Climate

Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 20 – The climate change summit has agreed to set up a fund to compensate vulnerable countries hit by climate disasters, a deal the U.N. said is a step towards justice for victims of climate change.

The summit attended by some 200 governments and international organizations ended on overtime in the Egyptian resort with a final document that disappointed climate activists, particularly regarding the issues of fossil fuels use and rising atmospheric temperatures.

“This COP has taken an important step towards justice,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, referring to the 27^th Conference of Parties on climate change. “I welcome the decision to establish a loss and damage fund and to operationalize it in the coming period.”

But Guterres said, “Clearly this will not be enough, but it is a much-needed political signal to rebuild broken trust.”

Expressing his disappointment, Guterres pointed out that the final document left critical climate issues untouched.

“We need to drastically reduce emissions now – and this is an issue this COP did not address,” he said.

Negotiators at the summit under the Egyptian presidency adopted the deal known as loss and damage sought by poor countries to get developed nations, including the biggest carbon polluters like China and the United States, to pay for damage caused by floodings, wildfires and the likes.

But details of the agreement to create a fund for loss and damage such as which countries and how much will they contribute to the fund remain to be sort out at future talks.  

The agreement on the loss and damage program helped the two-week long summit to adopt a final document on climate change. The loss and damage program and creation of a new financial facility to compensate for climate disasters were key demands of developing countries.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, president of the climate meeting, said decisions taken by negotiators before they adopted the final document were “a gateway that will scale up implementation and will enable us to transform to future of climate future neutrality and climate resilient development.”

“I call upon all of you to view these draft decisions not merely as words on paper but as a collective message to the world that we have heeded the call of our leaders and of current and future generations to set the right pace and direction for the implementation of the Paris agreement and the achievement of its goals.”

“The world is watching, I call on us all to rise to the expectations entrusted to us by the global community, and especially by those who are most vulnerable and yet have contributed the least to climate change.”

Negotiators concluded the meeting with the adoption of the loss and damage facility with a commitment to financially support vulnerable countries by the next climate summit in 2023 as well as the post-2025 financial goal for mitigation work program to reduce emissions faster, catalyze impactful action, and secure assurances from key countries that they will take immediate action to raise ambition and keep us on the path towards 1.5 degrees Celsius.

When the summit opened on November 6, it was strongly urged to implement programs agreed at previous meetings such as reduce emissions and finance projects to help countries adapt to climate consequences.

The U.N. said over 40,000 people have registered to attend, including government officials of the 197 countries that signed the UNFCCC, businesses, non-government organizations and civil society groups. The U.N. said COP27 programs include finance, science, youth and future generations, decarbonization, adaptation and agriculture, gender, water, energy, biodiversity and solutions.

At the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on  climate plans agreed upon at the Paris conference in 2015, which called for limiting atmospheric warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the centuryand for developed countries to provide $100 billion a year to assist developing countries.

But a study published by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on October 26 said plans submitted by countries to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to earth warming, have failed their targets and temperatures may rise to at least 2.5 C, a level deemed catastrophic.

(By J. Tuyet Nguyen)

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – United Nations News – United Nations News

Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 18 – The annual climate change summit attended by some 200 governments and international organizations failed to agree on a final document as it was closing and would need more time, the president of the meeting said citing outstanding climate-related issues.

The 27th Conference of the Parties (November 6-18) at the Egyptian resort city will close one day later than expected after calling on negotiators to “shift gears” so an agreement can be reached on the remaining sticking points, U.N. News reported.

“I remain concerned at the number of outstanding issues, including on finance mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage and their inter linkages,” COP27 President, Sameh Shoukry, told delegates at the Sharm el-Sheik International Convention Centre.

U.N. News said Secretary-General António Guterres held separate intensive talks with members of the European Union and the Group of 77 and China, which groups developing countries, to spur negotiations on the final text.

“As the negotiations draw to a close, the Secretary-General urges parties to aim for maximum ambition on loss and damage and in reduction of emissions,” the U.N. leaders said in a note issued in Sharm el-Sheikh by his spokesperson.

The document under negotiations reaffirmed the 1.5-degree Celsius target to curb global warming and welcomes reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It also called for “deep, rapid emission cuts” as well as an acceleration of clean energy transitions in the 2020s.

