Fri, Nov 18, 2011
The Summary for Policymakers of the Special
Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme
Events and Disasters to Advance Climate
Change Adaptation (SREX) was approved today
by member governments of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Kampala, 18 November 2011-The Summary for
Policymakers of the Special Report on Managing
the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters
to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)
was approved today by member governments
of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).
Rajendra Pachauri, Chair
of the IPCC, said today: "This summary
for policymakers provides insights into
how disaster risk management and adaptation
may assist vulnerable communities to better
cope with a changing climate in a world
of inequalities".
"It also underlines
the complexity and the diversity of factors
that are shaping human vulnerability to
extremes-why for some communities and countries
these can become disasters whereas for others
they can be less severe," he added.
Qin Dahe, Co-chair of
IPCC Working Group I, which together with
Working Group II was responsible for the
development and preparation of the report,
said: "There is high confidence that
both maximum and minimum daily temperatures
have increased on a global scale due to
the increase of greenhouse gases."
"Changes in other
extremes, such as more intense and longer
droughts are observed in some regions, but
the assessment assigns medium confidence
due to a lack of direct observations and
a lack of agreement in the available scientific
studies. Confidence in any long-term trend
in tropical cyclone intensity, frequency
or duration is assessed to be low,"
he added.
Regarding the future,
the assessment concludes that it is virtually
certain that on a global scale hot days
become even hotter and occur more often.
"For the high emissions scenario, it
is likely that the frequency of hot days
will increase by a factor of 10 in most
regions of the world", said Thomas
Stocker the other Co-chair of Working Group
I. "Likewise, heavy precipitation will
occur more often, and the wind speed of
tropical cyclones will increase while their
number will likely remain constant or decrease".
"Nevertheless,
there are many options for decreasing risk.
Some of these have been implemented, but
many have not. The best options can provide
benefits across a wide range of possible
levels of climate change." said Vicente
Barros, Co-chair of Working Group II.
Chris Field, the other
Co-chair of Working Group II, added: "We
hope this report can be a scientific foundation
for sound decisions on infrastructure, urban
development, public health, and insurance,
as well as for planning - from community
organizations to international disaster
risk management."
"I would like to
thank the scientists and experts who served
as authors and review editors as well as
the many expert reviewers for producing
a comprehensive and scientifically sound
summary and report," said Mr Pachauri.
History of this report
At the 29th Session
of the IPCC held in Geneva, Switzerland
in September 2008, Norway introduced a proposal,
prepared with the International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), for a Special
Report.
The IPCC Bureau at its
38th Session held in November 2008 in Geneva
agreed to convene a Scoping Meeting, which
took place in Oslo, Norway 23-26 March 2009.
The 30th Session of the IPCC held 21-23
April 2009 in Antalya, Turkey agreed that
Working Groups I and II would jointly prepare
a Special Report on Managing the Risks of
Extreme Events and Disasters (SREX).
WGI is co-chaired by
Qin Dahe of the Chinese Meteorological Administration,
Beijing, China and Thomas Stocker of the
University of Bern, Switzerland.
WGII is co-chaired by
Vicente Barros of the University of Buenos
Aires, Argentina, and Christopher Field
of the Carnegie Institution for Science,
Stanford, USA.
The Summary for Policymakers
of the SREX was approved by the First Joint
Session of IPCC Working Groups I and II
in Kampala, Uganda, 14-17 November 2011
and was launched on 18 November.
+ More
Ecosystem Management
Pivotal in Securing a Green Economy
Fri, Nov 18, 2011
Ecosystems are the foundations of human
life and livelihoods, but for too long,
humanity has ignored this fundamental truth
at its own peril, and the Earth ecosystems
have been altered more rapidly and extensively
than ever before. He stressed that the sustainable
management of ecosystems will play a critical
role in advancing green economies worldwide.
The Earth’s ecosystems are the natural foundation
of human civilization
Beijing, 18 November
2011 - The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences
(CAS) today co-organized a High-level International
Forum on Ecosystem Management and Green
Economy. The forum aimed to contribute to
the success of the United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development, popularly known
as Eio+20, by highlighting the pivotal role
of ecosystem management in the development
of a Green Economy in China and other developing
countries. For this, the Forum has come
out with a communiqué which recognizes
this role and recommends actions to be taken
at Rio+20.
