PROPOSALS FOR A CLEAN ENERGY INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK FOR AFRICA: Role of the African Development Bank Group
Executive Summary
1. Climate change has emerged as an important challenge facing Africa and, indeed, much of the world in the 21st century. In the light of the mounting evidence of its causes and effects, the Heads of State and Government of the G8 States, at their Gleneagles Summit in July 2005, called upon the World Bank and other multilateral development banks (MDBs) to prepare specific proposals to address three inter-related challenges: expanding access to reliable energy supplies particularly for the world’s poor; promoting investment in clean energy and low-carbon approaches to economic
development; and supporting developing countries in undertaking concrete measures to adapt to climate
change and strengthen their capacities to manage increasing climate variability and extreme weather
events .
2. This framework paper contains the response of the African Development Bank to the request of the G-8. It presents a comprehensive framework for dealing with the challenges of increasing energy access; at the same time, making maximum use of clean energy options in Africa. The paper focuses on the energy aspects. It deals with the key issues, challenges, opportunities as well as the resource requirements and the role the Bank will play in expanding energy access and developing clean energy – contributing to global climate change mitigation efforts – in its regional member countries (RMCs).
However, work also continues in parallel to develop the AfDB Group’s Climate Change Risk Management Strategy. Indeed, Senior Management has reviewed and approved a Concept Note on the preparation of the strategy. The full report is expected early 2008. All aspects of the energy access, climate change mitigation, and adaptation challenges will then be addressed holistically in an Action Plan on Clean Energy and Climate Change that will be finalized by mid 2008.
3. Expanding energy access is a priority for Africa. Rational long-term planning taking into account economic, social and environmental costs would increasingly shift the balance in favour of a low-carbon path to development and poverty reduction. As one of the regions most vulnerable to global warming, Africa has a vested interest in rendering effective support for global mitigation efforts. The continent has a number of options for clean energy development with enormous potential. African countries, especially in Sub-Sahara Africa, need to make greater use of their huge largely untapped renewable energy potential – especially hydro-power, geothermal energy, solar and wind power, and more efficient
utilisation of biomass. The development of such energy options could be financed in part by sale of CDM-certified carbon emission credits.
4. Financing requirements for clean energy are enormous and call for concerted efforts by development partners and governments alike. The Bank Group will endeavour to provide financing through its concessional and non-concessional windows. With a view to mobilising greater resources for the continent, the Bank will seek greater leverage for its resources by working more closely with RMCs on creating enabling policy and institutional environments conducive to private sector investment. To the same end, the Bank will build stronger collaboration with partner institutions. As the unique multilateral financing institution dedicated exclusively to Africa, the AfDB is in a position to take on the role of providing coordination, brokerage and syndication services to RMCs, bilateral and multilateral institutions, and private development partners, in support of energy access and low-carbon development strategies. This paper proposes the
creation of a multi-donor trust fund on clean energy access and climate adaptation for Africa, to spearhead Bank support to RMCs on the three challenges, including provision of pre-investment support at the national and sub-regional level. As part of the follow-up actions, Management will commission a feasibility study on creating the proposed facility.
5. The Boards of Directors are invited to approve the proposed Clean Energy Investment Framework for Africa and the timeline of activities as outlined in this report
http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Policy-Documents/10000025-EN-PROPOSALS-FOR-A-CLEAN-ENERGY-INVESTMENT-FRAMEWORK-FOR-AFRICA.PDF
Saturday 29 August 2009
WOMEN, WATER AND HYGIENE ARE KEY TO CHANGE IN AFRICA
WOMEN, WATER AND HYGIENE ARE KEY TO CHANGE IN AFRICA
Services for Women & Girls Must Be Priority for Water and Sanitation
Eirah Gorre-Dale
Special Representative of the
Water Supply and Sanitation
Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
to the United Nations
Email: gorre-dale@un.org
NEW YORK, 14 September 2005 - Women, water and basic hygiene are the key to creating lasting change in Africa, but national water and sanitation plans are still leaving women out,leaders in development said today.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman joined other prominent women, including Hilde Frafjord Johnson, Norway’s Minister for International Development, to call for more attention and funds to help the millions of African women and girls suffering disproportionately for lack of these basic services.
“Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits play a major role in child mortality,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Bringing basic services to Africa’s women and girls could transform their lives and boost child survival in the region.”
Veneman said she is joining Minister Johnson and Minister Maria Mutagamba, Uganda’s Minister of State for Water, in the Women Leaders for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative.
Launched last year by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Women Leaders in WASH helps governments to link women with sanitation and hygiene programmes,and supports the UNICEF drive to put safe water and basic sanitation into all primary schools by 2015. The group is meeting at UNICEF today to set out a plan of action for Africa.
Lack of safe water and sanitation remains one of the world’s most urgent health issues. Some 1.1 billion people worldwide still lack safe water and 2.6 billion have no sanitation, according to a UNICEF and World Health Organization 2005 report Water for Life.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region likely to miss Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets on both safe water and basic sanitation, unless the world acts quickly to turn this around. MDG 7 calls on countries to reduce by half the number of people living without these basic services. But despite good progress in some countries, currently only 58 per cent of Africans live within 30 minutes walk of an improved water source and only 36 percent have even a basic toilet.
The consequences are particularly severe for African women and children, condemning millions to a life of illness, lost opportunities and virtual slavery.
In rural Africa, 19 per cent of women spend more than one hour on each trip to fetch water, an exhausting and often dangerous chore that robs them of the chance to work and learn. Women without toilets are forced to defecate in the open, risking their dignity and personal safety.
Education suffers too: more than half of all girls who drop out of primary school do so for lack of separate toilets and easy access to safe water.
Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits play a major role in Africa’s high child mortality rate. Diarrhoea is the third-biggest child killer in Africa after pneumonia and malaria, accounting for 701,000 child deaths out of 4.4 million on the continent every year. It also leaves millions of children with a legacy of chronic malnutrition, the underlying cause of over half of all child mortality. The burden of caring for sick relatives inevitably falls to women and girls,
keeping them at home and shutting them out of economic development.
Bringing relief to women and girls will result in better services for all and benefit entire communities, said Minister Johnson and Minister Mutagamba.
“Women can be key agents of change if they are empowered and involved,” said Minister Johnson. “Since they are the primary victims of unsafe water and poor sanitation, we must start with them if we are to liberate Africa from cycles of illness, child mortality and low productivity.”
“In Uganda, we saw how rapidly school attendance can rise and illness fall when schools have safe water and separate toilets for boys and girls,” said Minister Mutagamba. “There is no excuse not to put these effective and sustainable interventions into practice everywhere.”
Veneman, Johnson and Mutagamba hailed the great progress made by many poor countries as
proof that water and sanitation goals are achievable everywhere. They called on Millennium
Summit leaders to commit to a strong action plan for the next decade.
For more information, please contact:
Claire Hajaj, UNICEF New York, +1 212 326 7566,chajaj@unicef.org
UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017; www.unicef.org
Eirah Gorre-Dale, WSSCC, +1 212 963 6003, gorre-dale@un.org
WHO Office at the United Nations, 2 UN Plaza, DC2-973, New York, N.Y.
10017; www.wsscc.org
Note to editors: there will be a press conference on the water and
sanitation crisis in Africa at 10:00 am, Wednesday 14 September at the UN
Secretariat, room 226. Speakers will be UNICEF Water and Sanitation Chief
Vanessa Tobin, Minister Johnson and Minister Mutagamba.
Note to broadcasters: video footage is available from Video on Demand at
www.unicef.org
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/fileadmin/wwc/Sections_for/Journalists/Water_Media_Program/wmp_resources_press_release_14.09.05.pdf
Bringing water to Africa’s poor
Expanded access requires more funds, efficiency and capacity
http://huwu.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no3/ar-21-3-en-web.pdf
Services for Women & Girls Must Be Priority for Water and Sanitation
Eirah Gorre-Dale
Special Representative of the
Water Supply and Sanitation
Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
to the United Nations
Email: gorre-dale@un.org
NEW YORK, 14 September 2005 - Women, water and basic hygiene are the key to creating lasting change in Africa, but national water and sanitation plans are still leaving women out,leaders in development said today.
UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman joined other prominent women, including Hilde Frafjord Johnson, Norway’s Minister for International Development, to call for more attention and funds to help the millions of African women and girls suffering disproportionately for lack of these basic services.
“Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits play a major role in child mortality,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “Bringing basic services to Africa’s women and girls could transform their lives and boost child survival in the region.”
Veneman said she is joining Minister Johnson and Minister Maria Mutagamba, Uganda’s Minister of State for Water, in the Women Leaders for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative.
Launched last year by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), Women Leaders in WASH helps governments to link women with sanitation and hygiene programmes,and supports the UNICEF drive to put safe water and basic sanitation into all primary schools by 2015. The group is meeting at UNICEF today to set out a plan of action for Africa.
Lack of safe water and sanitation remains one of the world’s most urgent health issues. Some 1.1 billion people worldwide still lack safe water and 2.6 billion have no sanitation, according to a UNICEF and World Health Organization 2005 report Water for Life.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region likely to miss Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets on both safe water and basic sanitation, unless the world acts quickly to turn this around. MDG 7 calls on countries to reduce by half the number of people living without these basic services. But despite good progress in some countries, currently only 58 per cent of Africans live within 30 minutes walk of an improved water source and only 36 percent have even a basic toilet.
The consequences are particularly severe for African women and children, condemning millions to a life of illness, lost opportunities and virtual slavery.
In rural Africa, 19 per cent of women spend more than one hour on each trip to fetch water, an exhausting and often dangerous chore that robs them of the chance to work and learn. Women without toilets are forced to defecate in the open, risking their dignity and personal safety.
Education suffers too: more than half of all girls who drop out of primary school do so for lack of separate toilets and easy access to safe water.
Unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits play a major role in Africa’s high child mortality rate. Diarrhoea is the third-biggest child killer in Africa after pneumonia and malaria, accounting for 701,000 child deaths out of 4.4 million on the continent every year. It also leaves millions of children with a legacy of chronic malnutrition, the underlying cause of over half of all child mortality. The burden of caring for sick relatives inevitably falls to women and girls,
keeping them at home and shutting them out of economic development.
Bringing relief to women and girls will result in better services for all and benefit entire communities, said Minister Johnson and Minister Mutagamba.
“Women can be key agents of change if they are empowered and involved,” said Minister Johnson. “Since they are the primary victims of unsafe water and poor sanitation, we must start with them if we are to liberate Africa from cycles of illness, child mortality and low productivity.”
“In Uganda, we saw how rapidly school attendance can rise and illness fall when schools have safe water and separate toilets for boys and girls,” said Minister Mutagamba. “There is no excuse not to put these effective and sustainable interventions into practice everywhere.”
Veneman, Johnson and Mutagamba hailed the great progress made by many poor countries as
proof that water and sanitation goals are achievable everywhere. They called on Millennium
Summit leaders to commit to a strong action plan for the next decade.
For more information, please contact:
Claire Hajaj, UNICEF New York, +1 212 326 7566,chajaj@unicef.org
UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10017; www.unicef.org
Eirah Gorre-Dale, WSSCC, +1 212 963 6003, gorre-dale@un.org
WHO Office at the United Nations, 2 UN Plaza, DC2-973, New York, N.Y.
10017; www.wsscc.org
Note to editors: there will be a press conference on the water and
sanitation crisis in Africa at 10:00 am, Wednesday 14 September at the UN
Secretariat, room 226. Speakers will be UNICEF Water and Sanitation Chief
Vanessa Tobin, Minister Johnson and Minister Mutagamba.
