Seattle calculating, preparing for climate change

Insurance Journal: Seattle officials predict that parts of Washington’s largest city will be under water as the shoreline creeps higher due to global climate change. City agencies are calculating the local effects of climate change and how to respond and adapt to protect people and infrastructure, The Seattle Times reported.

Agencies were preparing for more intense heat, protecting the new downtown sea wall under construction and calculating the number of pump stations and outfalls that would be under water, as they anticipate sea-level rise caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide pumped into the atmosphere by humans.

Calculations by the Washington Climate Impacts Group and the Washington Department of Ecology published in 2008 predict a sea-level rise in Seattle of six inches by 2050. Less-likely scenarios are sea-level rises of three inches on the low end and 22 inches on the high end, the Times reported.

A green ribbon commission has come up with recommendations to respond to climate changes. “We did this map to understand impacts on our infrastructure,” Paul Fleming, manager of climate and sustainability for Seattle Public Utilities, told the Times. “In the big picture, this isn’t just about sea-level rise. It’s about drinking water, urban flooding, and how we design new projects.”

Seattle’s water supply is in the central Cascade Mountains, so it won’t be infiltrated by seawater creeping toward groundwater. But as the sea creeps upward, water supply, drainage and wastewater infrastructure possibly could be affected by everything from flooding to corrosion.

Other effects of climate change, including drought and wildfires, also could diminish the water-supply quality and quantity in the far future....

Seattle's skyline at dusk, shot by Cacophony, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Climate change will force Australian farmers to adapt

Sarah Clarke in ABC News: Australia's farmers will need to adapt to cope with a potentially hotter and drier continent as the effects of climate change take hold, scientists say. As the UN's chief science body meets in Hobart today to update the latest climate modelling, the CSIRO says forecasts show Australia will have to cope with less rainfall, longer dry periods and crops struggling to grow in changing conditions.

CSIRO climate applications scientist Steve Crimp says the nation's agricultural sector will likely feel the heat of a hotter climate. "Certainly across most of southern Australia, the projections of the future are for warmer and drier conditions, so when we experience warm and dry conditions, growing those crops, canola, wheat, barley etc will be more challenging in the future," he said.

A CSIRO report warns climate change will threaten Australia's farming productivity and says grazing livestock, particularly cattle, will be stressed as a result and less likely to breed. Central Australia is predicted to experience the greatest warming.

Modelling shows irrigated cropping may also be challenged, especially in the south east where water is drawn from upstream in the Murray-Darling Basin. The CSIRO forecasts all cropping could be hit by less rainfall....

Drought in the Wheatlands, Western Australia, shot by Phillip Capper, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Will changes in climate wipe out mammals in Arctic and sub-Arctic areas?

AlphaGalileo: The climate changes depicted by climatologists up to the year 2080 will benefit most mammals that live in northern Europe’s Arctic and sub-Arctic land areas today if they are able to reach their new climatic ranges. This is the conclusion drawn by ecologists at Umeå University in a recently published article in the journal Plos ONE.

The scientists Anouschka Hof, Roland Jansson, and Christer Nilsson of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Umeå University investigated how future climate changes may come to impact mammals in northern Europe’s Arctic and sub-Arctic land areas, excluding the Arctic seas and islands. These land masses are assumed to undergo major changes in climate, and their natural ecology is also regarded as especially susceptible to changes.

By modeling the distribution of species, the researchers have determined that the predicted climate changes up to the year 2080 will benefit most mammals that live in these areas today, with the exception of some specialists in cold climate, such as the Arctic fox and the lemming.

“This will be the case only on the condition that the species can reach the areas that take on the climate these animals are adapted to. We maintain that it is highly improbable that all mammals will be able to do so, owing partly to the increased fragmentation of their living environments caused by human beings. Such species will reduce the extent of their distribution instead,” says Christer Nilsson, professor of landscape ecology.

