The Bangkok meeting hosted sessions of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP), the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-Term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA), as well as three pre-sessional workshops, which focused on technology development and transfer, developed country mitigation, and developing country mitigation – issues that are crucial for creating forward momentum.

Following the three workshops – the working groups set out to organize their work for 2011. Their main task was to agree to an agenda of issues that would allow each group to achieve its mandate for the year in order to produce results at the Seventeenth Conference of the Parties (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa at the end of the year. As simple as it may sound, however, the task proved painfully complicated and difficult.

Kyoto Protocol. Although some argue that the Cancun Agreements effectively killed the Protocol and paved the way for it to be replaced by a new set of agreements, many developing countries continue to call for a second commitment period for Kyoto.

Climate Agenda. The AWG-LCA talks finally composed a compromise agenda (FCCC/AWGLCA/2011/L.1), which all delegations approved. The agenda included: preparation of a comprehensive and balanced outcome to enable the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention through long-term cooperative action now, up to and beyond 2012; review of the definition of its scope and development of its modalities; continued discussion of legal options with the aim of completing an agreed outcome; and other matters, including countries with economies in transition and those with special circumstances.

Trade issues. An agenda heading on unintended consequences of “response measures,” which is a topic that often raises discussion around competitiveness, trade, and economic development implications, continues to figure prominently on the agenda for this year. A novel two-session forum on response measures is scheduled to take place at the upcoming meetings in Bonn (6-17 June) and Durban (28 November-9 December).

On the final day of the UN Climate Change Conference, UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres urged countries to push ahead with their work to aim for another step in addressing global climate change in 2011. Despite difficulties the Parties finally agreed an agenda to work towards a comprehensive and balanced outcome at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban at the end of the year.

Governments agreed that this outcome will both address the implementation of the Cancún Agreements and issues that were not resolved at Cancun but which are part of the comprehensive Bali Action Plan that governments agreed in 2007.

‘I feel that we now have a solid basis to move forward collectively and that governments can deliver further good results this year, provided every effort is made to compromise and show the necessary flexibility to achieve that goal,’ said Ms. Figueres.

The Cancún Conference (COP-16)

The latest COP conference celebrated in Cancún (Mexico) began on a low note after delegates failed to reach an agreement at Copenhagen. A modest deal was reached in the final hours of the talks, in which countries pledged to meet emissions targets, although none of these commitments were legally binding. Countries also reiterated their intention to limit average global temperature rises to 2C above pre-industrial levels. In addition, a forest deal (Redd) will provide finance for countries who avoid emissions from deforestation. A green fund, which will provide poorer countries with funding to decarbonise their economies and adapt to climate change, will initially provide $30bn to developing countries, potentially rising to $100bn in 2020. The only resistance came from Bolivia, who said that decisions had been made without consensus and that the agreement did not go far enough to prevent climate change.

Via: UNFCCC

Fotos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unfccc/5584118791/in/photostream/lightbox/

Most shortages are local and minor and easily addressed. But, in other cases, the shortages persist for days, weeks, or even years and involve millions of people. The reasons for these shortages vary incredibly: from forest fires to safety problems at power stations, from problems in electricity market liberalization to heat or cold waves. Or maybe as a consequence of an earthquake like it happened in Japan some days ago.

Our colleagues at Threehugger tackle the issue explaining how in 2002 the Tokyo Electric Power Company had to begin shutting down 17 nuclear power plants for emergency safety inspections. Manufacturers switched their production schedules to lower-demand periods, the company launched a conservation campaign and people trimmed their use. It didn’t hurt too much because Tokyo’s summer was cooler than expected. In fact, the critical month of July proved to be among the coolest in history. Electricity demand was far below expectations.

A later survey by the Center for Consumer Studies of Dentsu Inc. found that 80% of respondents claimed to have taken measures to reduce their electricity use during the shutdown, by dimming lights, raising the set point of air conditioners, and reducing air conditioning use. These savings were obtained after as little as three days after the conservation campaign began and they persisted for anywhere from a few hours to several months. Some programs continued to save electricity even after the crisis had ended. In most cases, the programs avoided significant blackouts entirely.

TEPCO estimated that it achieved roughly 1.4 GW savings through adjustments in its load contracts with industrial and other large customers and 1.3 GW in other conservation. The combined savings, 2.7 GW, represents about 4.5% of TEPCO’s peak demand (at 60 GW).

Now Japan faces similar challenges in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, with the loss of power from its nuclear facilities. And people is, again, undertaking measures for saving electricity in order to avoid a blackout.

Via: Threehugher | IEA

The conference will provide an update on progress of the Cancún agreements and settle a plan for this year’s negotiations, at the COP17 summit in Durban, South Africa in November. It is hoped that delegates will lay the groundwork for a new deal on emission targets, so that an internationally binding commitment to reduce emissions can be reached before Kyoto expires next year.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said that governments have two main tasks before them in 2011. The first relates to the emission reduction targets and actions which would allow the world to stay below the maximum two degree Celsius temperature rise agreed in Cancun. Ms. Figures pointed out that the sum of national promises so far equals only around 60% of what science requires by 2020 to stay below the agreed two degrees goal.

Ms Figueres said that governments this year need to resolve fundamental issues over the future of the Kyoto Protocol, currently the worldís only existing agreement where almost all industrialised countries agreed internationally-binding commitments to reduce emissions over time. The first period of these commitments under the protocol expires at the end of 2012.

The UN Climate Change Conference in Bangkok, which ends on Friday, is being attended by around 1500 participants from 173 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organisations and research institutions.

Japan’s emission reduction target to remain despite nuclear disaster

Figueres added that Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has given assurances ”that in his view the nuclear disaster does not change the Japanese target.” (to reduce emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020) however, that it is ”still very much too early to know whether Japan will have to change their commitment.”

Her remarks came after Japanese government spokesman Yukio Edano earlier Monday suggested Japan may review its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex.

Via: UNFCCC | The Guardian

Bees are the predominant and most economically important group of pollinators in most geographical regions. But, current evidence demonstrates that a sixth major extinction of biological diversity event is underway.

A reduction in the number of bees could result in a decrease in pollinators which could affect not only in an alteration of food security but also in the fate of many other economically and environmentally-important plants and animals.

Now scientists are warning that without profound changes to the way human-beings manage the planet, declines in pollinators needed to feed a growing global population are likely to continue. According to a new UNEP report unveiled last Friday March, 10th more than a dozen factors, ranging from declines in flowering plants and the use of memory-damaging insecticides to the world-wide spread of pests and air pollution, may be behind the emerging decline of bee colonies across many parts of the globe.

Among the causes there are:

· New kinds of virulent fungal pathogens-which can be deadly to bees and other key pollinating insects- are now being detected world-wide, migrating from one region to another as a result of shipments linked to globalization and rapidly growing international trade.

· Increasing use of chemicals in agriculture, including ‘systemic insecticides’ and those used to coat seeds.

· Climate change may aggravate the situation, in various ways including by changing the flowering times of plants and shifting rainfall patterns.

The effects of the bees’ decline could be disastrous. An estimated 20,000 flowering plant species, upon which many bee species depend for food, could be lost over the coming decades unless conservation efforts are stepped up.

The study, entitled Global Bee Colony Disorders and other Threats to Insect Pollinators, underlines that multiple factors are at work linked with the way humans are rapidly changing the conditions and the ground rules that support life on Earth. It shows humans’ large dependency on ecosystem services even for such vital sectors as food production.

Via: UNEP

Now a new report released by the National Academy of Sciences has warned that climate change could upset the delicate security balance in the Arctic and that America is unprepared for the challenges ahead. According to the report United States urgently needs to build up its military readiness in the Arctic where melting summer sea ice is setting up a global struggle for resources.

“The US military as a whole has lost most of its competence in cold-weather operations for Arctic weather,” the report, National Security Implications of Climate Change for US Naval Forces, warned. “In the immediate term, the navy should begin Arctic training and the marine corps should also establish a cold weather training programme.”

