In the G20 Leaders Declaration,
governments agreed that the success of the
Montreal Protocol - which has overseen a
98 per cent of all global consumption of
controlled ozone-depleting substances, and
contributed to tens of millions of cases
of avoided skin cancer and cataracts - should
be harnessed to phase out HFCs.
UNEP Welcomes Renewed
Commitment by World Leaders to Phase Out
Climate-Damaging HFCs World leaders at the
G20 summit underlined the need for fast
action on short-lived climate pollutants
in parallel with major reductions in carbon
emissions.
Nairobi, 10 September
2013 - The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) has welcomed an agreement by world
leaders at the G20 summit in Moscow to renew
efforts to tackle climate change by reducing
emissions of potent greenhouse gases known
as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
Governments from some
25 nations and the European Union agreed
that phasing down the use of HFCs - carried
out in parallel to reductions of carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions under the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) - will make a vital contribution
to tackling the effects of climate change.
HFCs are widely used
in refrigerators, air conditioners, and
industrial applications as replacements
for ozone-depleting substances being phased
out under the UN's universally-ratified
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete
the Ozone Layer.
HFC emissions represent
less than 1 per cent of current total greenhouse
gases, but their warming impact is considerably
stronger than CO2.
If left unchecked, they
could account for up to nearly 20 per cent
of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
According to UNEP, fast
action on HFCs and other non-CO2 pollutants,
could cut the rate of global warming by
up to 0.5 degrees Celsius, reduce crop losses
by over 30 million tonnes a year, and save
millions of lives through fewer respiratory
illnesses.
"The leaders of
the G20 group of nations have provided another
positive signal towards the goal of realizing
a universal climate agreement by 2015 under
the UN climate convention and the ultimate
aim of sharply bringing down greenhouse
gas emissions in line with the scientific
imperative," said Achim Steiner, UN
Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive
Director.
"A sense of urgency
and a willingness to act down multiple tracks
is of the essence. While many countries
can point to positive action in respect
to emissions and a transition to a low carbon,
resource-efficient and inclusive green economy,
the stark reality is that levels of pollution
in the atmosphere continue to rise with
all the risks to lives, livelihoods and
the global economy this entails," added
Mr Steiner.
In the G20 Leaders Declaration,
governments agreed that the success of the
Montreal Protocol - which has overseen a
98 per cent of all global consumption of
controlled ozone-depleting substances, and
contributed to tens of millions of cases
of avoided skin cancer and cataracts - should
be harnessed to phase out HFCs.
"Climate change
will continue to have a significant impact
on the world economy, and cost will be higher
to the extent we delay additional actions,"
reads the G20 statement.
"We reiterate our
commitment to fight climate change and welcome
the outcome of the 18th conference of the
Parties to the UN climate change conferences.
We also support complementary initiatives,
through multilateral approaches that include
using the expertise and the institutions
of the Montreal Protocol to phase down the
production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs), based on the examination of economically
viable and technically feasible alternatives."
The statement was signed
by the following countries: Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany,
India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic
of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia,
South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom,
the United States, and the European Union,
as well as Ethiopia, Spain, Senegal, Brunei,
Kazakhstan, and Singapore.
China and USA Renew
Bilateral Efforts
In a separate agreement
at the G20 summit, President Obama of the
USA and President Xi of China agreed to
establish a contact group on HFCs under
the Montreal Protocol to consider issues
related to cost-effectiveness, financial
and technology support, safety, and environmental
benefits.
The decision follows
an announcement by both countries in June
2013 on closer co-operation to phase down
the production and consumption of HFCs,
while continuing to include HFCs within
the scope of UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol
provisions for accounting and reporting
of greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate and Clean Air
Coalition
UNEP in partnership
with over 60 countries and organizations
is working to phase down the use of HFCs
and other substances known as short-lived
climate pollutants, including black carbon
or 'soot' and methane, under the Climate
and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC).
The voluntary coalition
- founded in 2012 - is promoting rapid reductions
in short-lived climate pollutants to tackle
air pollution, improve human health and
agriculture, and provide near-term climate
benefits.
Under a business-as-usual
scenario, according to UNEP, by 2050 HFCs
could be responsible for emissions equivalent
to 3.5 to 8.8 Gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2. This
is equivalent to the total current annual
carbon emissions from transport, estimated
at around 6-7 Gt.