The researchers also show that even if climate changes as such do not threaten the majority of Arctic and sub-Arctic mammals, changes in the species mix may do so, for instance because predators and their potential prey that previously did not live together may wind up in the same areas....

A reindeer shot near Svalbard by Per Harald Olsen (Perhols), Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Climate challenges for a small town in Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Post (Nova Scotia): A study by the Ecology Action Centre is looking at the threat to the coastal community of Cheticamp from rising sea levels and storm surges caused by climate change. Veronika Brzeski, the centre’s climate change adaptation co-ordinator, said while the study has not been finished, there are significant implications for the shoreline around the northern Cape Breton community.

“Certainly sea level rise is a concern,” Brzeski said Wednesday. The Nova Scotia government has published projections for a sea level rise of 1.1 metres by the year 2100 and possible storm surges of 3.78 metres for the area. The study uses the estimates enhanced by 3-D mapping. “We can actually see what is going to be flooded, what is the scenario for the future,” she said.

Flooding scenarios include a breach of the causeway and beach connecting Cheticamp Island to the mainland and the risk of flooding for the local boardwalk and downtown area. “Certainly some of that water would recede but there is a lot of storm damage.”

Brzeski noted hurricanes like Sandy, which hit the northeastern United States in October, can happen at any time. Shoreline erosion is another concern throughout the whole community, she said.\ “There are danger zones already along roads.” Brzeski said it’s hard to predict erosion, which can be affected by everything from the amount of rock in the soil to ice cover and weather....

The port in Cheticamp, shot by Ericbodden, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Communities the key to adaptation in Zimbabwe

Jeffrey Gogo in AllAfrica.com via the Herald (Zimbabwe): Indigenous knowledge and active community participation will be critical in any strategy that seeks to deal effectively with the impacts of climate change in Zimbabwe. These are the findings from a report, "Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation in Zimbabwe", released last month by the International Institute for Environment and Development. The paper strongly advocates a community-based approach (CBA) to climate change adaptation and in addressing vulnerability along with other climate impacts.

For effectiveness, it recommends that the Zimbabwe Government re-think participation in CBA projects as an instrument for empowering communities to influence policy-making at all levels as well as consider climate information including scientific data and local knowledge about trends and changes.

Drawing from practical vulnerability and adaptation experiences in several areas across Zimbabwe, the paper examines the impacts of climate change on vulnerable sectors including health, water, energy, agriculture, human settlement, gender, forestry and biodiversity and tourism. Adaptation projects have been piloted with measurable success in Chiredzi, Wedza, Shurugwi, Mberengwa and some sections of Matabeleland.

A key similar finding from the case studies was that climate change and variability was already impeding or reversing development, particularly in relation to poverty reduction, agricultural livelihoods and human health....

Climate change adaptation: Morocco moves from research to action

Mohammed Tafraouti in Middle East Online: A national seminar about “Promoting Adaptive Communities’ Capacity around Small Dams in Morocco Using the Eco-health Approach” project closed a four year Research Action program. This project was implemented in the south of Morocco areas which are vulnerable to climate change mainly because of water availability. Ait lhaj A., project coordinator said that in mountainous areas, poor communities are more exposed to climate change effects.

To improve communities’ adaptation capacity, many options were implemented, such as small dams. They contribute to rainwater harvesting, replenishment of the water table, flood control and, more importantly, improvement of water availability for rural communities. However, these benefits must be considered in relation to potential health risks.

Recognizing that adaptation must be integrative, practical and implemented locally, the seminar focused on: (i) Exchanging and sharing of knowledge recently developed on the issue of adaptation with different actors and stakeholders (ii) Exploring the ways and challenges to a roadmap on "Adaptation to Climate Change in Practice" for the benefit of vulnerable communities and ecosystems.

The different speakers learned lessons in different areas of Morocco. All of them confirmed that climate change affected all communities’ assets. Mr. Mimouni showed that at community level the learning process, including the testing of various technical and institutional options, highlights the need to involve local and regional stakeholders to optimize results impact.

