The Role of NGOs in Tackling Climate Change
A new report by Chris Church, Co-Chair of the Northern Alliance for Sustainability, ANPED, and Tamara Malkova, Director of Green Dossier, looks at the role of NGOs in tackling climate change. The report, Action on Climate Change: From a Divided Europe to a Common Purpose, is based on a survey carried out by NGOs within the ANPED Network in autumn 2007. It looked first at government action on climate change across Europe. It became clear early on that Europe is divided on this issue. Nations that are part of the EU and that have clear targets under the Kyoto protocol are mostly moving in the right direction (often slowly). But in the eastern part of the pan-European region there are very variable approaches. The survey also looked at NGO activity, asked whether and how the NGO was active on climate change. Again there were big differences between east and west.
The results of the survey suggest that most governments have some policy and legislation but few have a developed action plan with goals and targets. There is good practice emerging but this is often under-resourced and not getting the support that is needed. There is inadequate linking of this work with action on issues such as housing, industry and transport, even though these sectors are major contributors to Greenhouse Gas Emissions. There is little evidence of work to engage municipal authorities are civil society. The survey responses also suggest a lack of clarity on the likely impacts: water shortages are already an issue in the Central Asian nations due to glacier loss and this situation is likely to get worse in the near future.
There is an overriding need for a new global deal and a strong EU Action Plan, but there is also a need for effective national action. At the moment that action is not happening in too many European nations and this needs to change. That change needs vision, planning and leadership as well as policy. NGOs have a huge potential to show leadership and build engagement in those nations where governments are lagging. But to do that many will need to make a step change in terms of what they do and how they do it. There are a few NGOs taking this work forward in every nation but much more work is needed and support is needed for that work.
EU Consumption, Global Pollution
According to a new WWF report, Europeans are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions produced not only in Europe but in other rapidly industrialising countries because of their consumption and trade patterns. This occurs through imports of goods manufactured with carbon-intensive technologies in other areas of the world to satisfy European consumer demands.
The report, EU Consumption, Global Pollution, shows that CO2 emissions due to European consumption in 2001 were about 500 million tonnes higher than emissions physically produced in Europe. This is more than Italy’s domestic emissions that same year.
Countries most impacted by European carbon imbalance are China, South-Africa and Russia. In total, China emits 22 per cent more CO2 than the emissions due to its consumption. For South Africa the amount raises to 63 per cent. Similarly, almost 10 per cent of Russian emissions are related to consumption in the EU.
The situation reflects the fact that the European economy mainly exports services and high-value goods while importing energy-intensive raw materials such as oil or steel. Imported goods also tend to cause far more emissions because production in some countries requires higher amount of energy. European trade barriers include import duties on integrated compact fluorescent lamps (CFL-i) imported from China while conventional and less climate-friendly incandescent lamps are not subject to any duty.
WWF argues that European climate commitments should be reflected in all European policies, including trade. European trade needs to stimulate innovation and clean technologies in emerging economies and, at the same time, eliminate barriers to climate-friendly goods entering the European market.
Rigorous Measures Needed to Tackle Transport Emissions
The transport sector in the EU must apply rigorous measures to help Europe meet its greenhouse gas emission targets, says a new report published by the European Environment Agency.
With passenger volumes steadily increasing and freight transport growing at a faster pace than the economy, the movement of goods is becoming less efficient, in spite of technological progress. The study Climate for a Transport Change urges policy-makers to set challenging, but realistic targets for this sector, while addressing transport demand 'in a serious and unbiased way'.
The report goes well beyond the provision of emissions data from the transport sector and urges integration of land use and transport in urban planning. To address transport demand, measures and policy instruments must go beyond the transport sector itself and be introduced into sectors of the economy such as households, industry and service, within which the demand for transport actually originates.
Across the EU-15, cities account for roughly 80 % of traffic congestion costs, including loss of working hours. The study reveals that voluntary commitments by car manufacturers to improve efficiency in vehicles have not resulted in sufficient gains. In addition, the occupancy rates of private vehicles have gradually been going down. Approximately 12 % of the overall EU emissions of CO2 come from fuel burnt by passenger cars.
Declaration of Tilburg
In January 2008, over 300 Flemish and Dutch scientists, economists, politicians, representatives from labour unions, business, social movements and organisations came together in Tilburg, The Netherlands, to address the urgent need for changes in economic policy.
The conference arose from petitions to both the Dutch and Flemish parliament, requesting a fair measurement of the economy. The petitions were signed by many top economists. In preparation of the conference, four expert meetings were organised with the participation of a variety of stakeholders.
At the conference, a Declaration of Tilburg was adopted which calls upon a radical re-orientation of the economy, motivated by the fast-growing urgency of global issues such as climate change, resource depletion, the persistence of wide-spread poverty and increasing global inequity. This change should be a common effort and should substantially intervene in the scope and form of production and trading systems, money generation, and consumption patterns.
EU Agrees Deadline for Action on Climate Change
At its spring summit this month, the European Union has set itself a deadline for giving a legal substance to its commitment to combat climate change by setting firm targets for a 20% reduction in Co2 emissions before 2020.
