The environment in the news thursday, 22 May 2008
Scoop NZ: International Authorities Join Environment Day
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Scoop NZ: International Authorities Join Environment DayThursday, 22 May 2008, 10:17 am Press Release: Business Council for Sustainable Development Media Release 22 May, 2008 International authorities lead NZ World Environment Day events Two of the world's foremost authorities on managing climate change will be joined by the Prime Minister Helen Clark and New Zealand business leaders at Auckland events to mark World Environment Day on June 4. The New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable development leads the programme for the day with a business breakfast featuring the Executive Director of the United Nations' Environment Programme, Dr Achim Steiner, who leads the world's response to climate change. Dr Steiner is one of the world's foremost voices on climate change and measures that business can introduce to mitigate the effects on the environment. He will be joined at the breakfast by New Zealand's Minister for Economic Development, Dr Pete Hodgson. Dr Steiner is widely regarded as an authorative and entertaining speaker on the areas he will discuss with the Business Council. He will focus on what he believes are both the major challenges and the many opportunities available to businesses around the world as they move to reduce their impact and develop new technologies to counter climate change. Immediately following the Business Council's business breakfast is a half-day business symposium to be opened by the Prime Minister Helen Clark and featuring Dr Rajendra Pachauri, Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC). Dr Steiner will also chair one of the discussion panels at the Symposium. Among the business and Government leaders featuring on the various discussion panels are the Secretary to the Treasury, John Whitehead, and Business Council members and leaders Fonterra CEO Andrew Ferrier and Contact Energy CEO David Baldwin. "This combination of politicians, business leaders and leading international figures in the climate change debate is probably the most high-powered group assembled in New Zealand to highlight and discuss answers to the hugely pressing issue of Climate Change," says Business Council Chief Executive Peter Neilson. That's a sentiment echoed by the head of Victoria University's Institute of Policy Studies and the Climate Change Research Centre Dr Jonathan Boston. The Institute is the host of the Business Symposium. "What makes this symposium so valuable is that we are talking about opportunities and answers, some of which are already being implemented, while others are on their way for businesses wanting to take hold of the momentum that is building in this crucial field. "New Zealand leads the world into the United Nations' World Environment Day and we are fortunate, through the work of the Ministry of the Environment, and MFAT to have secured the calibre of speakers available for these two keynote events." The Business Council's Business breakfast is at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Westhaven, at 7.30am on June 4 with the Business Symposium at the same venue immediately following the breakfast.
20 May 2008 Posted to the web 21 May 2008 Etim Imisim Abuja To ensure comprehensive development all over Nigeria, President Umaru Yar'Adua has been asked to include environmental sustainability to his seven-point agenda. The call was made last week in Abuja by the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Dr. Grace Bent, during a public hearing on a bill being proposed to establish a National Climate Commission in Nigeria. The bill has gone through a second reading. It is sponsored by Senator John Shagaya and promoted by the Ewa Eleri-led Nigerian Climate Action Network, a climate change lobby made up of individuals and groups from government, the private sector and civil society. Bent said human and industrial activities of developed countries are the major causes of climate change, and noted that Nigeria contributes to global carbon load through gas flaring and deforestation. She noted further that the country lacked clear policy and leadership on climate change, and that the bill was the beginning of addressing the challenge in a coherent manner. Also at the hearing, Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, said he would convey the request to the President. Kingibe said Nigeria has been acknowledged internationally as proactive about the environment, and that President Yar'Adua himself has raised environmental concerns at Commonwealth and G8 forums. "Climate is an urgent, international issue," he said. "We (the executive) will work with the National