The document also keeps language reached at the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow on “phasing down coal power” and calls on parties to “rationalise fossil fuel subsidies” and urges new climate action national plans by 2023, UN News said. The document welcomes the loss and damage agenda item, but it does not mention the creation or a funding facility.

The European Union has presented an official proposal for creating a loss and damage fund, sparking hope for what some delegations from developing countries said might be a “breakthrough.”

As the negotiations on the final document dragged on and appeared to miss the deadline on closing date, Guterres said, “There is clearly a breakdown in trust between North and South, and between developed and emerging economies. This is no time for finger-pointing. The blame game is a recipe for mutually assured destruction.”

“The world is watching and has a simple message: stand and deliver,” Guterres said at the conference center.

When the summit opened on November 6, it was strongly urged to implement programs agreed at previous meetings such as reduce emissions and finance projects to help countries adapt to climate consequences.

The U.N. said over 40,000 people have registered to attend, including government officials of the 197 countries that signed the UNFCCC, businesses, non-government organizations and civil society groups. The U.N. said COP27 programs include finance, science, youth and future generations, decarbonization, adaptation and agriculture, gender, water, energy, biodiversity and solutions.

At the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on  climate plans agreed upon at the Paris conference in 2015, which called for limiting atmospheric warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the centuryand for developed countries to provide $100 billion a year to assist developing countries.

But a study published by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on October 26 said plans submitted by countries to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to earth warming, have failed their targets and temperatures may rise to at least 2.5 C, a level deemed catastrophic

Guterres said in a message at the opening of COP27 that the last eight years have been the warmest on record, “making every heatwave more intense and life-threatening, especially for vulnerable populations.”

Citing a report by the World Meteorological Organization, he said, “Sea levels are rising at twice the speed of the 1990s – posing an existential threat for low-lying island states, and threatening billions of people in coastal regions. Glacier melt records are themselves melting away – jeopardizing water security for whole continents.”

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – United Nations News – United Nations News

Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 7 – Making a bold move, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres proposed a historic Climate Solidarity Pact in which countries can cooperate to reduce emissions and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Guterres challenged rich countries to lead the fight against climate change, urging China and the United States, the world’s biggest emitters, to join and assume their own particular responsibility to make the pact a reality.

To limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, the world must achieve global net zero emissions by 2050, he said, but added that the 1.5-degree goal is now on “life support” and the world is close to the point of no return. He called on all G20, which groups the developing and emerging countries, to accelerate their transition to clean energy this decade to avoid that fate.

“Developed countries must take the lead,” he said in an address to the Leaders at COP27. “But emerging economies are also critical to bending the global emissions curve.”

“I am calling for a historic Pact between developed and emerging economies – a Climate Solidarity Pact.” he said.

He said the pact will allow “all countries to make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal. Wealthier countries and International Financial Institutions provide financial and technical assistance to help emerging economies speed their own renewable energy transition.”

The pact aims at “ending dependence on fossil fuels and the building of coal plants – phasing out coal in OECD countries by 2030 and everywhere else by 2040.”

The pact will “provide universal, affordable, sustainable energy for all” and “in which developed and emerging economies unite around a common strategy and combine capacities and resources for the benefit of humankind.”

Loss and damage

For the first time the issue of loss and damage payments has been added to the agenda of a COP summit following negotiations by the Group of 77 (countries) and China, a move demanded by developing countries and supported by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)

Developing and vulnerable countries have suffered the worst impacts of climate change and have demanded developed countries, which are responsible for the worst emissions, to pay for those damages.

“Loss and damage has to be credibly addressed and the time has come for us to do so. The real test will be the quality of the discussions. The judgement will be based on the quality of the outcome,” Simon Stiell, head of the U.N. Climate Change, said after COP27 included the item on the agenda of work.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – United Nations News – United Nations News

Sharm el-Sheikh/New York, November 6 – The climate summit opening in the famed Egyptian tourist city of Sharm el-Sheikh is strongly urged to implement programs agreed at previous meetings such as reduce emissions and finance projects to help countries adapt to climate consequences.

The U.N. said over 30,000 people have registered to attend the summit running from November 6 to 18 at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre. They include government officials of the 197 countries that signed the UNFCCC, businesses, non-government organizations and civil society groups. The U.N. said COP27 programs include finance, science, youth and future generations, decarbonization, adaptation and agriculture, gender, water, energy, biodiversity and solutions.

