Climate Change: Copenhagen: Seal the Deal

8/9/2019 Climate Change: Copenhagen: Seal the Deal

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our

planetThe magazine of the United Nations Environment Programme - December 2009

CLIMATE CHANGECehe: sel the del

BAN KI-MOON

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT

LARS LKKE RASMUSSEN

DEaDLInE CopEnHagEn

BhARRAt JAgdEO

a ConvEnIEnT TruTH

MOhAMEd NAShEEdCLEar anD

prESEnT DangEr

gORdON BROWN

EngInE oF groWTH

hILLARY ROdhAM CLINtON

TaKIng rESponSIbILITY

anD TaKIng aCTIon


2/362 OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL

UNEP promotes

environmentally sound practices

globally and in its own activities.

This magazine is printed on 100% recycled

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ISSN 101 - 7394

Director of Publication :Satinder Bindra

Editor : Geoffrey Lean

Coordinator : Geoff Thompson

Special Contributor : Nick Nuttall

Editorial Assistant : Wambui Munge

Distribution Manager : Manyahleshal Kebede

Design : Amina Darani

Produced by : UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information

Printed by : Progress Press

Distributed by : SMI Books

The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of

UNEP or the editors, nor are they an official record. The designations employed and

the presentation do not imply the expressions of any opinion whatsoever on the part

of UNEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory or city or its authority or

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* All dollar ($) amounts refer to US dollars.

Cover Photo: Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis


3/363OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL

Ban Ki-Moon : The sky s the lmtdescribes e opporuniies, as well as e reas, pose by climae cane.

LaRS LKKE RaSMUSSEn : Dedle CpehgeAresses e lobal callene o climae cane an our common response.

BHaRRaT JaGDEo : a cveet truthExplains ow leavin oress sanin combas climae cane, an calls or a new lobal commimen o aciliae is.

MoHaMED naSHEED : Cler d preset dgerdescribes ow e Malives is reaene by climae cane an

ow i aims o be e worls rs carbon-neural counry.

GoRDon BRoWn : Ege grwthExplains ow movin o a low-carbon economy will brin ue economic benes wile combain climae cane.

HiLLaRY RoDHaM CLinTon : Tkg respsblty d tkg ctdescribes e Unie Saes commimen o combain climae cane.

YVo DE BoER : Decsve mmetSes ou e requiremens or success in Copenaen.

TaSnEEM ESSoP : Remember the grss rtsdescribes ow povery an e climae crisis are wo sies o e same coin.

DURWooD ZaELKE : The st, rgtte hlExplains ow as-acion sraeies o reuce non-CO2 causes o climae cane coul elay warmin by up o 40 years.

PaGE 6

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booksrefecions

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awars an evenswww

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.p./pbsbks

Environmental Assessment

of the Gaza Strip Following

the Escalation of Hostilities in

December 2008

This report presents the initial actionundertaken by UNEP immediately ollowing

the cessation o hostilities in the GazaStrip in January 2009, and summarizesthe scientic ndings o the complexassessment process carried out by UNEPduring the spring and early summer o2009. Recommendations are providedor the remediation o environmentaldamage caused by the recent escalationo hostilities, as well as or longer-termimprovement o the environment in theGaza Strip.

Towards Sustainable Production

and Use of Resources: Assessing

Biofuels

The use o biouels is a widely debated eld withuncertainty about their risks and benets. Thisreport provides a thorough review o biouels,

based on research o recent publications andthe involvement o many experts worldwide.Focusing on rst generation biouels, itprovides policy-related inormation on theenvironmental and social costs and benets obiouels, considering all competing applicationso biomass, including ood, bres and uels.It examines both the concerns o criticaldevelopments, and describes the options or amore sustainable use o biomass and measuresto increase resource productivity.

Blue Carbon: The Role of Healthy Oceans in Binding

Carbon

This is a Rapid Response Report that puts some hard gures onthe carbon-capturing potential o marine ecosystems such asmangroves, salt marshes and seagrasses and on the impact omarine degradation on climate change. For example, it estimates thattheses ecosystems capture and store hal the annual emissions o theglobal transport sector. It also outlines the way markets might beginpaying developing countries or conserving and enhancing the marineenvironments carbon capture and storage services, and the linksbetween healthy oceans and adaptation to climate change.

An Assessment of Assessments: Findings of the

Group of Experts

The Assessment o Assessments is a start-up phase towards aRegular Process or global reporting and assessment o the state othe marine environment. It stems rom an agreement by governmentsat the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development to addressthe issue o signicant gaps in our understanding and managemento the vital but complex processes at work in the Earths oceans andseas. This report is a recommendation to the UN General Assemblyon a course o action on the Regular Process. It calls or a mechanismthat builds on existing global, regional and national institutions andprocesses while integrating all available inormation, including socio-economic data, on how our seas and oceans are actually being used.

100 Per Cent Renewable: Energy

Autonomy in ActionEdited By Peter Droege (Earthscan, 2009)

A 100 per cent renewable world is seen by manyas an impossible dream in anything but the verylong term. Nonetheless, a growing number oinitiatives and plans have already achieved it.This book explains the challenges and presentsa roadmap towards a 100% renewable reality. Itshowcases a series o pioneering eorts and theirchampions, and the paths to their successes. Iteatures initiatives by individuals to visions orcompanies, communities and entire countries

showing how the schemes work economically andwith available technology.

Climate Change and Energy

Insecurity: The Challenge forPeace, Security and Development

Edited by Felix Dodds, Andrew Higham andRichard Sherman with a oreword by AchimSteiner (Earthscan, 2009)

This book oers the most comprehensiveinternational assessment o the challengesand solutions or tackling the globalinsecurity arising rom climate change andthe energy supply crunch. It brings togetherleading thinkers rom academia, governmentand civil society to analyse global energy

and security threats and challenges relatedto climate change.

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into

Development Co-operation: Policy Guidance

(OECD Publishing, 2009)

This book provides essential inormation and advice on howto acilitate the integration o climate change adaptation intodevelopment processes. It aims to promote an understanding othe implications o climate change on development practice and theneed to mainstream climate adaptation in development. The bookidenties approaches or integrating climate change adaptationinto development policies at all levels and oers practical waysor donors to support developing country partners to reduce their

vulnerability to climate variability and climate change.

Carbon Sinks and Climate Change: Forests in the

Fight Against Global Warming

Colin A.G. Hunt (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2009)

In this book, Colin Hunt deals comprehensively with the presentand uture role o orests in climate change policy and practice.He provides signposts or the way ahead in climate change policyand oers practical examples o orestrys role in climate changemitigation in both developed and tropical developing countries.Topics covered include measuring carbon in plantations, biodiversitybenets, potential or biouel production, an analysis o the

complexity o orestry markets and a review o the workings ocarbon markets.

4 OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL


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Seventeen years after the rst United Nationsclimate treaty was signed in Rio the world iscoming together again in Copenhagen to evolveits international response to a higher and moredecisive level. No other gathering of governmentson an environmental agreement has attractedmore public attention. Billions of people around

the globe will be waiting, and watching, to see what heads of state and ministers from over190 nations nally decide.

The UN climate change convention meeting hasbrought the world together in a way perhaps not

witnessed since World War II and it has broughtthe UN together too. Ban Ki-Moon, the UNSecretary-General has worked tirelessly to makea new, scientically credible agreement a deningmoment in human aairs. He has realized fromthe start that climate change represents the most

extraordinary threat and disruption to security,development and human well-being. But he hasalso understood that it presents an inordinateopportunity to catalyse a low-carbon, resource-ecient Green Economy, able if swiftly andcomprehensively addressed to meet the needsand aspirations of 6 billion people, rising to9 billion by 2050.

The mobilization of the UN system towards thisend, and to securing a new agreement under the

UN Framework Convention on Climate Change,has been unprecedented, and UNEP and its sta

have been part of that change and challenge. We have strivenwith UN colleagues and across such elds as science, business,energy and natural resource management to illuminate the

wealth of options and choices that governments have inunleashing markets and triggering innovation.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, co-hostedby UNEP and the World Meteorological Organization, is thebenchmark on the reality of rising greenhouse gas emissions.

Through the UNEP Finance Initiative, insurers, banks andinvestors have been mobilized to foster investments that movemarkets towards low-carbon companies.

Industry-wide collaboration has also accelerated: one exampleis a new global initiative to accelerate the use of energy-savinglight bulbs with market leaders Osram and Phillips withfunding from the Global Environment Facility.

Mobilizing public opinion through initiatives such as theBillion Tree Campaign and the Seal the Deal campaign have

given a voice to millions who felt unable to speak. The GlobalGreen New Deal initiative launched last year as a way ofdealing with multiple crises, including climate change hasresonated in capital cities from Seoul to Beijing and fromCanberra to London, Berlin and Washington.