Communiqué: UNEP
High Level International Forum on Ecosystem
Management and Green EconomyThe forum was
attended by over 200 participants, including
heads of UN and other international organizations,
leaders and ministers from the Chinese Government,
renowned scientists, business leaders and
representatives of the civil society.
Addressing the forum,
Mr. Zukang Sha, UN Under Secretary General
in charge of the UNDepartment of Economic
and Social Affairs and Secretary General
of Rio+20, pointed out that the Forum's
outputs would form a key input to Rio+20,
in the context of the urgent need to protect
and restore the world's ecosystems.
Mr. Sha recognized that
ecosystems are the foundations of human
life and livelihoods, but for too long,
humanity has ignored this fundamental truth
at its own peril, and the Earth ecosystems
have been altered more rapidly and extensively
than ever before. He stressed that the sustainable
management of ecosystems will play a critical
role in advancing green economies worldwide.
This week the UN Environment
Programme (UNEP) launched its flagship report
in Beijing entitled, Towards a Green Economy:
Pathways to Sustainable Development and
Poverty Eradication. The Report demonstrates
that governments and businesses alike are
taking steps to accelerate a global shift
towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient
and socially inclusive green future.
In his opening remarks,
Mr. Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary General
and UNEP Executive Director, pointed out
that the Green Economy is an opportunity
for developing countries, including China,
to create economic and job opportunities.
Mr. Steiner highlighted
the critical role that ecosystem management
plays in the development of a Green Economy,
quoting examples from, The Economics of
Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), a broad
partnership hosted by UNEP, which has supported
the analysis of UNEP's Green Economy Report
and which is a major international initiative
to draw attention to the global economic
benefits of biodiversity as well as to highlight
the multi-trillion dollar costs of biodiversity
loss and ecosystem degradation.
Mr. Steiner stressed
the timeliness of this Forum, in the context
of the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference
in Durban and Rio+20 in Brazil in June,
and hoped that the Forum would offer an
opportunity to produce value-added recommendations,
including the need for renewed political
commitment at Rio+20 which would give ecosystem
management the political weight and significance
it deserves.
Vice President Ding
from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)
pointed out that in Chinese culture harmony
between humans and nature was of utmost
importance and that this has been reflected
in the Chinese Government's policies in
recent years where the focus has been the
development and advancement of the ecological
civilization.
Mr. Ding lauded UNEP's
efforts in developing concepts such as Ecosystem
Based Adaptation (EBA), Reducing Emissions
from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
(REDD) and the Green Economy, all of which
play critical roles in the development of
an eco-civilization.
China's Vice Minister
of Environmental Protection, Mr. Ganjie
Li, told participants that China is keen
on contributing to the development of a
global eco-civilization. He pointed out
China's policies, including those of eco-zoning
and eco-compensations, demonstrate this
commitment.
In his address, Professor
Honglie Sun, Academician of CAS and Director
of the Advisory Committee of Chinese Ecosystem
Research Network (CERN), outlined the history
of ecological study in China. He emphasized
on the need for ecological networks, such
as CERN, which support policy making and
suggested CERN as an important infrastructure
in assisting other developing countries
in establishing similar networks.
The day-long forum brought
together a wide range of experts from across
the world, including Sir Crispin Tickell
from the United Kingdom, Julia Marton-Lefevre,
Director General of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Professor
Richard Odingo from Kenya, Dr. Arthur Hanson,
International Chief Advisor of the China
Council for International Cooperation on
Environment and Development (CCICED), Björn
Roland Stigson, President of World Business
Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD),
Lars-Erik Liljelund, Executive Director
of The Foundation for Strategic Environmental
Research and Franz Tattenbach, President
of the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD)
Through intensive discussions,
participants of the Forum reached the following
conclusions:
The Earth's ecosystems
are the natural foundation of human civilization.
A robust, healthy and sustainable ecosystem
is a prerequisite to secure the development
of a Green Economy.
Ecosystems have been
profoundly degraded over the last 50 years
and pressure on them continues unabated.
Some of the key ecological processes have
exceeded their thresholds, which may lead
to the collapse of some vulnerable ecosystems.
This poses threats to lives, livelihoods
and economic development and demands urgent
action.
Concrete evidences show
that ecosystem management can halt and reverse
this increasing degradation of ecosystems.
It can also provide economic and job opportunities,
particularly for developing countries.