This year’s high-level meeting is known as the 27^th Conference of the Parties, or COP27. At the COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on  climate plans agreed upon at the Paris conference in 2015, which called for limiting atmospheric warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the centuryand for developed countries to provide $100 billion a year to assist developing countries.

But a study published by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on October 26 said plans submitted by countries to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to earth warming, have failed their targets and temperatures may rise to at least 2.5 C, a level deemed catastrophic

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a message to the opening of COP27 that the last eight years have been the warmest on record, “making every heatwave more intense and life-threatening, especially for vulnerable populations.”

Citing a report by the World Meteorological Organization, he said, “Sea levels are rising at twice the speed of the 1990s – posing an existential threat for low-lying island states, and threatening billions of people in coastal regions. Glacier melt records are themselves melting away – jeopardizing water security for whole continents.

“People and communities everywhere must be protected from the immediate and ever-growing risks of the climate emergency. That is why we are pushing so hard for universal early warning systems within five years. We must answer the planet’s distress signal with action — ambitious, credible climate action. COP27 must be the place – and now must be the time.”

A report issued by the U.N. Environment Program – Adaptation Gap Report 2022 – ahead of COP27 called for increasing funding and implementing programs devised to assist vulnerable countries and communities deal with climate emergencies. It estimated annual funding at between $160 billion and $340 billion by 2030 and $565 billion by 2050.   

Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, said, “Climate change is landing blow after blowupon humanity, as we saw throughout 2022: most viscerally in the floods that put much of Pakistan under water. The world must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the impacts of climate change. But we must also urgently increase efforts to adapt to the impacts that are already here and those to come.”  

World Health Organization: climate crisis spread diseases

WHO said health must be front and center of COP27 because the climate crisis continues to cause sickness and jeopardize lives and that health must be at the core of critical climate negotiations. It called on the summit to conclude with progress on the four key goals of mitigation, adaptation, financing and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. “Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease all over the world and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities. It is crucial that leaders and decision makers come together at COP27 to put health at the heart of the negotiations.”

WHO said climate change is expected to cause approximately 250.000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress between 2030 and 2050.

It said the direct damage costs to health (excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated at between $2 and $4 billion per year by 2030.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – United Nations News – United Nations News

New York, October 26 – Plans submitted by countries to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to earth warming, have failed their targets and may lead earth’s temperatures to rise to at least 2.5 degrees Celsius, a level deemed catastrophic, a new report by U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said.

The 2015 Paris Agreement signed by most countries had called for limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees by the end of the century and a number of countries had announced their National Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reach that target by 2030. But the plans submitted by those countries were not ambitious enough, the report said. The NDCs are voluntary efforts by countries to lower greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.

Despite the negative assessment on efforts to cut down gas emissions, there have been an improvement over last year’s report, a climate official said.

“The downward trend in emissions expected by 2030 shows that nations have made some progress this year,” said Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of U.N. Climate Change as reported by UN News.

“But the science is clear and so are our climate goals under the Paris Agreement. We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track toward a 1.5 degrees Celsius world,” Stiell said. He urged governments to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years.

At the 26^th Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2021, governments agreed to act on their climate plans, but only 24 out of 193 countries submitted updated plans to the U.N., Stiell said was a disappointment,

“Government decisions and actions must reflect the level of urgency, the gravity of the threats we are facing, and the shortness of the time we have remaining to avoid the devastating consequences of runaway climate change,” he said.

Governments to hold COP27 in Egypt November 6-18

“COP27 is the moment where global leaders can regain momentum on climate change, make the necessary pivot from negotiations to implementation and get moving on the massive transformation that must take place throughout all sectors of society to address the climate emergency,” Stiell said.

Stiell urged governments to show at the coming conference how they will put the Paris Agreement to work through legislation, policies and programs, as well as how they will cooperate and provide support for implementation, UN News reported. Stiell urged progress to be made in four priority areas: mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and finance.

Close to 200 countries and hundreds of climate and environment experts will take part in the 27th Conference of the Parties – COP27 – to take action against climate change. The summit in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh from November 6 to 18 will take place in a year that has seen the most severe climate events.

One third of Pakistan was flooded, affecting 33 million lives and over 15 million people could be pushed into poverty. Hurricanes caused massive destructions in the United States, the Philippines and Caribbean islands while European countries were hit by the hottest summer in 500 years.