Water management is an important issue as it was showed by Mr Wifaya and Pr. Berrada from the Al Akhawain University. In fact, drip irrigation can save more than 45% of irrigation water. On the other hand, agriculture diversification through new cash crop introduction, such as saffron, local product promotion, such as cactus pears fruit processing and thyme marketing improve significantly farm income...

A Moroccan landscape, shot by Jerzy Strzelecki, under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license

Pakistan pushes ahead on climate policy but action still lags

Rina Saeed Khan in AlertNet: Pakistan faces a range of threatening climate change impacts: changing monsoon patterns, melting glaciers, seasonal flooding, rising sea levels, desertification and increasing water scarcity.

How bad are things? For the past two years, Pakistan has topped the list of the Global Climate Risk Index produced by Germanwatch, a non-governmental organisation that works on global equity issues. In 2010, Pakistan was listed as the number one country in the world affected by climate related disasters; in 2011 it was ranked as number three.

But concrete action to address climate threats has been relatively slow, critics say, and a convoluted process of devolution of power to Pakistan’s provinces and then the reorganisation of federal ministries hasn’t helped speed up the process – though a new federal Ministry of Climate Change may help change that.

“The time for talking is long past,” said Shafqat Kakakhel, a former U.N. Environment Programme official and a member of Pakistan’s original task force on climate change set up by the government in 2008. “What we need to see are projects on the ground. Pakistan is lagging far behind other countries in the South Asian region that are already addressing climate change through concrete actions.”

Pakistan’s federal Ministry of Environment, already struggling to address growing climate-related disasters, ran into problems in June 2011, when an amendment to the country’s constitution suddenly devolved increased power to provincial governments, despite fears that provincial-level officials might lack the capacity and competency to deal with pressing environmental issues....

The Indus River, shot by Guilhem Vellut, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Multi-agency climate change adaptation project in Jamaica meeting targets

The Jamaica Observer: With less than a year before its scheduled completion, activities are on track for the 30-month Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction Project which got underway in October 2010.

The project is being jointly implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme, the Meteorological Office of Jamaica along with other key government agencies. It is funded by the European Union.

"The three components have all implemented approximately 70 per cent of their targeted activities for the first half of the project," said Chris Corbin of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who are partners in the project with the Government of Jamaica and the European Union.

The $515-million project is aimed at increasing resilience and reducing risks associated with natural hazards in vulnerable areas due to climate change threats, including rising sea levels, warmer global temperatures, and more severe weather events such as hurricanes and droughts.

It is also intended to contribute to sustainable development in Jamaica. "This will be achieved through rehabilitating watersheds, improving coastal ecosystems management and building climate change capacity and awareness as articulated in Vision 2030, Jamaica's National Development Plan," according to information from UNEP's website....

A house in Kingston after 2007's Hurricane Dean, shot by Christina X, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

International aid helps Cuba adapt to climate change

Patricia Grogg in AlertNet via IPS: "Adaptation to climate change is urgent and must be part of development," said Bárbara Pesce-Monteiro, the United Nations resident coordinator in Cuba, assessing the damage done by hurricane Sandy in the eastern region of the country.

She said the damage was very serious, especially in Santiago de Cuba, a city of almost half a million people and a services hub for other towns. In order to support the country at such a difficult time, the United Nations system in Cuba designed an action plan that will serve as a framework for assistance from the international community.

The plan, to be put into effect over the next six to 18 months, will benefit three million people in the most affected provinces: Santiago de Cuba, Holguín and Guantánamo. The main areas of concern are early recovery, housing, water and sanitation, health and education.

Sandy, regarded as the most devastating hurricane to strike the eastern part of the island in the last 50 years, claimed 11 lives in late October and caused considerable losses in housing, educational and health facilities, agriculture and food crops, as well as major interruptions in electricity and water supply, now largely overcome.