The central, but often overlooked, role of ecosystems inmitigating climate change, and assisting economies to adapt to

it, has been brought centre stage. Only a few weeks ago UNEPsBlue Carbon report underlined the role coastal and marineecosystems such as mangroves, sea grasses and salt marshescan play. A combination of reducing deforestation on land andrestoring the coverage and health of these ecosystems coulddeliver up to 25 per cent of the emissions reductions neededto avoid dangerous climate change. And they would alsoimprove coastal defences, sh nurseries, water purity, tourismand employment prospects in developing and developedcountries alike.

Climate change is not going to simply go away like waking from

a bad nightmare if governments walk away from Copenhagen without a serious deal. You can stop the negotiators clocks,but you cannot stop the climate clock ticking withouttransformative and committed action. And the longer the

world waits, the more dicult, costly and damaging climatechange will become.

Copenhagen represents the opportunity to plan the future ina managed and considered way. Otherwise the future will planitself. And that may well overwhelm the coping capacities ofnational and global institutions, forcing societies to scramble

to deal with events that are already unfolding and challengingthe very foundations upon which modern civilization depends.

ls

Achim Steiner

UN Uner-Secreary-general an Execuive direcor, UNEP

5OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL


6/36

Towards the end of September, asmore than 100 Heads of State andGovernment gathered in New York

to consider their response to climatechange, nearly four million peoplein Kenya the home of the UNEnvironment Programme stoodin urgent need of food aid. Acrossthe Horn of Africa, 24 million people

were dependent on food assistance. As the Kenyan Nobel PeacePrize laureate Wangari Maathainoted at the time, insecurity andenvironmental mismanagement play

a signicant role, but climate changeprovides an overarching backdrop.

As its impacts increase, it threatensto deliver personal tragedy andsocial and economic turmoil across

the globe.

This was the message I delivered toworld leaders at UN Climate ChangeSummit. I told them that the worldsleading scientists warn that we haveless than ten years to halt the risein global greenhouse gas emissionsto avoid the worst-case scenariosprojected by the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change. I called

on the leaders of the industrializedcountries to take signicant rst

The sky isthe limit

BAn Ki-moon

Secreary-general o eUnie Naions



7/36

steps forward so that others wouldtake bold measures of their own,and I asked leaders from developingcountries to accelerate their owneorts. If we are to beat theclimate challenge all countries mustdo more now.

The consequences of failure arechilling to contemplate. Climatechange threatens markets, economiesand development gains. It candeplete food and water supplies,provoke conict and migration,destabilize fragile societies and eventopple governments. Hyperbole?Not to the impoverished pastoralistsof northern Kenya or the increasingly

beleaguered farmers of California.Not to the citizens of the Maldives,already wondering how long they

will have a country, or the tens ofmillions of people in cities as farapart as Shanghai and New Orleans,

Amsterdam and Karachi, who faceinundation as seas rise. Not to thehundreds of millions of the worldspoorest people who have littledefence against storms, oods and

droughts that each year seem to getmore intense.

According to the UN Oce forthe Coordination of Humanitarian

Aairs, climate-related disastersdrove 20 million people from theirhomes last year, nearly four times asmany as were displaced by conicts.Such statistics demonstrate thatclimate change is the pre-eminent

geopolitical issue of our era. It is a

food crisis, a humanitarian crisis anda nancial crisis rolled into one.

Yet, it is also an opportunity. Asrealization dawns that business asusual is no longer an option, the

worlds best minds are workingovertime to nd creative solutions.Geo-engineers are looking to whiteroofs to cool cities and algae toabsorb carbon. Entrepreneurs are

racing to capitalize on the growingdemand for clean and renewable

energy. Policy specialists areconsidering the impact of energysubsidies and the potential ofcarbon markets.

Many government stimulus packages

devised in the wake of the globaleconomic downturn feature a strong green component. Countries suchas China, the United States and myown country, the Republic of Korea,have recognized that by working toreduce greenhouse gas emissions

we can also boost job creation andkick-start the industries of thefuture. Other countries are lookingat the vast potential of forests andother ecosystems to soak up carbon

emissions. Scientists, entrepreneursand policymakers around the globeare realizing that there are almostlimitless possibilities to mitigateclimate change and promotesustainable prosperity. Given theright incentives, a green economy is

within our grasp.

A deal in Copenhagen can andmust provide the policy signals

needed to deliver it. It must alsosupport adaptation, for no matter

how creative and ambitious ourmitigation eorts, the fact remainsthat we have started processesthat may take decades or more toslow and reverse. Climate changeis upon us. It will aect the most

vulnerable nations rst and worst. At the September climate summit world leaders discussed a fast-trackfunding mechanism for adaptation,as well as a $100 billion per annumfund that would support mitigationand adaptation needs over the nextdecade.

Instead of suering the impactsof climate change, developingcountries, such as those in East

Africa, can be part of the solution.Kenya, for example, has abundant

geothermal resources that can beharnessed to generate electricitythat can power an electricationprogramme that could underpinsignicant progress towards itsMillennium Development Goaltargets. It has forested highlandsthat, if protected and restored,can guarantee the water supplies

its cities, agriculture and tourismindustry need. The story is the sameelsewhere in Africa. Rwanda hassubstantial methane reserves andhas chosen to invest heavily in green

growth. The Democratic Republicof Congo is working with the WorldBank to generate hydropower thatcould in theory supply much ofEurope. Similar schemes to harnessthe solar energy potential of theSahara are also under consideration.

With imagination, the sky isthe limit. We must harness thepolitical will needed to overcomeinertia and realize these and othertransformative changes. There isonly one change we should fear climate change. That is why I willkeep climate change at the top ofmy priority list until we have anambitious, fair and comprehensive

political solution to the deningchallenge of our generation.

A deal in Copenhagencan

and must provide the policysignals needed to

delier it.It must also support

adaptation,or no matter how

creatie and ambitiousour mitigation eorts,

the act remainsthat

we hae started

processes that may takedecades or more

to slow and reerse.




The call for global urgent action onclimate change is loud and clear.

Apathy is not an option. It is mysincere hope that the world livesup to its responsibility at the 2009United Nations Climate Change

Conference (COP15) in Decemberin Copenhagen and that theConference will be rememberedas a landmark event in our eortsto turn developments around. AtCOP15 we have a choice to make.

The moment will be in our hands.We can either seize it or wecan let it go. Whatever we choose

there is no doubt that futuregenerations will judge us on our

ability to make COP15 a decisivemoment of change.

LArS LKKe rASmuSSen

Prime Miniser o denmark

DEaDLInE

CopEnHagEn



9/36OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL 9

No individual, no community andno state can today escape the eectsof climate change. Climate changeknows no boundaries and is feltacross the world.

The recipe to be used whencombating the negativeconsequences of climate change

will have to be truly global in scaleand in nature. The internationalcommunity, individual countries,the private sector and civilsociety must all work together toght climate change with resolveand determination.

The impacts of a changing climatecan be observed in many dierent

ways, and unmitigated climatechange poses grave threats to us all.If it continues at its current paceit will mean increasingly severechallenges to economic and socialdevelopment processes.We can already observe moreextreme, intense and unpredictable

weather conditions such as severedroughts, more oods and heavystorms. Even a stabilization oftemperatures at 2 C abovepre-industrial temperatures willimply new weather patterns with

global consequences.

It is an unjust paradox butnonetheless a fact thatthose countries with the lowest

greenhouse gas emissions are largely

going to be those worst aected byclimate change. And they are thecountries with the least resourcesto use to adapt to it. Many ofthe worlds poorest countries arealready experiencing it as a toughand visible reality. These countriesare often very reliant on agriculturalproduction, which is a particularlyclimate-sensitive sector. And,

within these countries, women and

children, indigenous peoples andother key groups are often at even

greater risk. The very existence ofsmall island states is threatenedby potential sea level rise. Global

welfare and security are at risk.

The buck does not stop inCopenhagen. Climate changeshould be seen in a longer-termperspective, where Copenhagenhopefully will mark thebeginning of accelerated eorts topursue a low-carbon future aroundthe globe. The industrializedcountries must lead the way andcommit to ambitious cuts. We mustcreate the right incentives for all

countries to pursue a low-carbondevelopment path.

Energy eciency and the reductionof emissions have many virtuesof their own accord, beyond theclimate consideration. Energyis a production cost, and energysaving measures are part of theanswer to the current nancialand economic crisis. Mitigation

eorts should therefore be viewednot only as an economic burden,but also as an opportunity for thefuture. Green recovery programmeshave the potential to stimulateprivate investment in low-carbontechnologies, thereby developingnew opportunities for employment,innovation and wealth creation.

