Category: Climate Action

By Jutta Wolf*

BERLIN (IDN) – A key solution to saving tropical forests is to secure the land rights of the indigenous peoples and local communities, and to invest in them as an effective strategy for reducing deforestation and slowing climate change, according to the new findings released in Berlin on November 1.

It was no surprise therefore when Mina Setra, Deputy Secretary General of The Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance of the Archipelago (AMAN), said: “We are a proven solution to the long-term protection of forests, whose survival is vital for reaching our climate change goals. Yet in return, we face human rights violations, violence to our communities, criminalization of our peoples and the murder of our leaders.” The Alliance represents 17 million people in Indonesia.

By Jaya Ramachandran

BERLIN (IDN) – Brazil, South Africa, India and China have urged rich nations to honour their commitments made in Paris in 2015 and provide money, help in capacity building and transfer technology to developing countries to fight against climate change.

The four countries comprising BASIC made the plea in a joint statement emerging from their 24th Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change on April 10-11, 2017 in Beijing, China. The statement urged industrialized countries to honour their commitments and increase climate finance towards the 100 billion dollars per annum goal, to be scaled-up significantly after 2025.

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Nearly 20 leading global banks and investors, totalling $6.6 trillion in assets, have launched a United Nations-backed global framework aimed at channelling the money they manage towards clean, low carbon and inclusive projects, according to UN News.

The Principles for Positive Impact Finance – a first of its kind set of criteria for investments to be considered sustainable – provide financiers and investors with a global framework applicable across their different business lines, including retail and wholesale lending, corporate and investment lending and asset management.

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – While there is “a new dawn for global cooperation on climate change”, greater efforts are required to mobilize funding to address climate change, especially to support developing countries, according to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“Finance and investment hold the key to achieving low-emissions and resilient societies,” Ban said in remarks read by his Special Advisor on Climate Change, Bob Orr, to a High-Level Ministerial dialogue on climate financing at the 22nd Conference of Parties Conference (COP 22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

By A.D. McKenzie

PARIS (IDN) – As news of Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential elections spread around the world, some of the first reactions came from organisations working to combat climate change: they vowed to fight any attempts to block environmental action or the Paris Agreement.

The date of the elections, November 8, coincided with the second day of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 22) in Marrakech, Morocco, and a range of groups quickly made their positions clear.

“President-elect Donald Trump threatens our environment and we vow to fight him every step of the way,” stated Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth U.S.

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – Less than two months before UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon concludes his second term, he has described the entry into force of the Paris Agreement on climate change on November 4 “an emotional moment” for him, “a credit” to all civil society organizations (CSOs), and “historic for the world”.

He praised CSOs for their leadership, commitment and engagement, inviting them to “work together to make this world better for all”. In rather impassioned remarks, he said: “Today we celebrate, reflect and give thanks. I am deeply grateful to all of you and your organizations – representing millions of people. At a time when civil society is under attack in so many parts of the world, you have shown that citizens’ groups are essential partners for progress.”

By Jaya Ramachandran

BERLIN (IDN) – United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and independent experts are cautioning against euphoria about the entry into force of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change.

Ahead of the forthcoming meeting of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), known by the acronym COP 22, beginning on November 7 in Marrakech. Morocco, UNEP’s annual Emissions Gap report said the world must cut a further 25% from predicted 2030 greenhouse gas emissions, “to meet the stronger, and safer, target of 1.5 degrees Celsius” global temperature rise.

By Lowana Veal

REYKJAVIK (IDN) – With over 2,000 participants, including 400 speakers, the fourth Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland’s capital Reykjavik was a hive of activity and networking on everything to do with the Arctic. The event has become the largest Arctic event globally.

The concept of the gathering October 7-9 was devised by Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, who until a few months ago had been President of Iceland and had put considerable time into Arctic matters and climate change. Grimsson still plays a central role in the Assembly.

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) – Many developing countries have made their first ever commitment to complying with climate targets with the adoption of the Paris Agreement endorsed in December 2015. A new partnership – initiated jointly by the German Ministry for the Environment and that for Economic Cooperation and Development together with the World Resources Institute (WRI) – now aims to help them transform these targets into specific strategies and measures.

The initiative aims at supporting developing countries in specifying and implementing their nationally determined contributions and help them unify existing climate and development goals with a view to achieving greater harmonisation of various donor programmes. The partnership will be officially launched at the Marrakesh climate conference (COP22) in November.

Analysis by Ravi Kanth Devarakonda *

GENEVA (IDN | SOUTHNEWS) – India along with other developing countries appears now to be facing an acid test in global climate change negotiations and at the WTO on how to ensure that their efforts to build robust domestic industries for manufacturing solar cells, solar modules and other products for renewable energy takes precedence over profits-driven trade rules framed by the United States and other developed countries, according to several negotiators.

On April 20, India took the first step by challenging a WTO panel ruling in favour of the United States that overly dismissed the domestic content requirements adopted by India for promoting solar cells and solar modules industries for producing renewable energy.