Mexico
City/Nairobi, 22 september 2008-Mexico,
a country at the crossroads of the Green
Economy and one increasingly in the centre
of regional and global affairs will host
the international 2009 World Environment
Day celebrations.
The theme chosen by
the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which
coordinates the day on 5 June on behalf
of the UN system and the peoples of the
world, will be 'Your Planet Needs You-UNite
to Combat Climate Change'.
It reflects the urgency
for nations to agree on a new agreement
at the crucial climate convention meeting
in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the
year, and the links with overcoming poverty
and improved management of forests.
The news that Mexico has been chosen to
host World Environment Day (WED) 2009 was
announced jointly by President Felipe Calderón
and Achim Steiner, UNEP's Executive Director
at a press conference in Mexico City.
The decision in part
reflects the growing practical and political
role of the Latin American country in the
fight against climate change, including
its growing participation in the carbon
markets.
Mexico is also a leading
partner in UNEP's Billion Tree Campaign.
The country, with the support of its President
and people, has spearheaded the pledging
and planting of some 25 per cent of the
trees under the campaign.
UNEP has now launched
a new and more ambitious phase-the Seven
Billion Tree Campaign.
This aims to see more
than one new tree planted for every person
alive by the Copenhagen meeting as one empowering
symbol of the global publics' desire for
action by their political leaders on the
greatest challenge for this generation.
President Calderón
said:"It is great news that today the
UN, through Achim Steiner, has announced
that Mexico will be the international seat
for World Environment Day next 5 june here
in our beloved country".
He said he hoped WED
would not only be a time of reflection on
the great challenges facing humanity including
climate change, but an event linked with
"a lot of action and committment".
"Undoubtedly this
decision further underlines Mexico's determination
to manage natural resources and deal with
the most demanding challenge of the 21st
century-climate change," said President
Calderón.
Mr Steiner, who is also
a UN Under-Secretary General, said: "I
am delighted that the President and the
people of Mexico will be the hosts of WED
only some 180 days before governments meet
in Copenhagen before the crucial UN climate
convention meeting".
"Mexico is at the
cross-roads of the Green Economy politically,
physically and practically. Firstly it still
has many challenges, from high air pollution
in cities and dependence on fossil fuels
to land degradation and the need to fight
poverty. But Mexico is also emerging as
one among a group of developing economies
who are bringing much needed leadership
to the need for a new, comprehensive and
decisive climate treaty," he said.
Mr Steiner(see notes
to editors on new data) said that in addition
Mexico was seizing the opportunities of
the carbon markets and had, in just four
short years, become second only to Brazil
in terms of wind, solar, biogas and other
Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects
in the region.
"Thirdly Mexico's
ambitions in terms of combating climate
change under its new Special programme-ambitions
that include renewable energy to using forests
and other nature-based assets as carbon
sinks-will send a clear message to countries
in the region and the world that Mexico
means to be part of the solution,"
he noted.
"Finally, Mexico
is set to be one of the big economies of
the 21st century along with nations like
China and India. Thus its ability to encourage
the greening of the economy of neighboring
nations-both North and South of its borders-will
be significant," he noted.
Notes to Editors
Climate Change
Mexico, which accounts
for around 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse
gas emissions, is demonstrating its commitment
to climate change on several fronts.
Mexico was praised by
Non Governmental Organizations at the recent
climate convention talks in Accra, Ghana
for being among a group of countries willing
to build bridges between the North and the
South.
UNEP is looking forward
to the shortly-to-be published Special Programme
on Climate Change covering 2008-2012.
It is likely to set
ambitious goals for the Mexican economy
from boosting the climate-friendliness of
'hard' infrastructure via energy efficiency
and an increase in renewables to boosting
the carbon management of Mexico's 'soft'
infrastructure including its forests and
soils.
New Findings on Mexico
and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
Today UNEP also launched
new data underlining how Mexico is seizing
the opportunities presented by the UN-brokered
carbon markets.
The Centre's researchers
estimate that Mexico's CDM projects in the
validation; requesting registration or registered
phases have accumulated to 187 projects
by September 2008.
This is up from 4 in
2004 and in terms of Latin America Mexico
is now second after Brazil with 303 projects.
This is followed by
Chile, 56; Colombia, 32 and Argentina, 30.
The country in the region with the least
projects registered or in the pipe line
is Guyana with one.
The lion's share of
Mexico's CDM projects are currently agricultural
and involve the flaring of methane produced
by animal wastes. 55 per cent of CDM projects
are in this category.
Close to 30 per cent
of the projects are renewables which includes
wind, solar, biogas and biomass. Biogas
represents 70 per cent of Mexico's CDM renewables-here
the methane from wastes is harvested to
generate electricity rather than flared.
The Risoe Centre stresses
that, given Mexico's relatively high level
of industrialization, it has huge opportunities
in terms of energy efficiency which remain
to be exploited.
If all its CDM projects
to date are registered, then Mexico could
generate over 14 million Certified Emission
Reduction (CERS) annually versus a world
total of 529 million.
Risoe estimates that,
by 2012 there could be a total of 1,600
Latin American and Caribbean CDM projects
in the pipeline or registered-a more than
doubling.
It is estimated that
260 million CERs could be generated equaling
$3.9 billion with a value per CER of $15
a tonne of C02.
Solar Water Heaters
UNEP announced today
that it is also assisting the UN Development
Programme and Mexico-with funding from the
Global Environment Facility-on a project
to boost Mexico's solar water heater sector.
The programme will cooperate
with Mexico's National Solar Water Heater
Program (known as PROCALSOL) to develop
a supportive regulatory environment and
to assist in building the market demand
and the supply chain for solar water heaters
(SWHs).
The aim is to reach
the total capacity of 2,500,000 cubic metres
of installed SWH systems in Mexico by the
end of 2011.
It also aims to support
continuing sustainable growth of the market
beyond the project's life in order to reach
the target to 23.5 million cubic metres
of installed capacity by 2020.
This has been estimated
to correspond to an estimated cumulative
greenhouse gas reduction potential of over
27 million tons of CO2 by 2020.
China, the world leader
in solar water heaters, has an installed
solar water heater capacity of around 100
million cubic metres million and has created
600,000 green jobs.
Thus, by 2020, Mexico
might have the potential to generate jobs
for some 150,000 people in this sector as
a result of the new project.
About World Environment
Day
World Environment Day
was established by the UN General Assembly
in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm
Conference on the Human Environment. Another
resolution, adopted by the General Assembly
the same day, led to the creation of UNEP.
WED is commemorated
each year on 5 June in a different city.
It is one of the principal vehicles through
which the United Nations stimulates worldwide
awareness of the environment and enhances
political attention and action.
The day's agenda is
to give a human face to environmental issues;
empower people to become active agents of
sustainable and equitable development; promote
an understanding that communities are pivotal
to changing attitudes towards environmental
issues; and advocate partnership which will
ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer
and more prosperous future. World Environment
Day is also a popular event with colourful
activities such as street rallies, bicycle
parades, green concerts, essay and poster
competitions in schools, tree planting,
as well as recycling and cleaning-up campaigns.
On that particular day,
heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers
of Environment deliver statements and commit
themselves to care for the Earth. Pledges
are made which lead to the establishment
of permanent governmental structures dealing
with environmental management. It also provides
an opportunity to sign or ratify international
environmental conventions.
Last year the main global
host was New Zealand and the theme was 'Kick
the C02 Habit-Towards a Low Carbon Economy'.
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson/Head of
Media