The report warned that America was currently unprepared to defend its interests in the Arctic. Current submarine sytems would be challenged to operate in the Arctic, the report warned. In addition, the coastguard has just three ice breakers, and these are old and obsolete.

The report said that it expected large stretches of the Arctic to be ice-free in the summer by 2030, if current rates of ice loss continued. Competition for oil and gas in the region was bound to increase, the report said. Last year, Scottish oil producer Cairn Energy confirmed it had found oil off the coast of Greenland and one of Nato’s senior commanders warned the race for resources could lead to conflict.

The report, four years in the making, reflects growing concern in US military and strategic circles about the security implications of climate change.

Via: The Guardian | United Explanations

As a consequence of that rapid industrialization in 2007, China became the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Since then, not only the EU and the US, but also developing nations such as the alliance of small island states have put the government in Beijing under pressure to adopt binding emission cuts.

As a result of that, at the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, China announced that it would reduce its carbon intensity – the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per unit of economic output – by at least 40% by 2020. Achieving this ambitious goal has become an overriding political priority for the Chinese government. The draft of its new five-year plan, which will be discussed by the National People’s Congress in March, includes an environmental tax and other carbon-cutting measures.

One of the most shocking and unexpected measures unveiled by Beijing is that China has set an annual growth target of 7% to ensure sustainable development during its new five-year plan. Hence, the new target (lowered from 8%, the initial expected economic growth rate) may mark the end of China’s peak growth years as environmental constraints drive up the expense of resources and pollution control.

“In China’s thousands of years of civilization, the conflict between humanity and nature has never been as serious as it is today,” the environment minister Zhou Shengxian wrote on his ministry’s website. “The depletion, deterioration and exhaustion of resources and the deterioration of the environment have become serious bottlenecks constraining economic and social development.”

In words of the premier, Wen Jiabao, this decisions responds to the will “to raise the quality and efficiency of economic growth”. He said: “We absolutely cannot again sacrifice the environment as the cost for high-speed growth, to have blind development, and in that way to create over-capacity and put greater pressure on the environment and resources. That economic development is unsustainable.”

Between 2000 and 2010 China’s energy demand has surged by 220%, compared to a world average of 20%. Since 2006, the country has accounted for 75% of the global increase in coal consumption and 60% of the increase in oil use.

Via: The Guardian

China is currently suffering the worst drought in 60 years. Its desperate situation requires from desperate measures. The chinese government has announced a billion dollars in emergency water aid to ease the severe drought, as the United Nations warned of a threat to the harvest of the world’s biggest wheat producer. Beijing has also promised to use its grain reserves to reduce the pressure on global food prices, which have surged in the past year to record highs due to the floods in Australia and a protracted dry spell in Russia.

The measures were evident in one of several key agricultural provinces afflicted by four months without rain, the Baita reservoir in Shandong. With nearby crops turning yellow, a mechanical digger cut a crude, open-cast well into the dried-up bed of the reservoir. Muddy water from the five-metre deep pit was pumped up to the surface via a hose that snaked past a fishing boat stranded on the cracked earth.

The problems are compounded by the growing water demands of cities and industry. On the outskirts of Sishui – which translates as Four Waters due to its historic abundance of rivers and sprints – villagers complain that they are not allowed to use the Si river that runs past their homes because the water is earmarked for the Huajin paper mill and an artificial lake in a nearby urban development.

“We can’t use our own water. The local officials want to keep it so they can show a ‘green face’ to the big-shot leaders from Beijing,” said a peanut and cotton farmer who gave the surname Liu to The Guardian. “We are very angry. But we are afraid to complain.”

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation issued an alert earlier this week (pdf). “The ongoing drought is potentially a very serious problem,” it said, noting that the affected area of 5.16 million hectares representd two-thirds of China’s wheat production.

Via: The Guardian

According to the FAO in December 2010, the FAO Food Price Index averaged 215 points, 4% more from November and 1 point above its peak in early summer 2008. The highest increases were recorded for the Sugar and Oils and Fats price indices. The December 2010 index was up 25% from December 2009. The Cereal Price Index rose to 238 points, up 6% from November and as much as 39% from December 2009. However, it remained still 13% (or 36 points) below its peak in June 2008.

We all have heared about the sharply food prices rise and some of the potential causes that are behind it: speculators, lack of supply because of soya fuel harvesting, etc. But in 2010, severe weather in some of the world’s biggest food exporting countries damaged supplies. That has helped to push food prices almost 20% higher than a year earlier, according to the FAO. Flooding hit the planting season in Canada, and destroyed crops of wheat and sugar cane in Australia. In addition, drought and fires devastated harvests of wheat and other grains in Russia and the surrounding region during the summer, prompting Russia to ban exports.

OxfamAmerica said that a “major contributor” to this price surge has been the disastrous effect of extreme weather events on harvests of certain crops. “The record rise in food prices is a reminder that until we act on the underlying causes of hunger and climate change, we will find ourselves perpetually on the knife’s edge of disaster,” said Gawain Kripke, policy director for the organization.

Food prices put special pressure on developing countries’ middle classes. As we can see these days the politically powerful Egyptian middle class have had to devote more and more of their paychecks to simply staying alive. As we can see food prices can trigger into street clashes in poor and volatile populations like Egypt. So if climate change can contribute to the food prices rise then, somehow, it is an underpinning cause of the revolution that is currently taking place.

Via: New York Times | FAO

Last January 8th The Climate Project, the American branch of Al Gore ‘s climate change program, kick off its 2011 Asia-Pacific Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. The summit was bringing together more than 300 grassroots volunteers from its branches in China, India, Australia, and Indonesia, along with representatives from 14 other countries in the region. This summit trained volunteers to deliver Al Gore’s slideshow on the causes of climate change and how we can reduce our pollution and transition to clean energy solutions.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has also pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26-41 percent from projected levels. For this reason Nobel laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore thanked Indonesian President, during the opening of the meeting, for his vision, courage and leadership on climate change issues: "I would like to say a special word of thanks to the president of Indonesia, President Yudhoyono, because of his courage and vision and leadership on the issue that we are here to discuss and work on […] He spoke out at a time when no other leader of a G-77 nation was willing to stand up and take the initiative and break the mold, thus breaking a longstanding deadlock that had frustrated progress in some areas that are now amenable to some progress.”

Gore also added that Indonesia has the potential to become the world’s geothermal energy superpower: "Scientists and engineers are now saying confidently that certain forms of enhanced geothermal electricity production may represent one of the largest resources of carbon-free electricity available in the world today".

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest economy, claims about 40 percent of the world’s geothermal reserves. By 2020, the Indonesian government wants to provide electricity access to 90 percent of its population; about 65 percent currently have access.

Via: Jakarta Globe | UPI

The boom in U.S. natural gas production from shale rock could help the country reduce dependency on coal, because coal emits twice as much carbon dioxide as natural gas when burned. Thus, the percentage of natural gas used to generate U.S. electricity has risen to 23 percent from 20 percent two years ago, as shale gas comes to market.

"We must stand behind the underpinnings of what our leaders agreed to last year," Jonathan Pershing, the head of the U.S. delegation, told reporters on the first day of the annual two-week talks, held in Mexico this year. "The United States is standing behind the commitments we made in Copenhagen", he added.

Despite this success, Obama’s emissions pledge has also been considered meager by many countries as it is the only developed country that never joined the Kyoto pact. The failure of Congress to pass a climate bill and big Republican gains in this month’s congressional elections have also led many to ask whether the United States can reach Obama’s goal.

Developed countries also committed to providing $100 billion annually, starting in 2020, to help developing countries deal with the worst effects of climate change. But Washington wants rapidly growing countries like China and India to accept firmer emissions obligations in any global pact that would succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which will end in 2012 unless a new round is negotiated.

The scenario is complicated because the United States and China, the world’s top two emitters, don’t agree on how to tackle their responsibility of fighting climate change. Let’s see what happens in the aftermath of the Cancún negotiations.