United Nations agencies initially mobilised 1.5 million dollars in emergency funding, supplemented by an appropriation of 1.6 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The action plan entails seeking 30.6 million dollars to deal with the urgent needs of the population that suffered the brunt of the hurricane's impacts, along with a strategy aimed at improving living conditions for those affected....

Hurricane Sandy damage at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Photo by Sgt. Ryan Hallock Date Taken:10.25.2012, credited to DVIDSHUB, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Supporting climate-friendly food production

Seed Daily via SPX: This summer, record temperatures and limited rainfall parched vast areas of U.S. cropland, and with Earth's surface air temperature projected to rise 0.69 degrees Celsius by 2030, global food production will be even more unpredictable, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute.

Although agriculture is a major driver of human-caused climate change, contributing an estimated 25 to 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, when done sustainably it can be an important key to mitigating climate change, write report authors Danielle Nierenberg and Laura Reynolds.

Because of its reliance on healthy soil, adequate water, and a delicate balance of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere, farming is the human endeavor most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

But agriculture's strong interrelationships with both climatic and environmental variables also make it a significant player in reducing climate-altering emissions as well as helping the world adapt to the realities of a warming planet.

"The good news is that agriculture can hold an important key to mitigating climate change," said Reynolds, Worldwatch's Food and Agriculture Research Associate.

"Practices such as using animal manure rather than artificial fertilizer, planting trees on farms to reduce soil erosion and sequester carbon, and growing food in cities all hold huge potential for reducing agriculture's environmental footprint."...

New planning tool for climate adaptation in cities

The Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute: A changing climate places great pressure on society, and creates many new challenges. To make city planning easier, a planning tool has been developed to support climate adaptation of cities and regions in Europe. The European research project SUDPLAN, co-ordinated by SMHI, has developed a planning tool for climate adaptation of European cities and regions for intensive precipitation, hydrological conditions and the air environment.

“Already today we are beginning to notice climate-related problems in cities, such as flooding. As the climate changes even more, these difficulties will increase. This is why a tool is needed to facilitate planning ahead of decisions regarding investments in infrastructure, for instance, and to ensure that projects are adapted to the altered conditions we will be facing in the future,” says Lars Gidhagen, researcher in air quality at SMHI and co-ordinator of SUDPLAN.

The planning tool SUDPLAN makes information available for the period 1961-2100, from a number of climate scenarios scaled down across Europe, complete with hydrological simulations and results from an air pollution model.

“An altered climate means that cities will be exposed to new strains such as higher temperatures, more torrential rain and altered air pollution levels which affect our health. By taking into account the climate impact when planning development in relation to waterways, dimensioning surface water networks and planning traffic routes, we can already to some extent plan for good health, comfort, safety and quality of life,” Gidhagen explains.

Using the tool, city planners anywhere in Europe can themselves generate more detailed future information by entering local precipitation data, flow data from watercourses or emissions of air pollutants. The projections can use several different climate scenarios to run the same future simulation. Similarities and differences in the various scenario results produce information about the uncertainty in the conditions we can expect to face in the future. The planning tool also contains functionality for advanced visualisation, and for linking downscaled data to users’ own local models....

High water in Koblenz, shot by Holger Weinandt, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Germany license

Too big to flood? Megacities face a future of major storm risks

Bruce Stutz in the Guardian Environment Network (via Yale Environment 360): By the middle of the century, the scores of billions it cost to compensate the greater New York City area for being unprepared for superstorm Sandy may seem like a bargain. Without major adaptation measures to increase the level of storm protection beyond a 1-in-100-year event, the value of the city's buildings, transportation, and utilities utility infrastructures currently at risk from storm surges and flooding — an estimated $320 billion — will be worth $2 trillion by 2070, according to continuing studies by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

...Some of those cities with the most at-risk assets now — Tokyo, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Nagoya — will, over the next 50 years, be surpassed by Calcutta, Shanghai, Mumbai, Tianjin, Bangkok, Ningbo, and Ho Chi Minh City, booming Asian coastal metropolitan areas where trillions of dollars in economic assets will be vulnerable. So will many millions of these cities' residents, most of them poor and living in low-lying areas.