Assembly to address the issue." Other individuals and groups in both public and private sectors contributed to the bill, which is meant to promote the nation's environmental security. Special Adviser to the President on international affairs, Mr. Ken Saro-Wiwa Jnr., said he regularly receives enquiries from foreign investors who wish to know what framework Nigeria has for managing climate change. Last week, THISDAY Development wrote in support of the bill to establish a National Climate Commission and said that the argument had gone beyond the desirability or not of such an agency. The idea had been accepted perhaps by all stakeholders after initial opposition. The only contentious issues that remained to be cleared were where to warehouse the agency and what structure it would need to function effectively. We argued for an independent, stand-alone agency, as was in the bill, and saw a parallel in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which operates independently although it was created by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). The logic was that it would be against international practice for the commission to be 'warehoused' within a ministry, or an existing government parastal being empowered to manage climate change. Mr. Stefan Cramer, a supporter of the bill, wrote in from Lagos to support our position. The Country Director of Heinrich Boll Foundation, which is allied to the Green Party of Germany, also drew attention to certain political and other weaknesses not noted about the IPCC. "The IPCC, as I know it," he said, "has no administrative and legislative powers at all. It is simply a voluntary scientific commission to advise governments and make recommendations. Because of the sensitivity of the research, even research results are scrutinised by governments and adopted in consensus mode, often to the displeasure of the scientists who find their results voted or vetoed by their own governments. "But the bill, as I understand it, wants to create a super-authority that could jolt the different line departments into action. Climate change is an overarching concern for almost all government departments at all levels. I hope the Nigerian government can find a suitable solution to this gargantuan task. Yet, a Nigerian IPCC as a high-powered research coordinating and scrutinising outfit would be more than welcome", he said. The fear had been that Environment and Urban Development Minister, Halima Tayo Alao, would oppose the creation of an independent climate commission. The minister turned out at the hearing as one of the strongest proponents of the bill. Alao was concerned with the big picture. According to her, Nigeria was exposed through fragile ecosystem, low-lying coastal areas especially in the south as well as arid and semi-arid land in the north. The implication was that the country was vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and these affect the livelihood of citizens. All agencies of government, which opposed the bill, did not do so on technical or professional grounds. All wished to keep or add to their hamlets and to fight off intruders in their dust. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, for example, thought half its job would go with an independent agency to manage climate change. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) reasoned that a climate commission would over-tax the energy market and pass on extra tariffs to consumers. As the hearing progressed, none these and other fears expressed at the hearing turned out to be true. Jobs would not be lost. And as the presentation of Energy Market of UK showed, the sector and consumers stand to gain.
NARO said apart from the water hyacinth, six other invasive plants had attacked the country and were "a threat to national biodiversity." The plants, which are now spread in all the agro-ecological zones, are lantana camara (Kayukiyuki), cymbopogon nardus (Omuteete), acacia (acacia hokii), cassia (senna spectabillis), striga weed and the water hyacinth. The scientists cautioned farmers against using the plants as flowers in their compounds and farms. In the long run, they replace useful pastures as they release toxins to suppress crop growth. "The invasive plants are drought and fire-resistant. It's not easy to control them," Dr G. Gumisiriza, a pasture researcher, said. The researchers under the NARO and the UNEP/Global Fund noted that the cattle corridor, stretching from Rakai district to Karamoja is one of the zones worst-hit by the destructive plants. Gumisiriza says the destructive species inhibit access to water and make livestock grazing difficult. The lantana camara, which is one of the most important, creates thickets, with thorns which animals find difficult to go through. In some homes, it is introduced by humans for use as ornamental, flowers and hedge plants. Gumisiriza says lantana can stall natural forest regeneration and pose a serious threat to endangered native plant species. The plant is compartible with a wide range of environments and its all-year flowering allows rapid seeddispersal over long distances by birds. To keep off the destructive plants, farmers should avoid planting grass on farms as fencing for livestock and uproot and burn all the bad plants. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ Peopleandplanet.net: UNEP launches 7 billion tree campaignPosted: 21 May 2008 A worldwide tree planting drive to help tackle the challenge of climate change, has now set its sights on planting seven billion trees. It follows the news that the Billion Tree Campaign has, in just 18 months, encouraged the planting of two billion trees, double its original target. The campaign, led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), was launched in 2006 as a response to global warming, water shortages and the loss of species. Under the patronage of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Kenyan Green Belt Movement founder Professor Wangari Maathai and Prince Albert II of Monaco, it has broken every target set so far and resulted in tree planting in over 150 countries. Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director, said: “When the Billion Tree Campaign was launched at the Climate Convention meeting in Nairobi in 2006, no one could have imagined it could have flowered so fast and so far. But it has given expression to the frustrations but also the hopes of millions of people around the world”. "We are now calling on individuals, communities, business and industry, civil society organisations and governments to evolve this initiative onto a new and even higher level by the crucial climate change conference in Copenhagen in late 2009,” he said. Heads of State including the presidents of Indonesia, the Maldives, Mexico, Turkey and Turkmenistan as well cities; faith, youth and community groups have taken part. Individuals have accounted for over half of all participants. In a single day in Uttar Pradesh, India, 10.5 million trees were planted. In Turkey, 35 million young people have planted trees. And in sub-Saharan Africa and the UK, 500,000 schoolchildren have become involved. UNEP says tree planting remains one of the most cost-effective ways to address climate change. Trees and forests play a vital role in regulating the climate since they absorb carbon dioxide – containing an estimated 50 per cent more carbon than the atmosphere. Deforestation, in turn, accounts for over 20 per cent of the carbon dioxide humans generate, rivaling the emissions from other sources. Trees also play a crucial role in providing a range of products and services to rural and urban populations, including food, timber, fibre, medicines and energy as well as soil fertility, water and biodiversity conservation. The two billionth tree was put into the ground as part of an agroforestry project carried out by the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP). It now planted 60 million trees in 35 countries to improve food security. Geographically, Africa has seen over half of all tree plantings. Regional and national governments organized the most massive plantings, with Ethiopia leading the count at 700 million, followed by Turkey (400 million), Mexico (250 million), and Kenya (100 million).
Ob Tibetantilope oder Auerhuhn, ob wilde Aprikose oder Sommer-Adonisröschen: Die Vielfalt der Natur ist unermesslich. Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes. 1,75 Millionen Arten gibt es auf der Welt, sagen die Experten des UN-Umweltprogramms Unep. 13 Millionen schätzen andere Wissenschaftler. Auf jeden Fall sind wir reich gesegnet. Wie klein erscheint da doch die Zahl 41 415. So viele Pflanzen und Tiere gelten als gefährdet - auf dem gesamten Globus. Eigentlich kein Grund zur Panik. Und trotzdem tagen derzeit Tausende Experten aus aller Welt in Bonn - es geht um das Artensterben und wie es aufzuhalten ist. Ein Uno-Gipfel, 190 Staaten sind vertreten, gerüstet mit Tabellen, Zahlenkolonnen und Forschungsergebnissen. Unterm Strich soll das Leid der Erde stehen und wie rasant sie sich verändert. Es ist eine längst bekannte Rechnung, doch erst mit dem Uno-Gipfel bekommt sie politisches Gewicht. Endlich. Und leider ziemlich spät. Denn die Zahl 41 415 ist bedrohlicher, als sie aussieht. Dahinter verbergen sich 16 306 Arten, die vom Aussterben bedroht sind, Tendenz steigend. Beispiel Westlicher Gorilla. Die Population der imposanten Tiere - in Gabun und Kamerun beheimatet - hat sich in den vergangenen 20 bis 25 Jahren um rund 60 Prozent