Via: ENN | Reuters

Despite some advanced economies like the United Kingdom, experienced an 8.6 percent decrease in carbon emissions in 2009 in relation to 2008 – and similar numbers can be applied to USA, Japan, France, Germany, etc. -, global emissions droped just by 1.3 percent, which is actually less than half the drop that was predicted. This is because, while economies in developed Western countries were down, activity in the developing world was rising. For example, the steady growth in countries like China provoked its emissions to increase by 8 percent.

According to professor Pierre Friedlingstein, leading author of the study: "The 2009 drop in CO2 emissions is less than half that anticipated a year ago. This is because the drop in world Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was less than anticipated and the carbon intensity of world GDP, which is the amount of CO2 released per unit of GDP, improved by only 0.7 per cent in 2009 — well below its long-term average of 1.7% per year."

Althought the study found that CO2 emissions from deforestation decreased by more than 25 percent since 2000 compared to the previous decade – due to the expansion of forests at the temperate latitudes which partially offset forest loss in the tropics -, the paper predicts an emissions increase of more than three percent in 2010, a growth rate similar to those found between 2000 and 2008.

The study involved the University of East Anglia and other international institutions, and is part of the Global Carbon Project, which annually updates CO2 greenhouse gas emissions totals. The paper, authored by Professor Pierre Friedlingstein and others, was published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Via: ENN | Global Carbon Project

India, as a host of the world’s second largest population, has a value of per capita emissions which remain below the world average. But population growth in the last two decades has been coupled with a rapid increase of private vehicles and a switch from rail to road transport across the freight and passenger sectors. In 2007 India’s transport sector was responsible for 12.9% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions – impacting air quality, public health, road safety and sustainable urban development.

So, there is a real need to adopt an integrated sustainability approach that encourages the move towards enhanced energy efficiency in transport, higher penetration of biofuels, sustainable urban planning, improved public awareness and participation and the promotion of public transport services. And so it does identify it India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), by recognizing the need to lower GHG emissions from transport.

The Project, which is endorsed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, comprises two key interventions: the development of a national action plan for low-carbon transport and the design of low-carbon mobility plans for 4 major cities across India. The cities component will be carried out in close coordination with the Ministry of Urban Development.

The German International Climate Initiative -the main funder of the project- aims to support partner countries worldwide in establishing climate-friendly economic structures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions where possible. This support covers areas such as increasing energy efficiency, expanding renewable energies, capacity building and policy advice in the partner country.

Via: UNEP

Mitigation/ Adaptation Strategies

Under changing conditions of operation, including those due to climate change, water companies will have to devise a strategy for more sustainable management, to ensure that they continue to meet or exceed the standards set by their respective regulators. Mitigation measures in the short-term and adaptation in the long-term will thus be inevitable for the water industry.

Adaptation to climate change by the Water Industry will require a new approach to management and operation practices by the sector that puts into consideration the potential impacts, but recognising the degree of uncertainty in the projected changes. Without any enforcement through regulation, there are two prerequisites to adaptation: awareness of the potential threat of climate change; and the concern about its potential impacts on the operations¹.

Awareness and Concern for Climate Change

In the developing world, awareness of climate change in general still remains relatively low. Where there is a degree of awareness, concern for climate change is often considered as an optional extra.

While the awareness of climate change is high in the water industry in most developed countries, concern over its impacts varies between different companies. Climate change is generally seen as having relatively little effect compared to other effects like increased demand due to socio-economic effects and increased environmental obligations. This is especially so since the future balance between supply and demand tends to be looked at in the short-term, mainly driven by short regulatory cycles- 5years in the UK. Whereas climate change impacts become significant in the long-term 20 to 100 year projections.

To this effect, Water Industry regulators have a big role to play in ensuring long-term planning beyond short regulatory investment cycles, to drive the water companies to incorporate the impacts of climate change. For the first time in 2008 Ofwat, the water industry’s economic regulator in the UK, asked water companies to provide a 25-year strategic vision alongside the standard 5-year plan as part of its Price Review for 2009, linking pricing and provision of strategic planning. This was a positive measure for the industry in the UK as it meant that the cost of long-term infrastructure, climate change adaptation and resilience strategies could be factored into the set tariffs.

The business case for the water companies to be concerned about, and incorporate impacts of climate change in their long-term planning is the fact that this, depending on their level of sensitivity, will put them in a better position to adapt or mitigate the anticipated risks¹.

Mitigation/Adaptation Strategies

Adaptation can be achieved in two ways. The first, is through capacity building for example through skills training; and second, through actual measures to alter infrastructure or operation and management practices in order to meet altered circumstances: demand, supply, river flows, runoff and others, due to climate change.

The actual mitigation/adaptation strategies can be divided into two main categories; supply side and demand-side options. The former seek to increase the amount of water able to provide to the customers and subsequent collection or drainage, either through new efficient sources/structures or more efficient use of existing ones. The latter seek to manage demand in order to provide a balance between supply and demand. While the approach to water supply and drainage planning has in the past mostly been supply driven, there has been a recent shift to considering both supply and demand-side measures which will provide an added advantage for adaptation to climate change.

a. Demand-Side Approaches

Demand approaches are more sustainable than the supply-side approaches, recognising fresh water as a finite resource. This is in line with the first Dublin principle for sustainable water management which recognises water as a finite and vulnerable resource that is essential to sustain life, development and the environment. In contrast the ‘predict and provide’ (supply-side) approaches assume water as an infinite resource. This section discusses some of the probable demand-side approaches to water supply and drainage in order to mitigate or adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The anticipated shortages in water supply, especially during summer, with a corresponding increase in demand for water in regions such as the Australia and Northern Africa, will imply an imbalance between supply and demand.

This problem can be tackled through more efficient use of water at household and commercial level. Using more water-efficient equipment and fittings such as cistern devices that reduce the amount of water used in toilet flushing and automated taps that turn off when not in use; could be used to avoid wastage and thus manage demand. Although the effect of climate change on average domestic demand is expected to be minimal, it often constitutes a considerable percentage of the overall volume of water consumed. Therefore any saving of water at household level would free up significant volumes of water that can be utilised in other areas.

In countries where a considerable percentage of water is used for irrigation such as Egypt and many Middle-East countries, it will be imperative that low-efficiency surface irrigation systems, which cause high water losses, are replaced with more efficient ones. This would result in significant savings in water, thus closing the gap between the limited supply and the escalating demand for water from various economic sectors, which will be exacerbated by climate change.

The demand can also be managed through the introduction of water re-use and recycling technologies and practices at household or communal level. The recycled water may not be treated to drinking water standards, but can be to such a standard as to be reused for example for garden irrigation or in power plants. Rainwater, if harvested during winter and stored at household level, can also be used to offset the water demand during drier summers by using it for gardening and toilet flushing.

The success of the demand management strategies proposed above, though they may be enhanced through legislation, mainly depends on the users as opposed to the water company. Community education and awareness is thus fundamental to changing behaviour to effect responsible water consumption and adoption of water-saving technologies. Changing the way a community values water is thus a key element in demand management and can have far-reaching results than traditional water use restrictions. In Australia, a 25% decrease in potable water consumption was recorded following campaigns by South East Queensland Water Corporation and Gold Coast Water to reduce consumption by 30%. This was achieved through education, financial incentives and efficiency improvements. Queensland Water Commission has been successful in introducing water restrictions and changing water-use behaviour that saw the per capita usage drop below 140 litres per person per day from a high of 300 litres per person per day before the drought period.