Just as banks grew "too big to fail," over the next half-century these coastal megacities may grow "too big to flood." But flood they will unless they dramatically revise their growth strategies and undertake major infrastructure projects designed to protect them from the dual threat of rising sea levels and intensifying storms, experts say.

Based on the conservative assumption that sea levels will rise by only 18 inches by 2070, the OECD finds that total assets vulnerable to flooding and storm surges of just 10 of these cities could account for some 9 percent of the world's GDP. But many climate scientists and coastal experts note that sea level rise forecasts by groups such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change did not factor in the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. When they are taken into account, these experts say that global sea levels could well rise 3 to 6 feet this century, leaving scores of cities and massive amounts of economic infrastructure dangerously exposed....

Employees from MTA New York City Transit worked to restore the South Ferry subway station after it was flooded by seawater during Hurricane Sandy. Photo: Metropolitan Transportation Authority / Patrick Cashin. Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Successful completion of climate change adaptation project in the Peruvian Andes

UNESCO: Negotiated with the support of the World Heritage Centre, this 3 year Swiss government financed project entitled "Local Capacities for climate change adaptation and risk management: Manu National Park in Peru - World Heritage Site" was brought to a successful close earlier this month.   Fully implemented by the UNESCO Lima office, the project was founded on a strategic alliance with Peru’s National Protected Areas Service. 

The project recognized the close link between the conservation of this vast natural World Heritage site, and the well-being of neighbouring communities.  It worked on two distinct fronts – the first on the development of a climate change adaptation plan for the Manu National Park (also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), and the second on helping neighbouring communities improve their understanding of climate change, its implications on their livelihoods, and on the possible measures they could take to be prepared for it.    Over 4,400 students received information on this issue, and 60 teachers were trained.   Municipalities considered vulnerable to climate change benefitted from the development of manuals on climate change risk management.

As climate change and its effects on World Heritage sites are increasingly understood, projects such as these help stakeholders from community to intergovernmental levels come to terms with the real implications in terms of livelihoods and biodiversity conservation.   The World Heritage Centre is currently developing a “Climate Change Adaptation Field Guide for Natural World Heritage Site Managers” in an effort to help prepare the world’s most outstanding natural areas deal with the effects of climate change....

A river bank in Manu National Park, shot by As578, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license

Climate adaptation: saviour or false hope?

Ben Castle in the New Internationalist blog: ...In recent years, adaptation has become a key focus of international climate change negotiations. Once a fringe issue, it is now at the centre of the climate debate. The pledge by developed countries to raise $100 billion in climate finance per year by 2020 (with much of this for adaptation in developing countries) was one of the few positives to come out of the much derided Copenhagen COP meeting in 2009. Much of this year’s negotiations in Doha have also been focused on the question of funding.

On the one hand this could be seen as an encouraging sign that the COP process may yet deliver some tangible results for those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. A couple of weeks ago I reported from farming communities in the mountains of Bolivia, where climate change is already a reality. Such communities urgently need support to help them adapt to the changes that are underway. Yet many Bolivian civil society groups remain unconvinced that a growing focus on adaptation within international negotiations offers much reason for optimism.

For activists such as Martin Vilela from the Bolivian Climate Change Platform the pledges of adaptation support are all too often ‘empty promises’. He doubts that significant resources will ever arrive and says that the ambiguity of the $100 billion figure ‘does not offer any kind of clear commitment (on adaptation financing)’. Martin points to the way developed countries are already trying to ‘reduce expectations’ and are blaming the economic crisis for not being able to provide more funds. Recent research by IIED seems to support Martin’s reservations, showing that adaptation finance has been inadequate to date, with many donors simply relabelling pre-existing aid as climate finance – so it is not in fact ‘new and additional’, as was promised at Copenhagen....