The coalition states
that actions on short term climate pollutants
need to be complemented by deep and rapid
cuts in CO2 emissions if the global average
temperature increase over the 21st Century
is to be held below 2°C.
Among its many activities,
the CCAC is working with 10 major cities
including Rio de Janeiro, Lagos, Stockholm,
Accra, and New York to accelerate methane
reductions from landfills and black carbon
or 'soot' from burning wastes.
+ More
Brazil‘s Environment
Minister to Receive UN 'Champion of the
Earth' Award
Brasília / Nairobi,
18 September 2013 - Brazil's Minister of
Environment Izabella Teixeira has received
the United Nations 2013 Champions of the
Earth award. The prize - the UN system's
highest environmental accolade - is awarded
to leaders from government, civil society
and the private sector whose actions have
had a significant and positive impact on
the environment.
Ms. Teixeira received
a Policy Leadership award for, among other
achievements, her key role in reversing
deforestation in the Amazon forest and her
contribution to high-level UN panels on
sustainable development.
Ms. Teixeira was central
in implementing land use policies in Brazil
that have aided the control and prevention
of deforestation. According to government
figures, over the past eight years Brazil
has seen a reduction in deforestation of
84 per cent, from an annual loss of over
27,000 sq km in 2004 to around 4,500 sq
km in 2012.
As part of deforestation
efforts, the Brazilian government has invested
in greater enforcement measures by police,
and in the use of satellites to track changes
in forest cover.
An additional 250,000
sq km of conservation area has also been
introduced - equivalent to 75 per cent of
the globe's total forested protected areas.
"To be a Champion
of the Earth is an honour, but also a responsibility.
Just one year ago, the global community
was discussing how to achieve the ambitious
goals of Rio+20, and now we are already
seeing some of these goals becoming a reality,"
said Ms. Teixeira
"We are witnessing
a positive change in the way sustainable
development is seen, and embraced, by policymakers.
This award recognizes the achievements we
have made to date, and encouraging us to
take action in the face of future environmental
challenges. I know I can always count on
UNEP and the rest of the UN family as partners
in these efforts," she added.
"Izabella's commitment
to the environment has been central to her
professional career in science and politics.
She has been at the centre of some of the
most highly debated and transformational
topics of our time from the Rio+20 Summit
to the reform of Brazil's forest policy.
Izabella has throughout taken a principled
but also politically pragmatic approach
while building bridges to others,"
said UN Under Secretary-General and UNEP
Executive Director Achim Steiner.
In 2010 and 2012, Ms.
Teixeira was invited by the UN Secretary-General
to join the High Level Panel on Global Sustainability,
which was tasked with formulating a new
vision for sustainable growth and prosperity.
Ms. Teixeira played
a prominent role in the preparation and
outcome of last year's UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio+20), hosted
by the Government of Brazil. Following the
summit, Ms. Teixeira was nominated to join
the UN's High Level Panel on Post-2015 Development,
which advised the organization on the global
development framework beyond 2015, the target
date for the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
"This award recognizes
Ms. Teixeira's excellent work at international
environmental conferences, her tireless
defense of Brazil and sustainable development
on the international stage, and her capacity
to work effectively with different sectors
of society. The environment can continue
to count on Izabella Teixeira's dedication
at a global level," said UNEP's Representative
in Brazil, Denise Hamú.
Other winners of the
2013 Champions of the Earth award, which
is organized by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP), include: Janez Potocnik,
European Commissioner for the Environment;
Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food
Movement; Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Professor
at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography,
UCSD; Google Earth; Jack Dangermond, founder
of the Environmental Systems Research Institute
(ESRI), and Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo , Director
of the Sierra Gorda Ecological Group in
Mexico.
The Champions of the
Earth award ceremony, sponsored by Guangdong
Wealth, was held at the American Museum
of Natural History in New York and hosted
by supermodel and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador
Gisele Bündchen.
Ms. Teixeira, who was
nominated in the Policy Leadership category,
becomes the third Brazilian winner of the
award, following the CEO of Grupo Abril,
Fabio Barbosa, and former Minister of Environment,
Marina Silva.
The full list of 2013
Champions of the Earth winners is as follows.
POLICY LEADERSHIP
Ms. Izabella Teixeira,
Minister of Environment, Brazil is recognized
for her key role in reversing deforestation
in the Amazon and her role on high-level
UN panels on sustainable development., According
to government figures, Brazil has cut deforestation
by 84 per cent over eight years, from an
annual loss of over 27,000 sq km in 2004
to around 4,500 sq km in 2012. Apart from
the prevention and control of deforestation,
the land use planning policies implemented
by Ms. Teixeira resulted in 250,000 sq km
of conservation areas ? the equivalent of
75 per cent of global forest protected areas.