The summit brings all countries that signed the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992. The convention commits those countries to take common actions to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations which contribute to warming of the earth.

Other actions fighting climate change include phasing down coal-fired power stations, reduce methane emissions and reverse deforestation and land degradation. Industrialized countries are urged to provide $100 billion a year to help developing countries cope with climate change.

(By J.Tuyet Nguyen)

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations News – United Nations News – United Nations News

Berlin/New York, February 28 – While all efforts have focused on preventing planet earth from heating up above 1.5 degrees Celsius, a new study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with the contribution of 270 scientists from 67 countries said global temperatures will well exceed that threshold in the 21^st century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur during this decade.

IPCC, a UN organization dedicated to assessing the science related to climate change, provided a detailed look at threats from global warming, focusing on climate change impacts and how countries have so far adapted to new technology to fight climate change. It said if earth temperatures are heating up above 1.5-2 degrees, coastal and Arctic regions could suffer beyond repair and the planet will see rising seas and more frequent and widespread wildfires, flooding and droughts.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report shows “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership. With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change.”

“As current events make all too clear, our continued reliance on fossil fuels makes the global economy and energy security vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises,” Guterres said. “Instead of slowing down the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to accelerate the energy transition to a renewable energy future. Fossil fuels are a dead end – for our planet, for humanity, and yes, for economies. A prompt, well-managed transition to renewables is the only pathway to energy security, universal access and the green jobs our world needs.”

The report said governments have not done enough to adapt to climate-friendly technology and taken the necessary measures to ward off the hazards of climate change. It called for transformational changes to safeguard human well-being, including building up stronger health systems, supply chains and providing the necessary needs in society, from energy to advanced urban planning.

It said poor countries face much bigger challenges than rich ones while developing countries do not have enough resources for dealing with climate shocks. It said floods, droughts and storms killed 15 times as many people in developing nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere than in the wealthiest countries in the last decade. Between 3.3 billion and 3.6 billion people, or nearly half of the world population, are “highly vulnerable” to climate change.

Reaction supporting the report’s findings  were prompt. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva called for urgent local action and funding, particularly for those most vulnerable, to combat the devastating humanitarian impacts of the climate crisis confirmed in the IPCC report.

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said, “The IPCC report confirms what the IFRC and its network of 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have already witnessed for years: Climate change is already disrupting the lives of billions, particularly the world’s poorest who have contributed the least to it.”

“The global response to COVID-19 proves that governments can act decisively and drastically in the face of imminent global threats. We need the same energy and action to combat climate change now, and we need it to reach the most climate-vulnerable communities across the world so that they have the tools and funding to anticipate and manage risks.”

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists

United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles

The Clean Ocean International Expert Group of the UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development will formally present its short list of activities and goals, and a strategy to reach them, in a “manifesto” at the outset of a three-day online conference on achieving a clean ocean, Weds. 17 to Fri. 19 Nov. (https://bit.ly/3EQHRfQ). 

(Leaders of the Clean Ocean International Expert Group are available for advance interviews.

The group’s “Manifesto for Clean Ocean 2030” is appended below in full.

They will also take part in an online UN conference, “A Clean Ocean, Where Sources of Pollution are Identified and Removed,” Weds. 17 to Fri. 19 Nov. (full program: bit.ly/3EQHRfQ; registration: bit.ly/3oo7NZH)

High-res images: www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/press.html

Contact: Terry Collins, tc@tca.tc, +1-416-878-8712)

Interim goals for 2025 and an integrated ocean debris observing system exemplify demands of experts’ “Clean Ocean Manifesto.”

Reducing marine debris by 50-90% and a globe circling, high-tech system of monitors are two essential aims among several championed today by nine distinguished international experts appointed to help the UN reach the goal of a clean ocean by 2030.

Co-Chaired by Angelika Brandt of Germany, a Southern Ocean / Antarctica biodiversity expert, and Elva Escobar Briones of Mexico, a deep sea biodiversity expert, the group concisely outlines “the challenges and some of the opportunities that the Ocean Decade can provide for a Clean Ocean.”