A rainbow in the Faroe Islands, shot by Erik Christensen, Porkeri, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Multilateral development banks join forces to track climate financing

AllAfrica.com via the African Development Bank: The African Development Bank led a team of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to develop a new joint approach to track climate financing including Adaptation and Mitigation Financing. The reports were launched during a side event panel at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP18) in Doha on December 5.

The new common methodology to track climate financing and value its impact was launched during a panel discussion on the topic, featuring representatives from each of the MDBs involved - the AfDB, Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank.

Simon Mizrahi, Director of the AfDB's Quality Assurance and Results Department (ORQR), expressed the urgent need to take on climate financing and its tracking and make it a moral obligation. "Climate change is already taxing the lives and future of millions of people in Africa specifically, as they will be the hardest hit. Drought, storms, floods are destroying the livelihood of millions in the most vulnerable countries on earth," Mizrahi continued. "Addressing climate change needs a worldwide team effort as the numbers are staggering and a collective partnership is the only way forward."

AfDB Chief Climate Change Specialist Mafalda Duarte introduced the joint MDB reports on Adaptation and Mitigation Finance and how these will support better project design and allow better accountability to stakeholders, whether they be member countries, institutions or private donors. "Commitments have been made in terms of climate finance because of the recognition that climate finance is needed to address the climate change impacts we are facing and we will face," Duarte said. "These joint reports provide a system to monitor these commitment trends and progresses, in climate-related investments. -We believe also that this tracking and monitoring will mobilize resources from capital markets into green investments and will also define what these investments are going to be."…

Bangladesh, Maldives front runners in adapting to climate change impacts

The Daily Star: As the most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts, Bangladesh and the Maldives are becoming front runners in adapting to climate change impacts.

The ministers of Environment of Bangladesh and the Maldives at a high-level event organised during the annual United Nations Climate Summit convened at Doha discussed how their nations are prioritising climate change issues as a key developmental challenge and embracing actions aimed at increasing climate resilience of people and infrastructure through strategic national investments and innovative national climate financing.

According to recent estimates, 14.6 million people in the coastal areas of Bangladesh are vulnerable to inundation due to increased cyclonic surges, and this number will increase to 18.5 million by 2050 under moderate climate change scenarios, said a World Bank press release.

Over the last decades, the Bangladesh government has invested more than US$10bn to make the country less vulnerable to natural disasters. Measures as strengthening river embankments, building emergency cyclone shelters, and developing world class community based early warning system have significantly reduced the loss of life and livelihoods and property damages caused by extreme weather events…

A shipbreaking yard in Chittagong, shot by Stéphane M. Grueso, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license

Canada invests in climate change solutions in developing countries

Canada Newswire: Today, the Honourable Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister, announced a number of key initiatives to support climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts in developing countries.

"Canada continues to deliver on its commitment to support developing countries in their efforts to address climate change," said Minister Kent. "Canadian fast-start financing is providing concrete help for some of the most vulnerable countries and is reducing greenhouse gas emissions through investments in climate-friendly growth."

Some of the funding from the third wave of the Canadian contribution will support: 

• $75 million to support the Catalyst Fund, managed by the International Finance Corporation. The Fund will invest in venture capital and private equity in developing countries, with a focus on sectors such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, water, agriculture, and forestry.
• $76 million to the Asian Development Bank to establish a Canadian Climate Fund for the private sector in Asia. The Fund will encourage private investment in climate change projects in 33 low and lower-middle income countries and small island states within Asia. These funds will be invested in projects related to renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation and infrastructure, and climate resilience.
• $16.5 million to the United Nations Development Programme for adaptation projects in least developed countries.

The investment is part of Canada's fast-start financing commitment under the Copenhagen Accord to provide $1.2 billion in new and additional financing to support climate change action in developing countries….

