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2/2001: From UN: 19 FEBRUARY,, 2001 PAGE 1 OF 1 RICH COUNTRIES MUST CUT FOSSIL FUELS UN ISSUES GLOBAL WARNING Rich countries such as Britain and the USA must cut fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal to prevent a climate catastrophe, Friends of the Earth International said today as the United Nations publishes its latest report on global climate change [1]. The report warns that the world's poorest countries would "bear the brunt of devastating changes" from global warming. FOE also called on European Governments to stand firm and force US President George W. Bush to agree an effective international deal on cutting emissions. The UN climate talks are due to resume in July. Frances Maguire, Climate Policy co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth International said: "This report shows that climate change will be a disaster for the world in general and for the poorest countries in particular. This catastrophe was made in the rich countries of the North. Governments in industrial countries must agree radical cuts in our use of coal, oil and gas, and big increases in the use of renewable power. If we don't act now it may be too late." Three months ago, world talks on cutting emissions floundered because the U.S. would not match the European commitment to cut emissions. Europe must stand firm when talks resume in July and force the US to act responsibly." [1] "Climate Change 2001:impacts, adaptation and vulnerability" was published today by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A summary for policy makers is available at the IPCC web site http://www.unep.ch --------------- From WWF: Monday 19 February 2001: GOVERNMENTS RECOGNIZE STUNNING SCALE OF CLIMATE IMPACTS Gland, Switzerland - For the first time, governments have accepted the stunning scale of climate change impacts and stated with "high confidence" that recent changes in the world's climate have had "discernible" impacts on physical and biological systems. WWF, the conservation organization believes that they must now take the logical next step and respond by urgently finalizing the Kyoto Protocol and adopting tougher measures to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas. Over a hundred governments represented on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), concluded their meeting in Geneva by accepting a report which states that climate change is already having a "widespread and coherent impact" on the planet, and that it is occurring in all environments and on all continents. Representing humanity's combined knowledge on the impacts of climate change, and based on observations in around 3,000 scientific studies, the 1000-page scientific report puts an end to debate over whether climate change is occurring and finds that the results could be dramatic and far reaching. WWF believes that governments must use the G8 Environment Ministers meeting in 2 weeks time in Trieste, Italy to show that they have taken on board the results of the IPCC's work. "Governments have accepted that global warming is already happening, it is getting worse and nature is bearing the brunt of it, " said Jennifer Morgan, director of WWF's Climate Change Campaign. "The next step is to finalize the Kyoto Protocol and urgently reduce global warming pollution." According to the IPCC, firm evidence of change is already visible over 420 different physical and biological systems - from the shrinkage of glaciers on all continents and the decline in Arctic sea-ice to the lengthening of frost-free seasons and the increased frequency of extreme rainfall. Already species of mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and insects are being affected. The report also states with greater confidence than ever before that "expected changes in climate extremes would have major consequences" and includes a table of representative examples. The report says that coral reefs in most regions could be wiped out within 30-50 years by warming oceans as temperatures reach levels at which coral bleaching becomes an annual event. Three-quarters of the world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, in India and Bangladesh, could be inundated by a sea-level rise of 45 cm (18 inches) putting the Bengal tiger at risk of extinction. The Cape Floral Kingdom, in South Africa, which is exceptionally rich in species that occur nowhere else, could be wiped out as a result of temperature changes expected this century. Also under threat is the polar ice edge ecosystem that provides habitat for polar bears, walrus, seals and penguins. Other species under threat from climate change are forest birds in Tanzania, the mountain gorilla in Africa, the spectacled bear of the Andes, and the resplendent quetzal in Central America. The report shows that the worst impacts will hit developing countries, which have the least capacity to adapt. Africa is "highly vulnerable" to climate change affecting water resources, food production, the expansion of deserts and causing more frequent outbreaks of diseases of cholera. The report lists a string of small