An
appeal for $613m to help the UN provide
emergency relief and humanitarian aid to
1.4 million war-torn Gazans was launched,
Thursday, by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon,
in Davos.
According to reports
by the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the recent
Israeli military offensive on Gaza has killed
some 1,300 people and left, at least 5,300
wounded, including 1,955 children.
The basic infrastructure
- including water, sanitation and health
facilities - as well as much of the economic
infrastructure have been either destroyed
or badly damaged.
Over 13%, of Gazan homes
have been destroyed. Hundreds of thousands
of people have no access to water, sanitation,
health care, food supplies.
So far, $80.3 million
US Dollars have been raised against the
initial appeal of 15 January. Another $532.7
million are yet to be raised to meet the
full requirements of the initial relief
and recovery efforts.
The Secretary General
told reporters, "These needs are massive
and multi-faceted". He added that an
appeal for longer-term needs will be launched
later in the year.
The vulnerability of
Gaza's population has been compounded by
the eighteen months of restriction on the
entry of goods to Gaza. The appeal requires,
for full implementation, full access to
aid workers into Gaza and the sustained
opening of all crossings for relief supplies.
John Holms, the UN Humanitarian
Coordinator said, "We're asking for
the crossing points to be opened fully...
Otherwise, we won't be able to achieve what
we want to achieve."
The UN plans to implement
seventy three projects in the context of
this appeal; and will fund and additional
ninety-eight relief and recovery projects
to be implemented by non-governmental organizations.
A detailed assessment
of damages, including a full environmental
assessment, will be conducted by UN agencies.
Accordingly, a plan for long-term reconstruction
will be developed.
Australians Embrace
Climate Neutrality on National Day
Traditionally celebrated by having a family
barbeque or going to the beach, this year’s
Australia Day -- marked nationwide on 26
January -- is all about going carbon neutral
for some of the country’s best-known cities,
companies and community initiatives.
From the country’s best-recognized cities
to one of its most successful public campaigns,
these Australian brands have embraced the
vision of low-carbon economies and societies
by joining the Climate Neutral Network (CN
Net), an initiative led by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) to promote
global action and involvement in climate
neutrality at all levels.
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Combating
climate change is the challenge of this
generation. But it is also perhaps one of
the greatest opportunities for transforming
economies, triggering innovation, sparking
human creativity and generating jobs now
and in the future.”
“These new Australian
members of the CN Net are therefore signalling
their commitment to a Green Economy so urgently
needed in the 21st century—one able to deal
with the multiple crises of today and the
ones to come. In doing so they are also
supporting Australia’s renewed leadership
on global warming in advance of the crucial
UN climate convention meeting in Copenhagen
now less than 317 days away,” he added.
With its world-famous
Opera House, the “Coathanger” Bridge and
the Harbour as its backdrop, Sydney is one
of the world’s most spectacular cities.
In 2007, the City of Sydney became Australia’s
first carbon neutral local government. The
City is implementing a wide range of initiatives
to avoid carbon emissions and respond to
climate change – from installing energy-efficient
street lighting to creating a network of
cycling paths to investigating alternative
waste treatment options.
Lord Mayor of Sydney
Clover Moore said: “The City of Sydney is
proud to be the first carbon neutral government
in Australia. Though the emissions from
the City of Sydney alone are small in terms
of state, national and global emissions,
we believe that our leadership can influence
other governments by demonstrating that
change is possible. The UNEP Climate Neutral
Network is a significant opportunity to
provide information and share experiences
with a wide audience”.
Brisbane is Australia’s
third largest city which aims to become
carbon neutral by 2026. Through the Green
Heart CitySmart programme, Brisbane City
Council promotes the use of solar hot water
systems after having estimated that traditional
hot water systems chew up 28% of household
energy consumption. In the area of transport,
the city has recently pioneered Australia’s
first public bicycle hire scheme and introduced
the “superbus”, a 14.5-metre low-emissions
bus capable of carrying up to 98 passengers.
The city is also spearheading the two million
trees planting project, including 150,000
native seedlings to be planted to celebrate
Brisbane’s 150th anniversary.
Another CN Net participant
from Brisbane is Greenfest – a three-day
long grassroots, free-to-the-public music
festival which will kick off on World Environment
Day, 5 June. This year’s focus of the event
is sharing the passion for a cooler planet
and creating awareness about the importance
of the UN climate negotiations in Copenhagen
in December 2009.
A further new member
is Clean Up the World. The brainchild of
Australian solo-yachtsman and builder Ian
Kiernan, Clean Up the World campaign grew
from the highly successful Clean Up Australia
Day first held almost twenty years ago.
Today it mobilises an estimated 35 million
volunteers from120 countries annually, making
it one of the largest community-based environmental
campaigns in the world.
“Climate change is an
indisputable fact, backed up by science.
But rather than simply despairing we need
to work together to find creative and sustainable
solutions that allow us to reduce human
impact and learn to live in harmony with
our planet. Adopting carbon neutrality as
accepted business practice is more than
just possible, it’s an imperative. Clean
Up the World is proud to be part of a network
that encourages innovative thinking, shares
experiences and rewards the achievement
of practical carbon reduction strategies,”
said Mr Kiernan.
Based in Adelaide, BalanceCarbon
is the first carbon management company formed
in Australia by specialist environmental
professionals. The company has been carbon
neutral since its inception through the
combination of greenhouse gas emission reductions
and offsets, and aims to reduce its absolute
emissions at a rate of 5% per year.
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson and Head
of Media
Xenya Cherny Scanlon, Information Officer,
Climate Neutral Network