There is clear evidence
that many key issues of the Green Economy
development are critical for addressing
ecosystem management.
There are already ecological
networks, mechanisms, methods and tools
in place to promote the role of ecosystem
management for development of the Green
Economy.
Based on the key findings
reflected through an issues paper, the Forum
has proposed the following recommendations
to be acted on at the Rio+20 summit:
1. Political commitment
at the highest level is urgently needed
if ecosystem management is to have the adequate
weight it deserves in the Rio+20 arrangement;
2. Political support
and appropriate governance structures are
needed for improved synergies between ecosystem
management and the Green Economy in developing
Rio+20 policy frameworks;
3. Adequate financial,
technological and knowledge resources must
be allocated, including in national policy-setting,
awareness-raising, capacity-building and
planning and practices, particularly in
developing countries;
4. Building capacity
and ecological infrastructure in developing
countries, such as Africa, is a prerequisite
for enhancing ecosystem management and promoting
the Green Economy.
Notes to the Editors:
Towards a Green Economy:
Pathways to Sustainable Development and
Poverty Eradication can be found on the
UNEP website: www.unep.org/greeneconomy
1. What is Ecosystem
Management?
Ecosystem Management
is "an integrated process to conserve
and improve ecosystem health that sustains
ecosystem services for human well-being".
It places particular emphasis on integrating
human needs with conservation practices,
and recognizes the inter-connectivity between
ecological, socio-cultural, economic and
institutional structures in developing solutions.
It fosters community ownership of problem
resolution efforts to maintain ecosystem
services. It uses many different tools and
media (such as governance structures and
stakeholder engagement, policies and protocols,
strategies and practices), guided by principles
that help define the management framework
that are targeted to achieve multiple benefits
of ecosystem restoration, livelihood improvement
and job creation. It is based on cross-cutting
and apolitical principles that can be applied
across a wide range of scales. The approach
is increasingly being used by many developing
countries and has been written into international
agreements.
2. Success of Ecosystem
Management in China
China has a long history
ecosystem management which can be traced
back to 2070-1600 B.C. during the Xia Dynasty.
This spirit of nature conservation as such
has been part of Chinese culture, however,
in modern times there have been phases of
unwise management of ecosystems, and restoration
and advancement thought lessons are learnt
over time. As the world's second largest
economy and the most populous country, there
are great pressures on ecosystems in China
and ecosystem management plays a crucial
role in sustaining the well-being of the
Chinese people.
China has excellent
lessons in ecosystem management which maybe
shared with other developing countries with
twin issues of conservation and development.
There is the case of Grain for Green Programme
in the Loess Plateau of China which illustrates
this. The Loess Plateau is located in the
middle reaches of the Yellow River, encompassing
287 counties in seven provinces. It is the
largest area of loess in the world, covering
more than 600,000 km2, accounting for 6.6%
of China's land area, with 8.5% of the Chinese
population. The fragility of the loess ecosystem
is characterized by its arid climate, with
only 64.1mm of average annual precipitation,
which is compounded by high population density
of 168 person/km2 and intensive cultivation
on the slope land. This intensive cultivation
has led to severe soil erosion, with an
average erosion rate 5,000-10,000 t/km2/year.
As a result, the Yellow River receives a
high content of sand entrained in the water
leading to siltation of the river channels
and reservoirs, which, moreover, raises
river beds and increases the risk of flooding.
For this reason, controlling soil erosion
of the Loess Plateau has been a national
priority since the turn of last century.
Starting from 1999,
the Chinese Government launched a national
"Grain for Green Program" for
restoring cropland to forest (or grassland).
The Loess Plateau was a priority area for
the programme, which includes transforming
sloping farmlands into terraces, vegetation
rehabilitation, enclosing hills and banning
grazing, building dams to trap silt, enhancing
basic and high quality farmlands, planting
commercial forests and fruit trees, as well
as growing fodder and fostering related
industries. The programme has achieved remarkable
ecological and economic benefits: regional
evapo-transpiration has decreased by 6.2%
and surface water runoff by 13.6% ; over
153 million tons per year of soil has been
retained; and there has been a positive
impact on carbon sequestration, with 69.21
TgC in soil, and 23.76 TgC in rehabilitated
vegetation (Table 1). Food production rose
18% between 2000 and 2008, achieved through
the increase of per-unit food production
against a decline of total cropland area.