island states in the Pacific and Indian oceans and the Caribbean, threatened by climate change and where unique cultural and conservation sites have already been destroyed. Glaciers in tropical regions such as the Himalayas are particularly threatened by climate change according to the IPCC. Himalayan glaciers are the major source of water for the rivers Ganges and Indus on which 500 million people, just under one-tenth of the world's population, depend. Industrialized nations can also expect significant impacts. The United States, Canada and Australia could well see an expansion in diseases such as malaria, tick-borne Lyme disease, Ross River virus and Murray Valley encephalitis respectively. Many regions of the world will experience heat waves that will compound the effects on health in polluted cities. Much of Europe will have to endure increased hazards of floods. In January, governments accepted an IPCC report on climate science that contained the first internationally-agreed acknowledgement of the human footprint on global climate. The report said, "most of the warming trend over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities." "Last month's IPCC report on climate science identified the smoking gun," said Jennifer Morgan, "This week we're seeing what's in the firing line. It's time for governments such as the United States to get serious about reducing their carbon dioxide emissions." For more information: Kyla Evans, Head of Press, WWF International Tel +41 22 364 9550 Andrew Kerr, Public Affairs Manager, WWF Climate Change Campaign Tel: 31 6 5161 9462 (mobile) Jennifer Morgan, Director, WWF Climate Change Campaign Tel: +1 202 359 2734 (mobile) Notes to editors: Imja glacier lake VNR available WWF has prepared a video news release (and supporting B-roll footage) on the receding Imja glacier in the Himalayas. The recession of glaciers on all continents over the past century is a key piece of observational evidence on global warming cited in the IPCC's report. The IPCC describes tropical glaciers as providing an "early warning" of the impact expected in other regions. The recession of the Imja glacier, 10 km (6 miles) to the east-south-east of Mount Everest, has created a vast lake held back only by an unstable natural dam formed by the boulder debris that once marked the extreme end of the glacier. This dam threatens to collapse, sending a wall of water up to 100 metres high surging down the valley that is inhabited by the Sherpas who have assisted climbing expeditions in their ascents of Mount Everest. The valley is also the main approach route to the Everest Base Camp. Broadcast quality footage can be ordered by calling World Television on Tel: +44 117 930 4099 or +44 207 436 8555 ---------------------- From UNEP/WMO february 19: For use of the media only; not an official document.: PRESS RELEASE Global warming report details impacts on people and nature Bonn/Geneva/Nairobi, 19 February 2001 ? The second volume of a major climate change report describing in greater detail than ever before how global warming could impact civilization and the natural environment has been finalized here by an international group of leading scientists. Last month's report by Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirmed the increasingly strong evidence for humanity's influence on the global climate. It also projected that the globally-averaged temperature of the air above the Earth's surface would rise by 1.4 ? 5.8 ----- 's report by Working Group II analyses how this general warming will affect Africa, Asia, Europe and other regions over the coming decades. While highlighting remaining uncertainties, it details expected changes in weather patterns, water resources, the cycling of the seasons, ecosystems, extreme climate events, and much more. The report is an objective assessment of the most up-to-date, peer-reviewed scientific research available. "Climate change is a stress that will be superimposed over expected population and other environmental stresses," said Professor. G.O.P. Obasi, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which, together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), launched the IPCC in 1988. "Life as we know it today on the planet will be forced to respond to the shift to a warmer world. We have to use mitigation and adaptation strategies to face the changes while not forgetting to improve our knowledge basis. Every natural and socio-economic system appears to be vulnerable to climate change. However, it is the least developed countries that are the most vulnerable." Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of UNEP, said "The scientists have shown us a compelling snapshot of what the Earth ? which already faces so many other social and environmental pressures ? will probably look like later in the 21st century." "In addition to minimizing global warming through cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, we need to understand the powerful changes our industrial economy has set into motion and anticipate them. We must start helping vulnerable species and ecosystems adapt to new climate conditions. Governments should already factor these new conditions into their long-term investment and planning decisions," he said. The report concludes that our future ability to satisfy human needs will be affected ? both positively and negatively ? by changes in agricultural conditions; by local and regional trends in droughts, floods, and storms; by unforeseen stresses on buildings and other long-standing infrastructure; by altered disease and health risks; and much more. "The new IPCC report has powerful implications for how we deal with poverty and sustainable development over the coming decades," said Michael Zammit Cutajar, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. "No country can afford to ignore the coming transformation of its natural and human environment. The poor and the vulnerable are at greatest risk. This report is a timely reminder that we need to pay more attention to the costs of inaction, and that the costs of action to cut emissions are just part of the climate change equation." he said. Many of the physical changes that scientists have assessed as being consistent with global warming can already be witnessed today. The extent of Arctic sea-ice has shrunk by about 10-15%, while Antarctic sea ice retreated south by 2.8 degrees of latitude from the mid 1950s to the early 1970s. Alaska's boreal forests are expanding northwards at a rate of about 100 kilometres per 1. ---------- C rise. Ice cover on lakes and rivers in the mid-to-high Northern latitudes now lasts for about two weeks less than it did 150 years ago. In the European Alps, some plant species have been migrating upwards by one to four metres each decade. Across Europe, the growing season in controlled mixed-species gardens lengthened by 10.8 days from 1959 to 1993. In Europe and North America, migratory birds now arrive earlier in the spring and depart later in the autumn. Butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, and other insects are now found further north, where it was previously too cold for them to survive. In large parts of Eastern Europe, European Russia, central Canada and California, peak stream flows have shifted from spring to winter, as more precipitation falls as rain rather than as snow. In Asia, 67% of the glaciers in the Himalayan and Tianshan mountain ranges (which feed some major rivers) have retreated during the past decade. These trends are expected to continue through the 21st century and beyond. In parts of Africa, desertification is expected to worsen in response to reduced rainfall, runoff and soil moisture. In many Asian countries, declines in agricultural productivity will diminish food security, while sea-level rise and an increase in the intensity of tropical cyclones could displace tens of millions of people in low-lying coastal areas. In Australia and New Zealand, water is likely to become a key issue due to projected drying trends over much of the region. The risk of flooding will increase across much of Europe. In Latin America, floods and droughts will become more frequent and vector-borne infectious diseases will expand poleward. In North America, sea-level rise is expected to enhance coastal erosion and flooding and the risk of storm surges, particularly in Florida and along much of the US Atlantic coast. Small island states are likely to be among the countries most seriously affected by climate change. In all regions, developing countries will have difficulties adapting to climate change. Note to journalists: For more information, please contact UNEP Spokesman Tore Brevik at +254-2-623292 or tore.brevik@unep.org , WMO Spokesman Taysir Al-Ghanem at +41-22-730-8315 or Al-ghanem_t@gateway.wmo.ch , or UNFCCC press officer Michel Smitall at +49-228-8151005 or msmitall@unfccc.int . www.unfccc.int for official documents about the climate talks, and www.wmo.ch for additional background information ------------------ UNEP Press Release Explorers in Antarctica Find Fresh Evidence of Global Warming Nairobi, February 8 2001 - The important links between science, public awareness and political action were made clear today as government ministers at the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, spoke with yachtsman and adventurer Sir Peter Blake in Antarctica. At anchor among icebergs and sheltering from gale-force katabatic winds, Sir Peter reported anecdotal evidence of much reduced sea ice cover in the Antarctic Peninsula at latitude 69 degrees 15 mins South. "We are in an area that normally is solid ice at this time of year. Now it has many bergs in it, but is essentially a free waterway, an almost unheard of occurrence," Sir Peter said by satellite phone. "The captain of a cruise ship that has been coming to the Antarctic Peninsula every year since the mid-1970s told us he has never seen the area so free of ice, and that the average temperature in that time has increased by about 1.4 degrees Celsius." UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer told the adventurer that the most recent assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) showed that global warming over the next century is likely to be between 