The Danish story of economicgrowth during the past decades

bears witness to the fact that a low-carbon growth path can be pursued

without jeopardizing it. The Danisheconomy grew by 78 per cent overthe past three decades whilst energyconsumption remained virtuallyconstant. And since the 1980s, theshare of renewable energy in nalenergy consumption rose steadilyand now amounts to approximately20 per cent. Danish green-tech

business is thriving as well.Clean technology accounted for

approximately 10 per centof all Danish exports in 2008, andis now one of the fastest-growingexport sectors.

Internationally, Denmark worksactively to promote greentechnology and green growth,

which can contribute to puttingin place the necessary tools for atransition to low-carbon economies.Investments in green technologiesand sustainable, aordable andstable energy supplies are crucial.Committing to green growth andinvestments in green technology

not only helps by reducingCO2

emissions, but is also asound investment in our future,leading to a truly sustainableeconomic growth.

A global green deal is a good dealfor the economy and a good deal forbusiness. There is no contradictionbetween economic growth andeective climate policies. In fact,avoiding climate change is the only

way to truly sustained growth. Andthere is no inherent contradictionbetween solving the nancial crisisand combating climate change.On the contrary, the policiesneeded to address climate changeare the very policies that can helpto revitalize our economies.

This realization must be putto concrete actions by the

World in Copenhagen. COP15 isour deadline.

Danish green-tech businessis thriing as well.

Clean technology accountedor approximately

10 per cent

o all Danish exportsin 2008,

and is now one o the astest-growing export sectors.


10/36

Climate change is not impossible toovercome. The convenient truth isthat the natural systems that have

developed over millions of years onthis planet oer solutions to it. But inorder to take advantage of what wehave, we rst have to be pragmaticabout the costs that we face to reduceemissions, and practical in the waysthat we think about and use the

worlds resources.

The pragmatism that we must exhibitis an acceptance that we have nochoice but dramatically to cut global

emissions from industry and acceptthe short term economic pain thatentails. If we fail to do this, we willbe responsible for the degradationof the world and untold sueringfor millions. But we must also bepractical and take steps to protect theresources and mechanisms with whichthe world has provided us to removecarbon dioxide from the atmosphereand store it that is, the oceans,

forests and other ecosystems.

Guyanas contribution to thissolution is our forests whichcover three quarters of our nation.

If we chose aggressively to cut ourforests and convert the land wherethey stand to agriculture or othercommercial activities we could

generate hundreds of millions ofdollars every year and in theprocess increase climate change,thus costing the global economy.

Guyanas imperative to tackleclimate change is clear. Its economicdevelopment is intrinsically linked to

its ability to help the world to tackleclimate change. My country losesaround 10 per cent of its GDP every

year due to ooding, and it will takeup to a billion dollars in adaptationfunding to x this.

Eighteen months ago I unveiledGuyanas Low Carbon DevelopmentStrategy. Its essence is the belief thatour forests and the forests of other

developing nations can provide more

BhArrAt JAgdeo

Presien o guyana

aConvEnIEnT TruTH



11/36

value to the world if we keep themstanding, and that if the worldis willing to pay for this service

the revenue that is generated canpay both to help Guyana to adaptto climate change and to transformits economy through a series of low-carbon investments.

Since the strategy was unveiled, theworld has lost an area of forest largerthan my entire country. This has notonly released more carbon into theatmosphere than every motorized

vehicle on the planet in the same

period, but has also reduced theEarths ability to remove carbonfrom it.

The unchecked loss of forests hasnot happened out of malice orignorance, but because most of the

worlds forested nations have noalternative but to generate incomeby cutting our forests. There is reallyonly one solution to this we must

make it more economically prudent

to keep forests standing than to cutthem down.

The UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change meetingin Copenhagen provides us

with an historic opportunity toprove that climate change is notinsurmountable. If proposals forthe Reduction of Emissions fromDeforestation and forest Degradation(REDD) are embraced they will bringbenets that go far beyond simplyreducing carbon emissions asthey will secure freshwater sources,

help protect food security andprovide opportunities for economicdevelopment in nations like Guyana.

If the parties have the vision to dothis, and agree to provide adequatefunding for REDD as well as agreeingto deep cuts in emissions fromindustry, then we will have delivereda message to future generationsthat we were worthy stewards

of this planet.

... we must make itmore

economically prudentto keep orests standing

thanto cut them down.


DuncanWalker/iStockphoto


12/36

Why are you, the President of the

Maldives, such a strong voice oncombating climate change?

When you live in the Maldives,

where the highest point of land isno more than 2 metres above thesea, it is hard to deny that climatechange is happening. We experiencethe eects of climate change everyday. Climate change is, in part,responsible for coastal erosion onone third of our inhabited islands.

This erosion causes a loss of land,property and contamination of

groundwater.

Maldivians have lived in theseislands for more than 2000

years. We do not want to tradethese beautiful islands for anenvironmental refugee camp.

The defence of the Maldives is mytop priority and we have run outof time to pass the climate buck tofuture generations.

The Maldives is a front-line state in

the battle against climate change.But climate change does not just

threaten the Maldives; it threatensus all. If we cant save the Maldivestoday, we cant save Tokyo, NewYork or Hong Kong tomorrow.

Youve said that climate change is asecurity concern and a human rightsissue as well as an environmental one

in what way?

Climate change is no softenvironmental issue. It isincreasingly being viewed as ahard military threat multiplier.

A 2007 report by CNA Corporation,a Pentagon-funded think-tank,

co-authored by a dozen formerAmerican generals, states thatunless carbon dioxide emissionsare rapidly reduced, climate change

will: Create sustained natural andhumanitarian disasters on ascale far beyond those we seetoday. These disasters threatento destabilize entire regions,foster[ing] the conditions forinternal conicts, extremism anda movement toward increased

authoritarianism andradical ideologies.

As well as being a securitymultiplier, climate change could

wipe out decades of developmentin poorer countries and threatensfundamental human rights. Left

unchecked, rising temperatures willsubmerge low-lying countries andswamp some of the worlds greatcoastal cities, killing and displacingmillions of people.

The Maldives is taking the lead inreducing greenhouse gas emissions

with a plan to reach carbon neutralitywithin 10 years. Why is the Maldives

doing this when it has comparatively

very low emissions?

I am sceptical of the conventionalwisdom that suggests that small,developing countries shouldnt cuttheir greenhouse gas emissions.I am also against nger pointingat developed countries. Climatechange is everyones problem andtherefore everyone needs to be partof a global solution.

For the Maldives, we know ourgreenhouse gas emissions are

mohAmed nASheed Presien o e Malives,

speaks o Our Plane

Cle deset de



13/36

tiny and our environmental eortsalone will not stop global warming.Nevertheless, we have decided to leadby example and become the worldsrst carbon-neutral country. In doing

so, we want to put together a survivalkit, a carbon-neutral manual thatothers can replicate, so saving us allfrom the impending catastrophe.

Going carbon neutral is not onlythe right thing to do, it also makeseconomic sense. Oil suppliesare running out and oil prices areunpredictable. Renewable energylessens our dependence on foreign

oil, minimizing uncertainty andenhancing energy security. Moreover,while renewable infrastructure isquite costly, once it is in place theoperational costs are lower than fossilfuels because raw materials such asthe sun, the wind and the waves arefree. So renewables oer long-termcost savings.

How do you achieve carbon neutrality?

The decision to achieve carbonneutrality is based on an eco-plan

drawn up by British climate andenergy experts Mark Lynas andChris Goodall. The eco-planproposes that 155 1.5 megawatt windturbines would cover the nationsentire electricity usage. Half a

square kilometre of solar panelsand a biomass power station wouldprovide backup energy.

The plan also proposes that theMaldives purchases EU carboncredits to oset the emissions causedby transport, especially internationaltourist ights. Organic waste can beused to produce fertilizers and other

waste can be incinerated to reducepollution and produce electricity.

You have noted that there is hope, thatglobal warming can be reversed. What

has to be achieved to make this happen?

We can solve the climate crisisbut to do this requires radicalaction. The G8 Group of industrialnations have pledged to halt globaltemperatures from rising above2 C from pre-industrial levels,

implying carbon dioxide in theatmosphere will not rise above450 parts per million. A couple of

years ago, this goal would havebeen considered laudable.Recent scientic studies, coupled

with events on the ground,now show the 2 C target to be

woefully inadequate.