The statement charts the most direct route to a clean ocean citing these objectives for 2030: Enlarge understanding of pathways for spread and fates of pollutants; Reduce and remove top-priority forms of pollution (e.g., marine debris) by large amounts, as much as 50% to 90%

To prevent recurrence, reduce sources or emission of pollutants (e.g., anthropogenic noise, discarded plastic and harmful chemicals, farming practices adding harmful sediment outflow). Improve dramatically the outcomes of control measures (e.g., to decrease amounts of mercury in tuna, die-offs of marine life, eutrophication). Improve monitoring (often as part of the Global Ocean Observing System [GOOS]) for more accurate, precise, timely, comprehensive real-time tracing of spills and monitoring of ocean soundscapes; improve systems to provide timely warning of pollutants emerging and increasing.

Identify and accelerate development and adoption of technologies to promote a Clean Ocean. These could range from cleaner, more efficient motors and fuels to new forms of remediation and waste management; better ways to monitor, track, and map marine pollutants and progress toward a clean ocean (such as aerial remote sensing, genomics, and hydrophone arrays); and better technologies for emergency cleanup.

Improve national mechanisms (legal, regulatory) for control and prevention, better align financial incentives, and lift compliance with international treaties.

Lift public engagement and understanding with access to information associated with behavioral shifts favoring the motto of “reduce, reuse and recycle” and encourage participation in citizen science as part of events involving sailing, surfing, and other activities dependent on a Clean Ocean

With such a framework agreed and in place, specific objectives can be identified and efforts activated, with targets and timetables similar in scope and character to next spring’s anticipated world agreement to protect 30% of the marine environment by 2030, and the completion of high-resolution mapping of the seabed, also by 2030.

Interim objectives for 2025

The expert group underlined that, “This process should aim to define and attract financial and other support to meet an initial set of goals for 2025, followed by goals for the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030.”

And they set out examples of nearer term objectives for 2025: Quantify the global harm of marine pollution from all major sources on ecosystems and organisms and on human health; assessment methods need to take into account multiple stressors. Survey the totality of anthropogenic chemicals flowing into the oceans.

Define a Clean Ocean, including acceptable levels of pollution to set threshold values, and define ecological boundaries or maximal levels of pollutants as well as their rates of degradation to maintain well-functioning ecosystems; this includes understanding tolerances of species and ecosystems to pollutants.

Develop a widely shared vision of a Clean Ocean.

Identify high-priority geographic challenges such as polar regions and urban coasts. Identify barriers to action impeding scaling up solutions for regional and global impact; quantify possibilities for amelioration. Identify key partners, including those who might be left behind, and provide engagement strategies for early career ocean professionals, indigenous peoples, and island communities. Develop reference scenarios for industrialization of the oceans during the next decade, including tourism, seabed mining, windfarm development, for example, as they relate to a Clean Ocean.

Develop initial estimates of costs associated with transitions to a Clean Ocean.

Secure major financial commitments.

“By 2030 we want to achieve measurable improvement in monitoring and clear reduction of emissions and harm through a spectrum of technical and behavioral strategies,” the group says.

The three-day on-line conference Nov. 17-19 will highlight more than 30 activities in place or in development around the world that can make important contributions by 2030 to a Clean Ocean. 

These include initiatives to:

Successfully and consistently monitor marine debris from space as part of an Integrated Global Marine Debris Observing System; Operate deep sea observatories in the Atlantic that document and publicize multiple stressors; Observe the vast Southern Ocean to give early warnings of possible pollution hot spots in this relatively pristine ocean; Instrument 30% of coastal city ocean spaces to report on pollution changes including restoration; Identify and greatly reduce persistent organic pollutants globally.

The manifesto, which presents the signatories’ views and not official positions of their respective institutions, is also directed at other groups such as the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, the Economist magazine World Ocean Initiative, and the World Ocean Council. 

The group plans to share its manifesto with other expert groups, national committees, and with endorsed projects and programs of the UN Ocean Decade to speed development of a strong set of Clean Ocean activities.

Says lead author Jesse Ausubel, Director of the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University, New York City: “We want this decade to transition from increasing to decreasing the environmental problems of the oceans.”