1.4 to 5.8 degrees Celsius. He said that recent IPCC reports had confirmed a spectacular retreat and collapse of ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula, which is related to a southerly migration of the January zero degrees Celsius isotherm. Projected warming is likely to break up ice shelves further south on the Antarctic Peninsula, exposing more bare ground and triggering biological changes in the terrestrial and marine environments. Mr Toepfer also told Sir Peter and the crew of his expedition yacht Seamaster that analysis of whaling records and modeling studies indicate that Antarctic sea ice retreated south by 2.8 degrees of latitude between the mid 1950s and early 1970s, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from industrial emissions rose. "Climate change in polar regions is expected to be among the greatest of any region on the Earth and will cause major physical, ecological, sociological and economic impacts," Mr Toepfer said. David Anderson, President of the 21st session of UNEP's Governing Council taking place in Nairobi, Kenya, and Canada's environment Minister, echoed Mr Toepfer's remarks. "As a circumpolar country, we in Canada are acutely aware of the impact of climate change. In Canada's north, we are seeing dramatic changes that effect permafrost and sea ice, the latter of which has major implications for species on which the traditional Inuit life depends, such as polar bears and seals. This, in turn, has an impact on the traditional lifestyles of our Northern peoples. For Canada, this underscores the urgent need to take action on climate change. We are taking action domestically, but we need awareness and movement on the international front as well." Sir Peter said they had sailed through areas that would not have been navigable in the era of early explorers like Sir Ernest Shackleton, whose leadership of difficult geographical and scientific expeditions provides Sir Peter with inspiration. "Today we went to see what has happened to the King George VI ice shelf that normally fills the channel between Alexander Island and the mainland at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula. Indications are that it has receded dramatically, especially over the past 8 to 10 years. We weren't able to make it to the face of the ice shelf, because it is dropping so much old ice into the sea as it recedes. The channel is full of it," Sir Peter said. Sir Peter has won the Whitbread Round the World yacht race, held the record time for circumnavigating the world non-stop under sail (in the 1994 Trophee Jules Verne race), and headed the Team New Zealand syndicate, which won - then successfully defended - the Americas Cup, the premier trophy in world yachting. He now heads "blakexpeditions" and, in the 36-metre polar sea exploration yacht Seamaster, is embarked on a five-year schedule of expeditions to areas of the world that are key to the Earth's ecosystem. His aim is to build public awareness of the threats facing the environment, particularly water, because of human activity. "Earth is a water planet on which the quality of water defines quality of life," Sir Peter explains. "Good water, good life. Poor water, poor life. No water, no life." "Our objective is to help protect the waters of the world and, so, life in, on and around those waters." UNEP partnered with "blakexpeditions" before the Seamaster set sail from New Zealand last November, providing advice and its authoritative Global Environment Outlook reports as a basis for expedition planning and educational activity. Mr Toepfer said: "I am delighted that we have been able to play a role in such an innovative public awareness initiative. UNEP has many responsibilities but providing thorough scientific assessments, and transferring this knowledge the public and to the policy makers is one of its most important. " Joining Mr Toepfer in the conference call, held during the 21st session of UNEP's Governing Council, were the New Zealand environment minister Marian Hobbs, and Dutch Environment Minster Jan Pronk, who chaired the last climate change convention meeting - COP-6 - in November in The Hague. The Conference of Parties is due to resume later this year, having failed to reach agreement at The Hague on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On the agenda during UNEP's 21st governing council meeting are a range of pressing issues ranging from how to protect vulnerable populations against the impact of climate related natural disasters, the need to strengthen environmental laws in emerging economies, to the impact of globalisation on native, indigenous, cultures. UNEP's work programme and its need for better financing to help it meet the environmental challenges of the new millennium are also taking centre stage. From her current location Seamaster will spend further time exploring before heading back to South America in April to prepare for an expedition tracing the Amazon River from the Atlantic Ocean to its source in the Andes Mountains. Further information and daily logs can be obtained from the "blakexpeditions"web site at www.blakexpeditions.com. The