Note to broadcasters: video footage is available from Video on Demand at
www.unicef.org
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/fileadmin/wwc/Sections_for/Journalists/Water_Media_Program/wmp_resources_press_release_14.09.05.pdf
Bringing water to Africa’s poor
Expanded access requires more funds, efficiency and capacity
http://huwu.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no3/ar-21-3-en-web.pdf
Information on Climate Change
Information on Climate Change
United Nations family and climate change
· Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change - http://www.un.org/climatechange/
· UNFCCC - Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: http://unfccc.int/
· IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/
· UNEP - UN Environment Programme: http://www.unep.org/themes/climatechange/ , http://climatechange.unep.net , http://www.grida.no/Activities.aspx?m=65
· FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/clim/default.htm
· GEF - Global Environment Facility - Focal Areas: Climate Change: http://www.gefweb.org/projects/Focal_Areas/climate/climate.html
· UN/DESA - UN Division for Sustainable Development: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/climate_change/climate_change.htm
· UNDP - UN Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/climatechange/
· UNESCO - UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Climate Programs: http://ioc3.unesco.org/unesco-climate/
· UNIDO - UN Industrial Development Organization - Sustainable Energy and Climate Change: http://www.unido.org/doc/18258
· UNITAR - United Nations Institute for Training and Research- Climate Change Programme: http://www.ccp-unitar.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1&lang=en
· WMO - World Meteorological Organization: http://www.wmo.ch/
· World Bank - http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/ENVIRONMENT/0,,menuPK:176751~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:244381,00.html
UN Publications on climate change
UN Secretariat
· Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization
· Livelihood adaptation to climate variability and change in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. Developing institutions and options. Case study (2006): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0820e/a0820e.pdf
· Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers (2007): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1094e/a1094e00.pdf
· Adaptation to climate change in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (2007): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/j9271e/j9271e.pdf
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
· Publications (including IPCC Assessment Reports): http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/index.htm
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
· Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and Lessons from Community Initiatives (2006): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=6102
· Meeting the Climate Change Challenge: Sustaining Livelihoods: http://www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/climate_change_brochure2004.pdf
· Heating in Transition, Lessons for the future, M&E Report Series Issue 3, UNDP/GEF (2005): www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/HTandAnnex_4.2.pdf
· MDG Carbon Facility: Leveraging Carbon Finance for Sustainable Development (2007): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5662
· The Clean Development Mechanism - An assessment of progress (2006): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5883
· Solar Photovoltaics in Africa: Experiences with Financing and Delivery Models Lessons for the future, M&E Report Series Issue 2, UNDP/GEF (2004): http://www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/solarphotovoltaics_africa.pdf
· Responding to climate change and generating community benefits (2005): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5172
· World Energy Assessment Overview 2004: http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5027
UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme
· Design for Sustainability: A Practical Approach for Developing Economies (2007): http://www.d4s-de.org/manual/d4stotalmanual.pdf
· Africa Environment Outlook 2, Our Environment, Our Wealth (2007) Website: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/AEO2_Launch/
· Report: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/docs/en/AEO2_Our_Environ_Our_Wealth.pdf Executive summary: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/docs/en/aeo-2/chapters/aeo-2_Executive_Summary.pdf
· Global Outlook for Ice and Snow (2007) Website: http://www.unep.org/geo/geo_ice/ Report: http://www.unep.org/geo/geo_ice/PDF/full_report_LowRes.pdf
· GEO4 - Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (2007): http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
· Sustainability communications: a toolkit for marketing and advertising courses (2007) Online CD-Rom: http://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/advertising/education_kit/index.htm modules of CD Rom (SOOKo) , 90 pages: http://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/reports/advertising/Education_Kit_ModulesAll_EN.pdf
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· A World of Science - Retrospective on Climate (October 2007): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001517/151707E.pdf
· Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage (April 2007): http://whc.unesco.org/documents/publi_climatechange.pdf
· Science in Africa (March 2007): http://www.unesco.org/science/science_africa.pdf
· Guidelines and Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability (2005): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001433/143370e.pdf
· Good practices in the UNECE region (2007): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001533/153319e.pdf
· Framework for the UNDESD International Implementation Scheme (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001486/148650E.pdf
· International Implementation Scheme in brief (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001473/147361E.pdf
· The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development at a glance (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001416/141629e.pdf
· Education for sustainable development toolkit (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001524/152453eo.pdf
· UNESCO and Sustainable Development (2005): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001393/139369e.pdf
UNFCCC - UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
· Publications: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/items/2625.php
UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme
· Climate Change: The Role of Cities: http://www.unbrussels.org/UNHABITAT-2226_alt.pdf
· Ecosystems and Biodiversity: The Role of Cities: http://www.unbrussels.org/UNHABITAT-2225_alt.pdf
UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
· UNHCR Environmental Guidelines (2005 Edition): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b03b2a04.pdf
· Livestock Keeping and Animal Husbandry in Refugee and Returnee Situations, A practical handbook for Improved management (2005): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/4385e3432.pdf
· Forest Management in Refugee and Returnee Situations, a handbook of sound practices (2005): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/438724c42.pdf
UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization
· UNIDO Publications on Climate change: http://www.unido.org/en/doc/71852
· Small Hydro Power. Clean renewable water power: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=37771
· Rural Energy for sustainable environment: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=47534
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Methodology for baseline and additionally analysis for multiple project categories: Guideline Document: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=28345
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Investor Guide South Africa: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=21109
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 1: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71831
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 2: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71833
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 3: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71835
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor Guide Brazil: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=31994
· Analysis of financing models for small hydropower plants on the basis on case studies: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=68387
· Vienna Energy Efficiency and Climate Meetings Bulletin. A Summary Report of the Seminar on Energy Efficiency projects in CDM and JI and UNIDO Expert Group Meeting on Industrial Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Standards: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=64689
· Estimating the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol for the Nigerian Economy: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=29638
WFP - World Food Programme
· The World Food Programme: Protecting our planet http://www.unbrussels.org/WFP-Environment_broc_Eng.pdf
· First the cattle died ... What next? http://www.unbrussels.org/WFP_CLIMCHAD_vert_lr.pdf
WHO - World Health Organization
· IPCC WGII Chapter 8: Climate and Human Health Impacts (2007) - Part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/
· Global climate change: implications for international public health policy (2007) - Article from the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (BIT), Volume 85, Number 3, March 2007, p. 161-244: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/3/en/
· Climate Change and Developing-Country Cities: Implications For Environmental Health and Equity (2007) - Article from the Journal of Urban Health. 2007 May; 84, p. 109-117: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17393341
· Comparative Risk Assessment of the Burden of Disease from Climate Change (2006) -Article from Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 114, Number 12, December 2006: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/8432/8432.pdf
· WHO Fact sheet: Climate and health (July 2005): http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html
· Health and climate change: the now and how. A policy action guide (2005): http://www.euro.who.int/document/E87872.pdf
WMO - World Meteorological Organization
· Climate Information for adaptation and development needs (2007): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO_1025_web_E.pdf
· We care for our climate (Cartoon, 2004): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO975_E.pdf
· WMO at a glance (2006): http://www.wmo.int/pages/about/documents/WMO990.pdf
· Preventing and mitigating natural disasters (2006): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO993.pdf
· WMO Bulletin, October 2007 Issue: http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/bulletin/index_en.html
· Climate and land degradation (2005): http://www.wmo.ch/pages/themes/wmoprod/documents/WMO989E.pdf
· Weather, climate and water services for everyone (2007): http://www.wmo.ch/pages/publications/showcase/index_en.html
UN Conventions and Conferences related to climate change
· United Nations Climate Change Conference, 3-14 December, Ball, Indonesia (COP 13 and CMP 3): http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php
· High-level Event on Climate Change, UN Headquarters, New York, 24 September 2007: http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/
· Thematic Debate of the General Assembly - "Climate Change As a Global Challenge", 31 July -2 August 2007: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/thematic-climate.shtml
· United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/2627.php
· Kyoto Protocol: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
Selected Statements and Speeches of UN Officials
· International community must abide by world leaders' commitment on climate change, says Secretary-General in message to Informal Ministerial Meeting (SG/SM/11235-ENV/DEV/955 24, October 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11235.doc.htm
· Statement by the General Assembly President at the High Level Event - "The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership challenge of Climate Change" (24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/statements/climatechange240907.shtml
· Climate change threatens investment in Millennium Development Goals, says Secretary-General in address to high-level event (SG/SM/11175-GA/10619-EIW/DEV/950, 24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11175.doc.htm
· Transcript of Joint Press Conference following High-level Event on Climate change at United Nations Headquarters, 24 September 2007 (SG/SM/11181, 24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11181.doc.htm
· Press Conference by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (22 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070922_UNFCCC.doc.htm
· Secretary-General says climate change merits very highest attention; comprehensive agreement under United Nations Framework Convention needed on all fronts by 2009 (SG/SM/11108-GA/10608-ENV/DEV/946, 31 July 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11108.doc.htm
· UN best suited to lead world efforts against global challenges - terrorism, climate change, poverty - says Secretary-General in San Francisco address (SG/SM/11104, 26 July 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11104.doc.htm
· Desertification, climate change threaten development goals, must be addressed together, as 'one global challenge', says Secretary-General on world day (SG/SM/11030-ENV/DEV/943-OBV/633, 7 June 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11030.doc.htm
· Hear the first victims of climate change / By Ban Ki-moon (International Herald Tribune, 6 June 2007): http://www.un.org/sg/press_article2.shtml
· Secretary-General highlights global nature of climate change in message for world environment day (SG/SM/11018-ENV/DEV/940-OBV/630, 31 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11018.doc.htm
· Secretary-General calls for integrated, balanced response to climate change in remarks to high-level segment of Commission on Sustainable development (SG/SM/10988-ENV/DEV/936, 9 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10988.doc.htm
· Secretary-General appoints three new special envoys on climate change (SG/A/1061-ENV/DEV/929, 1 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sga1061.doc.htm
· Parliaments will help define national, global engagement on climate change, says Secretary-General, in message to Inter-Parliamentary Union Ball meeting (SG/SM/10966, 30 April 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10966.doc.htm
· Climate Change requires long-term global response, Secretary-General tells Security Council (SG/SM/10949-SC/9001-ENV/DEV/921, 17 April 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10949.doc.htm
· True global partnership for development' needed to confront climate change, halt aids, reduce inequality, says Secretary-General at New York Ceremony (SG/SM/10837, 10 January 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10837.doc.htm
· As climate changes, can we? By Kofi A. Annan (Washington Post, 8 November 2006): http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sg/stories/articleFull.asp?TID=58&Type=Article
· An investment in our collective future / by Jan Egeland (30 October 2006): http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KKEE-6V4SQX?OpenDocument
· Facing the Climate Change Challenge / an Editorial by Achim Steiner and Yvo de Boer (October 2006): http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5412&l=en
Other UN Articles
· Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007): http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
· Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007): http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
· Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
· 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
· A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
· Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
· Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 17 January 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
· Climate Change and Economic Development (Our Planet. Volume 17, Number 2, 2006): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/172/full%20pdfs/Our_Planet_17.2_english.pdf
· Climate Change at the UN: Some Successes, Other Disappointments / by Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle, 2006): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/172/full%20pdfs/Our_Planet_17.2_english.pdf
· Energy, Finance and Climate Change (Our Planet, Volume 16, Number 3, 2005): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/163/full_pdfs/Our_Planet_16.3_english.pdf
Information on Climate Change
UN Events
• The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark (COP 15),
7-18 December 2009: http://unfccc.int/meetings/items/2654.php
, http://en.cop15.dk/
• High-level Event on Climate Change, 22 September 2009, UN Headquarters:
http://www.un.org/en/events/
• High-level thematic debate on climate change - Addressing climate change, the United Nations and
the world at work (11-12 February 2008):
http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/themclimatechange.shtml
• High-level Event on Climate Change, UN Headquarters, New York, 24 September 2007:
http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/
• Thematic Debate of the General Assembly - "Climate Change As a Global Challenge",
31 July – 2 August 2007: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/thematic-climate.shtml
UN Entities
• Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): http://unfccc.int/
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): http://www.ipcc.ch/
• Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change: http://www.un.org/climatechange/
This website provides easy access to climate change information, such as fact sheets, news, calendar of
events, and links to the pages describing the work on climate change issues by various UN System
organizations and specialized agencies.
UN Treaties, Declarations and selected UN documents
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/2627.php
• Kyoto Protocol
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
• Overview of United Nations activities in relation to climate change: Report of the Secretary-General
(A/62/644, 10 January 2008)
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/62/644
Selected Statements and Speeches of UN Officials
• ‘We can catch two birds -- climate change and economic growth -- with one stone’; prosperity will
come to those who take low-carbon path, says Secretary-General (SG/SM/12416-ENV/DEV/1064,
17 August 2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12416.doc.htm
• Reiterating importance of political will to seal climate deal, Secretary-General calls for ‘outside-thebox’
leadership in remarks at global environment forum (SG/SM/12408-ENV/DEV/1063, 11 August
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12408.doc.htm
• The climate is changing and so, therefore, must we,’ says Secretary-General in Mongolia, where, as
elsewhere, human family depends on health of global home (SG/SM/12385-ENV/DEV/1062, 27 July
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12385.doc.htm
• Secretary-General underscores China’s potential to influence climate change negotiations during
launch of ‘Green Lights’ programme (SG/SM/12380-ENV/DEV/1061, 24 July 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12380.doc.htm
• Secretary-general, in Copenhagen remarks, challenges business leaders to be in vanguard of
creating cleaner, greener, more sustainable global economy (SG/SM/12268-ENV/DEV/1056, 26 May
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12268.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, at launch of report on climate change and development, commends authors for
insights into ways to reduce associated risks (SG/SM/12245-ENV/DEV/1051, 14 May 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12245.doc.htm
• Green growth is essential to any stimulus / By Ban Ki-moon and co-authored by Al Gore, former
Vice-President of the United States (Editorial in the Financial Times, London, 17 February 2009):
http://www.un.org/sg/articleFullsearch.asp?TID=92&Type=Op-Ed
• World cannot afford to ignore, underestimate threat of climate change, says Secretary-General,
accepting leadership award in New Delhi (SG/SM/12085-ENV/DEV/1023, 5 February 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12085.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, in message to climate change conference, spells out challenges, lays out vision
of path from present paralysis to equitable future prosperity (SG/SM/11997-ENV/DEV/1018, 11
December 2008): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11997.doc.htm
Further information
• Cool Planet 2009: http://www.coolplanet2009.org/
• Seal the Deal Campaign: http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/
• Climate Community (UNDP): http://www.undpcc.org/
• Global Issues on the UN Agenda: Climate Change:
http://www.un.org/issues/m-climat.html
• Online Inventory of UN System Activities on Climate Change:
http://www.un.org/climatechange/projectsearch/
• UN Documentation on the Environment: Research Guide prepared by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld
Library: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/specenv.htm
• Resources on the Environment @ the UNOG Library:
http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/library.nsf/
(httpPages)/E73B6D4C39799B34C12575CC003BF3A4
?OpenDocument&unid=60249FAB9674BFA0C1256F560035AB55
Selection of Publications available online
• Trade and Climate Change: WTO-UNEP Report (June 2009):
http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_climate_change_e.pdf
• Climate Policy Integration: Towards Operationalization (DESA Working Paper No. 73, March 2009):
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2009/wp73_2009.pdf
• UNEP and Partners: United to Combat Climate Change (December 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/081127_POZNANBKL_web.pdf
• Acting on Climate Change: The UN System Delivering as One (November 2008):
http://www.un.org/climatechange/pdfs/Acting%20on%20Climate%20Change.pdf
• Kick the Habit: A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality (UNEP, 2008):
http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3992
• Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided
world (UNDP):
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf
• UNEP Publications on Climate Change:
http://www.unep.org/publications/search/title_search.asp?search=climate+change
• UNFCCC Publications:
http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/items/2625.php
• IPCC Publications (including IPCC Assessment Reports)
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_and_data_reports.htm
• Vital Climate Change Graphics (UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2005)
http://www.vitalgraphics.net/climate2.cfm
Selected Articles in UN journals
• UNite to combat CLIMATE CHANGE – Paint for the Planet (Tunza, Vol. 6, No.4, 2009):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.4_EN.pdf
• Kick the Habit - Towards a low carbon economy (Our Planet, May 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/ourplanet/OP_WEDMAY08.pdf
• Kick the habit (Tunza, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.1_EN.pdf
• Maintaining momentum - Financing action on climate (Our Planet, February 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2008/feb/en/OP-2008-02-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Now Is The Time: We must find a global response to this most global of problems / By United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN Chronicle Online Edition 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/062707_now_is_the_time.htm
• Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 19 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/101907_nobel_prize_ipcc.html
• Financing the Response to Climate Change: An Investment for the Future; United Nations High-
Level Meeting on Climate Change / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 5 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/100507_financing_the_response.html
• Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
• Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007):
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
• Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental
refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
• 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition,
21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
• A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
• Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas
Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
• Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle
Online edition, 17 January 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
UNRIC Library – August 2009
http://www.unric.org/html/english/library/backgrounders/climatechange_eng.pdf
Selected Articles in UN journals
• UNite to combat CLIMATE CHANGE – Paint for the Planet (Tunza, Vol. 6, No.4, 2009):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.4_EN.pdf
• Kick the Habit - Towards a low carbon economy (Our Planet, May 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/ourplanet/OP_WEDMAY08.pdf
• Kick the habit (Tunza, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2008): http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.1_EN.pdf
• Maintaining momentum - Financing action on climate (Our Planet, February 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2008/feb/en/OP-2008-02-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Now Is The Time: We must find a global response to this most global of problems / By United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN Chronicle Online Edition 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/062707_now_is_the_time.htm
• Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 19 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/101907_nobel_prize_ipcc.html
• Financing the Response to Climate Change: An Investment for the Future; United Nations High-
Level Meeting on Climate Change / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 5 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/100507_financing_the_response.html
• Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
• Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007):
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
• Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental
refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
• 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition,
21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
• A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
• Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas
Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
• Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle
Online edition, 17 January 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
UNRIC Library – August 2009
http://www.unric.org/html/english/library/backgrounders/climatechange_eng.pdf
United Nations family and climate change
· Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change - http://www.un.org/climatechange/
· UNFCCC - Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: http://unfccc.int/
· IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: http://www.ipcc.ch/
· UNEP - UN Environment Programme: http://www.unep.org/themes/climatechange/ , http://climatechange.unep.net , http://www.grida.no/Activities.aspx?m=65
· FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: http://www.fao.org/clim/default.htm
· GEF - Global Environment Facility - Focal Areas: Climate Change: http://www.gefweb.org/projects/Focal_Areas/climate/climate.html