Clean Ocean International Expert Group Co-Chairs

Angelika Brandt, biodiversity of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica; Germany

Elva Escobar Briones, biodiversity of the deep sea; Mexico

Members

Frida Armas-Pfirter, marine and coastal law; Argentina

Jesse Huntley Ausubel, technologies for ocean observing; USA, lead author

Gina Bonne, environment and climate, Seychelles

Saskia Brix-Elsig, polar seafloor biology; Germany

Angelique Songco, marine protected areas; Philippines

Kaveh Samimi-Namin, coral reef ecosystems; Iran

Sofia Fürstenberg Stott, maritime industry innovation; Sweden

Links

UN Decade for Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/program.html

Creating the Ocean We Want

www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/creating-the-ocean-we-want.html

Clean Ocean Laboratory  

www.oceandecade-conference.com/en/a-clean-ocean.html

Ocean Decade Factsheet

www.oceandecade-conference.com/files/Factsheet%20Ocean%20Decade.pdf 

* * * * *

In full: Manifesto for Clean Ocean 2030

Clean Ocean International Expert Group, in anticipation of the Ocean Decade Laboratory

A Clean Ocean, 17-19 November 2021

A clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified and removed

Comprising 71% of Earth’s surface, the ocean encompasses remote trackless seas and heavily trafficked harbors. It spans the seafloor through the water column to the sea surface and extends from coastal zones to mid-ocean. The ocean spans habitats from beaches and rocky shores to reefs and canyons and polar and deep seas. A Clean Ocean benefits both humanity and the spectrum of other forms of life ranging from whales and fish to mollusks, corals, and seagrasses with which we share it. Our Manifesto for Clean Ocean 2030 aims to increase circularity of the economy in the face of increasing industrialization of the oceans and promote mobilization to manage ocean pollution at its sources in ways that enable both a profitable Blue Economy and a Clean Ocean.

Ocean Pollutants – Many forms of pollution threaten or already dirty the ocean:

Debris, including plastics; Oil and chemical spills and releases from seafloor extraction, pipelines, and shipping; Runoff of fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals from agriculture and both rural and suburban areas; Sewage and other coastal runoff, including pharmaceuticals, from urban areas and harbors, and associated harmful algal blooms; Contaminants that, although settled in sediments, can be remobilized by disturbances; Sewage and other improperly discarded wastes from vessels; Acute and chronic elevation of noise and light; Radiation from radioactive materials deposited or discharged into the oceans ; Invasive species and other harmful aspects of bilge and ballast water carelessly released; Construction debris from platform and island building, spoils from channel dredging and pipe-laying, and derelict facilities; Abandoned and discarded equipment from ocean navigation and research and military activities

Threats to a Clean Ocean

Pollution in the ocean comes from land-based and atmospheric sources and from the sea itself.

Land sources include agricultural fertilizers (causing deoxygenation or dead zones), herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and other materials employed in the bioeconomy; micro- and macro-plastics from carelessly used and discarded products; non-metabolized medicines and other drugs from human consumption; detergents and many other chemicals that form parts of urban and industrial metabolism; heavy metals from mining; and brine from marine water desalination.

Atmospheric sources include greenhouse gases (primarily generated on land) associated with climate change and acidification; forms of sulfur, nitrogen, mercury, and other harmful pollutants generated both at sea and on land; noise from aviation and wind farms, and dust from anthropogenic fires.

Sea sources include spills from extraction, transport, and use of petroleum products; ship sources of waste, including discarded fishing gear and other forms of waste; untreated wastewater from recreational and commercial vessels; deep-sea tailing placements; lubricants and other chemicals from offshore facilities; underwater noise from shipping, mining, fishing, and pile driving; and night-time illumination of vessels and fleets.

Since 1969 the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) has examined these and other threats to the Clean Ocean and provided authoritative, independent, interdisciplinary scientific advice to organizations and governments to support the protection and sustainable use of the marine environment.

The Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

Launched in January 2021, the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), the “Ocean Decade,” is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for ocean actors across the world to come together to generate knowledge and foster the partnerships needed to support a well-functioning, productive, resilient, sustainable, and inspiring ocean. We propose that the leadership of the Ocean Decade organize Clean Ocean activities in the following way:

Collect the major Clean Ocean recommendations from the reports of GESAMP and other expert bodies, such as national academies of sciences.

Consolidate and reduce these and other inputs to a set of not more than ten global goals for a Clean Ocean. New targets and timetables should be similar in scope and character to the Endorsed Recommendations to protect 30% of the marine environment by 2030 and complete the high-resolution mapping of the seabed by 2030.

Work with the many concerned entities worldwide to coordinate and optimize roles and contributions so the Decade will achieve historic collaborative global objectives for a Clean Ocean.