IPCC is due to finalise the second volume of it Third Assessment Report, detailing the impacts of climate change on the regions of the world, at a meeting in Geneva from February 13-19. The "Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" report's Summary for Policy Makers will be posted on the internet at www.ipcc.ch at 10am GMT on February 19. UNEP and the World Meteorological Organisation established the IPCC in 1988. Its role is to provide objective scientific and technical assessments that can help policy makers and political leaders take informed decisions about climate change. For more information contact: UNEP: Tore J. Brevik, UNEP Spokesman and Director of Communications and Public Information, on Tel: 254 2 623292, tore.brevik@unep.org , Robert Bisset on Tel: 254 2 623084 or Mobile, 072 520231 Robert.Bisset@unep.org ; or Tim Higham, UNEP's Asia-Pacific Information Officer, on Tel +662 2882127, higham.unescap@un.org . Blakexpeditions: Alan Sefton on Tel +64-9-5289735, alansefton@xtra.co.nz Please mention UNEP in any articles published. Cuttings should be faxed to UNEP at 254 2 623692 or cpinfo@unep.org Documentation and press information about the 21st session of the Governing Council can be seen on UNEP's web site at: www.unep.org/GC_21st/ UNEP News Release 01/19 ======================================================== 12/2000: from: RACHEL'S ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH NEWS #714 , December 21, 2000 GLOBAL WARMING OPPORTUNITY by Rachel Massey* During November, while Americans were preoccupied by questions of rigged elections, representatives of 170 countries met in The Hague, Netherlands, to tackle what is arguably the biggest environmental problem we face -- global warming. The meeting at The Hague was supposed to fill in the blanks of the Kyoto Protocol, a 1997 international treaty intended to combat global warming by ensuring that countries limit their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, chiefly by reducing the combustion of coal, oil and gasoline (so-called "fossil fuels"). Many scientists consider global warming the biggest environmental problem of the 21st century because they expect it to change weather patterns, spread serious diseases like malaria and dengue fever, and cause droughts, floods, large storms, and major shifts in water supplies. The goal at The Hague was to spell out how each country would curb greenhouse gas emissions to comply with limits established at Kyoto in 1997. Instead, negotiators left The Hague after two weeks with no agreement. The negotiations collapsed largely because of efforts by the U.S. negotiators to get emission reduction "credits" for existing vegetation, such as trees orcrops growing within U.S. borders.[1] .... You can read more at http://www.rachel.org , # ================= 11/2000: Global Warming resources and news are continually updated at: http://www.mapcruzin.com/climate_change_2000/index.html -------------------------------- From Green Friends (Japanese Forest NGO), secretary Hisao Fujii Appeal about sinks in LULUCF for global-warming prevention Dear Sirs: The following is an appeal about sinks in LULUCF for global-warming prevention by our Japanese forest NGO Green Friends, from Japan, though the first half of UNFCCC COP6 is almost coming to a conclusion. This appeal is also shown on our WWW page http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~ryokuyu/tok0130.htm#yobo Appeal about Sinks in Land-Use, Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) in the Kyoto Protocol for Global-warming Prevention Green Friends (Japanese Forest NGO) We, the Japanese forest NGO Green Friends submitted two appeals at SB13, September 2000, Lyon.But some points we have recommended are not enough satisfied yet. So we submit this appeal about sinks in LULUCF, which is an important subject having a large influence on the success or failure of the Kyoto Protocol for global-warming prevention. We strongly request the following points in order that the treaty may become truly effective. Summary: 1. First of all, as a matter of course it should be ensured that harvest-regeneration cycle is excluded from the accounting as sinks by the additional human-induced activities under Article 3.4 in the Kyoto Protocol (As to Article 3.3, regeneration after felling was excluded from the definition of "Regeneration" in the draft decision in FCCC/SABSTA/2000/12). The CO2 credit for harvest-regeneration may induce much improper felling and decline in wood price due to excess felling, which make sustainable forest management difficult. If harvest-regeneration cycle is included in the accounting as sinks under Article 3.4 in the Kyoto Protocol, all the regenerated forests including regenerated before 1990 may be accounted for as sinks after the first commitment period of 2008-2013, and the treaty may lose its significance. 2. The effect of the additional human-induced activities accounted for under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol, should be evaluated comparing with the case without the admitted additional activity as the baseline. 