After the rapid Arctic Sea ice melt

in the summer of 2007, scientistsrealized that global warmingwas happening more quicklyand on a larger scale than theyhad anticipated. Wherever theylooked high-altitude glaciers,hydrological cycles, the spreadof mosquitoes they foundchange happening decades aheadof schedule. In January 2008,

James Hansen, one of the worldsleading climatologists, published a

series of papers showing that theactual safe limit for carbon in the

atmosphere was at most 350 partsper million. Anything higher thanthat limit, warns Hansen, could seedirreversible, catastrophic eects ona global scale.

We are already above that gure the current concentration is 385ppm and rising. For the Maldives,climate change is no vague or distantirritation but a clear and presentdanger to our survival. But theMaldives is no special case; simplythe canary in the worlds coal mine.Neighbouring Asian countries likeBangladesh are already sueringfrom saltwater intrusion as seas rise;

Australia and the American south-west are enduring epic drought;forests across western North Americaare succumbing to pests which aremultiplying in the growing heat.

And all of this is with temperatureincreases of less than 1 degree

why On Earth would we be aimingfor 2 C?

The world has the resources andtechnological know-how to make

massive cuts in global greenhousegas emissions. What is lacking is notscientic knowledge but political will.Many politicians are making laudableeorts to ght global warming. Forthe most part, however, politicians

will not act radically unless theirelectorates demand radical action.

We need a global movement to forcerapid change. To this end, the United

Nations has launched a global petitionthat people can sign online, urgingworld leaders to Seal the Deal onclimate change at the Copenhagenconference this December. Andactivist organizations such as 350.orgare staging big global protests toensure that the voices of ordinarypeople are heard by the Copenhagennegotiators. Climate change is tooimportant to be left to politicians andnegotiators to solve on their own.

It is everyones responsibility to maketheir voices and votes heard.



14/36

l

giSele Bndchen

The ace o some o the worlds most exclusiveproducts has now become the new ace o globalenvironmental action. In September 2009,Brazilian-born supermodel Gisele Bndchen, oneo the most recognized top models o all time, wasdesignated Goodwill Ambassador or the UnitedNations Environment Programme (UNEP). In hernew role, Gisele, who has long been a committedand passionate environmentalist, will help UNEP inits mission to raise awareness and inspire action to

protect the environment, ocusing attention on someo the biggest threats acing the planet, climatechange and environmental degradation.

Bill weihl

Bill Weihl is Googles green-energy czar leading the Internet

giants charge into clean power and carbon neutrality. UnderWeihls guidance Google is striding into the renewable-energyeconomy. Not only has it reduced its own power consumptionby more than 50 per cent, the company has invested hundredso millions o dollars in renewable energy both by providingseed unding to small solar and wind energy start-up companies,and by supporting a lab o its own researchers. With its powersavings, its use o renewable energy and careully selectedcarbon osets, the company has become carbon neutral. Inrecognition o his contribution, Weihl, a ormer proessor atthe Massachusetts Institute o Technology, was named one o

Time Magazines 2009 Heroes o the Environment.

Yumi SomeYa

Tokyo eco-entrepreneur, Yumi Somera powers vehiclesand generates electricity with used cooking oil. In

the early 1990s her amily-owned recycling companytogether with Hokkaido University produced theworlds rst biodiesel derived rom the oil cooks throwaway every day. Today this innovative biouel, calledVegetable Diesel Fuel (VDF), powers the companysused oil collecting vehicles, some o Tokyos buses andservice vehicles, and it also generates electricity atmusic and cultural events in the city. The exhaust romVDF has hal the particulate matter o conventionaldiesel, emits no sulur oxides, and smells more like akitchen than a car. Someya is a 2009 Time Magazine

Hero o the Environment.

connie hedegaard

A major voice on the international stage, ConnieHedegaard has helped bring the worlds attention to the

visible consequences o global warming and the need orall countries to act urgently to combat climate change.Nationally and internationally, Hedegaard, the DanishMinister or Climate and Energy, has been a strongadvocate or sustainable economic growth, sustainableenergy and green, energy-ecient solutions. She wasa driving orce behind her own countrys world-leadingenergy policies that demonstrate that dealing withclimate change is not an anti-growth agenda. In herministerial capacity Hedegaard has another big roleto play in climate change leadership: hosting the UNsglobal climate change discussions in Copenhagen a

global meeting seeking to nd a way or the entireworld to unite around a climate change plan that is bothair and eective.



15/36

Yugratna SrivaStava

How many 13-year-olds do you know that have spokendirectly to the worlds leaders in person? That is exactly

what Yugratna Srivastava did in September when sheaddressed the opening ceremony o the United NationsSummit on climate change. Representing the worlds

youth, she called or a air, just and action-orientedpost-Kyoto agreement. From Shamli in India, Yugratnahas been a young environmental activist since joiningthe non-governmental organization, Tarumitra (Friendso Trees). In 2008 and 2009 she participated in UNEPsTUNZA youth conerences and is the rst Indian child tobe elected to the Junior Board o TUNZA. Her passion andcommitment caught the attention o UNEP, and now it has

caught the attention o the world.

SuSan Solomon

Few people have gone to the ends o the earth to study human impact onour environment. Susan Solomon is one o them. She led pioneering scienticexpeditions to Antarctica, which conrmed ears that chlorofuorocarbons(CFCs) were contributing to the hole in the ozone layer. In recent years DrSolomon has concentrated on climate change science. Her work has shownthat levels o carbon dioxide expected in this century will lead to long-lasting changes, such as widespread drought in certain regions and risesin sea level that will drown many low-lying coastal areas. She was amongthe IPCC scientists who helped the world understand the severity o globalwarming and were awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Dr Solomon won the

Volvo Environment Prize or 2009.

tewolde Berhan geBreegziaBher

Dr Tewolde is a dedicated environmental championo his native Ethiopia and o Arica more broadly. Hiscurriculum vitae shows a depth and breadth o publicservice that has involved saeguarding biodiversity

and the traditional rights o armers and communitiesto their genetic resources. Dr Tewolde has beena long-serving negotiator and representative oEthiopia and other Arican nations in a long list ointernational biodiversity-related orums such asthe Convention on Biological Diversity, the CartagenaProtocol on Biosaety, and the International Treaty orPlant Genetic Resources or Food and Agriculture. Heworked with the Arican Union in the developmento model laws addressing the protection o therights o communities, armers and breeders, thecontrol o access to biological resources; and saety

in biotechnology. Dr Tewolde is a past winner o theUNEP Champions o the Earth Award, and the RightLivelihood Award.

veeraBhadran ramanathan

Proessor Veerabhadran Ramanathan is among the mostdistinguished climatologists in the world, and his workhas made a major contribution to our understanding

o the severity o human impact on climate. His earlierresearch demonstrated the greenhouse eects ochlorofuorocarbons (CFCs) and other pollutants. Amongother breakthroughs, he revealed the global coolingeects o clouds on climate, and showed that SouthAsian brown clouds caused by the burning o ossil uelscan inuence monsoonal rainall and consequently aectthe Indian rice harvest. More recently he explained howblack carbon particles in brown clouds can contributesignicantly to the warming o the upper atmosphere.A proessor o atmospheric and cl imate sciences at theUniversity o Caliornia, San Diego, Ramanathan has

been recognized or his outstanding contribution to theenvironment in numerous awards including the 2009Tyler Environmental Prize.



16/36

Two centuries ago, Britain exploitedits plentiful supplies of coal tore an industrial revolution which

transformed it into a global economicpowerhouse. Today, twenty-rstcentury Britain wil l reap the rewardsof a new industrial revolution builton green energy.

Determined again to be at theforefront of change, the UK is the

worlds largest producer of electricityfrom oshore wind; leading anew wave of nuclear power; and

pioneering the technologies whichmake fossil fuels clean.

gordon Brown Prime Miniser o e

Unie Kinom o grea Briainan Norern Irelan

Eie f wth



17/36

Why? Because tackling climatechange is not only essential topreserve the future health ofthe planet; it is also an engine ofeconomic growth and prosperity. Inthe UK and many other countries,the low-carbon transformation isalready helping to drive recoveryfrom the present downturn

providing new growth, new jobs, newindustries and new export markets.

Achieving a new internationalagreement in Copenhagen istherefore not just an environmentalnecessity; it is an economicnecessity.

The costs of climate change arenow understood. Three years ago,

the Stern Report I commissionedconcluded that the economic damage

of unchecked global warming couldamount to 520 per cent of globalGDP an economic cost in thetwenty-rst century greater thanthe losses caused by the two world

wars and Great Depression of thetwentieth century.

But what is now even more striking

are the benets of moving to a low-carbon economy. In the rst place,more ecient consumption of energy

will bring greater overall productivity,as resources once directed to meetfuel bills are released for investment.

