Climate Adaptation

Climate Diplomacy Class from UNITAR (United Nations Institute for Training and Research) ›

Should help students understand the UNFCCC and negotiations at the COPs.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of 21st century diplomacy and international governance. Given the many different stakeholders and communities who have roles to play, it is a contemporary challenge with regard to its demand on interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and languages, and the personal capacities needed to combine these so as to make diplomatic sense and success. Competing interests, political tensions, and challenges of the world today, such as the economic recession and competing development priorities, mean that negotiation deadlocks are rife and ways to overcome them are becoming more and more challenging to find.

The outcome of the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 8th Session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMP7) to the Kyoto Protocol in Durban, has shown the world that despite challenging circumstances, multilateral fora can still foresee traction with regard to making meaningful progress on the international climate change agenda.

#UNITAR #education #climate change #UNFCCC #COP18 #Qatar #UN #adaptation #global warming #negotiating #ADR #carbon #co2 #science #diplomacy #classes

∞ 06/18/13 at 07:50pm

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UNFPA - The Demography of Adaptation to Climate Change ›

Now reading (devouring).

Politics and an oversimplified understanding of demographic dynamics have long kept population issues out of serious discussions in the framework of climate negotiations. Within adaptation actions, however, this is beginning to change, and this volume is intended to provide a framework for taking that change forward, towards better, more evidence-based adaptation.

It provides key concepts linking demography and adaptation, data foundations and techniques for analyzing climate vulnerability, as well as case studies where these concepts and analyses illuminate who is vulnerable and how to help build their resilience.

#demographics #data #climate change #adaptation #unfpa #un #unfccc

∞ 05/17/13 at 12:12pm

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First World Climate Conference was held in 1979 ›

It led to the creation of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which publishes major climate reports every five-ish years. These reports are the primary source for many policy maker’s (and media’s) climate science and knowledge. I play a minor role in the IPCC’s reports. Here’s how.

Organized by the World Meteorological Organization, it was held in Geneva, Switzerland. Researchers and a few policy makers gathered to present new scientific observations about global warming and its impacts. It also explored new techniques on monitoring systems.

One of the main drivers of holding a Climate Conference was increased awareness that food, drought, and other climate related systems were much more sensitive to fluctuations. Several disasters in the 1960s and 70s created a fundamental need for more climate science to better understand these systems. It was showcased increased scientific knowledge that GHGs caused warming, and that governments around the world needed to take some sort of pre-emptive action before system collapse.

The First World Climate Conference recognized climate change as a serious problem in 1979. This scientific gathering explored how climate change might affect human activities. It issued a declaration calling on the world’s governments “to foresee and prevent potential man-made changes in climate that might be adverse to the well-being of humanity”. It also endorsed plans to establish a World Climate Programme (WCP) under the joint responsibility of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). Via UNFCCC

Several programs were created as a result of the World Climate Conference, including the World Climate Programme and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (e.g., the IPCC).

The IPCC was established in 1988, and released its first report in 1990. The IPCC issues highly peer-reviewed, non-political climate reports about every 5 years. Their 5th report will be published in 2014. Here’s a link to the 4th report summary, published in 2007.

These reports are written by the top scientists and researchers in the world. I play a minor role in the IPCC.

The reports are divided into three chapters: The Physical Science; Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability; and Mitigation. Each chapter is written by a committee, called a Working Group, comprised of several hundred to over a thousand scientists. These Working Groups peer review the available climate science. They then write a meta-analysis and conclusions based on their reviews.

Next, each of the three chapters are reviewed and edited by what’s called Expert Reviewers, of which I am one. I’m currently reviewing/editing Working Group II’s 5th Report: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Fun stuff…

You can see some of the work the WGII has done, here.

#ipcc #climate change #unfccc #climate conference #adaptation #me

∞ 04/08/13 at 09:31pm

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Gender-sensitive climate finance crucial - experts ›

To ensure a gender-sensitive approach to climate finance, women’s particular vulnerabilities must be recognized and women included in the planning, experts said during a Twitter chat with the Global Gender and Climate Alliance.