Meanwhile, the Loess Plateau's economic
situation has greatly improved. Per capita
income in rural areas increased from RMB1000/year
in 1998 to more than RMB 3000/year in 2007.
As the programme advances, the rural economy
has improved with the growing secondary
and tertiary industries, which has not only
created new jobs for rural labour force,
but also diversified sources of household
income.
3. Green Economy
UNEP defines a Green
Economy as one that results in 'improved
human well-being and social equity, while
significantly reducing environmental risks
and ecological scarcities'. It is a new
development path that is based on sustainability
and ecological economics. Compared with
previous development paths, the uniqueness
of a Green Economy is that it can directly
turn the natural capital into economic value
whilst preserving it, and conduct total
cost accounting. This way, the natural capital
can be included into the social system,
requiring the users of ecosystem services
to pay for the benefits gained and damage
caused. Ecosystem Management, "an integrated
process to conserve and improve ecosystem
health that sustains ecosystem services
for human well-being," is recommended
as the critical approach to restore the
natural foundation to sustain a Green Economy.
4. The Pivotal Role
of Ecosystem Management for a Green Economy:
Ecological networks,
mechanisms, methods and tools are to be
in place for the development of the Green
Economy
Monitoring the state
of the Earth's ecosystems, understanding
the ecological processes and predicting
ecosystem functions are essential approaches
for decisions and actions of ecosystem management.
This requires integrated ecological networks
such as the Chinese Ecosystem Research Network
(CERN). Considering the global importance
of ecosystem management, there is also the
need for establishing an intergovernmental
body to improve science-policy interface
such as the Inter-Governmental Platform
on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).
Developing countries share common challenges
of ecosystem management as a result of a
shortage of capacity, knowledge and information.
Therefore there is a need for them to learn
from each other.
Valuation of Ecosystem
Services improves decision-making
Once the underlying
biophysical characteristics of an ecosystem
are understood, translating this scientific
understanding into values can improve the
decision-making of governments, businesses
and consumers. One of the failures of our
prevailing political and economic systems
is that the value of biodiversity and ecosystems
is often either entirely ignored or poorly
understood.
The TEEB studies recommend
a pragmatic, tiered approach to valuation
in analyzing problems and developing policy
responses. In some cases, it may be sufficient
to simply recognize the value of ecosystems
and biodiversity to ensure their sustainability.
In other cases, it may be necessary to demonstrate
the value of ecosystems and biodiversity
in economic terms to ensure balanced and
informed decision-making. This is particularly
true when policymakers and businesses make
decisions impacting ecosystems based on
a cost and benefit calculation.
Capturing the value
through policy and markets
Traditional indicators
such as GDP and the HDI have basic limitations
as measures of social progress. Neither
GDP/capita nor HDI reflect the state of
the natural environment and both focus on
the short term, with no indication of whether
current well-being can be sustained. These
are reflected in annual reports of UNDP,
IMF and the World Bank. The green economy
initiative provides a unique opportunity
to guide a new development paradigm that
addresses not only economic efficiency but
also social equity.
In a Green Economy,
the revised and adjusted net national product
(NNP) will make economic decision-makers,
particularly in developing countries aware
of environmental costs. For example, the
conventional measure provides the contribution
of fisheries and forestry sectors for Brazil,
Indonesia and India as 6.1, 14.1 and 16.5
percentage, respectively, but if the ecosystem
services are accounted it becomes 17.4,
14.5 and 19.6, respectively.
There also exists market-based
approaches to capture the values of ecosystem
services into decision making, prominent
among these are Payments for Ecosystem Services
(PES) models, which uses compensatory means
to resolve conflicts between natural resources
and resource-users.
5. Rio+20 - an opportunity
to promote ecosystem management in green
economy development
The Earth Summit on
sustainable development held in Rio de Janeiro
in 1992 adopted the Climate Convention,
the Convention on Biodiversity, and the
Agenda 21. As 2012 nears, all eyes are set
towards the United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (UNCSD), popularly
known as "Rio+20" whose main objectives
are to secure renewed political commitment
for sustainable development; assess the
progress to date and the remaining gaps
in the implementation of the outcomes of
the major summits on sustainable development
and address new and emerging challenges.
UN General Assembly has selected the Green
Economy as one of the two themes of Rio+20,
which will provide an alternative development
path towards global sustainability by addressing
social, economic and environmental issues
in a more integrated and pragmatic way.