At the same time the need for low-carbon energy production andinfrastructure will require $26.3trillion of investment up to 2030,according to estimates from theInternational Energy Agency. Thisin turn will create huge markets for

goods and services across a widerange of low-carbon and energy-ecient technologies and in theiraccompanying infrastructure,construction and service sectors.

Already larger than defence andaerospace combined, the globalenvironmental sector could by 2015be worth 4.3 trillion and sustain

tens of millions of jobs. A wave ofinnovation will also accompany thedecarbonization drive. And asinnovations in one area feed intoothers, the economic potential andbenets will ripple out across the

global economy.

It is unsurprising, therefore, that overthe last year governments across the

world have made green investment

a major part of their economicstimulus packages.

So our approachhas

a triple bottom line:

simultaneouslycreatinglong-term growth

and employment;reducing

greenhousegas emissions;and increasingenergy security.


PhilipandKarenSmith/GettyImages


18/36

In the wake of the credit crisis, governments are having to adoptstrongly activist strategies to ensurethe right conditions for privateinvestment in the key sectors which

will provide the engines of the nextphase of growth. This is especiallytrue in the case of the low-carboneconomy. Unlike other strategicsectors, this market is almostentirely driven by government policyto reduce emissions and improveenergy security.

The drive to decarbonize oureconomies carries some costs.

Energy prices will rise, moderately.But as growth returns, these costsare aordable, especially as energyeciency measures cut demand andtherefore energy bills.

And it is a stark fact that a high-carbon energy future would bemore expensive, not less. Excessivedependence on imported oil and

gas some of it from politically

unstable parts of the world exposes us to unacceptable risks,both economic and political. So thelow-carbon path is also the route to

greater energy security.

So our approach has a triple bottomline: simultaneously creating long-term growth and employment;reducing greenhouse gas emissions;and increasing energy security.

And of course the UK is by nomeans alone. The EU has adoptedlegally binding targets to reduceemissions by 20 per cent on 1990levels by 2020 or 30 per cent undera strong international agreement.Emissions trading systems are beinglegislated for in the US and Canada,in Australia and soon in Japan.China has set itself tough targetsto improve its energy eciency and

use of renewables and India hasannounced ambitious plans to invest

in solar power. Across the world, lastyear saw more investment in power generation from renewables thanfrom fossil fuels for the rst time.

So these are global trends. Yetthey remain fragile. This is why

global agreement on a new climatechange regime in Copenhagen is soimportant. We must put in placethe international regime which willprovide low-carbon investors andbusinesses with the certainty andcondence they need.

The UK Government wants an

agreement that is ambitious, eectiveand fair. Ambitious, in that it mustput the world on a path to limitingthe average global temperature riseto 2 C; eective, by establishingmarket mechanisms to reduceemissions eciently alongside astrong regime of monitoring and

verication; and fair, in providinghelp to allow developing as wellas developed countries tackle

climate change.

The last of these is particularlyimportant. Climate change presentsa stark injustice: it has beenlargely caused by the emissionsof the richest countries, yet itsseverest eects are being felt bythe poorest. The Copenhagen dealmust therefore help the poorest andmost vulnerable countries adapt tothe changes already now inevitable

and support their low-carbon andclimate-resilient growth paths.

That is why I put forward in Junea set of proposals for a climatenance agreement betweendeveloped and developing countries

raising $100 billion per year frompublic and private sources by 2020.

Climate change presents an

unprecedented challenge tohumankind. But there is a solution

within our grasp, which will bringhuge economic benets today

while protecting the future for ourchildren and grandchildren.

Achieving an agreement willrequire world leaders to bridge ourremaining dierences and seize these

opportunities. But I believe it canbe done.



19/3619OUR PLANET PRACTICAL ACTION 19OUR PLANET PRACTICAL ACTION

ba

Even as climate modelers have been reaching consensus on the view that

the threat is worse than we realized, economic modelers have been reachingconsensus on the view that the costs o emission control are lower than

many eared.

Paul Krugman, New York Times columnist

Agreement in Copenhagen coupled with progress on national initiatives will be

a signal to investors that REDD can and will succeed, and will ensure orests are

more valuable standing than cut.

WWF International Director General, James Leape, at a survey launch on the margins o

the climate change negotiations in Bangkok in September 2009

Putting a price on carbon is essential, because it will orce us to do the cheapest

things, like energy eciency, rst.

John Rowe, CEO o Exelon, an electric utility company, in a speech at the nationalconerence o the American Council or an Energy Efcient Economy

I things go business as usualour country will not exist.

President o the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, addressing world leaders at the United

Nations Summit on Climate Change in September 2009

We are the victims o the rich worlds acts and omissions, and so we do need

large amounts o money in assistance and private sector investment to reversethe course o events.

Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, addressing delegates at the UN General Assembly

in New York in September 2009

UN General Assembly President Ali Treki, addressing world leaders at the United

Nations Summit on Climate Change in September 2009

Climate changes such as rising sea levels, foods, droughts, hurricanes and

other changed weather patterns are threatening not only hard-won progress in

the battle against poverty, but the existence o entire nations.

bs135,000,000,000UNFCCs estimate o the number o

US dollars required each year to

address the wider impact oclimate change. i Pss S

79Percentage o Asians who want their own

government to take action and showleadership to reduce the risk romclimate change Sy p, tkkk cp

10Percentage cut between 2006 and 2008 in

Chinas energy use per unit o grossdomestic product hs ts

23,000,000People acing severe hunger due to climate

change-exacerbated drought in EastArica ox uK

4Number o days in which it would take a

typical British person to equal theannual carbon emissions o someonein Tanzania ts o

60Number o Latin Americas largest cities

expected to be aected by risingsea levels over the next 50 years rs

15.2Potential Arctic warming in degrees Celsius

by 2100 t m of, uK

60Percentage o plant species in Europes

Alps acing extinction by 2100 due toclimate change t



20/36

hiLLAry rodhAm cLinton

Secreary o Sae, USA

Tki

ressiilitydTki acti



21/36

Climate change is a globalchallenge that threatens everynation, no matter how large orsmall, wealthy or poor. The threatis serious, it is urgent, and it is

growing. And just as no nationcan escape the potential impact ofclimate change rising sea levels,storms, droughts and conicts overdwindling resources no nationcan meet the challenge alone.

This is a time for internationalcooperation and every nationmust work together to meet our

obligations and seize thelimitless opportunities of aclean energy future.

We are under no illusion that thiswill be easy. The challenge is tocreate a global framework thatrecognizes the dierent needs andresponsibilities of developed anddeveloping countries alike.

The United States and othercountries that have beenthe biggest historic emittersof greenhouse gases have aresponsibility to take the lead inreducing our carbon footprint andensuring nancial and technicalsupport for developing nationsthat are the most vulnerableand least prepared to meetthe severe eects of climatechange. We will work together

to develop and disseminate cleanenergy technology that can helpdeveloping nations leap-frog thedirtier technologies of the past andreduce emissions while growingtheir economies.

The large developing nations thatwill produce the vast majorityof the growth in global carbonemissions in the decades ahead

must do their part, as well. All thelargest emitters must act together

if we are going to makea dierence.

The United States is takingresponsibility and taking action.

The Obama Administration iscommitted to deep reductions in

greenhouse gas emissions with aplan that will dramatically changethe way we produce, consumeand conserve energy, and in theprocess spark an explosion of newinvestment, and millions of jobs.Our country has done more to

invest in clean energy and reduceemissions in the last year than atany other time in our history.

We are making historic invest-ments in renewable energy, withthe aim of doubling the generatingcapacity from wind and otherrenewable resources in three

years. We are reducing energywaste in our homes, buildings andappliances, and developing carboncapture technology to clean up ourcoal plants. And we have proposedsteps to increase fuel economy andreduce emissions for all new carsand trucks.

Complementing our eorts athome, the United States haslaunched an unprecedentedeort to engage allies andpartners around the world in the

ght against climate change.The Obama Administration isdeeply committed to forging theinternational consensus needed tomeet this global crisis and movingpast the old divisions that havestood in the way of progressfor too long.

We are realistic about the doubtsand diculties we will have to

overcome to reach this goal,especially in this time of economic

uncertainty. But taking action onclimate change is a smartinvestment in future growth and

prosperity. And that is our goal:we are pursuing internationalagreements that will allow allnations to grow, raise livingstandards, and lift their people outof poverty without endangeringthe planet.

Addressing climate change mustbe about more than reducing

greenhouse gas emissions, it mustbe about securing a pathway forsustainable development. Andthe only sustainable path for thefuture is through clean energydevelopment.Earlier this year I caught a glimpseof that future. I toured the TaiyangGong power plant in Beijing, whichproduces electricity for a millionhomes and the US embassy. Itsstate-of-the-art technology, the

result of collaboration betweenGeneral Electric and a number ofChinese rms, captures heat that

would normally be lost, savingmoney and reducing emissions.If the world is going to rise tothe great challenge of our times the ght against climate change

it will take exactly this kind ofinternational partnership.