Beyond emissions reductions, the agreement also seeks to reduce energy imports, liberalise internal energy markets to increase competition, reduce taxes on environmentally friendly products, and to achieve world leadership in renewable energy technologies.
However, some Member States have also voiced their concerns that their economies should not be allowed to suffer because of Brussels attempts to meet its climate policy objectives. Germany and France, in particular have expressed worries about the impact of emissions reduction legislation on the competitiveness of their industries. Member States with expensive labour costs such as Germany have struggled in recent years under increased competition from low wage countries in the far East and South America as global competition continues to intensify. France and Germany have recently been at loggerheads over proposed vehicle emissions reductions, amid concerns over the impact on their auto manufacturing industries.
The European Council also welcomed a joint report prepared by the High Representative Javier Solana and the Commission on Climate Change and International Security. According to this paper, climate change can be considered to be "a threat multiplier which exacerbates existing trends, tensions and instability". These threats include conflict over resources, such as food and water, economic damage to coastal cities and critical infrastructures, loss of territory and border disputes, and environmentally-induced migration. The report underlines that these dangers are not only of a humanitarian nature; they are also political and security risks. The European Council acknowledged the importance of this challenge and invited the Council to examine how to address the issue, in particular by intensifying cooperation with third countries and regions.
Janez Jansa, Prime Minister of Slovenia who currently holds the rotating EU presidency stated that EU leaders have taken a "huge step forward" with this agreement. "We are convinced that the costs of these measures will be much lower than if we don't act."
Carbon Monitoring for Action
Carbon Monitoring for Action (CARMA) is a comprehensive database produced by the Center for Global Development, containing information on the carbon emissions of over 50,000 power plants and 4,000 power companies worldwide. The initiative’s work is led by Senior Fellow David Wheeler. Wheeler recently released a working paper, Moving Toward A Consensus on Climate Policy: The Essential Role of Global Public Disclosure that argues for an urgent and aggressive international effort to apply information disclosure techniques to the problem of greenhouse gases.
The data in CARMA are compiled from numerous sources. Emissions data for thousands of power plants in the U.S., Canada, the EU, and India come from official reports. Other data are derived from information provided by power sector analysts, the International Energy Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and a host of geographic databases.
The objective of CARMA is to equip individuals with the information they need to forge a cleaner, low-carbon future. By providing complete information for both clean and dirty power producers, CARMA hopes to influence the opinions and decisions of consumers, investors, shareholders, managers, workers, activists, and policymakers. CARMA builds on experience with public information disclosure techniques that have proven successful in reducing traditional pollutants.
SCP and the Role of NGOs
A new paper by Chris Church and Sylvia Lorek, Linking Policy and Practice in Sustainable Production and Consumption: an Assessment of the Role of NGOs, looks at NGOs activities in sustainable consumption and production and obstacles being faced. It identifies lessons for policymakers seeking to engage civil society and makes recommendations on how academics can co-operate more effectively with civil society.
Insights are drawn from recent studies on stakeholder involvement in the international political process and a series of surveys and semi-structured interviews. The authors identify four challenges. Effort should: be planned more strategically; link sustainable consumption to current priorities; ensure better links between global and local; and NGOs have to better link to other interest groups.
The Role of the European Parliament
The newest Eurobarometer measured a certain number of key indicators concerning in particular the extent to which Europeans are familiar with and how they perceive the role and responsibilities of the European Parliament. The European Parliament is the European institution with which Europeans are the most familiar. It is also the European institution in which European citizens have the most trust.
Results show that citizens want the European Parliament to have greater power in relation to the Commission and the Council and that its role within the European Union should be strengthened further.
In response to the question which policies should be given priority in the work of the European Parliament, combating climate change, improving consumer and public health protection, and a common energy policy stand among the top five, whereas 26 percent of the persons polled list an environmentally friendly agriculture as a top priority.
Encyclopedia of Life
The dream of famed biologist E.O. Wilson—to put together and freely share a comprehensive database of every species of plant and wildlife known to man—has finally come true - at least in part. With Wilson as their inspiration, a diverse group of partners have come together on the nonprofit project, dubbed the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). As of the recent launch, some 30,000 plant and wildlife species have been catalogued, with hundreds of thousands more to be added in the coming months. According to organizers, the project—designed to be used by everyone from scientists to average readers—has the potential "to greatly enhance our understanding of the world’s diminishing biodiversity." It could, they said, have an impact on human knowledge comparable to that which followed the invention of the microscope in the 17th century.
The immense amount of information in the free online encyclopedia is being culled from a variety of sources, including several existing specialized databases (such as AmphibiaWeb and FishBase). "The thing that makes the encyclopedia possible now, when it would not have been possible five years ago, is that there are many online resources that have been developed which we can draw upon," said James Edwards, the project’s executive director. "Second, information technology has reached a point where you can pool bits of information from different sources and present them in the way that, for example, Google News does... we’re using the same kind of approach."