With the global community investing billions of dollars to fund a response to climate change, the alliance said it is essential to ensure these funds promote policies and programs that reduce inequality between men and women so they are able to address climate change effectively and on an even footing.

The chat addressed why gender-sensitive climate change matters, who benefits and why it is important now. Participants questioned what could be done to ensure climate funding is inclusive and fair to all.

Via Women for Climate Justice

#UN #gender #international development #climate change #women #climate finance #unfccc #justice #rights #human rights #equality #feminism #economy #environment

∞ 04/05/13 at 09:55pm

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Women and climate change.

#climate change #un #women #development #video #unfccc #christiana figueres #gender #environment #sustainability #water

∞ 03/12/13 at 04:24pm

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HIGH RES

I was at the COP15 when Chavez arrived to deliver his vile, inflammatory speech. Obama was there, as well. In fact, the COP15 went down in history books as one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in one place at one time (I believe second only to the 2000 Millennium Summit).

You can watch Chavez’s vile speech in the link below provided by the excellent Fora TV:

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez has died. In 2009 he addressed COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Criticizing the destructive practices of the capitalist system, Chavez feared that the “infinite model” of capitalism will exhaust the finite resources of the environment. (Image via wikipedia)

We were kicked out of the COP15 because a protest, one of the largest in Europe’s history, flared up and scared authorities. In fact, Denmark actually suspended parts of its Constitution, blocked highways, rolled out the military and super-police units, and arrested (a few) protestors on sight.

I took some pictures of the protest, here.

I remember there was fear there would be a declaration of Marshall Law. And there was equal criticism that the peaceful, happy, socialist Danes would usher in a military response to a climate protest.

But, the public felt left out of the UN’s climate negotiations and quickly formed a peaceful protest.

In the end, no one listened…

#climate change #hugo chavez #cop15 #denmark #Copenhagen #photography #protest #environment #sustainability #green #cities #un #unfccc #cop19

∞ 03/05/13 at 07:07pm via foratv

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HIGH RES

This is result of a 1 degree Celsius rise in temperatures. The chart is from the World Bank and it shows the rate of melting ice from 1983 to 2012. The temperature across the world is expected to rise by nearly 4 degrees Celsius, which greatly exceeds the above impacts.

transatlanticenergy:

Turn Down the Heat, a new report from the World Bank, presents the many compelling reasons why we need to avoid a 4 degree Celsius temperature increase (the trajectory we are currently on to reach by the end of this century.)

This troubling graphic from the NSIDC shows just how quickly climate change has already taken a toll on arctic sea ice since 1983.

But, there are two buckets of trouble here. First is the nearly endless troubles from melting ice on human and natural environments. Mass ice melt causes sea level rise, which destroys coastlines, habitat, deltas, mangroves, coral reefs, and of course cities and tourism.

Melting glaciers will also disrupt the flow of rivers, aquifer recharge, and electricity (hydropower and nuclear power). Many rivers around the world get their water from glaciers, and the same holds for aquifers, which fuel drinking water and irrigation supplies to billions around the world.

Take the glaciers in the Andes mountains for one example. Several have already disappeared, completely melting away. They’re melting faster than scientists predicted, and Peru has asked the United States for emergency funds to build damns to contain the water produced from the last remaining glaciers. The damns, in other words, would store the water rather than glaciers. There are too many to list here, but the effects are enormous.

The second problem is much simpler, but deeply embarrassing: 4 degree Celsius. Americans do not understand Celsius, they understand (sort of) temperature in terms of Fahrenheit.

Nearly all climate change reporting focuses on 2 to 4 degrees Celsius. We hear it so often from the UN, IPCC, even the US National Climate Assessment quotes Celsius. The problem is that it is not true!

The projected rise in temperatures will vary across the globe. Temperatures in New England are expected to rise by nearly 6-10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of 2100. But this isn’t the case for the Pacific Northwest, where temperatures are expected to rise by as little as 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, not only is reporting one common number (2 degrees Celsius) confusing for Americans, it’s not even a relevant number. As comical and embarrassing as those facts are, there’s no escaping American Ignorance.