We know the way, now we justneed the will.

We are pursuinginternational agreementsthat willallow all nationsto grow,

raise liing standards,andli their peopleout o povertywithoutendangering the planet.



22/36

Fs sy ssbyIn their ormer lives, the clothing and accessories made by Finnish ashion designer Globe Hope werehospital surgery linens, army wear, work outts and various other vintage abrics. With an innovative

reuse, recycle air, Globe has given new lie and style to these old abrics. Their carry bags are madeout o sail material and sailors uniorms, and the label inside each one even shows where the boatthey belonged to has travelled. Their range also contains down coats made rom old sleeping bags, sundresses rom old linen tea towels, purses made rom nurses uniorms, and mix-n-match 3-in-1 shoes!www.globehope.com/

s

Pb ypThe Hydro-Electric Barrel Generator, or HEB, is a oating waterwheel that can generate electricitywhen set up in a river or stream regardless o the waters depth and speed. It is quiet, light weight,easy to transport and install, cost eective to manuacture, has low capital outlay per kilowatt oelectricity and does not interrupt river ow. The barrel is one-piece moulded plastic with paddletreads. The advantage o this particular design is increased efciency as the water ows past thebarrel. The HEB has the potential to help many people harness the power o rivers and streams

while keeping the impact on the environment to a minimum.www.hydro-electric-barrel.com/index.html

a -Ks This award-wining desk lamp, the Kast LED Task Light, has been manuactured with sustainability inmind. It uses over 80 per cent recyclable aluminum and steel, is composed o 40 per cent recycledmaterial o which 27 per cent is post-consumer recycled content, and has powder coat nishes that are100 per cent solvent ree. It has two ve-watt LED clusters, which oer an average rated lie o 100,000hours, ten times greater than most compact uorescent lamps. In addition, the LED diodes are nearly25 per cent more energy efcient than comparable compact uorescent technology.www.details-worktools.com

By By s pWhen let on standby, appliances such as TVs, computers and stereos use as much as 25 per cento the energy they consume during ull operation. The average household has up to a dozengadgets let on standby at any one time, unnecessarily burning up power. A new device called ByeBye Standby oers a convenient way to switch o up to 12 devices at the touch o a button. Simplyplug Bye Bye Standby into a wall socket and then plug your appliance or extension lead into that.Then, when you leave the room, each o your devices can be switched o separately or as a groupwith the press o a remote control button.www.byebyestandby.com/homeindex.php

ey, y ws

Wattson is the latest in gadgets that tell you how much electricity you are using. This one glows bluewhen youre using less electricity than normal, purple when using an average amount, and it ashesred when youre consuming a lot. It also tells you how much your annual electricity bill would bebased on what youre using at any particular second. Studies show that electricity-monitoring devicescan lead to household savings o up to 25 per cent on your annual electricity bills and accompanyingCO

2cuts, o course.

www.diykyoto.co.uk

tk-y s Ideal or adventurers wanting to lighten their load, the SolarRoll is a very versatile solar panel.Lightweight, exible, durable and waterproo, the SolarRoll can be used to charge your cell phone,MP3 or digital camera. It comes in three models that produce three dierent outputs: 4.5, 9, and14 watts, so you can choose the size that suits your needs best. The SolarRoll can even charge a

car battery!http://www.brunton.com/



23/36

The UN Climate Change Conferencein Copenhagen is the moment inhistory when humanity has theopportunity to rise to the challengeand decisively deal with climatechange. Beyond a shadow of a doubt,

greenhouse gas emissions have to beradically reduced to keep the world

from sliding into climate chaos.

yvo de Boer

Execuive Secreary o eUN Framework Convenion

on Climae Cane

DECISIvE MoMEnT



24/36

emissions and will be aectedthe most.

The second essential is a set ofambitious legally binding emissionreduction targets by industrializedcountries. Without them, theinternational community will notbe taking the necessary action

to address climate change, anddeveloping countries will not havecondence that there is a will ingnessby industrialized countries to takethe lead in solving a problem thatthey have caused.

The most stringent IPCC scenario which would stabilize temperatureincreases at around 22.4 C abovepre-industrial levels shows that

worldwide emissions would need

to be cut by at least 50 per cent by2050. For this to happen,industrialized country emissions

would need to decline by 2540 percent over 1990 levels by 2020 anddeveloping countries would needto peak in the next 1015 years. A

global solution to climate change,including mid-term targets, mustmatch up to these gures.

The third deliverable forCopenhagen is clarity on the extent

outcome at the end of 2009, whichneeds to enter into force before

January 2013. I am certain that thedeal will be clinched in Copenhagenin December, even if it is notpossible for a fully edged legaltreaty to emerge from the meeting.

The reason I am condent is

that more than 100 world leadersmeeting at the Secretary-GeneralsSummit on Climate Change inNew York in September expressedtheir determination to seal acomprehensive, ambitious and fairclimate change deal in Copenhagenthis year. The leaders pledged toprovide the necessary guidance tonegotiators. And they called for adeal that provides clarity on ve keypolitical essentials.

The rst essential is enhanced actionto assist the most vulnerable and thepoorest to adapt to the impacts ofclimate change. Leaders emphasizedthat climate change threatenstheir economic viability, socialdevelopment and even territorialintegrity. More than 100 parties tothe UN Framework Convention onClimate Change are least developed

countries, which contribute theleast to global greenhouse gas

Overwhelming scientic evidence as shown in the Fourth AssessmentReport of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change (IPCC)

demonstrates that climate change will threaten economic growth andlong-term prosperity, as well as the

very survival of the most vulnerablepeople. IPCC projections indicatethat, if emissions continue to rise attheir current pace and are allowedto double from their pre-industriallevel, the world will face an averagetemperature rise of around 3 Cthis century. Serious impacts areassociated with such a scenario,including sea-level rise, shifts in

growing seasons, and increasingfrequency and intensity of extreme

weather events like storms, oodsand droughts.

There are compelling economicreasons for a robust internationalresponse and for quickly shiftingtowards a low-carbon society. TheIPCC clearly states that the costs ofinaction would be considerably higherthan those of action. According tothe International Energy Agencys

World Energy Outlook 2009,every year that the internationalcommunity puts o a comprehensivedeal adds around $500 bill ion dollarsto the investment needed between2010 and 2020 in the energy sector.Many countries are increasinglylooking to the opportunities thata low-carbon economy can oer.

The UN Environment Programmesays that the global market forenvironmental products and

services is projected to double from$1.4 tril lion at present to $2.7 trillionby 2020, creating millions of new

green jobs globally.

So what are the expectations forthe UN climate change process?In 2007 in Bali, the 192 parties ofthe UN Framework Conventionon Climate Change committedthemselves to launching negotiations

on strengthened action culminating in an ambitious agreed



25/36

developing countries both limit thegrowth of their emissions and adaptto the impacts of climate change.

It is quite clear that costs for bothadaptation and mitigation willincrease in future, and that publicmoney will have to kick start actionand lead the way. The essential

issue is that mechanisms are put inplace which allow public and privatesector nance to be signicantlyscaled up over time so thatfunding for climate action in thedeveloping world does not have to berenegotiated every year. And there isbroad agreement in the negotiationsthat the focus of support must befor the poorest countries that aremost vulnerable to climate changeand yet the least responsible for it.

The fth political essential is areview of the governance structureunder the convention. Much of thecurrently available funding has notreached developing countries in a

way that is regarded as ecient orbenecial. If signicant nancialresources are to be generatedfor mitigation and adaptation,developing countries will want to

have a representative say in how thatmoney is to be allocated and spent.

Many important concerns willfeature in the negotiations. But

clarity on these ve main areas isessential for success at Copenhagen.

The importance of the conferencefor the worlds future cannot beunderestimated. A Copenhagendeal is an unequivocal requirementfor stopping climate changefrom slipping out of control, fortransitioning into global greeneconomic growth, and, most urgently,for helping the world, especially the

most vulnerable, adapt to impactsthat are now inevitable.

to which major developing countriesare able to undertake nationallyappropriate mitigation actionsbeyond what they are alreadydoing. For many industrializedcountries, particularly the US, it

will be very dicult to conclude anagreement unless they can see thatthese countries are also willing to

engage further.

A number of developing countries such as China, India, Braziland South Africa have alreadydeveloped national climate changeor energy strategies that indicatethe extent to which they feel thatthey are able, within the boundariesof their economic realities, toaddress the issue. Many developingcountries have come forward

with ideas for further nationallyappropriate mitigation measuresthat they could take.