While most of the current 30,000 species listings on the site are relatively rudimentary, EOL has developed full-flown multimedia pages for a dozen or so species. Less than two percent of the known species are online, but Edwards thinks his system will feature all 1.8 million by 2017.
Report of Ljubljana Conference on SCP
Housing, food and drink, and mobility have the greatest environmental impact over their lifecycle, the EEA and the European Commission have shown. This concern brought together European governments, researchers, NGOs and business under the same roof during a conference held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, back in September last year.
The recommendations of the event have now been published: the report Time for action — towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe, is the result of a joint initiative of the EEA, the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and the UNEP/Wuppertal Institute Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP).
The upcoming EU Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) — possibly combined with an Action Plan on Sustainable Industrial Policies — should include 'clear sustainability targets' according to the recommendations developed by the participants of the conference. Concrete steps to get the prices right and a directive on green public procurement were additional top-priority recommendations identified by the experts ahead of the EU Action Plan.
Internalising costs through environmental fiscal reforms, identifying models and examples of sustainable living and developing long term visions of sustainable consumption and production were the top-priority recommendations identified for national authorities, in cooperation with business and civil society.
At the global level, participants advocated for the United Nations within its Marrakech Process to encourage national governments to integrate sustainable consumption and production objectives into ministries beyond environment. The conference also singled out the need to develop a world-wide communication strategy to promote sustainable consumption and production and to involve also private financial institutions.
Planet Green
Back in April 2007, Discovery Communications Chief Executive David Zaslav announced Discovery PlanetGreen, a global, cross-platform initiative including the first-ever 24-hour television network dedicated solely to green lifestyle programming. The initiative also includes a $50 million investment in new original content and a robust multi-platform offering with interactive tools and comprehensive "how-to" resources.
Beginning in 2008, Discovery Home Channel will re-brand as the first 24-hour green channel in the United States. The network, expected to debut in over 50 million U.S. homes, will be dedicated to the highest quality programming for a green lifestyle. The network's content will provide entertaining, authentic and quality information for such categories as eco-design, organic food and green architecture.
Yes! Climate Solutions
The Spring 2008 issue of Yes! Magazine takes on the difficult questions of what we can do about climate change and what solutions are up to the scale of the crisis.
The Positive Futures Network and its publication YES! magazine start with the belief that we need deep change if we are to avoid the breakdown of society and the natural world.
Its hope lies in the fact that millions of people around the world are creating the needed changes in their homes, communities, work places, and nations. Powerful innovations are taking hold within agriculture, businesses, criminal justice, schools - virtually every sector of society.
The work of the Positive Futures Network is to give visibility and momentum to these signs of an emerging society in which life, not money, is what counts; in which everyone matters; and in which vibrant, inclusive communities offer prosperity, security, and meaningful ways of life.
OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030
How will economic and social developments drive environmental change to 2030? What policies are needed to address the main environmental challenges? How can OECD and non-OECD countries best work together to tackle these challenges?
The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 provides analyses of economic and environmental trends to 2030, and simulations of policy actions to address the key challenges. Without new policies, we risk irreversibly damaging the environment and the natural resource base needed to support economic growth and well-being. The costs of policy inaction are high.
The Outlook shows that tackling the key environmental problems we face today -- including climate change, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and the health impacts of pollution -- is both achievable and affordable. It highlights a mix of policies that can address these challenges in a cost-effective way. The focus of this Outlook is expanded from the 2001 edition to reflect developments in both OECD countries and Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China, South Africa (BRIICS), and how they might better co-operate on global and local environmental problem-solving.
UNEP-UITP Public Transport Campaign
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have launched a joint television campaign to encourage individuals to take public transport - a mobility choice that can help reduce the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change.
Carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the greenhouse gases, strongly contributes to climate change. Most CO2 comes from fossil fuel combustion. With 95% of transport’s energy derived from this source, transport is a major emitter of CO2.
Some 50% of all urban trips are under 5 km. By taking public transport instead of the car for some of these trips, motorists can play an important role in reducing the negative impact on our environment.
The advertisement, called The Voice of Reason (Aged 6), is in the style of a child’s drawing and views the world through a little girl’s eyes. This gives it an emotional appeal and a voice of hope for the future. It signs off with the message, ‘The world is your home. Look after it.’
Do Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth?
We tend to see climate change as an overwhelmingly daunting threat requiring impossible sacrifices. But it's time to rethink, say a range of notable experts brought together by the New Economics Foundation and the Open University - who share a conviction that living well need not cost the earth.
Do Good Lives Have to Cost the Earth? is not written by one author but instead by a cross-section of about 12 people who have different backgrounds and specialisms. The main message is that in order to live a good life (i.e. one which is fulfilling but doesn't "cost the earth") Western society needs to have a good think about what it's goals are.
It is a fact, proven by the latest research that materialism and consumerism and the struggle for greater wealth do not translate into greater happiness. However, materialism and consumerism do have deeply negative impacts on the environment and on people's wellbeing - but to what purpose if wealth doesn't even make you any happier?
To quote from the book: "If you want to be happy for a few hours then get drunk. If you want to be happy for a few years then get married, and if you want to be happy for your lifetime, get a garden!"