Janez Potocnik, European
Commissioner for the Environment is recognized
for his work advocating a shift from the
current global model of intensive resource
consumption, including setting 2020 targets
for the European Union to halve food waste
and practically eliminate the need for landfills.
His role in tackling resource inefficiencies
across the food chain has contributed substantially
to the ongoing UN campaign on food waste,
Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your Foodprint.
ENTREPRENEURIAL VISION
Brian McClendon, co-founder
and VP of Google Earth is recognized for
providing a powerful tool to monitor the
state of the environment, allowing researchers
to detect deforestation, classify land cover
and estimate forest biomass and carbon and
thus demonstrate the scale of problems and
illustrate solutions. Google Earth, for
example, was used to help rescue workers
save more than 4,000 people after Hurricane
Katrina and, in Australia, a scientist used
the tool to discover a previously unknown
coral reef in a region that had been identified
for oil and gas development.
Jack Dangermond, Environmental
Systems Research Institute (ESRI) is recognized
for his commitment to ensuring that international,
research, education, and nonprofit organizations
working in the fields of conservation and
development have access to the best geospatial
analytical and visualization technology.
In 1989, the ESRI Conservation Program was
started to change the way non-profit organizations
carry out conservation missions. This program
provides GIS software, data, and training,
and helps to coordinate multi-organizational
efforts
SCIENCE AND INNOVATION
Veerabhadran Ramanathan,
Professor at the Scripps Institution of
Oceanography, UCSD was recognized for his
pioneering work on black carbon, which included
leading a team that first discovered widespread
Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABCs) and research
into how cutting black carbon can significantly
mitigate climate change. Dr. Ramanathan
showed that ABCs led to large-scale dimming,
decreased monsoon rainfall and rice harvest
in India and played a dominant role in the
melting of the Himalayan glaciers. A member
of the Science Advisory Panel on the Climate
and Clean Air Coalition, he is now running
Project Surya, which aims at reducing soot
emissions from bio-fuel cooking in rural
India.
INSPIRATION AND ACTION
Carlo Petrini, Founder
of the Slow Food movement is recognized
for his visionary work to improve the efficiency
and sustainability of the world's agriculture
and food supply "one bite at a time".
Slow Food has over 100,00 members and supporters
in over 150 countries, defending local food
traditions, protecting local biodiversity
and promoting small-scale quality products.
Petrini is also a coordinator of National
and International level research projects
in the bioethical field. In 2012, Petrini
was invited to speak at the Sustainable
Development Dialogue on Food and Nutrition
Security at the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development (Rio+20).
Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo,
Director of Grupo Ecológico Sierra
Gorda is recognized for her work in the
Sierra Gorda region of Central Mexico, which
demonstrates how a broad range of advocacy,
public education and income-generation approaches,
can produce support healthy ecosystems and
alleviate poverty. She was responsible for
achieving Biosphere Reserve status for Sierra
Gorda under an innovative public-private
system. Through her work and advocacy, 33
per cent of the State of Querétaro
is now protected as a Biosphere Reserve.
Hundreds of families in Sierra Gorda now
receive a total of over US$2 million from
the sale of carbon credits.
Notes to Editors
Individual press releases
announcing the credentials of each of the
winners are available at http://www.unep.org
About Champions of the
Earth
Champions of the Earth,
which was launched in 2005, is the UN's
flagship environmental award. To date, it
has recognized 59 individuals and organizations
for their leadership, vision, inspiration
and action on the environment. The list
of previous Champions laureates include
Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mexican
President Felipe Calderon, Chinese actress
and environmental advocate Zhou Xun, the
Women's Environment & Development Organization
(WEDO) and global music legend Angélique
Kidjo.
Visit http://www.unep.org/champions/
for more details.
About Guangdong Wealth,
Sponsor of the Champions of the Earth Awards
Guangdong Wealth Environmental
Protection is a leading supplier of water
purifying products and water treatment integrated
solutions in China. The company practices
a business model that puts social welfare
before economic interests, using the concept
"let the sky be bluer and the water
clearer". The company invests in environmental
scholarships for young university students,
organizes clean-up operations, and donates
tonnes of purifying tablets to tackle pollution
in rivers in Guangdong and Beijing.