The fourth essential relatesto nance. The magnitude ofdeveloping-country action willlargely depend on the eectivedelivery of nance and cleantechnology through internationalcooperative action. There must be

clarity on how signicant nancialresources will be generated to help

Te frst essentialis

enhanced actionto assist

the most ulnerableand

the poorestto adapt

to the impactso climate change.



26/36

saas

a

In a year when global leaders

meet or the most importantclimate conerence since 1997,the 20092010 Sasakawa Prizeis appropriately themed GreenSolutions to Combat ClimateChange. The Prize honoursdeserving laureates in thesustainable development eld. Thewinners also receive a cash prize o$200,000 to enable the growth andreplication o their groundbreakinginitiatives. The 20092010 prizewill be awarded in February at the

meeting o UNEPs Governing Council.

.p./ssk

The United Nations ClimateChange Conerence (COP 15) takes

place in Copenhagen on 718December 2009. Representativesrom 193 parties will convene inCopenhagen seeking to seal thedeal on a air, comprehensiveand scientically rigorousclimate agreement or the post-2012 period. A wide range oenvironmental and business eventswill take place in Copenhagen tocoincide with the Conerence.Among them will be a UN Seal theDeal! installation in Magasin MetroSquare where hundreds o cloth

banners which orm part o the historicClimate Petition will be on display rom519 December.

S c P p :.s2009.

UnEPSaSaKaWaPR

iZE

UniTEDnaTionS

CLiMaTECHanGEConfER

EnCE

The 2010 International Year o Biodiversity will be launched in Paris on21 January 2010. It is an opportunity or the entire world to recognize theimportance o biodiversity or all lie on Earth, reect on our achievementsto saeguard biodiversity and ocus on the urgency o our challenge toreduce the rate o biodiversity loss. Through activities around the worldduring the 2010 International Year o Biodiversity and beyond, the globalcommunity will work together to ensure a sustainable uture or us all.

.b./2010

On 24 October, people at over 5,200 events in 181countries around the world, came together in oneo the most widespread days o environmentalaction in the planets history to call or strong

action and bold leadership on the climate crisis.The International Day o Climate Action wasorganized by the 350 global warming campaign.On this day, the number 350, which reers tothe parts per million o CO

2scientists say is the

sae upper limit in theatmosphere, was boldlydisplayed in communityevents in almost everycountry on the planet.

.350.

From saving wild mountain rivers in Chinato measuring the Arctics icy expanse, romprotecting the lush orests o Arica to conductinga eisty online debate, Time Magazines 2009Heroes o the Environment are among the mostinnovative and inuential protectors o theplanet. This year, Time recognized 30 heroesor providing both inspiration and action andmaking a dierence in the world. From grassrootscommunity people to international celebrities,the 2009 heroes are men and women who provethat we can all make a dierence.

../

The Eleventh Special Session o UNEPsGoverning Council and Global MinisterialEnvironment Forum will take place on 2126February 2010. The overarching theme orthe meeting will be Environment in themultilateral system, and this will be brokendown into three areas to reect key topicson the international agenda: internationalenvironmental governance and sustainable

development; the green economy; andbiodiversity and ecosystems. In addition togovernment ministers, UN heads and leaders orm trade unions, civil societyand business will also attend.

.p.

UnEPGoVERninGCoUnCiL

2010inTERnaTionaLYEaRof

BioDiVERSiTY

inTERnaTionaLDaYofCLiMaTEaCTion

HERoESofTHEEnViRonMEnT

2009


UNEPSASAKAWAENVIRONMENT PRIZE

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rememethe ss ts


tASneem eSSop

Inernaional Climae Policy Avocaeor WWF Sou Arica an

ormer Miniser o e Environmen,Plannin an Economic developmen,

Wesern Cape


28/36OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL28

Climate change is a poverty issue.It is the poorest of the world whoare the most vulnerable to itsimpacts and who will be hardesthit and yet they did not cause it.Global solutions must thereforebe pro-poor.

Up to 2 billion people live inextreme poverty worldwide. Insub-Saharan Africa alone about314 million people one in everytwo live on less than a dollara day: a third of Africas peoplesuer from malnutrition, less thanhalf have access to health careand over 300 million cannot getsafe water. Fewer than a quarterof African households have access

to electricity. Climate changewill worsen existing poverty andvulnerabilities, particularly incountries heavily dependent onnatural resources.

The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change shows that thethreats to Africa are severe. It isexpected that agricultural yields

will decrease by 50 per cent by 2050,

75250 million people will beexposed to increased water stress,

about 70 million people will face therisk of coastal ooding because ofsea level rise by 2080 and there willbe a signicant increase in healthimpacts. The most vulnerable thepoor and, especially, women willbear the brunt .

Rural and coastal Africancommunities largely dependon natural resources for theirlivelihood, and these will bethreatened by climate change.

Agriculture and sheries which are already on the edge ofsurvival in many parts of Africa

will become even less viable.Even minor changes to rainfallpatterns and increased severity of

droughts and oods threatenfood security and livelihoods.

African cities are growing rapidly.The urban population grew tenfoldfrom 30.7 million to 309.6 millionbetween 1950 and 2000: by 2025more than half of the continentspopulation will be living in townsand cities.

Migration to cities is largely drivenby the hope of survival, and the

growing eects of climate changebeing experienced in rural areas

will certainly increase it. The urbanpoor generally live in informalsettlements with limited accessto clean water, decent housing andelectricity often in the mostenvironmentally degraded andunsafe areas, particularly vulnerableto frequent ooding, spreading ofdiseases and, in some regions, res.

Climate change is thus an economicand humanitarian, as well as anenvironmental, crisis. So Africancountries are justied in callingon developed nations to takethe lead by drastically reducingtheir domestic emissions and by

providing funding, technologyand capacity-building supportto developing countries to buildclimate resilience and takeactions to reduce emissions.

They argue that developedcountries should bear the historicalresponsibility for the global

warming problems we face today,that developing countries have theright to develop and that sharing

the remaining atmospheric spaceshould provide for this.

Africa

needs to

dene its own path.

It can

simultaneously deal

with the dual crises

of

poverty and

climate change

by

building a low emission,

climate resilient

society and economy.


29/36OUR PLANET SEAL THE DEAL 29

Yet while developed nations musttake the lead in the transition toa low emission future, it is criticalfor developing ones especiallyin Africa not to be left behind.

African leaders and decisionmakersshould not believe that they need thecurrent dominant economic growthmodel of the developed world to deal

with their countries developmentchallenges. We should learn fromthe failures of the existing economicsystem which has increased the gapbetween rich and poor worldwideand placed the planet and its peopleat risk through unsustainableconsumption and production; thesolution is not to be found in usingthe same model as caused these

problems or by taking a business-as-usual approach. It is a falsenotion that climate protection is aneconomic disincentive. In realitythere can be no trade-o betweenthe environment and the economy.

Africa needs to dene its own path.It can simultaneously deal with thedual crises of poverty and climatechange by building a low-emission,

climate-resilient society andeconomy. This would put people and

the planet rst, promote sustainablegrowth and development andaim at eradicating poverty andending inequality. Investing inrenewable energy, for example,

would not only provide access toclean electricity, but create jobs,provide business opportunities andimprove everyones quality of life.Empowering local communitiesand building local economies wouldbe key features, while drawing onindigenous knowledge, especiallyrich in Africa, would be a goodbasis for promoting sustainableagricultural practices.

All developing countries, includingthe least developed, must plan

for this transition. We need toensure that they all participate inand benet from a future greeneconomy. It is vital that leastdeveloped countries leapfrog tosuch a transition and not remain intheir present poverty trap.

African countries have rightlymade adaptation to climate changea priority, but we also have an

important opportunity to set anew agenda, provide leadership,

demonstrate a dierent approach togrowth and development and valueand measure progress dierently,rather than by GDP alone. A justtransition to a low-emission economywould lay the basis for this. We all haveto take responsibility for the future.even if developed countries have thehistorical responsibility to provideleadership. This generation has themoral and ethical responsibility tomake decisions to secure the survivalof future generations. Africa must bepart of this: if we cant be a voice forthe poor and vulnerable, and act ontheir behalf, who else will be?

If a fair, ambitious and binding newclimate deal is not reached, the

worlds poorest, especially in Africa,stand to suer the most.

The powerful must keep thisuppermost in their minds whenreaching agreements. There is an

African proverb: when the elephantsght it is the grass that suers.Recently a Zambian diplomat madean interesting observation: the sameis true for when elephants makelove the grass still suers. When

leaders reach agreement they shouldremember the grass.