The use of water meters and the nature of the tariff structure in generally agreed to influence the level of consumption of water. A flat fee and non-metered consumption, both promote increased consumption and wastage. A price structure of ‘fixed fee plus volumetric charge’ or an ‘increasing block rate’ on the contrary, would promote more efficient use of water. The UK tariff structure, for example, with domestic consumers paying a fixed rate fee without metering, encourages inefficient use of water. Although industrial, commercial and agricultural consumers in the UK are charged by volume of water supplied; the domestic consumers still constitute a considerable proportion of the overall consumption/demand. This is a role mainly for the water industry regulators to play, collaborating with water companies to enforce universal metering and setting a better tariff structure to ensure more efficient use of water. This if implemented, will allow water companies to exert more control over the demand for water, and thus an increased ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Efficient use of water will also be very important in order to meet increasing pressures and competing demands on water resources including environmental obligations to maintain ecosystems. In Europe, the European Directive and Framework Water Directive, for example, will require an increase in demand to maintain the ecosystem estimated at extra 5% increase in demand in the UK according to the Environmental Agency.

A combination of education and regulation by the planning authorities should be used to drive an increased uptake of SUDS, to avert the impacts of climate change. In the UK for example, since 2009, planning permission is required for paving over front gardens and is only granted for applications that include porous solutions, such as gravel or permeable paving that allows runoff to soak into the ground.

b. Supply- Side Approaches

For more sustainable management of water, supply-side options should only be exploited once all the opportunities for demand measures have been exploited. Alternatively they can be used in conjunction with demand-side approaches, especially when time is a limiting factor.

Based on the most recent IPCC (2007) predictions for various regions, the most affected areas will either see a decrease in the total annual precipitation or a high variation in the seasonal distribution, which would inevitably cause an imbalance between supply and demand.

This problem could be addressed by construction new storage reservoirs or increasing the capacity of existing ones, so as to store the excess precipitation, for example during winter, to buffer the increased demand during periods of scarcity of supply, particularly during dry summers.

Critical to sustainable water resources in the future to cope with the impacts of climate change will be the diversification of sources of supply, to reduce dependence on sole sources of supply. Queensland Water Commission for example, the statutory authority responsible for achieving safe, secure and sustainable water supplies in South East Queensland in Australia; has gone a long way to ensure that South East Queensland has a secure water supply for at least the next 50 years using both demand management strategies and diversification of supply sources.

Climate change is expected to have a more direct impact on surface water sources than groundwater sources. In areas where the surface water supply in highly affected by climate change, groundwater could be explored either to replace or augment the existing surface water supply from fresh surface water sources. The vulnerability of structures to climate change can be reduced by screening the vulnerability of existing and that to be constructed to the impacts of climate change.

In cases where groundwater development is not an option, other sources of supply may be considered as a last resort, given the cost implications. Desalination of sea water- though expensive primarily due to the large energy costs, transferring of water between regions and importation of icebergs from other frozen places like the Antarctica, may be considered as options in order to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This will mean more investment into research and development to try and develop cheaper alternatives, for example, cheaper methods for desalination.

The IPCC scenarios predict an increase in the frequency of extreme events including high intensity floods. Many of the urban drainage systems are already dilapidated; having been in operation for several decades and have little surplus capacity. Coupled with reduced structural integrity, these may not be in able to handle the extra burden due to climate change. Significant investment is therefore needed to upgrade drainage infrastructure, incorporating an increased factor of safety in the design, to cater for the predicted climatic conditions. Affordability, however, will remain a critical issue.

The probable impacts on sewer systems like blockage and overloading due to climate change, coupled with the existing problems may give more credibility to the adoption of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) as augmentation to the traditional urban drainage systems. SUDS are onsite techniques that work like natural drainage systems. They can attenuate and reduce surface flow flood peaks by modifying and delaying runoff through mechanisms such as soakaways, porous pavements, swales and integrated storage facilities. SUDs can also be used for water quality improvement purposes and to divert flows from urban drainage systems through infiltration to the ground or if warm enough, through evapotranspiration.

Although SUDS may appear to be more suitable than conventional urban drainage systems, considering a risk-based approach, there may be a need to modify the current design and operation of SUDS in order to cope with the predicted impacts of climate change.

Conclusion

While adaptation of water companies to the impacts of climate change will be inevitable in the long run, a number of supportive features will play a role to ensure that this is realised.

First, the need for a conceptual shift within the water industry from the belief that assessment of future trends based on the past is sufficient and a shift from predominantly short-term planning to long-term, forward-looking planning focussing on 25-50 years.

Second, there will be a need for development of methodologies for climate change impact assessment within the water industry specific for different regions or countries, which will be key for adaptation.

Finally, the water industry cannot solely succeed in adapting to the impacts of climate change; but rather in collaboration with other sectors. A more sustainable solution to flooding and droughts, for example, will require the co-operation and use of integrated strategies by water companies, water industry regulators, government agencies, planning authorities and the consumers.

Despite the challenges that face the water industry globally due to climate change, all is not doom and gloom. There are locations around the world where problems of water scarcity and extreme precipitation events have been experienced and solutions implemented to successfully manage the challenge. There are lessons to learn from Hong Kong and Singapore, for example, which already experience intense rainfall events in high-density urban areas; and lessons from Australia which has experienced one of the most severe droughts in recent times yet most water companies have successfully managed to maintain high-quality water supply throughout this period. These examples provide the global water industry with evidence that it is possible to adapt to the impacts of climate change if the right legislation and solutions for the different areas are implemented- but there sure won’t be a single solution that fits all.

Implications for the Water Industry and Provision of Services

Water Resources and Supply

Water is mainly supplied provided from either surface or groundwater sources. Therefore, the impact of climate change on water resources will have a direct impact on the availability of water for supply. Changes in seasonal distribution of precipitation with increased variability and increase in temperature will affect surface water flow, potential evapotranspiration rates and groundwater recharge.

The IPCC Scenarios predict reduced summer and autumn flows in regions where more than one-sixth of the world’s population currently live. The UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) predict a decrease in summer precipitation for most of the UK, reducing up to 30% by the 2050’s. Periods of low flows in rivers would have a direct impact on run-of-river abstractions for domestic, industrial or agricultural water supply and water quality.

Higher water temperatures, increased precipitation intensity, and longer periods of low flows exacerbate many forms of water pollution, pose a threat to aquatic life in surface water sources-with impacts on ecosystems, human health, water system reliability and operating costs to treat water to the required standards or cope with extreme events.

Altered water quality, and most particularly the increasing necessity to dilute water from sources with high concentrations of nitrates in effect would reduce the volume of water available for supply. This is more so with more stringent environmental requirements such as under the Water Framework Directive in Europe, which requires the prevention of further deterioration and the protection and enhancement of the status of aquatic ecosystems and, with regard to their water needs, terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands directly depending on the aquatic systems.

An additional impact on due to climate change may be the occurrence of saline intrusions along the estuaries, due to increased sea levels, exacerbated by lower river flows. This could threaten low-lying fresh water intakes, particularly during summers. This problem is of concern, for example, in the United Kingdom and other low-lying coastal countries such as Denmark.

There have been fewer studies on the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge. According to a report in 2005 by the Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in the UK, on the impacts of climate change and Adaptation, the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge are less certain. Groundwater is not only sensitive to the changes in the volume precipitation during winter, but also on the duration of the recharge. The greatest threat to groundwater resources would be an increase in the year to year variation of winter rainfall. Any increase in variability would increase the risk of a dry winter with low recharge followed by a dry summer period. In the United Kingdom, the general indication from the UKCP09 Climate Projections is a decrease in groundwater recharge.

While alterations in river flow and recharge due to climate change will have an impact on the supply; the reliability of supply will mainly depend on how the water resources are managed as well as general water management practices. A reduction in summer flows for example will produce a higher impact where water is abstracted directly from a river (run-of-a river), but less significant where water for supply is obtained from a reservoir filled during winter. The consequences of climate change on water supply will thus be dependent on rates of warming and the vulnerability of existing water systems.

Demand for Water

This section focuses on the potential impacts of climate change on demand, which will not only be driven by climate change, but also and more importantly, by the social and economic changes. Over the short term (5 to 10 years), pressures such as population growth, economic growth and land use are likely to impact more on the demand than climate change impacts.

The impacts of climate change on demand however, will be more pronounced for regions which are already water stressed or have a high proportion of consumption for Agricultural irrigation- which is likely to increase considerably due to climate change.