· UN/DESA - UN Division for Sustainable Development: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/climate_change/climate_change.htm
· UNDP - UN Development Programme: http://www.undp.org/climatechange/
· UNESCO - UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization - Climate Programs: http://ioc3.unesco.org/unesco-climate/
· UNIDO - UN Industrial Development Organization - Sustainable Energy and Climate Change: http://www.unido.org/doc/18258
· UNITAR - United Nations Institute for Training and Research- Climate Change Programme: http://www.ccp-unitar.org/rubrique.php3?id_rubrique=1&lang=en
· WMO - World Meteorological Organization: http://www.wmo.ch/
· World Bank - http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/ENVIRONMENT/0,,menuPK:176751~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:244381,00.html
UN Publications on climate change
UN Secretariat
· Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization
· Livelihood adaptation to climate variability and change in drought-prone areas of Bangladesh. Developing institutions and options. Case study (2006): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/a0820e/a0820e.pdf
· Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers (2007): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/010/a1094e/a1094e00.pdf
· Adaptation to climate change in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (2007): ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/j9271e/j9271e.pdf
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
· Publications (including IPCC Assessment Reports): http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/index.htm
UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
· Environmentally Sustainable Transport and Climate Change: Experiences and Lessons from Community Initiatives (2006): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=6102
· Meeting the Climate Change Challenge: Sustaining Livelihoods: http://www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/climate_change_brochure2004.pdf
· Heating in Transition, Lessons for the future, M&E Report Series Issue 3, UNDP/GEF (2005): www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/HTandAnnex_4.2.pdf
· MDG Carbon Facility: Leveraging Carbon Finance for Sustainable Development (2007): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5662
· The Clean Development Mechanism - An assessment of progress (2006): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5883
· Solar Photovoltaics in Africa: Experiences with Financing and Delivery Models Lessons for the future, M&E Report Series Issue 2, UNDP/GEF (2004): http://www.undp.org/gef/05/documents/publications/solarphotovoltaics_africa.pdf
· Responding to climate change and generating community benefits (2005): http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5172
· World Energy Assessment Overview 2004: http://www.energyandenvironment.undp.org/undp/index.cfm?module=Library&page=Document&DocumentID=5027
UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme
· Design for Sustainability: A Practical Approach for Developing Economies (2007): http://www.d4s-de.org/manual/d4stotalmanual.pdf
· Africa Environment Outlook 2, Our Environment, Our Wealth (2007) Website: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/AEO2_Launch/
· Report: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/docs/en/AEO2_Our_Environ_Our_Wealth.pdf Executive summary: http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/docs/en/aeo-2/chapters/aeo-2_Executive_Summary.pdf
· Global Outlook for Ice and Snow (2007) Website: http://www.unep.org/geo/geo_ice/ Report: http://www.unep.org/geo/geo_ice/PDF/full_report_LowRes.pdf
· GEO4 - Global Environment Outlook: environment for development (2007): http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/media/
· Sustainability communications: a toolkit for marketing and advertising courses (2007) Online CD-Rom: http://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/advertising/education_kit/index.htm modules of CD Rom (SOOKo) , 90 pages: http://www.unep.fr/pc/sustain/reports/advertising/Education_Kit_ModulesAll_EN.pdf
UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
· A World of Science - Retrospective on Climate (October 2007): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001517/151707E.pdf
· Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage (April 2007): http://whc.unesco.org/documents/publi_climatechange.pdf
· Science in Africa (March 2007): http://www.unesco.org/science/science_africa.pdf
· Guidelines and Recommendations for Reorienting Teacher Education to Address Sustainability (2005): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001433/143370e.pdf
· Good practices in the UNECE region (2007): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001533/153319e.pdf
· Framework for the UNDESD International Implementation Scheme (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001486/148650E.pdf
· International Implementation Scheme in brief (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001473/147361E.pdf
· The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development at a glance (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001416/141629e.pdf
· Education for sustainable development toolkit (2006): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001524/152453eo.pdf
· UNESCO and Sustainable Development (2005): http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001393/139369e.pdf
UNFCCC - UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
· Publications: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/items/2625.php
UN-HABITAT - United Nations Human Settlements Programme
· Climate Change: The Role of Cities: http://www.unbrussels.org/UNHABITAT-2226_alt.pdf
· Ecosystems and Biodiversity: The Role of Cities: http://www.unbrussels.org/UNHABITAT-2225_alt.pdf
UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
· UNHCR Environmental Guidelines (2005 Edition): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/3b03b2a04.pdf
· Livestock Keeping and Animal Husbandry in Refugee and Returnee Situations, A practical handbook for Improved management (2005): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/4385e3432.pdf
· Forest Management in Refugee and Returnee Situations, a handbook of sound practices (2005): http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/438724c42.pdf
UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization
· UNIDO Publications on Climate change: http://www.unido.org/en/doc/71852
· Small Hydro Power. Clean renewable water power: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=37771
· Rural Energy for sustainable environment: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=47534
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Methodology for baseline and additionally analysis for multiple project categories: Guideline Document: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=28345
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Investor Guide South Africa: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=21109
· Clean Development Mechanism (COM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 1: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71831
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 2: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71833
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor guide South Africa, Annex 3: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=71835
· Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), Investor Guide Brazil: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=31994
· Analysis of financing models for small hydropower plants on the basis on case studies: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=68387
· Vienna Energy Efficiency and Climate Meetings Bulletin. A Summary Report of the Seminar on Energy Efficiency projects in CDM and JI and UNIDO Expert Group Meeting on Industrial Energy Efficiency and Energy Management Standards: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file_id=64689
· Estimating the benefits of the Kyoto Protocol for the Nigerian Economy: http://www.unido.org/file-storage/download/?file%5fid=29638
WFP - World Food Programme
· The World Food Programme: Protecting our planet http://www.unbrussels.org/WFP-Environment_broc_Eng.pdf
· First the cattle died ... What next? http://www.unbrussels.org/WFP_CLIMCHAD_vert_lr.pdf
WHO - World Health Organization
· IPCC WGII Chapter 8: Climate and Human Health Impacts (2007) - Part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/
· Global climate change: implications for international public health policy (2007) - Article from the Bulletin of the World Health Organization (BIT), Volume 85, Number 3, March 2007, p. 161-244: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/3/en/
· Climate Change and Developing-Country Cities: Implications For Environmental Health and Equity (2007) - Article from the Journal of Urban Health. 2007 May; 84, p. 109-117: http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=17393341
· Comparative Risk Assessment of the Burden of Disease from Climate Change (2006) -Article from Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 114, Number 12, December 2006: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/8432/8432.pdf
· WHO Fact sheet: Climate and health (July 2005): http://www.who.int/globalchange/news/fsclimandhealth/en/index.html
· Health and climate change: the now and how. A policy action guide (2005): http://www.euro.who.int/document/E87872.pdf
WMO - World Meteorological Organization
· Climate Information for adaptation and development needs (2007): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO_1025_web_E.pdf
· We care for our climate (Cartoon, 2004): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO975_E.pdf
· WMO at a glance (2006): http://www.wmo.int/pages/about/documents/WMO990.pdf
· Preventing and mitigating natural disasters (2006): http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/showcase/documents/WMO993.pdf
· WMO Bulletin, October 2007 Issue: http://www.wmo.int/pages/publications/bulletin/index_en.html
· Climate and land degradation (2005): http://www.wmo.ch/pages/themes/wmoprod/documents/WMO989E.pdf
· Weather, climate and water services for everyone (2007): http://www.wmo.ch/pages/publications/showcase/index_en.html
UN Conventions and Conferences related to climate change
· United Nations Climate Change Conference, 3-14 December, Ball, Indonesia (COP 13 and CMP 3): http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_13/items/4049.php
· High-level Event on Climate Change, UN Headquarters, New York, 24 September 2007: http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/
· Thematic Debate of the General Assembly - "Climate Change As a Global Challenge", 31 July -2 August 2007: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/thematic-climate.shtml
· United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/2627.php
· Kyoto Protocol: http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
Selected Statements and Speeches of UN Officials
· International community must abide by world leaders' commitment on climate change, says Secretary-General in message to Informal Ministerial Meeting (SG/SM/11235-ENV/DEV/955 24, October 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11235.doc.htm
· Statement by the General Assembly President at the High Level Event - "The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership challenge of Climate Change" (24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/statements/climatechange240907.shtml
· Climate change threatens investment in Millennium Development Goals, says Secretary-General in address to high-level event (SG/SM/11175-GA/10619-EIW/DEV/950, 24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11175.doc.htm
· Transcript of Joint Press Conference following High-level Event on Climate change at United Nations Headquarters, 24 September 2007 (SG/SM/11181, 24 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11181.doc.htm
· Press Conference by United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (22 September 2007): http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2007/070922_UNFCCC.doc.htm
· Secretary-General says climate change merits very highest attention; comprehensive agreement under United Nations Framework Convention needed on all fronts by 2009 (SG/SM/11108-GA/10608-ENV/DEV/946, 31 July 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11108.doc.htm
· UN best suited to lead world efforts against global challenges - terrorism, climate change, poverty - says Secretary-General in San Francisco address (SG/SM/11104, 26 July 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11104.doc.htm
· Desertification, climate change threaten development goals, must be addressed together, as 'one global challenge', says Secretary-General on world day (SG/SM/11030-ENV/DEV/943-OBV/633, 7 June 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11030.doc.htm
· Hear the first victims of climate change / By Ban Ki-moon (International Herald Tribune, 6 June 2007): http://www.un.org/sg/press_article2.shtml
· Secretary-General highlights global nature of climate change in message for world environment day (SG/SM/11018-ENV/DEV/940-OBV/630, 31 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm11018.doc.htm
· Secretary-General calls for integrated, balanced response to climate change in remarks to high-level segment of Commission on Sustainable development (SG/SM/10988-ENV/DEV/936, 9 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10988.doc.htm
· Secretary-General appoints three new special envoys on climate change (SG/A/1061-ENV/DEV/929, 1 May 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sga1061.doc.htm
· Parliaments will help define national, global engagement on climate change, says Secretary-General, in message to Inter-Parliamentary Union Ball meeting (SG/SM/10966, 30 April 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10966.doc.htm
· Climate Change requires long-term global response, Secretary-General tells Security Council (SG/SM/10949-SC/9001-ENV/DEV/921, 17 April 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/sgsm10949.doc.htm
· True global partnership for development' needed to confront climate change, halt aids, reduce inequality, says Secretary-General at New York Ceremony (SG/SM/10837, 10 January 2007): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sgsm10837.doc.htm
· As climate changes, can we? By Kofi A. Annan (Washington Post, 8 November 2006): http://www.un.org/News/ossg/sg/stories/articleFull.asp?TID=58&Type=Article
· An investment in our collective future / by Jan Egeland (30 October 2006): http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/KKEE-6V4SQX?OpenDocument
· Facing the Climate Change Challenge / an Editorial by Achim Steiner and Yvo de Boer (October 2006): http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&ArticleID=5412&l=en
Other UN Articles
· Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007): http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
· Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007): http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
· Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
· 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
· A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
· Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
· Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 17 January 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
· Climate Change and Economic Development (Our Planet. Volume 17, Number 2, 2006): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/172/full%20pdfs/Our_Planet_17.2_english.pdf
· Climate Change at the UN: Some Successes, Other Disappointments / by Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle, 2006): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/172/full%20pdfs/Our_Planet_17.2_english.pdf
· Energy, Finance and Climate Change (Our Planet, Volume 16, Number 3, 2005): http://www.ourplanet.com/imgversn/163/full_pdfs/Our_Planet_16.3_english.pdf
Information on Climate Change
UN Events
• The United Nations Climate Change Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark (COP 15),
7-18 December 2009: http://unfccc.int/meetings/items/2654.php
, http://en.cop15.dk/
• High-level Event on Climate Change, 22 September 2009, UN Headquarters:
http://www.un.org/en/events/
• High-level thematic debate on climate change - Addressing climate change, the United Nations and
the world at work (11-12 February 2008):
http://www.un.org/ga/president/62/ThematicDebates/themclimatechange.shtml
• High-level Event on Climate Change, UN Headquarters, New York, 24 September 2007:
http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel/
• Thematic Debate of the General Assembly - "Climate Change As a Global Challenge",
31 July – 2 August 2007: http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/follow-up/thematic-climate.shtml
UN Entities
• Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): http://unfccc.int/
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC): http://www.ipcc.ch/
• Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change: http://www.un.org/climatechange/
This website provides easy access to climate change information, such as fact sheets, news, calendar of
events, and links to the pages describing the work on climate change issues by various UN System
organizations and specialized agencies.
UN Treaties, Declarations and selected UN documents
• United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
http://unfccc.int/essential_background/convention/items/2627.php
• Kyoto Protocol
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php
• Overview of United Nations activities in relation to climate change: Report of the Secretary-General
(A/62/644, 10 January 2008)
http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/62/644
Selected Statements and Speeches of UN Officials
• ‘We can catch two birds -- climate change and economic growth -- with one stone’; prosperity will
come to those who take low-carbon path, says Secretary-General (SG/SM/12416-ENV/DEV/1064,
17 August 2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12416.doc.htm
• Reiterating importance of political will to seal climate deal, Secretary-General calls for ‘outside-thebox’
leadership in remarks at global environment forum (SG/SM/12408-ENV/DEV/1063, 11 August
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12408.doc.htm
• The climate is changing and so, therefore, must we,’ says Secretary-General in Mongolia, where, as
elsewhere, human family depends on health of global home (SG/SM/12385-ENV/DEV/1062, 27 July
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12385.doc.htm
• Secretary-General underscores China’s potential to influence climate change negotiations during
launch of ‘Green Lights’ programme (SG/SM/12380-ENV/DEV/1061, 24 July 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12380.doc.htm
• Secretary-general, in Copenhagen remarks, challenges business leaders to be in vanguard of
creating cleaner, greener, more sustainable global economy (SG/SM/12268-ENV/DEV/1056, 26 May
2009): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12268.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, at launch of report on climate change and development, commends authors for
insights into ways to reduce associated risks (SG/SM/12245-ENV/DEV/1051, 14 May 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12245.doc.htm
• Green growth is essential to any stimulus / By Ban Ki-moon and co-authored by Al Gore, former
Vice-President of the United States (Editorial in the Financial Times, London, 17 February 2009):
http://www.un.org/sg/articleFullsearch.asp?TID=92&Type=Op-Ed
• World cannot afford to ignore, underestimate threat of climate change, says Secretary-General,
accepting leadership award in New Delhi (SG/SM/12085-ENV/DEV/1023, 5 February 2009):
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sgsm12085.doc.htm
• Secretary-General, in message to climate change conference, spells out challenges, lays out vision
of path from present paralysis to equitable future prosperity (SG/SM/11997-ENV/DEV/1018, 11
December 2008): http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2008/sgsm11997.doc.htm
Further information
• Cool Planet 2009: http://www.coolplanet2009.org/
• Seal the Deal Campaign: http://www.sealthedeal2009.org/
• Climate Community (UNDP): http://www.undpcc.org/
• Global Issues on the UN Agenda: Climate Change:
http://www.un.org/issues/m-climat.html
• Online Inventory of UN System Activities on Climate Change:
http://www.un.org/climatechange/projectsearch/
• UN Documentation on the Environment: Research Guide prepared by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld
Library: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/specenv.htm
• Resources on the Environment @ the UNOG Library:
http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/library.nsf/
(httpPages)/E73B6D4C39799B34C12575CC003BF3A4
?OpenDocument&unid=60249FAB9674BFA0C1256F560035AB55
Selection of Publications available online
• Trade and Climate Change: WTO-UNEP Report (June 2009):
http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/trade_climate_change_e.pdf
• Climate Policy Integration: Towards Operationalization (DESA Working Paper No. 73, March 2009):
http://www.un.org/esa/desa/papers/2009/wp73_2009.pdf
• UNEP and Partners: United to Combat Climate Change (December 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/081127_POZNANBKL_web.pdf
• Acting on Climate Change: The UN System Delivering as One (November 2008):
http://www.un.org/climatechange/pdfs/Acting%20on%20Climate%20Change.pdf
• Kick the Habit: A UN Guide to Climate Neutrality (UNEP, 2008):
http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3992
• Human Development Report 2007/2008: Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided
world (UNDP):
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf
• UNEP Publications on Climate Change:
http://www.unep.org/publications/search/title_search.asp?search=climate+change
• UNFCCC Publications:
http://unfccc.int/essential_background/background_publications_htmlpdf/items/2625.php
• IPCC Publications (including IPCC Assessment Reports)
http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_and_data_reports.htm
• Vital Climate Change Graphics (UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2005)
http://www.vitalgraphics.net/climate2.cfm
Selected Articles in UN journals
• UNite to combat CLIMATE CHANGE – Paint for the Planet (Tunza, Vol. 6, No.4, 2009):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.4_EN.pdf
• Kick the Habit - Towards a low carbon economy (Our Planet, May 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/ourplanet/OP_WEDMAY08.pdf
• Kick the habit (Tunza, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.1_EN.pdf
• Maintaining momentum - Financing action on climate (Our Planet, February 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2008/feb/en/OP-2008-02-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Now Is The Time: We must find a global response to this most global of problems / By United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN Chronicle Online Edition 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/062707_now_is_the_time.htm
• Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 19 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/101907_nobel_prize_ipcc.html
• Financing the Response to Climate Change: An Investment for the Future; United Nations High-
Level Meeting on Climate Change / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 5 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/100507_financing_the_response.html
• Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
• Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007):
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
• Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental
refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
• 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition,
21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
• A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
• Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas
Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
• Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle
Online edition, 17 January 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
UNRIC Library – August 2009
http://www.unric.org/html/english/library/backgrounders/climatechange_eng.pdf
Selected Articles in UN journals
• UNite to combat CLIMATE CHANGE – Paint for the Planet (Tunza, Vol. 6, No.4, 2009):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.4_EN.pdf
• Kick the Habit - Towards a low carbon economy (Our Planet, May 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/ourplanet/OP_WEDMAY08.pdf
• Kick the habit (Tunza, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2008): http://www.unep.org/pdf/tunza/Tunza_6.1_EN.pdf
• Maintaining momentum - Financing action on climate (Our Planet, February 2008):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2008/feb/en/OP-2008-02-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Now Is The Time: We must find a global response to this most global of problems / By United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (UN Chronicle Online Edition 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/062707_now_is_the_time.htm
• Nobel Peace Prize for IPCC / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 19 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/101907_nobel_prize_ipcc.html
• Financing the Response to Climate Change: An Investment for the Future; United Nations High-
Level Meeting on Climate Change / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online Edition, 5 October 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/100507_financing_the_response.html
• Green our World! (UN Chronicle, Volume XLIV Number 2, 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/issue2/0207cont.htm
• Africa gears up for climate change (Africa Renewal, Volume 21, Number 2, July 2007):
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol21no2/index.html
• Melting ice, a hot topic: Climate Change and the Cryosphere (Our Planet, May 2007):
http://www.unep.org/pdf/Ourplanet/2007/may/en/OP-2007-05-en-FULLVERSION.pdf
• Climate Change Impact on World's Cities: "About one third of the urban poor are environmental
refugees" / By Yuwei Zhang (UN Chronicle Online edition, 16 May 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/051707_impactofclimatechg.htm
• 'Constructive Outcome' at Climate Change Meeting / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition,
21 March 2007): http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/032107_yvodeboer.htm
• A Call for Action on Climate Change / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 1 March 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/030107_clim_chnge.htm
• Sir Nicholas Stern at the United Nations: Urgent Action Needed on Climate Change / By Jonas
Hagen (UN Chronicle Online edition, 21 February 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/022107_stern_atUN.htm
• Moving Forward on Climate Change: Yvo de Boer Visits New York / By Jonas Hagen (UN Chronicle
Online edition, 17 January 2007):
http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2007/webArticles/011707_climate.htm
UNRIC Library – August 2009
http://www.unric.org/html/english/library/backgrounders/climatechange_eng.pdf
Thursday 27 August 2009
Forests and Climate Change
Forests and Climate Change
Introduction
The African continent is potentially the one most vulnerable to climate change. The risk of desertification, from which the continent is known to suffer, the poverty of a large proportion of the population, which depends upon natural resources and agriculture, the insufficient means possessed by governments which are barely able to maintain even the existing infrastructures, e.g. health care, all seem to be setting the stage for a potentially worrisome situation at the beginning of the 21st century.