This process should aim to define and attract financial and other support to meet an initial set of goals for 2025, followed by goals for the end of the Ocean Decade in 2030.

Examples of Clean Ocean objectives for 2025

Quantify the global harm of marine pollution from all major sources on ecosystems and organisms and on human health; assessment methods need to take into account multiple stressors.

Survey the totality of anthropogenic chemicals flowing into the oceans.

Define a Clean Ocean, including acceptable levels of pollution to set threshold values, and define ecological boundaries or maximal levels of pollutants as well as their rates of degradation to maintain well-functioning ecosystems; this includes understanding tolerances of species and ecosystems to pollutants.

Develop a widely shared vision of a Clean Ocean.

Identify high-priority geographic challenges such as polar regions and urban coasts.

Identify barriers to action impeding scaling up solutions for regional and global impact; quantify possibilities for amelioration.

Identify key partners, including those who might be left behind, and provide engagement strategies for early career ocean professionals, indigenous peoples, and island communities.

Develop reference scenarios for industrialization of the oceans during the next decade, including tourism, seabed mining, windfarm development, for example, as they relate to a Clean Ocean.

Develop initial estimates of costs associated with transitions to a Clean Ocean.

Secure major financial commitments.

By 2025 we aim to identify potential pathways toward solutions for knowing what is manageable. By 2030 we want to achieve measurable improvement in monitoring and clear reduction of emissions and harm through a spectrum of technical and behavioral strategies.

Examples of Clean Ocean objectives for 2030

Enlarge understanding of pathways for spread and fates of pollutants.

Reduce and remove top-priority forms of pollution (e.g., marine debris) by large amounts, as much as 50% to 90%.

To prevent recurrence, reduce sources or emission of pollutants (e.g., anthropogenic noise, discarded plastic and harmful chemicals, farming practices adding harmful sediment outflow).

Improve dramatically the outcomes of control measures (e.g., to decrease amounts of mercury in tuna, die-offs of marine life, eutrophication).

Improve monitoring (often as part of the Global Ocean Observing System [GOOS]) for more accurate, precise, timely, comprehensive real-time tracing of spills and monitoring of ocean soundscapes; improve systems to provide timely warning of pollutants emerging and increasing.

Identify and accelerate development and adoption of technologies to promote a Clean Ocean. These could range from cleaner, more efficient motors and fuels to new forms of remediation and waste management; better ways to monitor, track, and map marine pollutants and progress toward a clean ocean (such as aerial remote sensing, genomics, and hydrophone arrays); and better technologies for emergency cleanup.

Improve national mechanisms (legal, regulatory) for control and prevention, better align financial incentives, and lift compliance with international treaties.

Lift public engagement and understanding with access to information associated with behavioral shifts favoring the motto of “reduce, re-use and recycle” and encourage participation in citizen science as part of events involving sailing, surfing, and other activities dependent on a Clean Ocean.

Now is the time for ambitious targets and timetables to elicit the science for the Clean Ocean we want.

Contact: Terry Collins, tc@tca.tc, +1-416-878-8712

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists

United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles

Glasgow/New York, November 11 – The United Nations said some “progress” has been made at the Glasgow Climate Change Conference as countries and more than 1,000 cities around the world have committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 while the global coal pipeline has decreased by 76 per cent since 2015. But the progress is “far from enough,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres one day before the conference is to adopt a final document before closing.

More than 100 countries have committed to halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030 and others have agreed to reducing methane emissions 30 per cent by 2030. The 197 countries attending the climate change conference have also formed a Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance, which Guterres said is “the gold standard for credible commitments and transparent targets” and “is managing US $10 trillion in assets and catalyzing change across industries.”

“I encourage the much larger Glasgow Finance Alliance for Net Zero to follow the same path,” he said in an address to the high level of attendees to the conference. He also cited decisions by 28 new countries and members to join the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which raised the membership to 165 countries, cities, regions and businesses, and the 44 countries and 32 companies and regions that have committed to transition from coal to clean power.

“That’s why I have been calling for the formation of coalitions of countries, international financial institutions and private finance – as well as renewable energy companies – to support this momentous shift,” he said. “Some 30 member states and regional development banks have pledged immediate support for the clean energy transition in countries. I urge more financial institutions and investors to follow suit.”