Australia for example, the driest inhabited continent in the world, has already reached the limits to the amount of water that can be sustainably harvested in most of its river systems. Any increase in demand will therefore imply additional stress and vulnerability. Already research is being conducted and programmes implemented on how to balance supply and demand mainly through augmentation of water supply sources, education and more sustainable water resources management to reduce the demand for water.

Egypt is one of the African countries that could be vulnerable to water stress under climate change. According to the IPCC Assessment Report 2007, by 2000 the water demand for Egypt was already far in excess of the available resources and climate change will exacerbate its vulnerability- with increasing Agricultural demands which consume about 85% of the water resource and contribute about 20% of GDP. Hence any impacts on demand by climate change will have a direct significant negative impact on the economy if not properly managed.

In the United Kingdom Climate change is expected to have relatively little effect on average domestic and industrial demand, but could increase average irrigation demands considerably. The additional impact of mean climate change on domestic demand is a marginal increase of up to 1.8% by the 2020s and 1.8%-3.7% by the 2050s, while agricultural demand could increase by up to 30% in the 2050s.

The magnitude of potential impacts of climate change on demand will vary considerably between sectors and regions. Therefore for any specific water company, regional results would need to be applied for useful future demand forecasting, putting into consideration the level of risk and uncertainties in the predicted values.

Urban Drainage and Flooding

Another impact that would be expected as a result of climate change will be impacts on the operation of urban drainage systems, as a result of a change in the frequency and intensity of precipitation and the susequent increase in extreme events, particularly floods and droughts.

Increased precipitation and its intensity due to climate change would have a number of implications on the operation and hydraulics of the urban drainage and sewerage systems. Where there is a combined drainage system, (e.g. the UK having over 70% of its system by length), the combined sewer flows would have a direct relationship with the amount of storm water and hence also with the amount of precipitation.

In periods of reduced precipitation e.g. during dry summers, reduced sewer flows may impact on the velocity of flow of the wastewater in the sewer lines. If the velocity of flow falls below the design minimum (self-cleansing) velocity, due to reduced volumes of flow, it will lead to increased levels of solid deposition and a resultant increase in the frequency of sewer blockages. This would, in turn, imply an increase in maintenance costs.

However, if the precipitation intensity increased, the storm water will have increased velocity with an increased scouring ability. It will thus carry with it a large amount of sediments into the combined sewer, which may find their way to the sewage treatment plant intake and may pose structural damage to the intake structures. Furthermore, there would be increased levels of combined sewer overflows, polluting water courses and putting the health of people downstream at risk, with a possibility of strained customer relations.

In cases where there is old drainage infrastructure designed without including a safety factor to account climate change impacts , there will be an issue of exceeding capacity due to increase in volume of precipitation, leading to increased surface-water flooding incidences.

In the recent floods that hit the UK in 2007, the worst flood crisis in 60 years, the existing predominantly Victorian sewerage infrastructure was not able to cope with the type of severe storm events, resulting in extensive flooding and damage. The UK government estimated that about two thirds of the flood damage was caused by surface-water runoff overloading drainage systems, while only a third came from river flooding. If climate change predictions hold true, a 30 per cent increase in rainfall could occur by the 2080s according to UKCP09. Extreme events such as these are therefore likely to be more frequent in the future, with rain falling in intense storms that would overcharge existing stormwater drainage systems.

Increased drought incidences too, would have an influence on flooding because less water penetrates hard, dry soil than it does soft.

Water is a valuable, yet a finite resource that is fundamental to every nation’s development and economic performance. The current and future predicted changes in climate will have far reaching consequences for the Water Industry globally; presenting challenges to the supply of water, collection of wastewater and provision of urban drainage services. Therefore, mitigation and adaptation strategies will be required for more sustainable management of water systems into the future.

This article will outline the potential impacts of climate change on the Water Industry in as far as the supply of freshwater, collection of wastewater and provision of drainage services, is concerned. In addition, a number of potential mitigation and adaptation strategies are identified citing examples for the United Kingdom (UK) and other parts of the world.

Scenarios and Potential Impacts on Freshwater Resources

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides four possible changes in climate based on four different greenhouse emission scenarios, which are in turn based on predictions on how the different world regions may grow in decades to come. The results are presented for each of the main continental regions and small islands grouped together.

The scenarios are thus described by the increasing levels of emissions on which they are based; low emissions, medium-low emissions, medium-high emissions and high emissions. For each of the different scenarios, the change in climate is modeled for three time periods: 2020s (2011 to 2040), 2050s (2041 to 2070) and 2080s (2071-2100).

Whereas the specific impacts of climate change vary from region to region and the degree varying depending on the scenario, the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report provides a summary of impacts for major systems and sectors –which gives a general indication of the trends. For freshwater resources, the impacts are outlined as below, with evidence that the negative impacts of climate change on freshwater systems outweigh the benefits:

· Runoff and water availability are very likely to decrease over much of the mid-latitudes and dry tropics, which are presently water-stressed areas and increase at higher latitudes and in some wet tropics.

· Drought-affected areas will probably increase and extreme precipitation events, which are likely to increase in frequency and intensity, will augment flood risk.

· Water volumes stored in glaciers and snow cover are very likely to decline, reducing summer and autumn flows in regions where more than one-sixth of the world’s population currently live.

· Up to 20% of the world’s population live in river basins that are likely to be affected by increased flood hazard by the 2080s in the course of global warming.

· Many semi-arid areas (e.g., Mediterranean Basin, western USA, southern Africa and north-eastern Brazil) will suffer a decrease in water resources due to climate change.

· The number of people living in severely stressed river basins is projected to increase.

· Sea-level rise will extend areas of salinisation of groundwater and estuaries, resulting in a decrease in freshwater availability for humans and ecosystems in coastal areas.

· Groundwater recharge will decrease considerably in some already water-stressed regions, where vulnerability is often exacerbated by the rapid increase in population and water demand.

· Higher water temperatures, increased precipitation intensity and longer periods of low flows exacerbate many forms of water pollution, with impacts on ecosystems, human health, and water system reliability and operating costs.

· Areas in which runoff is projected to decline will face a reduction in the value of services provided by water resources. The beneficial impacts of increased annual runoff in other areas will be tempered by the negative effects of increased precipitation variability and seasonal runoff shifts on water supply, water quality and flood risks

The above impacts of climate change on freshwater systems and their management are mainly due to the observed and projected increases in temperature, precipitation variability and sea level variability (IPCC, 2007).

More to come these following days.

As a result of the Pinatubo eruption 20 millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease of half a degree in the temperature worldwide. The cooling effect was due to the particles spewed during the eruption cause they can reflect sunlight back into space, and for a while, that’s exactly what happened.

And some scientists are thinking of taking advantage of that effect by using airplanes to inject sulfur dioxide directly into the stratosphere and bring down global temperatures.

"It takes so little material to alter the whole planet’s climate […] the costs of doing it are just absurdly cheap" says David Keith, director of the University of Calgary’s Energy and Environmental Systems Group.

This is just one way scientists believe they might use technology to counteract climate change, or at least its effects. Another way would be growing algae in the ocean to suck up carbon dioxide. All these initiatives have been grouped on what’s been called geoengineering, the last technologic trend in the fight against climate change.

But in order for this project to have a real impact on climate change, it would has to take place on a massive scale. And that could have all sorts of unintended consequences: change in rainfall patterns, drought and starvation for thousands of people in East Africa, etc. At least is what Diana Bronson, of the ETC Group, thinks, since she has been skeptical of geoengineering.

You can read more on the subject here:

Geoengineering: ‘A Bad Idea Whose Time Has Come’

Can We ‘Cool The Planet’ Through Geoengineering?

Via: ENN | npr

It may seem impossible but it is true. Israel and Palestina are walking together, and at the same direction, at least in one issue: the fight against climate change. Both nations are among 15 Mediterranean nations who signed, last 22 October, a historic agreement to work together to combat the effects of climate change, one month ahead of the next United Nations conference on climate change, meeting at Cancun in November.