verkleinert. Wissenschaftler befürchten, dass noch 4000 bis 5000 Tiere in freier Wildbahn leben. Mitte der 90er Jahre waren es 17 000. W enn eine Art von der Erde verschwindet - egal ob Tier, Pflanze, Pilz oder Bakterie -, kommt ein gefährlicher Dominoeffekt in Gang. Denn das ökologische Gleichgewicht ist empfindlich. Stirbt eine Pflanze aus, von der sich eine Insektenart vorwiegend ernährt, ist auch diese in ihrem Bestand gefährdet. Eine Vogelart, die sich wiederum auf die Insektenart spezialisiert hat, muss ebenfalls ums Überleben kämpfen. Ganz zu schweigen von den finanziellen Folgen. Wissenschaftler - von der EU und der Bundesregierung beauftragt - haben jetzt erstmals berechnet, wie viel uns die Umwelt bringt. Es sind fünf Billionen Dollar jährlich. Darunter fällt zum Beispiel der Beitrag, den Naturschutzgebiete zur Trinkwasser- und Luftaufbereitung leisten. Oder Schutz vor Überschwemmung und Erosion bieten. Voraussetzung dafür ist die Artenvielfalt, ohne die komplexe Ökosysteme nun mal nicht funktionieren. Sterben Arten aus, müssen Leistungen der Natur immer öfter künstlich erzeugt werden - für viel Geld. Es ist Zeit zu handeln. Das hat mittlerweile auch die Bundesregierung erkannt. Umweltminister Sigmar Gabriel hat die Länder der Welt zu mehr Einsatz aufgerufen im Kampf gegen den Artenschwund. Doch so wichtig der Appell auch sein mag: Gabriel sollte erst einmal den Blick ins eigene Land werfen, nach Deutschland, einem Industriestaat, der Vorbild sein muss für andere. Denn wer internationalen Artenschutz durchsetzen will, muss vor der eigenen Haustüre beginnen. In Baden-Württemberg zum Beispiel gibt es weiterhin keinen Nationalpark - ein besonders strenges Schutzgebiet, in dem sich Tiere und Pflanzen ungestört entwickeln können. Der Landesregierung ist dieses Projekt nicht wichtig genug. Auch an anderer Stelle hakt es: Die Vorschriften der EU-Vogelschutzrichtlinie werden von den Bundesländern nur zögerlich umgesetzt. Verglichen mit dem geknechteten Planeten Erde muten diese Probleme zwar harmlos an. Doch die Forderung, den Westlichen Gorilla zu schützen, klingt scheinheilig, wenn es nicht einmal gelingt, einen Nationalpark im Nordschwarzwald zu errichten. Der Problemfall Baden-Württemberg zeigt: Artenschutz muss zur Chefsache der Regierenden werden, ohne Rücksicht auf die Interessen von Wirtschaft, Verbänden und Lobbygruppen. Das gilt für die globale Staatengemeinschaft ebenso wie für Baden-Württemberg, Bayern oder Brandenburg. Die Teilnehmer des Uno-Gipfels müssen zu verbindlichen Zielen kommen - zum Beispiel zu einem weltweiten Netz von Schutzgebieten - und darauf achten, dass diese auch erreicht werden. Darüber gilt es zu diskutieren. Doch nicht zu lange. Denn ausgestorbene Arten kehren nicht zurück. Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ ABC Digital (Paraguay): Urgen priorizar políticas ambientales Las políticas ambientales de los países de América Latina y el Caribe deben ser priorizadas para lograr un desarrollo sostenible y una adaptación apropiada al cambio climático. Así surge de la reunión inicial de expertos en derecho ambiental, en Asunción. Primera sesión del V Programa regional de capacitación en derecho y políticas ambientales que se realiza, hasta el 30 de este mes, en el Asunción Crowne Plaza Hotel. La necesidad de instalar el tema ambiental en la sociedad, de hacer cumplir las normativas ambientales y de priorizar en la agenda política de los gobiernos de los países de América Latina y el Caribe, son algunos de los temas de discusión de los especialistas que llegaron al país para reunirse desde ayer hasta el 30 de este mes, en el Crowne Plaza Hotel. Participan representantes de Paraguay, Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, México, Honduras, Venezuela, Uruguay, República Dominicana, Perú y Panamá. Por España está la subdirectora general de Relaciones Internacionales del Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Medio Rural y Marino, Amparo Rambla. El evento es organizado por el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUMA) y el Ministerio de Medio Ambiente de España. La Secretaría del Ambiente (Seam) es la anfitriona local, con la Embajada de España en nuestro país, que ayer estuvo representada por el coordinador general de la Agencia Española de Cooperación, Carlos Cavanillas Alonso. La coordinación del desarrollo del encuentro está a cargo de Andrea Brusco, oficial legal del PNUMA. Más presupuesto El ministro del Ambiente de nuestro país, Arq. Carlos Antonio López Dose, dijo a ABC Color que en el reciente encuentro en Lima, Perú, dialogó con Fernando Lugo sobre la situación ambiental del país, y que le explicó de la necesidad de asignar un mejor presupuesto para el sector. “El sector ambiental interesa no solo en