UNEP launches new initiative to support climate change adaptation in Africa

UNEP News Centre: From managing coastal erosion, to tackling pressures on food supply, a new initiative launched today by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will aim to support communities across Africa in adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The Africa Adaptation Knowledge Network will serve as a hub for knowledge, research, successful initiatives, and collaborative partnerships on climate change adaptation.

It builds on ongoing efforts around the continent to mobilize existing knowledge and provide robust solutions to the major impact of climate change on lives and livelihoods in Africa.

Disasters such as severe droughts in the Sahel in 2012 and the Horn of Africa in 2011 have brought into sharp focus the serious impacts on water, land, soil, and other resources linked to climate change on the continent, and the need to build resilience to such pressures.

Warming in Africa is projected to continue to increase by 3-4oC over the next century. This poses a serious challenge to sustainable development, particularly as the economies of most African countries depend on climate-sensitive sectors such as water, agriculture, fisheries, energy and tourism.

Yet the region lacks the capacity and resources needed to face the challenges of climate change - a problem that could have major economic consequences...

Goats in the beach in Banjul, Gambia, shot by Niels Elgaard Larsen, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Can Thailand adapt to climate change?

Bandid Nijathaworn in Thailand Business News: Flooding in Bangkok shut down global supply chains, torrential storms in Beijing and the Philippines took lives, and, most recently, the rare landfall of a hurricane in the US northeast caused immense and multifarious damage and suffering.

Natural disasters have always occurred, but in the 21st century to date, humanity is witnessing unprecedented climatic variations while hundreds of millions of people migrate to increasingly vulnerable coastal urban areas.

Construction of flood prevention walls along the rivers are aimed at replacing sandbag embankment used during the flood crisis last year. It’s clear – global challenges can be tackled, and the private and public sector are beginning to acknowledge the urgency in implementing solutions. The greatest hill to climb now is enabling the environment for investment in building resilient communities that will be ready to adapt to a changing world.

The World Bank reports that us$ 75 billion-us$ 100 billion annually will be needed for the next 40 years or more for developing countries to adapt to these challenges and prevent loss of life and jobs. The difference remaining after current allocation (about US$ 3.5 billion-US$ 9 billion, according to the OECD) is US$ 71.5 billion-US$ 91 billion.

The World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Climate Change is addressing these and other climate issues during the next two years and will bring the message of the urgent need to adapt to its wide network of business and government leaders. When the Council met in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, November 12-14, for the Summit on the Global Agenda 2012, it developed work plans for its three focus areas: adaptation metrics, climate smart investments, and communications and engagement...

Namibia: Poor countries want fund for loss and damage

Irene Ihoaes in AllAfrica.com via New Era (Namibia): east Developed Countries (LDCs) are calling for the establishment of a fund to deal with the problem of loss and damage, as a result of climate change and global warming.

"We are looking for an international mechanism on loss and damage, although it is seen as part of the Cancun Adaptation Framework. It should be a form of compensation, there is no way you can run away from this," Pa Ousman Jarful, chairman of the LDC Group at the climate change negotiations told reporters on the sideline of the 18th session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Doha, Qatar.

The 18th Session of the UNFCCC and the 8th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol started on Monday November 26 and will run until December 07. Loss and damage, a new concept in climate change discourse refers to the negative effects of climate variability and climate change that people are not able to cope with or adapt to.

According to Jarful, loss and damage is a reality for many vulnerable communities, adding that failure to address that will compromise sustainable development and ensure affected countries that have contributed least to global greenhouse emissions will continue to suffer disproportionately. Each LDC at least needs US$3 billion to build resilience, while each of the countries had allocated funds themselves to deal with the problem.

Jarful is against loans for adaptation, stating that LDCs are not responsible for the loss and damage caused by climate change and need to be compensated and not just given loans. "Every country has to put institutional mechanisms in place to monitor funds that are coming in for adaptation. We have learnt from our mistakes, we have mainstream adaptation and climate change in our developmental plans," he added....

The Doha skyline, shot by Amjra, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license