Under the name of Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative all parties will aim at:

“contributing to the emergence of low carbon, resource efficient and climate resilient economies in the Mediterranean and its objective will be to undertake strategic policy development work on climate change adaptation and low carbon development relevant to the entire Mediterranean region”.

Signatories included most Mediterranean countries: EU members like France, Spain, Italy, and Greece; Eastern European countries like Turkey, Croatia, Romania and Macedonia, and Middle Eastern countries, like Libya, Syria and Egypt.

Both Israel and Palestine are acutely aware of their vulnerability to climate change, which is expected to make water resources even more scarce for what is already the most water-stressed highly populated area in the world.

The region faces a potential 4 degree rise in average temperatures and a 70% drop in precipitation. Sea level rise is expected to further contaminate nearby aquifers such as the coastal aquifer of Gaza that provides water to 1.5 million Palestinians. The annual decrease in rainfall is already provoking a raise in farm prices for fruits and vegetables, and putting in a hard situation for those who can’t afford to pay for water.

Israel’s president had committed the nation to reduce carbon emissions 20% by 2020 at Copenhagen last year. To achieve the reduction in carbon, Israel’s state-owned electricity company the IEC (Israel Electric Corporation) will need to do a big effort increasing the percentage of the total clean electricity that is supplying. For this to happen, and due to the high solar irradiation the region receives, a few solar concentraded solar power facilities, solar photovoltaics -and wind farms- would make an enormous reduction quickly, and would help to meet the targets that both nations are pursuing.

Via: ENN | Mediterranean Climate Change Initiative

“Our demand on natural resources has doubled since 1966 and in 2007 we were using the equivalent of 1.5 planets to support our activities. If we continue living beyond the Earth’s limits, by 2030 we’ll need the equivalent of two planets’ productive capacity to meet our annual demands”. This is one of the findings of the “2010 Living Planet Report” the latest study released this week by the World Wildlife Fund.

The Living Planet Report is the world’s leading, science-based analysis on the health of the planet and the impact of human activity. Its key finding, as appointed in the previous paragraph, is that humanity’s demands exceed our planet’s capacity to sustain us.

But, how are humanity’s demands being calculated? The report relates the so called Living Planet Index – a measure of the health of the world’s biodiversity – to the Ecological Footprint and the Water Footprint – measures of humanity’s demands on the Earth’s natural resources.

The results of the study demonstrate that the rapid drive for wealth and well-being of the past 40 years is putting unsustainable pressures on our planet. The Ecological Footprint shows a doubling of our demands on the natural world since the 1960s, while the Living Planet Index tracks a fall of 30 per cent in the health of species that are the foundation of the ecosystem services on which we all depend. Furthermore, the Living Planet Indices for the tropical world and for the world’s poorer countries have fallen by 60 per cent since 1970.

The 2010 edition of the report includes, for the first time, two of the best-developed indicators for ecosystem services at a global level: terrestrial carbon storage and freshwater provision.

Terrestrial carbon storage: this edition of the Living Planet Report includes a map of carbon density in forests and other ecosystems which not only quantifies and locates current carbon stocks in a globally consistent way, but also helps to quantify potential emissions from land-use changes in different areas.

Freshwater provision: the 2010 edition of the report also pays attention to the potential for providing freshwater services to people. In contrast to the worldwide benefits of carbon storage, water related services are delivered locally, mainly to those living downstream. Many areas in the world provide huge quantities of freshwater (Amazon and Congo basins), but, with relatively few people living downstream to realize the benefits, the potential importance of freshwater ecosystem services is currently low. Conversely, less water is available in eastern Australia and northern Africa, but, with many downstream users, freshwater services have higher otential.

Recommendations

The Report has a final chapter of recommendations mainly aimed at driving our development towards a green economy. For this reality to happen the authors define a set of 7 targets to be carried out:

Development pathways: There is a need to change the definition and measurement of prosperity and success. Well-being monitoring should include social and personal elements that together allow people to lead lives they value.

Investing in our natural capital: There is a need to invest in nature and not take it for granted. Yet creating protected areas will not be enough. There is a need for a worldwide effort to reduce deforestation and marine fisheries overexploitation, and to provide for human needs and freshwater ecosystems.

Energy and food: provision of clean renewable energy for all is possible. This will involve investing in energy-efficient buildings and transport systems that consume less energy, and shifting to electricity as a primary energy source as this facilitates the supply of renewable energy.

Food is set to be the next major issue for the world, not just tackling malnutrition and over-consumption, but also ensuring equitable access to food and revising our aspirations regarding the food we eat.

Land allocation and land-use planning: we will need new tools and processes for managing and deciding upon the competing demands on land. Nowadays there are many constraints to making more land available or to raising yields: land tenure rights for small communities and indigenous peoples, land ownership questions, a lack of infrastructure, and water availability are just some of the factors that will restrict the amount of land available for growing crops.

Sharing limited resources/inequality: the emphasis is on governments, companies and individuals to tackle high levels of consumption. There is a perverse nature of subsidies across energy, fisheries and agriculture since become drivers of overcapacity which leads to wasteful and artificial consumption as well as the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Institutions, decision-making and governance: Far-sighted governments will see the opportunity to gain national economic and societal competitiveness through approaches such as valuing nature and allocating resources in a manner that provides societal prosperity and resilience

Via: WWF

We all are aware of the role of technology in the fight against the climate change. Cleaner technologies contribute to a more sustainable development while we enjoy greater welfare. In this context, the role of intellectual property rights in the transfer of climate change technologies has emerged as a particularly contentious issue in the past two years.

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) joined forces to undertake an empirical study on the role of patents in the transfer of clean energy technologies (CETs). As a result of the study named "Patents and clean energy: bridging the gap between evidence and policy", some 400,000 CET patent documents were identified from a pool of 60 million patents at the international level.

The project consisted of three main parts: a technology-mapping study of key CETs, a patent landscape based on the identified CETs and a survey of licensing practices. For the purposes of this study, CETs are energy generation technologies which have the potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Results of the study show that the surge of patenting activity in CETs coincided with the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, which provides a strong signal that political decisions setting adequate frameworks are important for stimulating the development of CETs. The fields experiencing the most intensive growth include solar PV, wind, carbon capture, hydro/marine and biofuels.

It’s important to highlight that almost 80 per cent of all patent applications in the CETs reviewed are from six countries: Japan, the United States, Germany, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and France, each showing leadership in different sectors. However, China is the next important filing destination for actors in the top six countries.

Other countries are emerging as significant actors in selected fields when CET patent data is benchmarked against total patenting activity (all technology sectors) in a given country. For instance, India features within the top five countries for solar PV, while Brazil and Mexico share the top two positions in hydro/marine.

Via: UNEP

Five years from the target date for the Millennium Development Goals, leaders from around the world have gathered this week at the United Nations to undertake a comprehensive review of progress and together chart a course for accelerated action on the MDGs between now and 2015.

The meetings resulted in the adoption of a global action plan to achieve the eight anti-poverty goals by their 2015 target date and the announcement of major new commitments for women’s and children’s health and other initiatives against poverty, hunger and disease, pledging more than US$ 40 millions to the cause.

But what about the environmental targets? Goal 7 establishes the aim to “ensure environmental sustainability” with four concrete targets:

- Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

- Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss

- Target 3: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

- Target 4: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

The results shown so far demonstrate that most of environmental targets are not on the track to meet the commitments made. Next there is a brief summary on how targets are or aren’t being met.

Not meeting the target:

· Deforestation: The rate of deforestation shows signs of decreasing, but is still alarmingly high. Percentage of forested area as percentage of land area has moved from 32% (1990) to 32% (2010).

· Climate change: Emissions of carbon dioxide are increasing substantially. From 21.9 billion of metric tons, in 1990, to 29.6, in 2007.

· Biodiversity: Though some success in biodiversity conservation has been achieved the loss of biodiversity continues—unrelentingly. Nearly 17,000 species of plants and animals are known to be threatened with extinction.