30/36

Climate change is occurring fasterthan the worlds leading scientiststhought only a few years ago. Theclimate system is dangerously closeto passing temperature tippingpoints for abrupt and irreversiblechanges, if it hasnt already done so.

One such is the melting of all the Arctic summer sea ice, which isalready rapidly disappearing: onceit has gone, it is replaced by darker

water that absorbs more heat,accelerating warming. Anothertipping point is the melting of thesnow and ice in the Himalayanand Tibetan glaciers, which feedthe major rivers of China, India,Pakistan and the rest of the region.

The Earth is speeding toward theseand other tipping points with nosigns of slowing down. Mitigationmeasures being discussed bythe major countries all fall farshort of what will be requiredto avoid abrupt and irreversibleclimate changes.

But there is also some good news.It starts with understanding that

CO2 from burning fossil fuels and

te as,oroen aldurwood ZAeLKe

Presien o eInsiue or governance

& Susainable developmen



31/36

cutting forests is only responsiblefor about half of anthropogenic

global warming, even though it hasreceived the most attention frompolicymakers deliberating how tocontrol climate change.

Aggressively reducing CO2pollution

is essential for a safe climate system,but it is not sucient. Indeed it isnot only just half of the problem,but the slow half. Carbon dioxideemissions remain in the atmospherefor centuries or even millennia, soreducing them wont lead to coolingfor at least a thousand years. Weneed to reduce CO

2by 100 per cent

by the middle of the century butwe need to do more as well.

This is where the other half ofhuman-caused global warmingcomes in the eects of aerosolsand other gases, largely overlookedby policymakers. This is the fasthalf that can produce cooling indays to decades, and the one thatmay be easier to solve quickly in thenear term. It deserves the urgentattention of policymakers. Muchis already known about how to

reduce these pollutants and, in many

cases, there are laws in place thataddress them and they could delay

warming by up to 40 years.

A combination of non-CO2 climatemitigation strategies can thereforehelp avoid the growing threat ofabrupt and irreversible climate

changes. Four such fast-actionstrategies are discussed by NobelLaureate Dr. Mario Molina andcolleagues in a recent paper inthe Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences reducinghydrouorocarbons, or HFCs, blackcarbon soot and tropospheric ozone,and expanding bio-sequestrationthrough biochar.

Rapid growth in the production of

HFCs synthetic chemicals usedin air conditioning, refrigerationand in making foams willmake them a major contributor toclimate change, responsible for upto 10 per cent of warming by 2050.Dr. Molina and his colleagues pointout that the Montreal Protocolozone treaty is ready, willing, andable to phase down HFCs, just as ithas done for 96 other chemicals

a process that has already provided

A

combination

ofnon-CO

2climate

mitigation strategies

can therefore help avoid

the growing threat of abrupt

and irreversible climate changes.



32/36

climate mitigation equivalent to a net135 billion tons of CO

2-equivalent,

delaying climate forcing by up to712 years.

They also point out that manyalternatives to HFCs already existand are on the shelf waiting for

the right regulatory incentive to bedeployed. Indeed there is growingpolitical support for phasing downtheir production and consumptionunder the Montreal Protocol. Thesmall island states of Micronesiaand Mauritius proposed thislast April. And the US, Canada,and Mexico submitted a similarproposal, in an unprecedentedjoint eort announced by PresidentObama, President Calderon andPrime Minister Harper.

Black carbon soot is another short-term forcer of climate change.Produced largely from incompletecombustion of fossil fuels,particularly in diesel vehicles, andthrough burning of biomass forheating and cooking in developingcountries, it contributes up to25 per cent of total warming and is

responsible for much of the meltingof snow and ice in the Arctic and

Tibetan-Himalayan glaciers. It canbe reduced signicantly by usingdiesel particulate lters and solar orcleaner-burning biomass stoves.

Tropospheric ozone or ground-level smog provides up to 10per cent of warming and is formedby a number of ozone precursor

gases such as carbon monoxide,nitrogen oxides, methane, and otherhydrocarbons. It can be mitigatedby increasing eciency in industrial

processes where most of theseprecursor gases are produced.

Cutting black carbon andtropospheric ozone makes sense forpublic health and food security as

well as the climate. Both are majorpollutants which damage health.Black carbon is a major contributorto 1.6 million deaths from indoorair pollution worldwide. Ozone isalso a killer, and according to onerecent study causes $14 billionto $26 billion of damage to crop

yields annually.

Biochar oers a rare carbon-negative strategy that can reduceexisting concentrations of CO

2.

The ne-grained charcoal productis produced by cooking biomass

with little oxygen through pyrolysis,turning it to a stable form of carbon

that can be ploughed into soil where it remains and acts as a valuable fertilizer for hundredsto thousands of years. Turningagricultural waste into biocharcould save the emission of more than3 billion tons of CO

2per year by

2040. Under the most aggressivescenario, which would use plantation-

grown biomass as well as waste, thismight become 20 billion to 35 billiontons of CO

2per year.

These fast-action mitigationstrategies are win-win for bothdeveloped and developing countries.Many can be implemented now withavailable technology at a relativelylow price, and they do not requirea new global agreement. Thoughtime is running out, we can still saveourselves if we take fast action nowon both halves CO

2and non-CO

2

of the problem.

These

fast-action

mitigation strategies

are win-winfor

both developed

and

developing countries.

Many can be

implemented now

with

available technology

at a relatively low price,

and

they do not require

a new global agreement.



33/36

.p.

Climate change websitewww.unep.org/climatechange/This is UNEPs homepage or climate change, one o our 6 priority areas. It has adepth o inormation on UNEPs Climate Change Programme, and relevant science,policy, publications, campaigns, news and events.

Seal the Dealwww.sealthedeal2009.org/The UN-led Seal the Deal Campaign aims to galvanize political will and publicsupport or reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagenin December.

Unite to Combat Climate Changewww.unep.org/unite/This is the website o the United Nations campaign to encourage civil society andcommunities around the world to unite and act now to combat climate change.

Climate Neutral Network CN Netwww.unep.org/climateneutral/A UNEP initiative to promote global action and involvement in moving towards toa low-carbon and eventually climate-neutral society.

UN-REDDwww.un-redd.org/REDD reducing emissions rom deorestation and orest degradation in

developing countries investigates creating nancial value or the carbon storedin orests, oering incentives or developing countries to reduce emissionsrom orested lands.

Plant or the Planet: Billion Tree Campaignwww.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/People, communities, organizations, business and industry, civil society andgovernments are being encouraged to plant trees and enter their tree plantingpledges on this website. The objective is to plant at least one billion treesworldwide each year.

UNEP-Risoe Centre on Energy, Climate and Sustainable Developmenthttp://uneprisoe.org/UNEP-Risoe supports UNEP in its aims to incorporate environmental anddevelopment aspects into energy planning and policy worldwide.

Energy websitewww.unep.org/themes/energy/?page=homeInormation on UNEPs key activities to address environmental consequences oenergy production and use at the global and regional levels.

a

Unite or Climatehttp://uniteorclimate.org/Unite or Climate is an entry point into the world o youth action on climatechange. Find out how young people are responding to climate change, learnabout their experiences, and join campaigns rom around the world.

Time or Climate Justicewww.tcktcktck.orgThis website was launched by a ormidable coalition o non-governmentalorganizations calling themselves the Global Campaign or Climate Action.

You Control Climate Changewww.climatechange.eu.comThe European Commissions website provides inormation about climatechange in 21 languages, including tips on how individuals can help bring itunder control.

Global Action Planwww.globalactionplan.org.ukA UK environmental charity that helps households, workplaces, schools and thewider community to reduce their carbon ootprints.

climatehagewebsites

arosstheun

Gateway to the UN systems Work onClimate Changewww.un.org/wcm/content/site/climatechange/gatewayThis website links to extensive inormation aboutthe UN and climate change. It also links to themany UN partners on climate change.

The World Tourism Organizationwww.unwto.org/climate/index.php

A climate change and tourism site o thisspecialized UN agency.

UNFCCC The United NationsFramework Convention onClimate Changewww.unccc.intThe UNFCCC is an international treatyabout potential action to reduce globalwarming and to cope with temperatureincreases. The Kyoto Protocol is anaddition to this treaty. The websitecontains numerous resources or

beginners or experts relating toclimate change and the UNFCC.

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changewww.ipcc.ch/The IPCC is the leading body or the assessment oclimate change. It provides the world with a c learscientic view on the current state o climate changeand its potential environmental and socio-economicconsequences.

WMO The World Meteorological Organizationwww.wmo.int/pages/about/index_en.html

The WMO is the UN systems authoritative voice onthe state and behaviour o the Earths atmosphere.

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Climate Change: Copenhagen: Seal the Deal