Africa's contribution to the global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is relatively small; they amounted to approximately seven percent in 1990, land-use changes included. The emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels, including transportation, are even smaller and represent only 3.9 percent of the worlds total (IEA, 1999). With approximately 70 percent, the principal emission source on the African continent is land-use change, which essentially means deforestation.The remaining 30 percent can be attributed to industrial emissions and transportation. These data indicate the importance that the climate change negotiations represent for Africa, particularly the way forestry and agricultural activities will be treated in the different mechanisms which are emerging from the international negotiations. The majority of African countries, except several North African countries and South Africa, which have a significant industrial base, scarcely benefit from the financial incentives linked to reducing emissions in the electricity, cement, manufacturing or transportation sectors, especially in comparison with China, India or Brazil.
Africa will only be able to overcome the negative consequences of climate change by safeguarding the continent's ecological balance, since conserving its forest areas and soil production capabilities, and maintaining its animal and plant biodiversity are vital to the continent's ability to adapt. Africa cannot develop without assistance from the rest of the world, particularly from developed countries. Development assistance has begun to diminish, and private investments now exceed official development aid, but they tend to concentrate in other world areas, excluding Africa from this investment flow.
The United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) has created several instruments for reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. They aim at encouraging investments in "clean" development activities which limit greenhouse gas emissions or fix carbon in the earth's ecosystems. Some of these instruments are still under development and not yet operational. One of them, the "Clean Development Mechanism" (CDM), is both a development instrument and a method allowing industrialized countries to reduce emissions at the lowest possible cost. Further negotiations must clarify the definitions, rules and modalities for the CDM, and many African countries hope for an investment instrument which corresponds to their needs.
This document aims to present the potential of the instruments of the United Nations Framework
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC836E/AC836E01.htm
Introduction
The African continent is potentially the one most vulnerable to climate change. The risk of desertification, from which the continent is known to suffer, the poverty of a large proportion of the population, which depends upon natural resources and agriculture, the insufficient means possessed by governments which are barely able to maintain even the existing infrastructures, e.g. health care, all seem to be setting the stage for a potentially worrisome situation at the beginning of the 21st century.
Africa's contribution to the global anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is relatively small; they amounted to approximately seven percent in 1990, land-use changes included. The emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels, including transportation, are even smaller and represent only 3.9 percent of the worlds total (IEA, 1999). With approximately 70 percent, the principal emission source on the African continent is land-use change, which essentially means deforestation.The remaining 30 percent can be attributed to industrial emissions and transportation. These data indicate the importance that the climate change negotiations represent for Africa, particularly the way forestry and agricultural activities will be treated in the different mechanisms which are emerging from the international negotiations. The majority of African countries, except several North African countries and South Africa, which have a significant industrial base, scarcely benefit from the financial incentives linked to reducing emissions in the electricity, cement, manufacturing or transportation sectors, especially in comparison with China, India or Brazil.
Africa will only be able to overcome the negative consequences of climate change by safeguarding the continent's ecological balance, since conserving its forest areas and soil production capabilities, and maintaining its animal and plant biodiversity are vital to the continent's ability to adapt. Africa cannot develop without assistance from the rest of the world, particularly from developed countries. Development assistance has begun to diminish, and private investments now exceed official development aid, but they tend to concentrate in other world areas, excluding Africa from this investment flow.
The United Nations Framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC) has created several instruments for reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. They aim at encouraging investments in "clean" development activities which limit greenhouse gas emissions or fix carbon in the earth's ecosystems. Some of these instruments are still under development and not yet operational. One of them, the "Clean Development Mechanism" (CDM), is both a development instrument and a method allowing industrialized countries to reduce emissions at the lowest possible cost. Further negotiations must clarify the definitions, rules and modalities for the CDM, and many African countries hope for an investment instrument which corresponds to their needs.
This document aims to present the potential of the instruments of the United Nations Framework
http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/AC836E/AC836E01.htm
Saving Africa’s forests, the ‘lungs of the world’
By Michael Fleshman, United Nations Africa Renewal
African efforts to preserve their vanishing forests received a needed boost at the UN Climate Change conference in Bali, Indonesia, last December. The conference, called to negotiate new curbs on emissions of gases that contribute to global warming, pledged to expand programmes to assist African and other developing nations protect existing forests. But time is running out.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for example, the vast and ancient woodlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, all over Africa, indigenous (also known as “old-growth”) forests are being cut down at a rate of more than 4 mn hectares per year — twice the world’s deforestation average. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 10 per cent of Africa’s forests were lost between 1980 and 1995 alone.
Saving Africa’s forests from the chainsaw and axe of encroaching humanity are essential to the health and productivity of much of the continent’s economy, experts say. They point out that forests help to catch water, prevent soil erosion and regulate local weather conditions.
The fate of Africa’s forests could also spell the difference between success and failure in the race against global warming. Trees are among the world’s largest and most efficient living storehouses of carbon monoxide, the “greenhouse gas” most responsible for the earth’s temperature rise and changes in the planet’s climate.
Preserving Africa’s surviving tropical forests and planting new trees to replace those lost to deforestation could help reduce the severity of climate change by absorbing more carbon from the air, and ease the local impact of climate change by regulating local weather conditions.
An even bigger reason for protecting forests is that cutting trees down helps to cause global warming. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 20 to 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from burning trees to clear the land for farming — more than is produced by the all the world’s cars, planes, ships and trains. Burning trees and brush releases the stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Estimates of the total amount of carbon stored in the forests vary greatly. One estimate, based on research by the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), put the total at about 1,000 bn tonnes, or about 166 years worth of current global carbon emissions. Africa contains about 15 per cent of the world’s remaining forests.
The conversion of forest land to agriculture, both subsistence and commercial, is by far the most common and most destructive cause of deforestation in Africa and other tropical regions. As demand for farmland grows in response to growing populations, millions of hectares of tropical forests are being burned in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The challenges are formidable. Humans have long appreciated forests for energy, food and medicine, and as a source of wood for construction and other purposes. But the way forests support agriculture, preserve biodiversity, protect water supplies and moderate the impact of climate change are less well understood. The UN estimated that in 2000 some 1.6 billion people around the world, including many of the world’s poorest, got at least some of their food, income or medical needs directly from the forest. Of these, some 70 million indigenous people primarily depended on the forests to survive.
In Africa, the poorest rural people are particularly dependent on forests. Forests generate about 6 per cent of the sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product — triple the world average. Eighteen countries in Africa, including Cameroon and Ghana, depend on forests for 10 per cent or more of their economies.
Environmentalists and advocacy groups have brought international attention to unsustainable, and often illegal, logging in Central and West Africa, but about half of all the wood extracted from Africa’s forests is used domestically as fuel.
“It is generally accepted,” FAO noted in a 2000 report on sustainable forestry in Africa, “that the key to arresting deforestation and to implementing sustainable forest development lies in improved technologies for food production.”
Improving the productivity of African agriculture is a top priority for African governments and features prominently in the continent’s development agenda, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). But transforming the poorly financed and long-neglected agricultural sector is a costly, difficult and long-term goal and appears unlikely to progress quickly enough to prevent further severe losses to the continent’s woodlands.
In the meantime, enhancing governments’ ability to manage forests, expand tree planting programmes and change the way people view forests and calculate the value of the existing forests could be key to the survival of Africa’s deep woods.
It is understandable that people see indigenous forests as “unused” lands that are a safety net during bad times, Christian Lambrechts, a Nairobi-based forestry expert with the UN Environment Programme told Africa Renewal. “People have to rely on forests for things they can’t buy,” he says. “They have no cash. They can’t go to the chemist. They have to go to the forest to get healing plants.”
Such “subsistence” exploitation of the forests is inevitable when local people are very poor and it does no damage when done sustainably, Mr. Lambrechts notes. But when large numbers of people are forced to use forests for food and fuel, “it has a local impact on the degradation of the forests.”
In early 2007 the World Bank announced plans for a $250 million pilot fund to finance “avoided deforestation” projects in developing countries. The idea is controversial, with questions raised about how to calculate the “carbon value” of existing forests. The proposal was approved in early December in Bali, at the first of a series of meetings to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations convention on climate change, which expires in 2012.
However humanity chooses to preserve them, Mr. Lambrechts concludes, the world’s indigenous forests are simply too valuable to lose. “For 10,000 years we have been conquering the earth,” he says. “Now the earth is full and we have no choice but to manage it instead.”
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec//newrels/214-saving-africas-forests.html
African efforts to preserve their vanishing forests received a needed boost at the UN Climate Change conference in Bali, Indonesia, last December. The conference, called to negotiate new curbs on emissions of gases that contribute to global warming, pledged to expand programmes to assist African and other developing nations protect existing forests. But time is running out.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for example, the vast and ancient woodlands are disappearing at an alarming rate. In fact, all over Africa, indigenous (also known as “old-growth”) forests are being cut down at a rate of more than 4 mn hectares per year — twice the world’s deforestation average. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 10 per cent of Africa’s forests were lost between 1980 and 1995 alone.
Saving Africa’s forests from the chainsaw and axe of encroaching humanity are essential to the health and productivity of much of the continent’s economy, experts say. They point out that forests help to catch water, prevent soil erosion and regulate local weather conditions.
The fate of Africa’s forests could also spell the difference between success and failure in the race against global warming. Trees are among the world’s largest and most efficient living storehouses of carbon monoxide, the “greenhouse gas” most responsible for the earth’s temperature rise and changes in the planet’s climate.
Preserving Africa’s surviving tropical forests and planting new trees to replace those lost to deforestation could help reduce the severity of climate change by absorbing more carbon from the air, and ease the local impact of climate change by regulating local weather conditions.
An even bigger reason for protecting forests is that cutting trees down helps to cause global warming. According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), 20 to 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere each year comes from burning trees to clear the land for farming — more than is produced by the all the world’s cars, planes, ships and trains. Burning trees and brush releases the stored carbon back into the atmosphere.
Estimates of the total amount of carbon stored in the forests vary greatly. One estimate, based on research by the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), put the total at about 1,000 bn tonnes, or about 166 years worth of current global carbon emissions. Africa contains about 15 per cent of the world’s remaining forests.
The conversion of forest land to agriculture, both subsistence and commercial, is by far the most common and most destructive cause of deforestation in Africa and other tropical regions. As demand for farmland grows in response to growing populations, millions of hectares of tropical forests are being burned in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The challenges are formidable. Humans have long appreciated forests for energy, food and medicine, and as a source of wood for construction and other purposes. But the way forests support agriculture, preserve biodiversity, protect water supplies and moderate the impact of climate change are less well understood. The UN estimated that in 2000 some 1.6 billion people around the world, including many of the world’s poorest, got at least some of their food, income or medical needs directly from the forest. Of these, some 70 million indigenous people primarily depended on the forests to survive.
In Africa, the poorest rural people are particularly dependent on forests. Forests generate about 6 per cent of the sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product — triple the world average. Eighteen countries in Africa, including Cameroon and Ghana, depend on forests for 10 per cent or more of their economies.
Environmentalists and advocacy groups have brought international attention to unsustainable, and often illegal, logging in Central and West Africa, but about half of all the wood extracted from Africa’s forests is used domestically as fuel.
“It is generally accepted,” FAO noted in a 2000 report on sustainable forestry in Africa, “that the key to arresting deforestation and to implementing sustainable forest development lies in improved technologies for food production.”
Improving the productivity of African agriculture is a top priority for African governments and features prominently in the continent’s development agenda, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). But transforming the poorly financed and long-neglected agricultural sector is a costly, difficult and long-term goal and appears unlikely to progress quickly enough to prevent further severe losses to the continent’s woodlands.
In the meantime, enhancing governments’ ability to manage forests, expand tree planting programmes and change the way people view forests and calculate the value of the existing forests could be key to the survival of Africa’s deep woods.