· Habitat loss: In 2010, 100% of world’s 821 terrestrial eco regions—large areas with characteristic combinations of habitats, species, soils and landforms— should have had more than 10 per cent of their area protected. In 2009 only half of these eco regions met the target.

· Endangered species: The IUCN’s Red List Index shows that more species are being driven towards extinction than are improving in status, especially in developing countries. Mammals are more threatened than birds.

· Drinking water in rural households: Despite overall progress in drinking water coverage and narrowing of the urban-rural gap, rural areas remain at a disadvantage in all developing regions (94% in urban areas versus 76% in rural areas). Globally, eight out of 10 people who are still without access to an improved drinking water source live in rural areas.

· Safe water supply: it still remains a challenge in many parts of the world

· Population without sanitation: In 2008, an estimated 2.6 billion people around the world lacked access to an improved sanitation facility. If the trend continues, that number will grow to 2.7 billion by 2015 instead of halving as the target sets.

· Sanitation coverage: Over the period 1990-2008, sanitation coverage for the whole of the developing regions increased by only 5 per cent in urban areas and by 43 per cent in rural areas.

· Improvements in sanitation: The richest 20 per cent of the population in sub-Saharan Africa are almost five times more likely to use an improved sanitation facility than the poorest 20 per cent. These same findings show that open defecation is practiced by 63 per cent of the population in the poorest quintile and by only 4 per cent of the richest quintile.

· Population living in slums: Over the past 10 years, the share of the urban population living in slums in the developing world has declined significantly: from 39 per cent in 2000 to 33 per cent in 2010. However, in absolute terms, the number of slum dwellers in the developing world is actually growing is (828 million nowadays, compared to 657 million in 1990 and 767 million in 2000).

· Slum prevalence: Despite the efforts of some sub-Saharan African countries and cities to expand basic services and improve urban housing conditions, inaction by others has prevented overall progress from keeping pace with rapidly expanding urban populations.

On the way to meet the target:

· Ozone layer: Between 1986 and 2008, global consumption of ozone-depleting substances was reduced by 98%.

· Global fisheries exploitation: Global production of marine capture fi sheries peaked in 1997 at 88.4 million metric tons and has since declined slightly, to about 83.5 million metric tons in 2006.

· Drinking water: If current trends continue, the world will meet or even exceed the MDG drinking water target by 2015. By that time, an estimated 86 per cent of the population in developing regions will have gained access to improved sources of drinking water.

In order to face all these unmet targets several measures have been announced by countries, corporations and other organizations in order to improve the situation:

- The United States announced a commitment of $50.82 million over the next five years for a Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership led by the United Nations Foundation seeking to install 100 million clean-burning stoves in kitchens around the world.

- Cameroon announced an Energy Sector Development Program to double energy production by 2015 and triple it by 2020.

- Water Health International committed to build 75 water purification plants in Bangladesh and expand its existing network of water purification plants to an additional 100 villages in India, providing access to clean water for 175,000 people in under-served communities in Bangladesh and India

- PepsiCo committed to ensure access to clean water for 3 million people around the world by 2015.

Via: MDG

The nation’s major professional sports leagues are encouraging and endorsing the use of solar power and clean energy in arenas and stadiums throughout the United States in order to begin a battle against climate change.

For this purpose they have delivered a letter encouraging their teams and facilities to begin using solar power as they continue the effort to green North America’s professional sports. Jointly with the letter the leagues also distributed a solar development guide produced on their behalf by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF). The purpose of the guide is to outline the work necessary for each stadium to add on-site solar power generation to its energy mix.

“Our sport was born outdoors, in winter weather, and many of our players began skating on frozen lakes and ponds,” said Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League.”We are acutely aware that our League, as well as all sports leagues, need to be responsible stewards of our planet. Utilizing solar energy is an important and efficient environmental action that sends a broader signal to the culture. It not only conveys a critical message to all sports fans, it improves the efficiency of our facilities and protects the environment.”

The Staples Center in Los Angeles and US Airways Center data in Phoenix, are two of the leading arenas already taking advantage of solar panels. If all arenas and stadiums had solar installation equal to the Staples Center, they would reduce carbon emissions by approximately 39,281 tones/year, comparable to taking 8,340 cars off the road. Furthermore, they would create enough electricity to power roughly 4,812 American homes for a year and would save the equivalent of 33,970 barrels of crude oil per year.

Via: ENN | NRDC

The FTSE Group (FTSE) announced last week, jointly with the Carbon Disclosure Project and ENDS Carbon, the launch of two UK indices; the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy All-Share Index and the FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy 350 Index. Both indices have been designed in response to growing awareness of the significant potential impact of climate change on investment returns.

The FTSE CDP Carbon Strategy 350 Index assesses how Britain’s largest companies are dealing with climate change. It compares them on cutting carbon emissions, making their products more energy-efficient and setting the most ambitious reduction targets. On the top of this new index there is Unilever, with a final Carbon Scorecard result of 2.49, followed by BT Group (2.44), Morrison (Wm) Supermarkets (2.43), Rolls-Royce Group (2.40) and Centrica (2.38).

The index describes Unilever’s track record on cutting emissions as "superb". The company aims to have cut its emissions by 25% by 2012. The multinational has also improved its carbon intensity by 20% –amount of carbon emissions per pound sterling of turnover– over the last three years, and by 40% since 1995.

The Carbon Scorecard assessment approach gathers the following areas in the analysis (the best performers are in brackets):

× Policy commitments and quantified carbon reduction targets (Pearson)

× Measuring carbon emissions (British Sky Broadcasting Group)

× Assessing and benchmarking carbon performance (British Sky Broadcasting Group)

× Taking account of carbon in decision-making (Lloyds Banking Group)

× Achieving carbon efficiency outcomes (Unilever)

× Disclosure (United Utilities Group)

Via: Guardian | FTSE

But green groups might have a reason to be partially happier. The good news is that Environment Minister Jim Prentice said last Wednesday (23th of June) that Canada will phase out older coal-fired power plants to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. The not so good news is that the country will move to make natural-gas fired plants the new clean-power standard.

Canada will require electricity producers newer facilities to match the lower greenhouse gas emissions of more efficient natural-gas fired plants by establishing new standards which are expected to be firmed up by early 2011. The measure is expected to reduce emissions by 15 million metric tons, the equivalent of taking 3.2 million vehicles off the road.

Nowadays, 19 percent of the country’s electricity, and 13 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions, is being produced by 51 coal-fired units. However, 33 of those plants will reach the end of their economic lives by 2025. Unless the operators make substantial investments to cut emissions from the aging facilities, they’ll be required to shut down.

Along with the proposed regulations, Prentice also announced the government would contribute C$400 million (US$384 million) for its share of a fund set up under the Copenhagen accord to help impoverished countries cope with climate change.

Via: ENN | Reuters

As usual, different visions regarding the outcomes appeared. Developing nations in the Group of 77 and China said that many key points proposed by them were eliminated or ignored and the text “puts emphasis on greenhouse gas curbs by the poor, not the rich”. Among rich nations, the United States said that some elements of the text were "unacceptable” but it would have to study it, and the European Union also expressed "concerns" about the text.

The new text outlines a goal of cutting world emissions of greenhouse gases by "at least 50-85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050" and for developed nations to reduce emissions by at least 80-95 percent from 1990 levels by mid-century.

Despite different positions overall, small steps forward were made during the meetings, as a result of improved team spirit among negotiators and a partly renewed and positive environment after the big failure of Copenhagen.

"Bonn made good progress on some crucial building blocks that will be essential parts of a future regime to tackle climate change”, said Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Climate Policy, WWF Global Climate Initiative.

Overall, the meetings resulted in the adoption of draft decisions regarding the reduction of greenhouse gases, the adaptation to the inevitable effects of climate change, the transfer of clean technology, the reduction of emissions from deforestation and capacity building, along with finance and institutional arrangements.

Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, concluded after the meetings that “A big step forward is now possible at Cancun, in the form of a full package of operational measures that will allow countries to take faster, stronger action across all areas of climate change”.