la protección de los recursos naturales, sino impacta en la economía, en lo social, en lo político. Una buena política ambiental ejecutada ayudará a garantizar la producción de alimentos y a un desarrollo sostenible sin impactar en el ambiente”, indicó. Ecoportal.net (Argentina): Crear conciencia sobre el deterioro ambiental, objetivo de la Semana de Arte por la Tierra que se realiza en México 21-05-08, Consiste en exposiciones, conferencias, cine, danza, música y grafiti, acerca del tema “ Crear conciencia sobre el deterioro ambiental” será el objetivo de la Semana de Arte por la Tierra que se iniciará el 29 de mayo, organizada por el Ayuntamiento y promovida por el PNUMA desde 1970. Concientizar a la población sobre los problemas ambientales a través del arte es el propósito de la Semana de Arte por la Tierra, organizada por el Ayuntamiento de Guadalajara con apoyo de la sociedad civil. Este evento, promovido por el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente (PNUMA) desde 1970, consiste en la realización de exposiciones de artistas locales e internacionales, conferencias de especialistas en temas ambientales, proyecciones de cine, danza, grafiti y música, que tendrán lugar del 29 de mayo al 7 de junio en los recintos culturales del Ayuntamiento. El presidente municipal, Alfonso Petersen Farah, señaló que este evento sirve para la concientización indispensable en temas tan importantes como el medio ambiente y la ecología. Al mismo tiempo ofrece una gran oportunidad de generar expresiones culturales que permitan este tipo de mensajes y, por último, la inclusión de las múltiples manifestaciones culturales de Guadalajara. La presidenta de la Comisión de Cultura, la regidora Myriam Vachéz Plagnol, manifestó que la Semana de Arte por la Tierra es un evento que se hace en varias ciudades del mundo, propiciado por el PNUMA y su propósito es llegar a la mayor cantidad de gente, lo cual implica que durante la semana habrá actividades en algunas instalaciones de la dependencia, como en los museos, centros culturales y las bibliotecas municipales. “El Programa nos apoya con el envío de material y la presencia de alguno de sus especialistas. Aquí tenemos el apoyo de Semarnat Jalisco con material y una aportación en efectivo, y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, empresas, OPD, y la Dirección de Comunicación Social, Relaciones Públicas y la de Innovación del Ayuntamiento. El caricaturista José Paloma ofrecerá un taller para creadores, personalidades de la PNUD de Panamá darán conferencias sobre cómo abordar los problemas ambientales desde el arte, y una conferencia sobre Ciudad Verde”, detalló Vachéz Plagnol. La inauguración del evento se realizará el 29 de mayo a las 20 horas en el Salón de Sesiones del Ayuntamiento. En la Videosala de la Casa Museo López Portillo se presentará una selección de la Muestra del Festival Internacional de Cine Ambiental de Brasil, así como una selección de películas y cortometrajes ambientales, material que también se presentará en la Rambla Cataluña. En la Plaza Universidad se presentará un evento de arte sonoro, además una selección de la Bienal Internacional de Cartel Ambiental PNUMA; en la Estación Juárez del Tren Ligero se presentará el video Juventud, ideas y medio ambiente, de Semarnat; mientras que en el Museo de la Ciudad se proyectará el video Voces para la vida. En el Paseo de Las Pérgolas del Bosque de Los Colomos se presentará la conferencia Las áreas protegidas, de lo nacional a lo local. En El Globo, Museo del Niño, se presentará el 15 Concurso Internacional del Dibujo Infantil PNUMA; en Palacio Municipal se expondrá la muestra de fotografía La era del deshielo, de Alejandro Balaguer, fundación Albatros Media. Habrá exposición de caricatura ambiental en el Museo del Periodismo y las Artes Gráficas y en Palacio Municipal. Se tendrán otras actividades en el Bosque de Los Colomos, arte urbano de grafiti, exposiciones didácticas y conferencias varias. La clausura de la Semana se realizará en Paseo Chapultepec el 7 de junio con el evento Natural Art Fest, Feria Ambiental, de las 12 a las 24 horas. El domingo 18 de mayo, a partir de las 10 horas, los grafiteros realizarán sus trabajos, que serán itinerantes, en el Planetario Severo Díaz Galindo. Los horarios de las películas, conferencias, arte sonoro y otras actividades, se pueden consultar en www.guadalajara.gob.mx ; informes, al 3837-4000 extensión 4270. www.ecoportal.net Back to Menu ________________________________________________________________________ =============================================================== Other Environment News 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 457.62 Kb. Share with your friends:
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