It is understandable that people see indigenous forests as “unused” lands that are a safety net during bad times, Christian Lambrechts, a Nairobi-based forestry expert with the UN Environment Programme told Africa Renewal. “People have to rely on forests for things they can’t buy,” he says. “They have no cash. They can’t go to the chemist. They have to go to the forest to get healing plants.”
Such “subsistence” exploitation of the forests is inevitable when local people are very poor and it does no damage when done sustainably, Mr. Lambrechts notes. But when large numbers of people are forced to use forests for food and fuel, “it has a local impact on the degradation of the forests.”
In early 2007 the World Bank announced plans for a $250 million pilot fund to finance “avoided deforestation” projects in developing countries. The idea is controversial, with questions raised about how to calculate the “carbon value” of existing forests. The proposal was approved in early December in Bali, at the first of a series of meetings to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations convention on climate change, which expires in 2012.
However humanity chooses to preserve them, Mr. Lambrechts concludes, the world’s indigenous forests are simply too valuable to lose. “For 10,000 years we have been conquering the earth,” he says. “Now the earth is full and we have no choice but to manage it instead.”
http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec//newrels/214-saving-africas-forests.html
Tanzania sees climate change as hindrance to attainment of Mdgs
Tanzania sees climate change as hindrance to attainment of Mdgs
27 August 2009, Crienglish.com URL: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/08/25/1361s511266.htm
Dar es Salaam: Climate change is poised to undermine national efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as putting poverty reduction efforts in jeopardy, Tanzanian official has noted.
During the launch of the "Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation" held here, Batilda Buriani, minister of state in the Vice President's Office (Environment) noted that the Tanzanian economy is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and to extreme weather events which were already vivid.
Recent temperature measurements from 21 meteorological stations in the country have shown a steady increase in temperature for the past 30 years, she noted. "Due to the increasing temperatures, the adverse impacts are now felt in all sectors of the economy and are threatening human life," she added.
Buriani said several current droughts in the past few years have triggered the recent devastating power crisis. The extreme drop of water levels of Lake Victoria among others in recent years and the dramatic recession of Lake Rukwa in about 50 years are associated at least in part with climate change and threatening economic and social activities, she added.
The minister of state called for appropriate plans, programs and local community adaptation strategies at both local and national level in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.
She insisted that while Tanzania's contribution to greenhouse gas emission is negligible in the global terms, the government considers the initiative of Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation a viable option that can provide opportunities for the country to meet its obligations of managing her forests and woodlands on a sustainable basis.
http://www.africaclimatesolution.org/news.php?id=5148
27 August 2009, Crienglish.com URL: http://english.cri.cn/6966/2009/08/25/1361s511266.htm
Dar es Salaam: Climate change is poised to undermine national efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as putting poverty reduction efforts in jeopardy, Tanzanian official has noted.
During the launch of the "Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation" held here, Batilda Buriani, minister of state in the Vice President's Office (Environment) noted that the Tanzanian economy is highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change and to extreme weather events which were already vivid.
Recent temperature measurements from 21 meteorological stations in the country have shown a steady increase in temperature for the past 30 years, she noted. "Due to the increasing temperatures, the adverse impacts are now felt in all sectors of the economy and are threatening human life," she added.
Buriani said several current droughts in the past few years have triggered the recent devastating power crisis. The extreme drop of water levels of Lake Victoria among others in recent years and the dramatic recession of Lake Rukwa in about 50 years are associated at least in part with climate change and threatening economic and social activities, she added.
The minister of state called for appropriate plans, programs and local community adaptation strategies at both local and national level in order to reduce the negative impacts of climate change.
She insisted that while Tanzania's contribution to greenhouse gas emission is negligible in the global terms, the government considers the initiative of Reduced Emissions for Deforestation and forest Degradation a viable option that can provide opportunities for the country to meet its obligations of managing her forests and woodlands on a sustainable basis.
http://www.africaclimatesolution.org/news.php?id=5148
Forest Platform for Climate Change Adaptation for Africa
Forest Platform for Climate Change Adaptation for Africa
http://unfccc.int/files/adaptation/adverse_effects_and_response_measures_art_48/application/pdf/200609_cifor_south_south.pdf
The Regional Impacts of Climate Change
Forests in Africa are of great socioeconomic importance as sources of timber, fuel, and many nonwood products, as well as for the protection of water resources. Ecologically, they serve critical roles in water, carbon, and nutrient cycling. The impacts of climate change on forests at the continental scale will be assessed in very broad terms using biome distribution models.
http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_sr/?src=/Climate/ipcc/regional/014.htm
http://unfccc.int/files/adaptation/adverse_effects_and_response_measures_art_48/application/pdf/200609_cifor_south_south.pdf
The Regional Impacts of Climate Change
Forests in Africa are of great socioeconomic importance as sources of timber, fuel, and many nonwood products, as well as for the protection of water resources. Ecologically, they serve critical roles in water, carbon, and nutrient cycling. The impacts of climate change on forests at the continental scale will be assessed in very broad terms using biome distribution models.
http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_sr/?src=/Climate/ipcc/regional/014.htm
Forest & Climate Change: Issues & Options in West Africa
Forest & Climate Change: Issues & Options in West Africa
Fobissie Kalame
Johnson Nkem
Monica Idinoba
Yacouba Coulibaly
Center for International Forestry Research
Background
• The vulnerability of West African forest ecosystems to both climatic & non
climatic stimuli is unquestionable
• Dependence on natural resources is only increasing
– for livelihood security
– National development etc
• Climate impacts on forest will amplify the risks on humans putting the region
in jeopardy of other risks
• Autonomous adaptation of forest is insufficient to resist current and projected
impacts of CC in WA
• Planned adaptation is the option & should explore every opportunity
available & done urgently.
http://www.wamis.org/agm/meetings/iwacc09/S4-Kalame.pdf
Fobissie Kalame
Johnson Nkem
Monica Idinoba
Yacouba Coulibaly
Center for International Forestry Research
Background
• The vulnerability of West African forest ecosystems to both climatic & non
climatic stimuli is unquestionable
• Dependence on natural resources is only increasing
– for livelihood security
– National development etc
• Climate impacts on forest will amplify the risks on humans putting the region
in jeopardy of other risks
• Autonomous adaptation of forest is insufficient to resist current and projected
impacts of CC in WA
• Planned adaptation is the option & should explore every opportunity
available & done urgently.
http://www.wamis.org/agm/meetings/iwacc09/S4-Kalame.pdf
Climate change draws attention to African forests
By Alison Walkley
08 August 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The 635 million hectares of forest in Africa that make up 16 percent of the world’s forests are being threatened by deforestation and degradation, causing experts to deliberate on mitigation proposals.
Because of their dryness, the majority of Africa’s forests do not fit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s limited definition of “forest.” This inhibits the protection of such lands and the ability to prevent further degradation.
Tim Clairs, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)‘s regional coordinator for biodiversity and international waters, and Robert Kelly, UNDP’s regional coordinator of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) capacity development, told MediaGlobal, “The CDM includes the possibility of [African] countries earning carbon credits (certified emission reductions, CERs) for afforestation/reforestation. However, in practice such projects have not generated many CERs. There are only six registered CDM afforestation/reforestation projects globally, none of which are situated in Africa.”
Unfortunately, reduced deforestation and degradation was left out of the CDM during Kyoto Protocol negotiations, according to Clairs and Kelly. The reasons included “concerns over methodological issues and the fact that the Kyoto targets were negotiated without taking emissions reductions from reducing deforestation into full account,” they said. “An important component of the ongoing international climate change negotiations is whether and how to incorporate REDD [reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries] into efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Currently, Africa makes up about 2 percent of global CDM projects. Clairs and Kelly attribute this reality to three factors: time lags, lack of funds, and the investment environment.
“Africa’s CDM activity will grow, but the fact is that other opportunities elsewhere in the world have proved more attractive to date—notably industrial projects in China and India,” Clairs and Kelly said of timing.
The expense involved in mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is the second issue. “These emissions are often dispersed, inaccessible, and small-scale,” contributing to higher costs, Clairs and Kelly noted.
Finally, Clairs and Kelly noted that multiple African countries “represent a challenging investment environment,” considering that the continent “accounts for 15 percent of the global population and 1 percent of global foreign direct investment.”
Clairs and Kelly added that “high up-front costs” and “significant delays in payback as trees grow” are among the barriers to CDM forestry in Africa. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme also excludes carbon credits issued to forestry projects. Uncertain land ownership, limited road networks, and social issues also contribute to the problem.
In order for progress to be made in the fight for Africa’s forests, management baselines must be applied in order to determine how much carbon they can hold. One of the first steps for REDD in Africa, therefore, must be putting the forests under effective management, securing ownership prior to data collection on forest cover, biomass productivity, deforestation, and degradation.
Among the strategies experts recommend to reduce the negative impacts on African forests are greater crop and livestock agriculture around forest borders, improved domestic and industrial energy efficiency and conservation, use of efficient and sustainable harvesting of tree products, and improved wood processing efficiency.
Considering that more than 70 percent of Africa’s people rely on forest resources for their economies, it is crucial that they are maintained. According to Clairs and Kelly, African forests account for the highest gross domestic product in the world at six percent. “Therefore, forests are central to development.”
Experts recommend implementing agricultural policies that operate in harmony with environmental, energy, urbanization, and housing policies. All of these steps will contribute to the mitigation of climate change, as well as adaptation to its negative effects.
MEDIAGLOBAL is the global news agency, based in the United Nations Secretariat, creating awareness in the media for the countries of the global South, with a strong focus on South-South Cooperation. The media company is one of the leading providers of information on global development issues facing vulnerable countries. MediaGlobal's news stories are read by leaders of developed countries, the global media, policymakers in donor countries, non-governmental organizations and key personnel in the United Nations Secretariat, its agencies and managers in the field worldwide. Please contact us at: UNITED NATIONS, Room 301, UN Secretariat, New York, NY 10017. Telephone: 212.963.9878. Mobile: 609.529.6129. Email: media@mediaglobal.org. Website:www.mediaglobal.org
http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2009-08-08/climate-change-draws-attention-to-african-forests
08 August 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The 635 million hectares of forest in Africa that make up 16 percent of the world’s forests are being threatened by deforestation and degradation, causing experts to deliberate on mitigation proposals.
Because of their dryness, the majority of Africa’s forests do not fit the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s limited definition of “forest.” This inhibits the protection of such lands and the ability to prevent further degradation.
Tim Clairs, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)‘s regional coordinator for biodiversity and international waters, and Robert Kelly, UNDP’s regional coordinator of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) capacity development, told MediaGlobal, “The CDM includes the possibility of [African] countries earning carbon credits (certified emission reductions, CERs) for afforestation/reforestation. However, in practice such projects have not generated many CERs. There are only six registered CDM afforestation/reforestation projects globally, none of which are situated in Africa.”
Unfortunately, reduced deforestation and degradation was left out of the CDM during Kyoto Protocol negotiations, according to Clairs and Kelly. The reasons included “concerns over methodological issues and the fact that the Kyoto targets were negotiated without taking emissions reductions from reducing deforestation into full account,” they said. “An important component of the ongoing international climate change negotiations is whether and how to incorporate REDD [reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries] into efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Currently, Africa makes up about 2 percent of global CDM projects. Clairs and Kelly attribute this reality to three factors: time lags, lack of funds, and the investment environment.
“Africa’s CDM activity will grow, but the fact is that other opportunities elsewhere in the world have proved more attractive to date—notably industrial projects in China and India,” Clairs and Kelly said of timing.
The expense involved in mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is the second issue. “These emissions are often dispersed, inaccessible, and small-scale,” contributing to higher costs, Clairs and Kelly noted.
Finally, Clairs and Kelly noted that multiple African countries “represent a challenging investment environment,” considering that the continent “accounts for 15 percent of the global population and 1 percent of global foreign direct investment.”
Clairs and Kelly added that “high up-front costs” and “significant delays in payback as trees grow” are among the barriers to CDM forestry in Africa. The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme also excludes carbon credits issued to forestry projects. Uncertain land ownership, limited road networks, and social issues also contribute to the problem.
In order for progress to be made in the fight for Africa’s forests, management baselines must be applied in order to determine how much carbon they can hold. One of the first steps for REDD in Africa, therefore, must be putting the forests under effective management, securing ownership prior to data collection on forest cover, biomass productivity, deforestation, and degradation.
Among the strategies experts recommend to reduce the negative impacts on African forests are greater crop and livestock agriculture around forest borders, improved domestic and industrial energy efficiency and conservation, use of efficient and sustainable harvesting of tree products, and improved wood processing efficiency.
Considering that more than 70 percent of Africa’s people rely on forest resources for their economies, it is crucial that they are maintained. According to Clairs and Kelly, African forests account for the highest gross domestic product in the world at six percent. “Therefore, forests are central to development.”
Experts recommend implementing agricultural policies that operate in harmony with environmental, energy, urbanization, and housing policies. All of these steps will contribute to the mitigation of climate change, as well as adaptation to its negative effects.
MEDIAGLOBAL is the global news agency, based in the United Nations Secretariat, creating awareness in the media for the countries of the global South, with a strong focus on South-South Cooperation. The media company is one of the leading providers of information on global development issues facing vulnerable countries. MediaGlobal's news stories are read by leaders of developed countries, the global media, policymakers in donor countries, non-governmental organizations and key personnel in the United Nations Secretariat, its agencies and managers in the field worldwide. Please contact us at: UNITED NATIONS, Room 301, UN Secretariat, New York, NY 10017. Telephone: 212.963.9878. Mobile: 609.529.6129. Email: media@mediaglobal.org. Website:www.mediaglobal.org
http://www.mediaglobal.org/article/2009-08-08/climate-change-draws-attention-to-african-forests
Africa needs agroforestry to cut forest emissions
Africa needs agroforestry to cut forest emissions
F.K. Akinnifesi, B. Muys and O.C. Ajayi
8 July 2009 EN ES FR
Planting trees among crops in Cameroon — agroforestry could help sustain African environments and livelihoods
Flickr/rbairdpccam
Growing trees among crops could sustain both environments and livelihoods in Africa, say F.K. Akinnifesi, B. Muys and O.C. Ajayi.
The conflict between conserving environments and improving livelihoods is constricting efforts for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. But agroforestry — managing trees with agricultural production — could help.
The Financial Times calls the carbon market the world's fastest growing commodity market — with agriculture, forestry and other land use playing an increasingly important role. The idea behind REDD is simple — pay countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degraded lands.
But working out practical solutions that meet key Millennium Development Goals — namely, to end extreme poverty and hunger, and ensure environmental sustainability — remains difficult.
More trees, better livelihoods
Developing countries' quest for food security through agricultural expansion often leads to deforestation and forest degradation. The main challenge for much of Sub-Saharan Africa is how to design agricultural landscapes to resolve livelihood-environment conflict and maintain forests' ecosystem benefits such as water storage, erosion control, biodiversity conservation and soil rehabilitation.
The way forward is to integrate climate and livelihood, adaptation and mitigation, REDD and agriculture. Agroforestry should be a key component of this approach. Integrating trees into agricultural landscapes on a massive scale would create an effective carbon sink while ensuring sustainable food production, and would help adapt to climate change in other ways too.
Tree-based systems are much better at accumulating carbon, above and below ground, than pure agriculture. A 'green investment' project in India has demonstrated how to harness tree planting for carbon off-setting (see Growing money on trees?). Tree and carbon experts from the World Agroforestry Centre suggest that a billion hectares of farmland (much of it in developing countries) could be turned into carbon-rich agricultural landscapes, potentially sequestering 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide — a third of the carbon reduction challenge.