This is a major communications problem that scientists just do not grasp. American’s think in terms of their own communities and regions. New England will not feel the same types of impacts as the Southwest, and the folks in each of these regions think very little of the temperatures elsewhere. (I know, there are a few exceptions).

Why did I bring this Celsius vs Fahrenheit issue up? The United States is the most powerful country in the world (despite our education and health deficiencies). The rest of the world, including the World Bank, which put out the above report on climate, requires U.S. support. Climate change solutions require American support. And if scientists refuse to speak the native language, no one is going to listen…

#climate change #communication #journalism #science #world bank #celsius #fahrenheit #global warming #united nations #un #ipcc #unfccc

∞ 02/08/13 at 07:06pm via transatlanticenergy

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Adaptation Fund Partners with UN Foundation to Accept Private Donations ›

#un #unfccc #cop18 #kyoto protocol #climate change #adaptation

∞ 12/11/12 at 02:40pm

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60 second summary of 20-years of the world’s governments climate change talks. Warning, Scandinavian humor.

#cop18 #qatar #climate change #un #unfccc #ipcc #cartoon #video #scandinavia

∞ 11/28/12 at 08:00am via facebook.com

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Free UNFCCC climate finance workshop presentations ›

#unfccc #climate change #finance #free stuff

∞ 07/12/12 at 09:58am

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Although there is widespread agreement on the need for adaptation measures to limit the risks posed by climate change, there is no clear consensus on how much adaptation will cost or how it will be paid for. A recent World Bank report suggested that the price of adaptation in developing countries alone will be $70–100 billion a year between 2010 and 2050, while other studies suggest these figures are too low.

The overall bill for adaptation will depend on the severity of climatic changes and the range of measures chosen. The most expensive adaptation measures involve modifying infrastructure and improving coastal and flood protection, so costs will be highest not necessarily where vulnerability is greatest but in regions with a lot of infrastructure that needs to be climate-proofed. Lower-cost measures that can be used as part of an adaptation response include changing behaviours, shifting farming practices and making regulatory reforms.

Costs will be lower if countries plan ahead – for example building roads with drainage systems that can cope with severe rain, rather than retro-fitting these features later on.

What are the options for financing climate adaptation? Via The Guardian’s Ultimate Climate FAQs.

#climate adaptation #The Guardian Newspaper #climate questions #finance #MDG #UNFCCC

∞ 03/10/12 at 11:00am via

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Have a look at the UN's climate adaptation case-study database ›

Private sector companies are “investing in adaptation action in vulnerable regions in a sustainable and profitable manner, including:

New market opportunities and expansions;
Development of climate friendly goods and services;
Potential cost savings;
Risk reduction measures, including physical operations;
Climate proofing the supply chain;
Enhanced corporate social responsibility.

This online database of case studies has been developed under the Private Sector Initiative (PSI) of the Nairobi work programme, and features good practices and profitable climate change adaptation activities being undertaken by private companies (sometimes in partnership with NGOs or the public sector) from a wide range of regions and sectors.

Adaptation activities may relate either to ensuring the resilience of business operations, or the provision of technologies or services that assist in the adaptation in vulnerable communities.”

Some examples:

Adaptation of Railways to Climate Change (ARISCC) (120 kB) International Union of Railways (UIC)Transport and LogisticsTransport, infrastructure and human settlements France
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Taking care of water: Adapting business operations (152 kB)Thames WaterEnergy and UtilitiesWater resources United Kingdom
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Weather Index Insurance for drought risk in Thailand (281 kB)Sompo Japan Insurance, Inc.Financial SectorTransport, infrastructure and human settlements;
Water resources Thailand
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Mountains of change (163 kB)Rifugio DorigoniTourism and RecreationFood security, agriculture, forestry and fisheries;
Tourism Italy

More at the UNFCCC/Adaptation website

#climate change #climate adaptation #adaptation #un #UNFCCC #adaptation working group #database #free stuff #research #science #case studies #sustainability #africa

∞ 02/15/12 at 12:30pm

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