“The announcements here in Glasgow are encouraging – but they are far from enough,” he said.

Guterres said he will establish a High-Level Expert Group to propose “clear standards to measure and analyze net zero commitments from non-state actors,” a decision he said is beyond the mechanisms already set out in the Paris Agreement. “This High-Level Expert group will build on existing work and submit a series of recommendations to me during the course of next year. They will work in a transparent and inclusive manner, and I invite you all to cooperate fully with them.”

US and China to cooperate on cutting emissions

The United States and China, the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitters, said in a surprise announcement at Glasgow on November 10 that they will take joint actions to fight climate change in the coming decade. The announcement stirred hope of climate action, but it failed to support a proposal by the United Kingdom to all countries to update their emissions-cutting plans by the end of 2021. Climate organizations said the UK proposal could help close the differences between how countries plan to cut emissions and what scientists believe what are needed to prevent climate disasters.

See joint statement at:

https://www.state.gov/u-s-china-joint-glasgow-declaration-on-enhancing-climate-action-in-the-2020s/

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists

United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles

Glasgow/New York, November 9 – A group of 47 countries, a majority of them developing and climate-vulnerable countries, have committed to develop climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems as increasing evidence shows that climate change has impacted people’s health worldwide. The decision by these countries was announced by the World Health Organization at the 26th UN climate summit at the Scottish city attended by 197 member countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

WHO said most countries in the group have also committed to transform their health systems to be more sustainable and low-carbon while 12 countries have set a target date to reach net zero carbon emissions on or before 2050. The commitments were made as part of the COP26 Health Programme, which is a partnership between the UK government, WHO, the UNFCCC and health groups such as Health Care Without Harm.

“Commitments are anticipated to be implemented in the coming years and will allow countries to develop a roadmap for future investments in climate resilient and low carbon sustainable health systems and facilities,” the programme said.

WHO said countries that have committed to achieving low-carbon, sustainable health systems include Argentina, Fiji, Malawi, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and 36 others. Countries that have committed to enhance the climate resilience of their health systems include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, the Maldives, the Netherlands, and 42 others.

“The future of health must be built on health systems that are resilient to the impacts of epidemics, pandemics and other emergencies, but also to the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and the increasing burden of various diseases related to air pollution and our warming planet,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

“Health systems must also be part of the solution, by reducing carbon emissions. We applaud those countries that have committed to building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, and we hope to see many others following their lead in the near future.”

Countries that have joined the COP26 Health Programme are: Argentina, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Bhutan, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone ,Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Yemen.

Island states are some of countries most vulnerable to climate change from the Caribbean to the South Pacific Ocean.  WHO pointed out Fiji where the government has built more climate-resilient health infrastructure, strengthened the health workforce and provided health care facilities with sustainable energy services to cope with cyclones, flash floods and rising sea levels.

Minister for Health and Medical Services Ifereimi Waqainabete of Fiji said, “In the midst of the pandemic, we had to recover from extreme weather events and manage the resulting health impacts. [It] has shown us that health systems and facilities are the main line of defense in protecting populations from emerging threats … and that now is the time to increase our commitment to a safer, and more sustainable and inclusive future for all.”

“The message from WHO and health professionals around the globe is clear: climate change is a huge health challenge and we need to act now. I’m really pleased to see so many countries prioritising this issue through the COP26 Health Programme and their level of ambition. Strong leadership from the health sector is vital to make sure we protect our populations from the impacts of climate change by enhancing the climate resilience of health systems, and by reducing emissions from the health sector,” said Wendy Morton, Minister for Europe and Americas, in the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The COP26 Health Programme include:  Building climate resilient health systems; Developing low carbon sustainable health systems; Adaptation Research for Health; The inclusion of health priorities in Nationally Determined Contributions and Raising the voice of health professionals as advocates for stronger ambition on climate change.

Countries participating in the programme are committed to, first, conducting climate change and health vulnerability assessments, and to develop national adaptation plans for health, and second, high ambition-high emitter countries commit to setting a target date by which to achieve net zero emissions health systems and develop an action plan or roadmap to achieve sustainable, low carbon health systems.

The second commitment is significant to global mitigation efforts: the health sector accounts for 10 per cent of global GDP and is a substantial contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for around 4.6 per cent.

United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists – United Nations correspondent journalists

United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles – United Nations journalism articles