Of course, saving carbon is not usually the top priority for small-holder farmers— but agroforestry can contribute many of the other benefits farmers want too. For example, a meta-analysis of 94 scientific publications — conducted by World Agroforestry Centre researchers and published in Plant and Soil in 2008 — indicates that using 'fertiliser trees' that capture nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil can reduce the need for commercial nitrogen fertilisers by 75 per cent while doubling crop yields. If combined with other soil fertility management, such as conservation agriculture, fertiliser trees can significantly boost sustainable soil health and increase food security. A diverse tree cover can also increase agroecosystems' resilience towards drought, pest and disease and other threats on food production induced by climate change.
Stream of benefits
If REDD — or indeed, any other effort to mitigate climate change — is to succeed, it must recognise rural livelihood priorities and focus on providing a 'stream of benefits'. Agroforestry tree planting offers this, from tree products such as fruits, medicines and wood to ecosystem benefits such as pollination, water storage and erosion control.
Deliberately creating opportunities for non-timber tree products is a robust way of reducing risks and diversifying options for agroforestry. But this will require putting the right trees, markets, policies and institutions in place.
Another challenge for local communities in the South is getting paid for the carbon they sequester. Experience shows that qualifying and registering for initiatives such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) — and, more likely than not for REDD — involves technical hurdles that hinder wide participation by land users from the South. Excellent toolkits, such as the EU-funded project for designing CDM forestry projects, ENCOFOR, can help. The World Agroforestry Centre is also helping develop capacity to use satellite data and new hi-tech measurement techniques to remotely calculate carbon stocks across millions of square kilometres of agricultural land and forests. Nevertheless, the challenges remain.
Carbon off-setting schemes such as REDD could both improve the environment and generate income. We believe the sustainable landscape of the future in Sub-Saharan Africa will have to be tree-based to guarantee achieving the dual goals of sustainable livelihoods and environments. But we must urge policymakers to recognise agroforestry as an important win-win solution.
The first steps will be to scale-up existing proven and integrated tree-based practices such as combining conservation agriculture with agroforestry on farmlands — what we now call "evergreen agriculture" — to achieve 'high carbon stock' and sustainable food security and livelihoods. This will need sound decision support mechanisms from researchers — supported by policymakers for effective implementation —that build on knowledge, partnerships and capacity at all scales. It also involves providing start-up inputs of quality seeds, nursery, training and extension materials, product markets, carbon credits, payment for environmental services and other financial stimuli for farmers.
F.K. Akinnifesi and O.C. Ajayi are researchers at the World Agroforestry Centre. They are based in the Southern Africa Programme, at Chitedze Agricultural Research Station in Malawi.
B. Muys is a professor at KLIMOS (Research Platform Climate & Development), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Belgium.
http://www.scidev.net/en/climate-change-and-energy/reducing-forest-emissions/opinions/africa-needs-agroforestry-to-cut-forest-emissions.html
F.K. Akinnifesi, B. Muys and O.C. Ajayi
8 July 2009 EN ES FR
Planting trees among crops in Cameroon — agroforestry could help sustain African environments and livelihoods
Flickr/rbairdpccam
Growing trees among crops could sustain both environments and livelihoods in Africa, say F.K. Akinnifesi, B. Muys and O.C. Ajayi.
The conflict between conserving environments and improving livelihoods is constricting efforts for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. But agroforestry — managing trees with agricultural production — could help.
The Financial Times calls the carbon market the world's fastest growing commodity market — with agriculture, forestry and other land use playing an increasingly important role. The idea behind REDD is simple — pay countries to reduce carbon emissions from deforestation and degraded lands.
But working out practical solutions that meet key Millennium Development Goals — namely, to end extreme poverty and hunger, and ensure environmental sustainability — remains difficult.
More trees, better livelihoods
Developing countries' quest for food security through agricultural expansion often leads to deforestation and forest degradation. The main challenge for much of Sub-Saharan Africa is how to design agricultural landscapes to resolve livelihood-environment conflict and maintain forests' ecosystem benefits such as water storage, erosion control, biodiversity conservation and soil rehabilitation.
The way forward is to integrate climate and livelihood, adaptation and mitigation, REDD and agriculture. Agroforestry should be a key component of this approach. Integrating trees into agricultural landscapes on a massive scale would create an effective carbon sink while ensuring sustainable food production, and would help adapt to climate change in other ways too.
Tree-based systems are much better at accumulating carbon, above and below ground, than pure agriculture. A 'green investment' project in India has demonstrated how to harness tree planting for carbon off-setting (see Growing money on trees?). Tree and carbon experts from the World Agroforestry Centre suggest that a billion hectares of farmland (much of it in developing countries) could be turned into carbon-rich agricultural landscapes, potentially sequestering 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide — a third of the carbon reduction challenge.
Of course, saving carbon is not usually the top priority for small-holder farmers— but agroforestry can contribute many of the other benefits farmers want too. For example, a meta-analysis of 94 scientific publications — conducted by World Agroforestry Centre researchers and published in Plant and Soil in 2008 — indicates that using 'fertiliser trees' that capture nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil can reduce the need for commercial nitrogen fertilisers by 75 per cent while doubling crop yields. If combined with other soil fertility management, such as conservation agriculture, fertiliser trees can significantly boost sustainable soil health and increase food security. A diverse tree cover can also increase agroecosystems' resilience towards drought, pest and disease and other threats on food production induced by climate change.
Stream of benefits
If REDD — or indeed, any other effort to mitigate climate change — is to succeed, it must recognise rural livelihood priorities and focus on providing a 'stream of benefits'. Agroforestry tree planting offers this, from tree products such as fruits, medicines and wood to ecosystem benefits such as pollination, water storage and erosion control.
Deliberately creating opportunities for non-timber tree products is a robust way of reducing risks and diversifying options for agroforestry. But this will require putting the right trees, markets, policies and institutions in place.
Another challenge for local communities in the South is getting paid for the carbon they sequester. Experience shows that qualifying and registering for initiatives such as the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) — and, more likely than not for REDD — involves technical hurdles that hinder wide participation by land users from the South. Excellent toolkits, such as the EU-funded project for designing CDM forestry projects, ENCOFOR, can help. The World Agroforestry Centre is also helping develop capacity to use satellite data and new hi-tech measurement techniques to remotely calculate carbon stocks across millions of square kilometres of agricultural land and forests. Nevertheless, the challenges remain.
Carbon off-setting schemes such as REDD could both improve the environment and generate income. We believe the sustainable landscape of the future in Sub-Saharan Africa will have to be tree-based to guarantee achieving the dual goals of sustainable livelihoods and environments. But we must urge policymakers to recognise agroforestry as an important win-win solution.
The first steps will be to scale-up existing proven and integrated tree-based practices such as combining conservation agriculture with agroforestry on farmlands — what we now call "evergreen agriculture" — to achieve 'high carbon stock' and sustainable food security and livelihoods. This will need sound decision support mechanisms from researchers — supported by policymakers for effective implementation —that build on knowledge, partnerships and capacity at all scales. It also involves providing start-up inputs of quality seeds, nursery, training and extension materials, product markets, carbon credits, payment for environmental services and other financial stimuli for farmers.
F.K. Akinnifesi and O.C. Ajayi are researchers at the World Agroforestry Centre. They are based in the Southern Africa Programme, at Chitedze Agricultural Research Station in Malawi.
B. Muys is a professor at KLIMOS (Research Platform Climate & Development), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Belgium.
http://www.scidev.net/en/climate-change-and-energy/reducing-forest-emissions/opinions/africa-needs-agroforestry-to-cut-forest-emissions.html
Adapting Conservation Strategies to Accommodate Impacts of Climate Change in Southern Africa
Adapting Conservation Strategies to Accommodate Impacts of Climate Change in
Southern Africa
G.P. Von Maltitz, R.J. Scholes, B. Erasmus and A. Letsoalo
CSIR, South Africa
AIACC Working Paper No. 35
August 2006
An electronic publication of the AIACC project available at www.aiaccproject.org.
AIACCWorking Papers
Distributed by:
The AIACC Project Office
International START Secretariat
2000 Florida Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009 USA
www.aiaccproject.org
AIACC Working Papers, published on-line by Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC), is a series of papers and paper abstracts written by researchers participating in the AIACC project. Papers published in AIACC Working Papers have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in the on-line series as being (i) fundamentally sound in their methods and implementation, (ii) informative about the methods and/or findings of new research, and (iii) clearly written for a broad, multi-disciplinary audience. The purpose of the series is to circulate results and descriptions of methodologies from the AIACC project and elicit feedback to the authors.
The AIACC project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, the Canadian International Development Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The project is co-executed on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme by the global change SysTem for Analysis Research and Training (START) and The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).
Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC) seeks to enhance capabilities in developing countries for responding to climate change by building scientific and technical capacity, advancing scientific knowledge, and linking scientific and policy communities. These activities are supporting the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) by adding to the knowledge and expertise that are needed for national communications of parties to the convention and for developing adaptation plans. AIACC supports 24 regional assessments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and small island states in the Caribbean, Indian and Pacific Oceans with funding, mentoring, training and technical assistance.
More than 340 scientists, experts and students from 150 institutions in 50 developing countries and 12 developed countries participate in the project. For more information about the AIACC project, and to obtain copies of other papers published in AIACC Working Papers, please visit our website at
www.aiaccproject.org.
1
Adapting Conservation Strategies to Accommodate Impacts of Climate Change in Southern Africa1
G. P. Von Maltitz, R. J. Scholes, B. Erasmus, and A. Letsoalo
1. Introduction
Current predictions are that global climate change will have substantial impacts on southern Africa’s biodiversity, including wide-scale extinctions over the next 50 years (Rutherford et al., 1999; Hannah et al., 2000a,b; Gitay et al., 2001, 2002 et al.; Midgley et al., 2002a,b; MA, 2005). At a global scale, Thomas et al. (2004) predicted that 15–37% of species in their sample (that covered 20% of the earth surface) may be at risk of premature extinction due to anthropogenically caused global change by 2050. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, using different models and assumptions based largely on habitat loss, reached similar conclusions (MA, 2005). Within South Africa, one of the few areas in sub-Sahara Africa where detailed analysis has been conducted, the predictions are that most of the current biomes will reduce in size and will be shifted to the east of the country. Up to half of the country will have a climatic regime that is not currently found in the country (Rutherford et al., 1999).
The succulent karoo biome, (a succulent-dominated semi-desert located on the southwestern coast of southern Africa) is projected to be the most severely impacted, with the grassland and fynbos (a Mediterranean-climate sclerophyllous thicket that approximates to the Cape Floristic 1 The research reported in this paper was supported by grant number AF04 from region) biomes also likely to suffer from high climate change impacts (Rutherford et al., 1999; Midgley et al., 2002a,b). Fynbos and succulent karoo are biodiversity hotspots of international importance (Myers et al., 2000), with the latter being one of only two globally important arid-climate biodiversity hotspots. Two main aspects of the climate have widespread influence on animal and plant species distributions: temperature and water balance (a combination of precipitation and evaporation, which, in turn, is directly influenced by temperature) (Cubasch, 2001). The dynamics of plant and animal populations change at the edge of individual species’ distribution, as net mortality becomes larger than net fecundity, with a spatial gradient of declining population numbers as a result. In a scenario of climate change, this will lead to the progressive extinction of nonvagile species in their natural range, beginning with population dieback in the so-called "trailing edge" of the historical distribution range (Davis and Shaw, 2001). This change in local population dynamics is affected directly by temperature and water balance, but it is also indirectly through aspects such as interspecies competition, fire frequency, pollinator distribution, herbivory and predation,
food availability, soil type, topography etc. (e.g., Gaston, 2003).
Few species occupy their "fundamental niche,", i.e., the range determined by the physiological tolerance limits.
Their actual range, the "realised niche," is a subset of this resulting from the outcome of interactions with other species. The degree to which species distribution can be predicted
based on their climatically defined habitat niche differs between species (e.g., Thuiller et al., 2006).
http://www.aiaccproject.org/working_papers/Working%20Papers/AIACC_WP35_vonMaltitz.pdf
Southern Africa
G.P. Von Maltitz, R.J. Scholes, B. Erasmus and A. Letsoalo
CSIR, South Africa
AIACC Working Paper No. 35
August 2006
An electronic publication of the AIACC project available at www.aiaccproject.org.
AIACCWorking Papers
Distributed by:
The AIACC Project Office
International START Secretariat
2000 Florida Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009 USA
www.aiaccproject.org
AIACC Working Papers, published on-line by Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC), is a series of papers and paper abstracts written by researchers participating in the AIACC project. Papers published in AIACC Working Papers have been peer reviewed and accepted for publication in the on-line series as being (i) fundamentally sound in their methods and implementation, (ii) informative about the methods and/or findings of new research, and (iii) clearly written for a broad, multi-disciplinary audience. The purpose of the series is to circulate results and descriptions of methodologies from the AIACC project and elicit feedback to the authors.
The AIACC project is funded by the Global Environment Facility, the Canadian International Development Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The project is co-executed on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme by the global change SysTem for Analysis Research and Training (START) and The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).
Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC) seeks to enhance capabilities in developing countries for responding to climate change by building scientific and technical capacity, advancing scientific knowledge, and linking scientific and policy communities. These activities are supporting the work of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) by adding to the knowledge and expertise that are needed for national communications of parties to the convention and for developing adaptation plans. AIACC supports 24 regional assessments in Africa, Asia, Latin America and small island states in the Caribbean, Indian and Pacific Oceans with funding, mentoring, training and technical assistance.
More than 340 scientists, experts and students from 150 institutions in 50 developing countries and 12 developed countries participate in the project. For more information about the AIACC project, and to obtain copies of other papers published in AIACC Working Papers, please visit our website at
www.aiaccproject.org.
1
Adapting Conservation Strategies to Accommodate Impacts of Climate Change in Southern Africa1
G. P. Von Maltitz, R. J. Scholes, B. Erasmus, and A. Letsoalo
1. Introduction
Current predictions are that global climate change will have substantial impacts on southern Africa’s biodiversity, including wide-scale extinctions over the next 50 years (Rutherford et al., 1999; Hannah et al., 2000a,b; Gitay et al., 2001, 2002 et al.; Midgley et al., 2002a,b; MA, 2005). At a global scale, Thomas et al. (2004) predicted that 15–37% of species in their sample (that covered 20% of the earth surface) may be at risk of premature extinction due to anthropogenically caused global change by 2050. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, using different models and assumptions based largely on habitat loss, reached similar conclusions (MA, 2005). Within South Africa, one of the few areas in sub-Sahara Africa where detailed analysis has been conducted, the predictions are that most of the current biomes will reduce in size and will be shifted to the east of the country. Up to half of the country will have a climatic regime that is not currently found in the country (Rutherford et al., 1999).
The succulent karoo biome, (a succulent-dominated semi-desert located on the southwestern coast of southern Africa) is projected to be the most severely impacted, with the grassland and fynbos (a Mediterranean-climate sclerophyllous thicket that approximates to the Cape Floristic 1 The research reported in this paper was supported by grant number AF04 from region) biomes also likely to suffer from high climate change impacts (Rutherford et al., 1999; Midgley et al., 2002a,b). Fynbos and succulent karoo are biodiversity hotspots of international importance (Myers et al., 2000), with the latter being one of only two globally important arid-climate biodiversity hotspots. Two main aspects of the climate have widespread influence on animal and plant species distributions: temperature and water balance (a combination of precipitation and evaporation, which, in turn, is directly influenced by temperature) (Cubasch, 2001). The dynamics of plant and animal populations change at the edge of individual species’ distribution, as net mortality becomes larger than net fecundity, with a spatial gradient of declining population numbers as a result. In a scenario of climate change, this will lead to the progressive extinction of nonvagile species in their natural range, beginning with population dieback in the so-called "trailing edge" of the historical distribution range (Davis and Shaw, 2001). This change in local population dynamics is affected directly by temperature and water balance, but it is also indirectly through aspects such as interspecies competition, fire frequency, pollinator distribution, herbivory and predation,
food availability, soil type, topography etc. (e.g., Gaston, 2003).
