The environment in the news friday, 20 April 2007 unep and the Executive Director in the News
IDM.net.au, Australia : Global ICT Response for Global Emergencies
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IDM.net.au, Australia : Global ICT Response for Global EmergenciesApril 18, 2007: A global conference in Egypt has highlighted the need for the international community to step up its information systems for disaster warning, recovery and emergency response. The conference concluded this week in Alexandria Egypt after four days of industry, NGO and government and private sector deliberations. In the wake of a spate of natural disasters including tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and fires, the Alexandria meeting was a step forward in guaranteeing access to information and communication facilities in the event of a disaster. Ensuring appropriate access not only speeds up rescue operations, but quickens the response for humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation. The event was co-organised by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and organisations such as the UN Environment Programme, the League of Arab States and the Centre for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe. The meeting concluded on a platform for ensuring the dissemination of vital information on disaster management, environmental monitoring and delivery of e-health services. The platform’s objectives included the need to identify the best option for disaster communications, conducting drills and simulations for ICT in disaster management and preparing information and case studies to learn and draw lessons from previous disasters. Related Articles: Cisco Pledges US$1m to Connect Worlds Poorest Aiming to further aid ICT education in developing nations and bridge the digital divide, Cisco will be increasing its support role within the ICT Empowerment Network and its micro-credit financing initiative. In his open session, Sami Al-Bashee, director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau highlighted the need for emergency telecommunications. “Any disaster reduction measure that is not linked to telecommunications does not go far enough,” he said.
………………………………………….. PeaceJournalism.com, Nepal : U.S. rejects call for tougher U.N. environment roleTue 17 Apr 2007, 8:43 GMT By Daniel Wallis NAIROBI, April 17 (Reuters) - The United States supports moves to strengthen the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) but sees no need for a new, more powerful U.N. agency, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. France led 46 nations calling in February for the creation of a U.N. Environment Organisation (UNEO) to fight threats like global warming, water shortages and the extinction of species. Critics often say that UNEP, based in Nairobi, has too little power. But Washington says it remains the best forum to help countries comply with a raft of environmental treaties on topics ranging from toxic waste to marine life and hunting. "There are dozens of these multilateral agreements. Our view is they should be administered by their respective memberships," said Gerald Anderson, deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Bureau of International Organisations Affairs. "The U.N. did not write these treaties. Its membership is not the same as that of the treaties, so it is not appropriate for a U.N. organisation to administer their implementation." The proposed UNEO would be modelled on the World Health Organisation, which has more clout than UNEP, and could help promote funding and research and coordinate government action. Climate experts have issued their starkest warning yet about the impact of climate change -- widely blamed on human emissions of greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels -- with dire forecasts from hunger in Africa to a fast thaw in the Himalayas. A U.N. report this month said warming would cause droughts, desertification and rising seas. The U.N. Security Council was due to discuss climate change on Tuesday for the first time. In February, French President Jacques Chirac said the "very survival of humankind" hung in the balance. His call for a new U.N. body was backed by European Union countries and others including Algeria, Ecuador, Cambodia, the Seychelles and Gabon. But the United States, China, Russia and India -- the four biggest emitters of carbon dioxide -- were absent from the list. Washington sees UNEP as being in a very good position to "add U.N. value" by helping developing nations build capacity, manage their environments and meet their treaty obligations, Anderson told Reuters at a U.N. meeting in Kenya. "We are very much in favour of UNEP," he said. "Our concern is if you create new, bigger institutions, the people at the top get further from that kind of expertise at the ground level." http://peacejournalism.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=19433 …………………………….. Brisbane Times, Australia : Melting Himalayan glaciers pose risk: UNApril 17, 2007 - 3:25PM Global warming will cause the Himalayan glaciers to melt, leading to mass migration and possibly conflicts over valuable resources such as agricultural land and fresh water, the UN Environment program chief said. Achim Steiner, speaking ahead of the UN Security Council's first-ever debate on climate change, said that global warming should be considered a security issue as shortages of water and fertile land in the next 10 to 20 years may lead to conflicts. The melting of the Himalayan glaciers is expected to displace millions of people from low-lying land as sea levels rise, and disrupt river flows and irrigation of agricultural land. "When people start moving, it puts people into competition with one another," Steiner told Reuters in a phone interview from Nairobi. "Where will these people go? Where will they run to where other communities want them?" The Himalayan glaciers, which feed rivers in India and China, are among the fastest-melting in the world. Scientists have said the Himalayan glaciers could shrink to 100,000 square km by the 2030s, from 500,000 square km now, if the current pace of global warming continues. Former World Bank chief economist Nicholas Stern warned last year that the melting of Himalayan glaciers could cause serious flooding in Bangladesh, sparking a mass migration into India. Steiner, who will be in Singapore on Thursday for the Champions of the Earth awards that are presented each year to seven environmental leaders, cited Africa as an example of how climate change could threaten peace and security. He said fights over agricultural land had led to some of the conflicts in Sudan, and that climate change could lead to an even bigger flood of illegal immigrants from Africa into Europe. Steiner also warned that global warming, largely caused by industrialised countries, would hit developing countries hardest, stoking tensions between rich and poor nations. As a result, the OECD nations need to help developing countries in Asia and elsewhere adopt environmentally friendly technology, and provide subsidies to help countries invest in wind and solar farms. "The OECD nations should have a vested interest in supporting countries in Asia in the future of energy management," he said. The UN climate panel earlier this month issued its strongest warning yet about the impact of global warming. The report, based on the findings of 2,500 scientists, said that more than one billion people may face a shortage of fresh water by 2050, and that millions will be threatened by floods as sea levels rise by the 2080s. While the UN meeting is a sign that governments are paying more attention to environmental concerns, an international deal on how to tackle climate change will depend in part on the outcome of world trade talks because they will decide the concessions that countries want to take, Steiner said. "They define to a great extent the climate of compromise and the willingness to negotiate," he said. http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/melting-himalayan-glaciers-pose-risk-un/20075417-7z2.html Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 423.36 Kb. Share with your friends:
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