support adaptation in developing countries. However, little has been done, with the cost of adaptation in Africa estimated between USD1 billion to USD50 billion per year.

The AMCEN gathering brought around 300 African negotiators, high-level experts, civil society organizations and ministers together with a view to work towards a shared vision on climate change and develop a single African voice in Copenhagen and to advance the continent’s interests in negotiations for the climate change regime beyond 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires.

The Declaration highlights the need for a coherent financial mechanism to battle climate change, with equitable governance and simplified access procedures.

In this regard, African ministers are advocating for the improvement and modification of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in order to ensure equitable geographical distribution of projects that contribute to sustainable development efforts on the continent.

They are also calling for the expansion of eligible categories to benefit from carbon credits and other international incentives to include sustainable land use, agriculture and forest management, in order to promote agricultural productivity in a way that improves resilience and adaptation to climate change.

They recommend that the Group of Eight (G-8) industrialized nations implement the recommendation to create a regional climate centre in Africa to improve climate risk management and to carry out the regional strategy for disaster-risk reduction.

As well as pressing for modification in the CDM and other international incentives – such as carbon credits – to include sustainable land use, agriculture and forest management, the ministers called on developed countries to set ambitious targets to reduce their emissions by 2020.

Economic Crisis Hits EU and US Clean Energy

Emerging Economy Investments Rise 27% to USD36 billion

However Renewables Draw More Investment than Fossil-Fueled Energy Technologies in '08

Geothermal Sees Fastest Growth - Wind Power Tops Overall Investment, Solar Posts Largest Gains

USD155 billion was invested in 2008 in clean energy companies and projects worldwide - not including large hydro, a new report says.

Of this USD13.5 billion of new private investment went into companies developing and scaling-up new technologies alongside USD117 billion of investment in renewable energy projects from geothermal and wind to solar and biofuels.

Extremely difficult financial market conditions prevailed during 2008 as a result of the global economic crisis.

Nevertheless investment in clean energy topped 2007's record investments by 5% in large part as a result of China, Brazil and other emerging economies.

Of the USD155 billion, USD105 billion was spent directly developing 40 GW of power generating capacity from wind, solar, small-hydro, biomass and geothermal sources.

A further USD35 billion was spent on developing 25 GW of large hydropower, according to the report.

This USD140 billion investment in 65 GW of low carbon electricity generation compares with the estimated USD250 billion spent globally in 2008 constructing 157GW of new power generating capacity from all sources.

It means that renewables currently account for the majority of investment and over 40% of actual power generation capacity additions last year.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said, "Without doubt the economic crisis has taken its toll on investments in clean energy when set against the record-breaking growth of recent years. Investment in the United States fell by two per cent and in Europe growth was very much muted. However, there were also some bright points in 2008 especially in developing economies—China became the world's second largest wind market in terms of new capacity and the world's biggest photovoltaic manufacturer and a rise in geothermal energy may be getting underway in countries from Australia to Japan and Kenya".