Few species occupy their "fundamental niche,", i.e., the range determined by the physiological tolerance limits.
Their actual range, the "realised niche," is a subset of this resulting from the outcome of interactions with other species. The degree to which species distribution can be predicted
based on their climatically defined habitat niche differs between species (e.g., Thuiller et al., 2006).
http://www.aiaccproject.org/working_papers/Working%20Papers/AIACC_WP35_vonMaltitz.pdf
Sustainable Development : Links and Resources
International Water Association
The International Water Association is a global network of water professionals spanning the continuum between research and practices and covering all facets of the water cycle.
The main link to the web is http://www.iwahq.org.uk/ <http://www.iwahq.org.uk/>
You also have access to the specialist group in IWA dealing with Nutrient reuse:
Ecological Sanitation Specialist Group <http://www.iwahq.org/templates/ld_templates/layout_633184.aspx?ObjectId=633923>
as well as to link to a task force dealing with the boundary conditions between different technologies:
Sanitation Excreta management <http://www.iwahq.org/templates/ld_templates/layout_633184.aspx?ObjectId=639578>
GTZ
Their work is international cooperation for sustainable development. GTZ provides viable, forward-looking solutions for economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. All their activities are geared to improving people’s living conditions and prospects on a sustainable basis.
The main link is: http://www.gtz.de/ <http://www.gtz.de/>
You are also able to access to ecological sanitation systems <http://www.gtz.de/en/themen/umwelt-infrastruktur/wasser/8524.htm>
Contact: Christine Werner ecosan@gtz.de
WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations specialized agency for health.WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
The main link to the web is: http://www.who.int/ <http://www.who.int/>
Contact: Mrs N. Alidjah alidjahn@afro.who.int
WSSCC
The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) focus exclusively on those people around the world who currently lack water and sanitation, with all their policies and work aimed only to serve those people. They have a special interest in sanitation and hygiene and emphasize the need to view water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as an inseparable trinity for development.
The link to the web is http://www.wsscc.org/ <http://www.wsscc.org/>
Contact: wsscc@who.int
WATER AID
http://www.wateraid.org/
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre <http://www.irc.nl/page/103>
International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC)
http://www.irc.nl/page/103
Water Conservation Portal & Search Engine
Featuring a Genuine Water Conservation Internet Search Engine
Water Conservation Search <http://www.waterconserve.org/search/>
Home <http://www.waterconserve.org/links/welcome.asp> > Organizations <http://www.waterconserve.org/links/Organizations/welcome.asp> > International
Water Conserve: Water Conservation Links (XML/RSS <http://www.ecoearth.info/cgi-bin/rss.cgi?ID=1186;t=waterconserve> )
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=43> editor's pick popular
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=43>
5 out of 10 stars(2 votes)
provides information, including interactive maps, for policy and action to conserve the living world; with programs concentrating on species, forests, protected areas, marine, mountains and freshwaters, and habitats affected by climate change
Added: Jan. 11, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=43&t=waterconserve>
Water Portal of UNESCO <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2110> editor's pick popular
http://www.unesco.org/water/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2110>
4 out of 10 stars(3 votes)
seeks to improve access to information on freshwater on the web, providing water information and links from the United Nations' Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=2110&t=waterconserve>
Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1705> editor's pick
http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1705>
3 out of 10 stars(3 votes)
aimed at supporting water conflict prevention and resolution in Oregon, across the United States and internationally through a certificate program, university partnerships, workshops and a database
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1705&t=waterconserve>
World Water Forum <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=41227> new
http://www.worldwaterforum5.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=41227>
organized every three years by the World Water Council for the purpose of discussing and making recommendations for political action on international water issues
Added: May. 01, 2009 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=41227&t=waterconserve>
American Fisheries Society <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1680>
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/index.html <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1680>
works to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1680&t=waterconserve>
Aquastat--FAO <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1617>
http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/agricult/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1617>
global information system of water and agriculture from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the united Nations
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1617&t=waterconserve>
Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=30476>
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=30476>
aims to identify existing knowledge and stimulate thought on ways to manage water resources to continue meeting the needs of both humans and ecosystems
Added: Aug. 22, 2008 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=30476&t=waterconserve>
Fresh Water Under Threat - South Asia <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=39136>
http://www.roap.unep.org/pub/southasia_report.pdf <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=39136>
a UNEP report that analyszes the vulnerability of water resources systems in South Asia (pdf)
Added: Mar. 09, 2009 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=39136&t=waterconserve>
Freshwater: UNEP.net, the Environment Network <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=3599>
http://www.unep.org/themes/freshwater/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=3599>
the United Nations Environment Programme provides information related to the state of the world's freshwater resources
Added: May. 04, 2002 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=3599&t=waterconserve>
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=5992>
http://www.glrc.us/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=5992>
a wide-ranging, cooperative effort to design and implement a strategy for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes
Added: Jul. 25, 2005 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=5992&t=waterconserve>
International Water and Sanitation Centre <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4302>
http://www.irc.nl/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4302>
news and information, advice, research and training, on low-cost water supply and sanitation in developing countries
Added: Mar. 09, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4302&t=waterconserve>
International Water Management Institute <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4339>
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4339>
9 out of 10 stars(2 votes)
scientific research organization specializing in water use in agriculture and integrated management of water and land resources, seeking to ensure food security through management of water and land resources
Added: Mar. 25, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4339&t=waterconserve>
Water, Sanitation and Health <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4009>
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/index.html <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4009>
the World Health Organization seeks to contribute to the speediest feasible reduction in water and sanitation related diseases, and to promote health through sustainable management of water resources and wastes
Added: Sep. 09, 2002 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4009&t=waterconserve>
World Bank Water Supply and Sanitation <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4303>
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/water/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4303>
strives to help its member countries ensure that everyone has access to efficient, responsive and sustainable water and sanitation services
Added: Mar. 09, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4303&t=waterconserve>
World Water Council <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4296>
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4296>
an international water policy think tank dedicated to strengthening the global water movement for an improved management of the world's water resources
Added: Mar. 07, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4296&t=waterconserve>
The Global Water Partnership
http://www.gwpforum.org/servlet/PSP
World Water Council <http://watercouncil.org/>
http://watercouncil.org/
UNESCO Water Portal <http://www.unesco.org/water>
http://www.unesco.org/water/
Earth Portal <http://www.earthportal.org/>
http://www.earthportal.org/
Water directory <http://www.waterdirectory.info/>
http://www.newatereducation.nl/mod/resource/view.php?id=142
Desertification
http://www.fao.org/desertification/default.asp?lang=en
Drylands Development Centre
http://www.undp.org/drylands/
UNEP Programme on Success Stories in Land Degradation/ Desertification Control <http://www.unep.org/desertification/successstories/>
http://www.unep.org/desertification/successstories/
http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/2008;jsessionid=9B446998A499E5EEB7C76B241847D01D#Websites
Links and resources <http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/2008;jsessionid=9B446998A499E5EEB7C76B241847D01D>
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas - http://www.attra.org/
ATTRA - Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas - is the national sustainable farming information center operated by the private nonprofit National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). ATTRA provides technical assistance to farmers, Extension agents, market gardeners, agricultural researchers, and other agricultural professionals in all 50 states.
Association for Biodiversity Information - http://www.natureserve.org/
The Association for Biodiversity Information (ABI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing knowledge about the world's natural diversity. Working with our member programs in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean—known as the Natural Heritage Network—ABI collects and develops authoritative data about the plants, animals, and ecological communities of the Western Hemisphere.
Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme - http://www.bioresources.org/
BDCP utilizes its independent and non-governmental status to bring innovative management and technical support to grass-roots sustainable development projects. It serves as an intermediary institution forging equitable partnerships between tropical countries and often inaccessible developmental agencies.
The Biotrade Initiative Website - http://www.biotrade.org/
The BIOTRADE Initiative seeks to enhance the capability of developing countries to produce value-added products and services from biodiversity for both domestic and international markets. It is an integrated programme consisting of three complementary components: the BIOTRADE country programmes; market research and policy analysis; and Internet services.
Center for Biodiversity and Conservation - http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/index.html
The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC), established at the American Museum of Natural History in 1993, is a facility dedicated to the study and conservation of biological diversity, defined as the variety of life in all its forms and the interactions among these living forms and their environment.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers - http://www.caff.org/
Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers is a nonprofit member-activist organization. CAFF political and educational campaigns are building a movement of rural and urban people who foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies, and promotes social justice. Members are urbanites, farmers, environmentalists, rural activists, students, and anyone concerned with the social and environmental dimensions of agriculture.
Conservation International - http://www.conservation.org/
CI's mission: To conserve the Earth's living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature.
Convention on Biological Diversity - http://www.biodiv.org/
Dedicated to conservation, sustainable use and equitable benefit sharing.
Foundation for the Revitalization of Local Health Traditions - http://www.frlht-india.org/
FRLHT, a non governmental organisation which was established in 1991, is dedicated to the cause of revitalisation of India's rich and diverse health traditions. We have taken upon us an ambitious mission , which includes:
Strengthening Local Health Traditions in rural communities. Conservation and sustainable utilization of Medicinal Plants including promotion of small scale medicinal plant enterprises for generation of income & employment for rural communities. Dissemination of medicinal plants related knowledge drawn from traditional and modern knowledge systems and including market information Research on selected medical, sociological and epistemological aspects of Indian Medicinal Heritage.
GIFTS of Health - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~gree0179/
Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health - GIFTS of Health is a focal point for policy, research and public awareness of the health needs of the majority of the world's population, who rely on indigenous or traditional medicine for their health and well-being. GIFTS is contributing to the creation of international awareness and policy momentum surrounding the role of traditional health systems - and in the related areas of biodiversity conservation and economic development.
Global BioDiversity Insitiute - http://www.gbdi.org/
The vision of Global BioDiversity Institute (GBDI) is " to be an international leader in providing necessary training and information for capacity building for scientists, legal establishments, local communities, national leaders and government officials in developing countries.
Green Medicine - http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/
Recognizing that commercial demand may lead to overharvesting of native plants in the United States, representatives from industry, government, academia, tribes, and environmental organizations joined together in 1999 to form the Medicinal Plant Working Group. The Medicinal Plant Working Group is part of the Plant Conservation Alliance, a consortium of ten US federal agencies and more than 145 non-federal cooperators working collectively on issues associated with native plant extinction and native habitat restoration. The Alliance also serves as the North American Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Greenpeace - http://www.greenpeace.org/
Greenpeace is the world's leading campaigning organisation for the environment.
Greenpeace works to stop climate change, save the ancient forests, and protect our world's oceans, earth, and sky.
IUCN - The World Conservation Union - http://www.iucn.org/
Mission: To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
MEDPLANTS-- global network on medicinal plants - www.bellanet.org/medplants/
MEDPLANTS is a global network whose members are committed to the sustainable and socially equitable use of medicinal plants.
The network and its members will achieve this through:
Sharing information as widely as possible to achieve the collaborative generation and exchange of knowledge; Strengthening regional and local networks and their initiatives and strengthening the networking capacities of its members; Bringing the benefits of medicinal plants to support local health systems and livelihoods; Addressing global health concerns Conserving medicinal plants and their habitats; Working together to build an active, participatory and transparent network that respects the autonomy of its members.
National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs - http://www.ncpmh.org/
Nestled on 68 acres of rolling land near Rutland in Meigs County, Ohio, the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs is a not-for-profit research facility and preserve. Advised by a council of manufacturers, retailers, herbalists, environmentalists, media, growers and researchers, it cultivates and studies medicinal herbs that are at risk of extinction.
Frontier Natural Products Co-op founded the center in 1998, and transferred the management of the center to Rural Action in 2000.
National Council for Science and the Environment - http://www.cnie.org/
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) works to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision making. Guided by the needs of stakeholders, NCSE educates society about the importance of comprehensive scientific programs that integrate cross-cutting research with knowledge assessments, education, information dissemination, and training.
Neartica Native Plant Societies Resource Page - www.nearctica.com/organize/conserve/natplant.htm
The Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/
The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization founded in 1951, is the world's largest private international conservation group. Working with communities, businesses and people like you, we protect millions of acres of valuable lands and waters worldwide.
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Plants For A Future - http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html
A resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses.
Online Directory for Medicinal Plants Conservation - http://www.genres.de/genres-e.htm
This directory is intended to assist in the flow of information between policy makers, scientists and technical experts in the management of medicinal plant resources.
In its main section, entries are provided on international organizations, organizations with activities on more than one continent, and organizations with a more specific interest in countries of Africa, America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands, and Europe.
People and Plants Online - http://griffin.rbgkew.org.uk/peopleplants/index.html
People and Plants is an initiative in applied ethnobotany, focusing on the interface between people and the world of plants. It promotes sustainable use of plant resources, and the reconciliation of conservation and development. People and Plants is a partnership of WWF and UNESCO. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an Associate, supporting this and other information services of the programme.
Plant Conservation Alliance Website - http://www.nps.gov/plants/
The PCA is a consortium of ten federal government Member agencies and over 145 non-federal Cooperators representing various disciplines within the conservation field: biologists, botanists, habitat preservationists, horticulturists, resources management consultants, soil scientists, special interest clubs, non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, nature lovers, and gardeners. PCA Members and Cooperators work collectively to solve the problems of native plant extinction and native habitat restoration, ensuring the preservation of our ecosystem. People and Plants is a partnership of WWF and UNESCO. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an Associate, supporting this and other information services of the programme.
Seacology Foundation - http://www.seacology.org/
Seacology is the world's premier nonprofit, nongovernmental organization whose sole and unique purpose is to preserve the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe. From Aitutaki in the South Pacific to Zanzibar off the coast of Africa, from islands in the Arctic Circle to tropical islands of the Caribbean, from the Maldives to Micronesia and from Polynesia to the Pribilofs, Seacology launches projects to help preserve island ecosystems and cultures.
TRAFFIC - http://www.traffic.org/
TRAFFIC is the joint wildlife trade monitoring programme of WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature and IUCN-The World Conservation Union. The TRAFFIC Network works in co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It also collaborates with a wide range of other partners, including the IUCN Species Survival Commission, many governments and other organisations. TRAFFIC is an international network, with culturally diverse staff on five continents in 22 countries and territories, and ongoing research in dozens of others. TRAFFIC recognises the diversity of cultural perspectives related to consumptive use of wildlife.
United Plant Savers - http://www.plantsavers.org/
United Plant Savers is a grassroots membership organization whose mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.
World Conservation Monitoring Centre - http://www.wcmc.org.uk/
The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own.
Their programs concentrate on species, forests, protected areas, marine and freshwaters; plus habitats affected by climate change such as polar regions. They also address the relationship between trade and the environment and the wider aspects of biodiversity assessment.
World Wildlife Fund - http://www.panda.org/
WWF's goal is to stop, and eventually reverse, the worsening degradation of the planet's natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF is working to achieve this goal through:
Preserving genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity Ensuring that the use of natural resources is sustainable both now and in the longer term, for the benefit of all life on Earth Promoting action to reduce pollution and wasteful consumption to a minimum.
Since it was founded in 1961, WWF has become one of the world's largest and most effective independent organizations dedicated to the conservation of nature. It has reached this status through a constant record of conservation achievements.
The International Water Association is a global network of water professionals spanning the continuum between research and practices and covering all facets of the water cycle.