3. Accounting duration should not be defined as only the commitment period. The trends before the commitment period and after the commitment period should be taken into account, in order to prevent pretended decrease in forest destruction and pretended increase in afforestation only in the commitment period, preceded and/or followed by inverse trend to them. For a simple example, accounting using average in 20 years including the years before and after the commitment periods may be preferable. 4. Forest growth inventories often have many imprecise factors and are often biased toward overestimating sinks. So in the evaluation of the effect of additional human-induced activities, enough consideration should be paid to these uncertainties and over estimating tendencies. 5. As most of the sinks in LULUCF are sequestrations which merely delay CO2 emission as described in the draft decision (c) in FCCC/SABSTA/2000/12, there are problems in permitting net greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels and other sources instead of LULUCF sequestrations. So the CO2 credit for the sinks in LULUCF should be admitted only in minimal ranges. 6. The carbon storage in soil organic matters may often show the tentative increases after logging but decrease after that, so unconsidered accounting of it may bring overshoot accounting of increases in sinks. So such temporal increases in soil carbon should not be accounted for as the carbon stock increases and should be considered as emission, though the greenhouse gas emissions from soils by artificial impacts such as reported by Canada should be accounted for. 7. Forest fire should be accounted for as CO2 emission even in the case where it was regenerated after it. Because if not so, much greenhouse-gas emissions by forest fires become unaccounted for, and furthermore if some additional activities at the sites after forest fires are admitted to be accounted for, even CO2 credit may occur in the results of forest fires, which is clearly improper. Considerable parts of climatic damages, and pest and disease damages should also be accounted for as CO2 debit under Article 3.4, because large parts of these damages are brought by combined influences of human-induced activities such as air pollutants, acid deposits and climatic changes, as described in item 8. of this appeal. 8. As to "additional human-induced activities" under Article 3.4 of the Kyoto Protocol, human-induced negative effects including acid deposits, air pollution, and climate changes, such as the decline of forests and vegetation, increases in climatic damages or pest and disease damages, and so on, should be taken into account and considered as the "human-induced activities". Asymmetrical accounting that accounts for only the activities increasing sinks without accounting for these negative activities, is not permissible, though the effect of CO2 fertilization should not be accounted for, from the below reasons. 9. As to Article 3.7 of the Kyoto Protocol, parties to which the final sentence of Article 3.7 applies, should not be exempted from accounting of forest destruction after 1990, because the incentive to decrease forest destruction is important, and these forest destruction emits greenhouse gases. 10. As to the CO2 credit for projects including CDM (clean development mechanisms) under Article 6.1, 12.2, 12.3 and so on of the Kyoto Protocol, considering uncertainty and the risks of forest sequestration, in future especially in developing countries enough, discounted accounting should be done with so low a rate (such as 1/1000 to 1/100) as the CO2-elimination cost of the projects may not become so different from the cost of domestic elimination in developed countries, and a proper low-amount ceiling of the credit for CDM should be set. In order to bring proper incentives to the tropical forest conservation, to prevent too much dependence on CDM in LULUCF which are very uncertain, and to reserve the elimination amount of the developing countries itself by the forest management, a proper low-amount ceiling of the credit from CDM and very low discount rate should be set to CDM in LULUCF. 11. It is necessary to be assured that the projects including CDM do not exert any undesirable influences on the natural ecosystems, societies and economies of the developing countries, as the conditions of certification. For example, improper plantations that damage natural ecosystems or the living of people, should not be allowed nor accounted for. November 2000 Green Friends (Japanese Forest NGO) ryokuyu@nisiq.net http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~ryokuyu/ Ibaraki, Japan Secretary Hisao Fujii This appeal is also shown on our WWW page http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~ryokuyu/ This appeal can be freely reprinted or distributed with the name of our NGO and without alteration. ************************************* GREEN FRIENDS $B!](BJapanese NGO for forest, forestry, nature and their research$B!](B http://www2s.biglobe.ne.jp/~ryokuyu/ (only in Japanese) E-mail ryokuyu@nisiq.net, secretary$B!!(BHisao Fujii
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