The next UNFCCC negotiating session is scheduled to take place 2-6 August in Bonn, followed by a second one-week intercessional meeting before the UN Climate Change Conference 29 November to 10 December in Cancún (COP-16).

Via: UNFCC | ENN | Xinhaunet | The Star

One of the major concerns that Cousteau had was the state in which the planet is going to reach future generations, what kind of living conditions we are leaving for our grandchildren, not only to live in, but to have to fix later. Issues such as deteriorating oceans, fresh water supply and climate change where no strangers to him. John Englander (who now consults and advises about climate change and ocean impacts), former CEO of The Cousteau Society, had many opportunities to share Cousteau’s knowledge. In conversations they had, the diver shared his vision on the challenge of changing public awareness and policy in order to really make a change and obtain positive results regarding environmental concerns.

In one of their late night conversations Englander asked him: “How do we  change the world?”, the reply he got, in a distinctive french accent of course, was: “Forget the politicians, they all think short term. But there is something I have found that works. Identify an issue with a campaign that has emotional appeal. Advocate a specific policy. Get letters, petitions, and faxes. With thousands of signatures, the politicians will join the parade––No––they will try to lead the parade. I did this three times with success. To push for the Antarctic treaty; to end French nuclear testing in the Pacific; and to promote a new legal concept at the U.N., ‘The Rights of Future Generations.’ We must appeal to the public directly with a powerful message and tie it to an specific action or change in policy. I think this is the only way”.

Cousteau’s clear view of how to achieve change is inspiring, he stresses how important it is for people to participate and push for a certain goal, to build strong public support for a cause in order to create the political backing for it. We could take these words as a guide to achieve our own environmental changes. The commemoration of his 100th birthday is a good time to apply his insight and wisdom in order to make a difference in the environmental challenges that we are faced with daily.

via: Climate Progress

The UN hopes that through this special occasion they will be able to stimulate worldwide awareness about environmental concerns, that will hopefully lead to political attention and action.

Rwanda has been organizing green-activities since May 23, all in celebration of WED, these include conferences, tree planting, naming baby gorillas, cycling tours and many more. The cultural festivities on the 4th and 5th of June are open to all public, and hope to welcome a good number of people.

Under the leadership of Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame, who is one of Africa’s strongest voices when it comes to environmental issues and sustainability, the country has developed a visionary strategy for sustainable development and environmental protection, with plenty of new policies and laws for environmental management.

The organization Art Works for Change produced a contemporary art exhibition for the UN’s WED. Venezuelan phortographer Antonio Briceño travelled to Rwanda to portray it’s people and biodiversity. In 2011 this exhibition, that has been called “Millions of Pieces”, will combine with aditional artworks to create an international travelling contemporary art exhibition titeld “Nature’s Toolbox”.

The theme for WED 2010 is “Many Species. One Planet. One Future.” This name hopes to stress the urgent call to conserve the diversity of life on our planet and encourage a redoubling of our efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss. Our conservation action has brought some species back from the brink of extinction, and has restored some vital natural habitats around the world. WED hopes to encourage people to keep on going, to sustain our efforts to keep our planet green, after all, it is possible!

Join thousands of people from countries all over the world in celebrating WED this year. There are many different of ways to do something positive for the environment from each of your homes. It’s up to you to make the difference.

The first big change that Coca-Cola underwent was switching to hybrid delivery trucks in North America, this move tackles the source of one of the largest environmental impacts the company makes. They already have 327 green trucks on the road, and they say many more are yet to join the fleet. These hybrids save about 30% on fuel consumption and produce 30% less emissions than the regular trucks, so, Coca-Cola is not only reducing their environmental impact, they are also saving on fuel which might have a positive impact on their economy, and also conserves oil resources.

The company started it’s first green movement in Japan in 2004, where it started a waste recycling program. It consisted in turning their own waste material into energy, this helped cut some of the waste that Coca-Cola puts into landfills. The green revolution eventually reached North America, where changes are now in motion. Here they are not only recycling their own waste, they are also developing recycling programs for communities and businesses. They have also installed water saving technology and energy efficient lighting to make the buildings more environmentally friendly.

In addition to all the green improvements mentioned above, Coca-Cola has also developed a green plan that includes energy conservation, climate change, water stewardship, sustainable packaging and recycling, diverse and inclusive culture, and finally product portfolio of well-being.

Coca-Cola is a very respected company, the changes that they have decided to make will hopefully lead to other companies taking an interest in making the changes as well. Let’s hope that Coca-Cola manages to make an impact in proving that going green is the right way to go.

Via: A Green Living

One example of the BP events encouraging a new outlook is in the reaction by many Florida politicians who before were ardent supporters of off-shore drilling. Now, they are reversing their positions and speaking about the importance of protecting their white sand beaches. Members of the Florida Congress are now asking that President Obama withdraw a plan to build an enormous tract of exploratory drilling 125 miles off the coast of the state. Proposals for drilling just 3-10 miles from the Florida shore are also stalled with previous proponents saying that more needs to be known about the causes of the BP spill before moving forward.

Jason Henderson, professor at San Francisco State University, wrote a compelling article for AlterNet saying that the BP disaster must be taken as a call to action. He explains that our car dependent culture is not sustainable, and calls out “green” liberals who insist on driving.

Former Vice President and environmental crusader Al Gore is also calling for a shift in consciousness. In a piece he wrote for The New Republic, which is worth reading in its entirety, Gore sums up with the following:

It is understandable that the administration will be focused on the immediate crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. But this is a consciousness-shifting event. It is one of those clarifying moments that brings a rare opportunity to take the longer view. Unless we change our present course soon, the future of human civilization will be in dire jeopardy. Just as we feel a sense of urgency in demanding that this ongoing oil spill be stopped, we should feel an even greater sense of urgency in demanding that the much larger and more dangerous ongoing emissions of global warming pollution must also be stopped to make the world safe from the climate crisis that is building all around us.

Do you agree that this could be an opportunity to get more people involved in environmental issues? Do you foresee any positive outcome to the BP spill, despite the severe environmental consequences?

The event is called “Meeting of the minds: The innovations we need for more sustainable cities”. It is organized by the Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities (JISC), _which was born in the University of Nebraska, College of Architecture_, and by the Urban Age Institute. The event will be held in Nebraska, and will last two and a half days, from June 16 to June 18.

The importance of urban areas and cities cannot be undermined, given the fact that half of the world’s population lives in such places. Cities account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions, and consume more than half of the world’s energy.

During the Meeting of the minds, representatives from governments, the private sector, environmental organizations, and different experts will be addressing a vast combination of topics related to making cities more sustainable.

To see the program, click here

The colors stand for:

BLUE: Believe the action is important & currently engage in it.
RED: Believe the action is important, but do not currently engage in it.
LIGHT GREY: Believe the action is unimportant, but currently engage in it.
GREY: Believe the action is unimportant & do not currently engage in it.

Entitled Americans’ Actions to Conserve Energy, Reduce Waste, and Limit Global Warming, it reminds us that having the right thoughts and values is not enough. These need to lead us to act in environmentally friendlier ways. Otherwise, we are being hypocritical.

One of the authors, Anthony Leiserowitz, argues that: “There are many possible explanations for the gap between people’s attitudes and their actual behavior”, among them the non-availability of public transportation. Someone might know and believe that it’s better to take a bus than drive alone in a car. But if in his or her neighborhood, there is no public transportation, this person has no choice.

This explains a part of the gap between believing and acting consistently. However, the non-availability of public transportation, or of the necessary infrastructure does not account for all of this gap.

Being truly environmentally responsible requires making efforts. It is certainly more comfortable to leave our habits alone, and not question or change them. Changing the way we act may be tiring, but it is most certainly necessary. What’s the point in believing that the environment is important if we won’t translate that concern into concrete actions? It’s up to each and every one of us to progressively strive to adopt habits that will not harm our Earth.

VIA: Treehugger