The main link to the web is http://www.iwahq.org.uk/ <http://www.iwahq.org.uk/>
You also have access to the specialist group in IWA dealing with Nutrient reuse:
Ecological Sanitation Specialist Group <http://www.iwahq.org/templates/ld_templates/layout_633184.aspx?ObjectId=633923>
as well as to link to a task force dealing with the boundary conditions between different technologies:
Sanitation Excreta management <http://www.iwahq.org/templates/ld_templates/layout_633184.aspx?ObjectId=639578>
GTZ
Their work is international cooperation for sustainable development. GTZ provides viable, forward-looking solutions for economic, ecological and social development in a globalised world. All their activities are geared to improving people’s living conditions and prospects on a sustainable basis.
The main link is: http://www.gtz.de/ <http://www.gtz.de/>
You are also able to access to ecological sanitation systems <http://www.gtz.de/en/themen/umwelt-infrastruktur/wasser/8524.htm>
Contact: Christine Werner ecosan@gtz.de
WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations specialized agency for health.WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
The main link to the web is: http://www.who.int/ <http://www.who.int/>
Contact: Mrs N. Alidjah alidjahn@afro.who.int
WSSCC
The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) focus exclusively on those people around the world who currently lack water and sanitation, with all their policies and work aimed only to serve those people. They have a special interest in sanitation and hygiene and emphasize the need to view water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as an inseparable trinity for development.
The link to the web is http://www.wsscc.org/ <http://www.wsscc.org/>
Contact: wsscc@who.int
WATER AID
http://www.wateraid.org/
IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre <http://www.irc.nl/page/103>
International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC)
http://www.irc.nl/page/103
Water Conservation Portal & Search Engine
Featuring a Genuine Water Conservation Internet Search Engine
Water Conservation Search <http://www.waterconserve.org/search/>
Home <http://www.waterconserve.org/links/welcome.asp> > Organizations <http://www.waterconserve.org/links/Organizations/welcome.asp> > International
Water Conserve: Water Conservation Links (XML/RSS <http://www.ecoearth.info/cgi-bin/rss.cgi?ID=1186;t=waterconserve> )
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=43> editor's pick popular
http://www.unep-wcmc.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=43>
5 out of 10 stars(2 votes)
provides information, including interactive maps, for policy and action to conserve the living world; with programs concentrating on species, forests, protected areas, marine, mountains and freshwaters, and habitats affected by climate change
Added: Jan. 11, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=43&t=waterconserve>
Water Portal of UNESCO <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2110> editor's pick popular
http://www.unesco.org/water/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2110>
4 out of 10 stars(3 votes)
seeks to improve access to information on freshwater on the web, providing water information and links from the United Nations' Education Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=2110&t=waterconserve>
Program in Water Conflict Management and Transformation <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1705> editor's pick
http://www.transboundarywaters.orst.edu/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1705>
3 out of 10 stars(3 votes)
aimed at supporting water conflict prevention and resolution in Oregon, across the United States and internationally through a certificate program, university partnerships, workshops and a database
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1705&t=waterconserve>
World Water Forum <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=41227> new
http://www.worldwaterforum5.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=41227>
organized every three years by the World Water Council for the purpose of discussing and making recommendations for political action on international water issues
Added: May. 01, 2009 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=41227&t=waterconserve>
American Fisheries Society <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1680>
http://www.fisheries.org/afs/index.html <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1680>
works to improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1680&t=waterconserve>
Aquastat--FAO <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1617>
http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/agricult/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=1617>
global information system of water and agriculture from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the united Nations
Added: Jan. 03, 2001 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=1617&t=waterconserve>
Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=30476>
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/Assessment/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=30476>
aims to identify existing knowledge and stimulate thought on ways to manage water resources to continue meeting the needs of both humans and ecosystems
Added: Aug. 22, 2008 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=30476&t=waterconserve>
Fresh Water Under Threat - South Asia <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=39136>
http://www.roap.unep.org/pub/southasia_report.pdf <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=39136>
a UNEP report that analyszes the vulnerability of water resources systems in South Asia (pdf)
Added: Mar. 09, 2009 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=39136&t=waterconserve>
Freshwater: UNEP.net, the Environment Network <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=3599>
http://www.unep.org/themes/freshwater/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=3599>
the United Nations Environment Programme provides information related to the state of the world's freshwater resources
Added: May. 04, 2002 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=3599&t=waterconserve>
Great Lakes Regional Collaboration <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=5992>
http://www.glrc.us/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=5992>
a wide-ranging, cooperative effort to design and implement a strategy for the restoration, protection and sustainable use of the Great Lakes
Added: Jul. 25, 2005 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=5992&t=waterconserve>
International Water and Sanitation Centre <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4302>
http://www.irc.nl/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4302>
news and information, advice, research and training, on low-cost water supply and sanitation in developing countries
Added: Mar. 09, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4302&t=waterconserve>
International Water Management Institute <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4339>
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4339>
9 out of 10 stars(2 votes)
scientific research organization specializing in water use in agriculture and integrated management of water and land resources, seeking to ensure food security through management of water and land resources
Added: Mar. 25, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4339&t=waterconserve>
Water, Sanitation and Health <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4009>
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/index.html <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4009>
the World Health Organization seeks to contribute to the speediest feasible reduction in water and sanitation related diseases, and to promote health through sustainable management of water resources and wastes
Added: Sep. 09, 2002 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4009&t=waterconserve>
World Bank Water Supply and Sanitation <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4303>
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/water/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4303>
strives to help its member countries ensure that everyone has access to efficient, responsive and sustainable water and sanitation services
Added: Mar. 09, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4303&t=waterconserve>
World Water Council <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4296>
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/ <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=4296>
an international water policy think tank dedicated to strengthening the global water movement for an improved management of the world's water resources
Added: Mar. 07, 2003 Rate It <http://www.waterconserve.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?ID=4296&t=waterconserve>
The Global Water Partnership
http://www.gwpforum.org/servlet/PSP
World Water Council <http://watercouncil.org/>
http://watercouncil.org/
UNESCO Water Portal <http://www.unesco.org/water>
http://www.unesco.org/water/
Earth Portal <http://www.earthportal.org/>
http://www.earthportal.org/
Water directory <http://www.waterdirectory.info/>
http://www.newatereducation.nl/mod/resource/view.php?id=142
Desertification
http://www.fao.org/desertification/default.asp?lang=en
Drylands Development Centre
http://www.undp.org/drylands/
UNEP Programme on Success Stories in Land Degradation/ Desertification Control <http://www.unep.org/desertification/successstories/>
http://www.unep.org/desertification/successstories/
http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/2008;jsessionid=9B446998A499E5EEB7C76B241847D01D#Websites
Links and resources <http://www.globaleducation.edna.edu.au/globaled/go/cache/offonce/pid/2008;jsessionid=9B446998A499E5EEB7C76B241847D01D>
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas - http://www.attra.org/
ATTRA - Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas - is the national sustainable farming information center operated by the private nonprofit National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). ATTRA provides technical assistance to farmers, Extension agents, market gardeners, agricultural researchers, and other agricultural professionals in all 50 states.
Association for Biodiversity Information - http://www.natureserve.org/
The Association for Biodiversity Information (ABI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing and providing knowledge about the world's natural diversity. Working with our member programs in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean—known as the Natural Heritage Network—ABI collects and develops authoritative data about the plants, animals, and ecological communities of the Western Hemisphere.
Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme - http://www.bioresources.org/
BDCP utilizes its independent and non-governmental status to bring innovative management and technical support to grass-roots sustainable development projects. It serves as an intermediary institution forging equitable partnerships between tropical countries and often inaccessible developmental agencies.
The Biotrade Initiative Website - http://www.biotrade.org/
The BIOTRADE Initiative seeks to enhance the capability of developing countries to produce value-added products and services from biodiversity for both domestic and international markets. It is an integrated programme consisting of three complementary components: the BIOTRADE country programmes; market research and policy analysis; and Internet services.
Center for Biodiversity and Conservation - http://research.amnh.org/biodiversity/index.html
The Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC), established at the American Museum of Natural History in 1993, is a facility dedicated to the study and conservation of biological diversity, defined as the variety of life in all its forms and the interactions among these living forms and their environment.
Community Alliance with Family Farmers - http://www.caff.org/
Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers is a nonprofit member-activist organization. CAFF political and educational campaigns are building a movement of rural and urban people who foster family-scale agriculture that cares for the land, sustains local economies, and promotes social justice. Members are urbanites, farmers, environmentalists, rural activists, students, and anyone concerned with the social and environmental dimensions of agriculture.
Conservation International - http://www.conservation.org/
CI's mission: To conserve the Earth's living natural heritage, our global biodiversity, and to demonstrate that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature.
Convention on Biological Diversity - http://www.biodiv.org/
Dedicated to conservation, sustainable use and equitable benefit sharing.
Foundation for the Revitalization of Local Health Traditions - http://www.frlht-india.org/
FRLHT, a non governmental organisation which was established in 1991, is dedicated to the cause of revitalisation of India's rich and diverse health traditions. We have taken upon us an ambitious mission , which includes:
Strengthening Local Health Traditions in rural communities. Conservation and sustainable utilization of Medicinal Plants including promotion of small scale medicinal plant enterprises for generation of income & employment for rural communities. Dissemination of medicinal plants related knowledge drawn from traditional and modern knowledge systems and including market information Research on selected medical, sociological and epistemological aspects of Indian Medicinal Heritage.
GIFTS of Health - http://users.ox.ac.uk/~gree0179/
Global Initiative for Traditional Systems of Health - GIFTS of Health is a focal point for policy, research and public awareness of the health needs of the majority of the world's population, who rely on indigenous or traditional medicine for their health and well-being. GIFTS is contributing to the creation of international awareness and policy momentum surrounding the role of traditional health systems - and in the related areas of biodiversity conservation and economic development.
Global BioDiversity Insitiute - http://www.gbdi.org/
The vision of Global BioDiversity Institute (GBDI) is " to be an international leader in providing necessary training and information for capacity building for scientists, legal establishments, local communities, national leaders and government officials in developing countries.
Green Medicine - http://www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal/
Recognizing that commercial demand may lead to overharvesting of native plants in the United States, representatives from industry, government, academia, tribes, and environmental organizations joined together in 1999 to form the Medicinal Plant Working Group. The Medicinal Plant Working Group is part of the Plant Conservation Alliance, a consortium of ten US federal agencies and more than 145 non-federal cooperators working collectively on issues associated with native plant extinction and native habitat restoration. The Alliance also serves as the North American Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
Greenpeace - http://www.greenpeace.org/
Greenpeace is the world's leading campaigning organisation for the environment.
Greenpeace works to stop climate change, save the ancient forests, and protect our world's oceans, earth, and sky.
IUCN - The World Conservation Union - http://www.iucn.org/
Mission: To influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
MEDPLANTS-- global network on medicinal plants - www.bellanet.org/medplants/
MEDPLANTS is a global network whose members are committed to the sustainable and socially equitable use of medicinal plants.
The network and its members will achieve this through:
Sharing information as widely as possible to achieve the collaborative generation and exchange of knowledge; Strengthening regional and local networks and their initiatives and strengthening the networking capacities of its members; Bringing the benefits of medicinal plants to support local health systems and livelihoods; Addressing global health concerns Conserving medicinal plants and their habitats; Working together to build an active, participatory and transparent network that respects the autonomy of its members.
National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs - http://www.ncpmh.org/
Nestled on 68 acres of rolling land near Rutland in Meigs County, Ohio, the National Center for the Preservation of Medicinal Herbs is a not-for-profit research facility and preserve. Advised by a council of manufacturers, retailers, herbalists, environmentalists, media, growers and researchers, it cultivates and studies medicinal herbs that are at risk of extinction.
Frontier Natural Products Co-op founded the center in 1998, and transferred the management of the center to Rural Action in 2000.
National Council for Science and the Environment - http://www.cnie.org/
The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) works to improve the scientific basis for environmental decision making. Guided by the needs of stakeholders, NCSE educates society about the importance of comprehensive scientific programs that integrate cross-cutting research with knowledge assessments, education, information dissemination, and training.
Neartica Native Plant Societies Resource Page - www.nearctica.com/organize/conserve/natplant.htm
The Nature Conservancy - http://www.nature.org/
The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit organization founded in 1951, is the world's largest private international conservation group. Working with communities, businesses and people like you, we protect millions of acres of valuable lands and waters worldwide.
The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Plants For A Future - http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/index.html
A resource centre for rare and unusual plants, particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses.
Online Directory for Medicinal Plants Conservation - http://www.genres.de/genres-e.htm
This directory is intended to assist in the flow of information between policy makers, scientists and technical experts in the management of medicinal plant resources.
In its main section, entries are provided on international organizations, organizations with activities on more than one continent, and organizations with a more specific interest in countries of Africa, America, Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands, and Europe.
People and Plants Online - http://griffin.rbgkew.org.uk/peopleplants/index.html
People and Plants is an initiative in applied ethnobotany, focusing on the interface between people and the world of plants. It promotes sustainable use of plant resources, and the reconciliation of conservation and development. People and Plants is a partnership of WWF and UNESCO. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an Associate, supporting this and other information services of the programme.
Plant Conservation Alliance Website - http://www.nps.gov/plants/
The PCA is a consortium of ten federal government Member agencies and over 145 non-federal Cooperators representing various disciplines within the conservation field: biologists, botanists, habitat preservationists, horticulturists, resources management consultants, soil scientists, special interest clubs, non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, nature lovers, and gardeners. PCA Members and Cooperators work collectively to solve the problems of native plant extinction and native habitat restoration, ensuring the preservation of our ecosystem. People and Plants is a partnership of WWF and UNESCO. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is an Associate, supporting this and other information services of the programme.
Seacology Foundation - http://www.seacology.org/
Seacology is the world's premier nonprofit, nongovernmental organization whose sole and unique purpose is to preserve the environments and cultures of islands throughout the globe. From Aitutaki in the South Pacific to Zanzibar off the coast of Africa, from islands in the Arctic Circle to tropical islands of the Caribbean, from the Maldives to Micronesia and from Polynesia to the Pribilofs, Seacology launches projects to help preserve island ecosystems and cultures.
TRAFFIC - http://www.traffic.org/
TRAFFIC is the joint wildlife trade monitoring programme of WWF-World Wide Fund For Nature and IUCN-The World Conservation Union. The TRAFFIC Network works in co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It also collaborates with a wide range of other partners, including the IUCN Species Survival Commission, many governments and other organisations. TRAFFIC is an international network, with culturally diverse staff on five continents in 22 countries and territories, and ongoing research in dozens of others. TRAFFIC recognises the diversity of cultural perspectives related to consumptive use of wildlife.
United Plant Savers - http://www.plantsavers.org/
United Plant Savers is a grassroots membership organization whose mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come.
World Conservation Monitoring Centre - http://www.wcmc.org.uk/
The World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information services on conservation and sustainable use of the world's living resources, and helps others to develop information systems of their own.
Their programs concentrate on species, forests, protected areas, marine and freshwaters; plus habitats affected by climate change such as polar regions. They also address the relationship between trade and the environment and the wider aspects of biodiversity assessment.
World Wildlife Fund - http://www.panda.org/
WWF's goal is to stop, and eventually reverse, the worsening degradation of the planet's natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. WWF is working to achieve this goal through:
Preserving genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity Ensuring that the use of natural resources is sustainable both now and in the longer term, for the benefit of all life on Earth Promoting action to reduce pollution and wasteful consumption to a minimum.
Since it was founded in 1961, WWF has become one of the world's largest and most effective independent organizations dedicated to the conservation of nature. It has reached this status through a constant record of conservation achievements.
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