碳阻迹
2020-12 16
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The CDM Executive Board Agrees on Temporary Measures to Address COP26 Postponement

Date:2020-12

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UN Climate Change News, 16 December 2020 – The Executive Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) concluded its 108th meeting this Monday and agreed on temporary measures to apply to CDM activities generating emission reductions after 2020. These measures will be applied until the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) provides needed guidance at its next meeting in Glasgow in November 2021. The second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol comes to an end on 31 December 2020. The CMP, the ultimate decision-making authority of the Kyoto Protocol, was scheduled to meet in conjunction with COP26 in Glasgow in November this year. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, COP26, and thereby also the sixteenth meeting of the CMP, has been postponed until November 2021. The CMP therefore could not give the Board the requested guidance on how to consider the emission reductions of CDM activities after 31 December 2020. Some of the operational criteria for the CDM are defined for each commitment period. Specifically, these criteria include means by which to estimate emission reductions and removals and how to technically issue CERs into the Kyoto Protocol registry infrastructure. Also, the handling of afforestation/reforestation activities requires consideration as they are subject to specific rules, which are limited to activities commenced during the first and second commitment periods of the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM Executive Board has for the past three meetings considered different options for how to bridge the period from the end of the second commitment period, 31 December 2020, until the next meeting of CMP (CMP16) in November 2021. At its meeting the Board decided to apply temporary measures. Requests for registration of project activities and programmes of activities (PoAs), renewal of crediting periods and PoA periods, and inclusion and renewal of crediting periods of component project activities that have a crediting period or PoA period starting on or after 1 January 2021 will continue to be processed, in accordance with the existing CDM rules and CMP decisions. They will be recorded as “provisional” and will therefore only be finalized by the Board after guidance has been received from the CMP. Requests for issuance of CERs for emission reductions achieved on or after 1 January 2021 will also be processed in accordance with the existing CDM rules and CMP decisions, but issuance will remain provisional, pending guidance and confirmation from the CMP. The issuance of CERs will therefore be finalized by the Board only after guidance has been received from the CMP. Considering that the completion of analysis of submissions is provisional and is only finalized by the Board after guidance from the CMP, project participants and coordinating/managing entities will be required, when making submissions, to acknowledge and accept the risk that it may not be possible for CERs to be issued for the emission reductions achieved pending final decision by CMP. Due to this risk, the Board also agreed to not charge upfront fees for the consideration of such submissions until the CMP has provided guidance. The full text of the 108th CDM Executive Board meeting decisions is available online. This was also the last meeting chaired by Mr. El Hadji Mbaye Diagne, whose term as Chair of the Board expires at the end of 2020. Members of the Board, as well as the UNFCCC secretariat, thanked him for his outstanding chairmanship under challenging circumstances, both in terms of the substantive issues facing in 2020, in the absence of the annual UN Climate Change conference, and the practical context of conducting all meetings online during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Chair said: “We have tried to find the best solutions to fit all the stakeholders of the CDM, including DNAs, DOEs, business participants, project participants, etc. This was particularly difficult due to the virtual nature of our meetings throughout the year, of course, but also because the complicated issues we had to consider in the absence of guidance from the CMP. I, and my co-chair, Mr. Olivier Kassi, want to thank all our colleagues of the Board for their commitment, flexibility and professionalism, which were key to finding consensus on these temporary measures”. The Chair reiterated that the CDM Executive Board will continue to process in full any requests which relate to emission reductions occurring on or before 31 December 2020 and that no temporary measures are needed for the consideration and finalization of such submissions. The next meeting of the CDM Executive Board (EB 109) will be held in the first and second week of March. The CDM rewards projects in developing countries for each tonne of greenhouse gas (GHG) they reduce or avoid by delivering carbon credits that are tradeable on the global carbon market. The incentive has led to registration of more than 8,100 projects and programmes of activities in 111 countries, from renewable energy projects, to projects that spread the use of healthy, efficient cook-stoves, to large industrial gases projects. To date, more than 2 billion certified emission reduction (CER) credits have been issued, a token of the amount of GHG that was avoided or reduced thanks to the CDM. Source:UN Author:UN Date:December 16, 2020

2020-12 12
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Update from Climate Champions on Occasion of Climate Ambition Summit

Date:2020-12

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● As governments prepare to make commitments at today’s Climate Ambition Summit, new data reveals that members of the UN Race to Zero campaign alone represent 12% of the global economy, giving added hope that private-public momentum will deliver on the promise of Paris. ● 23 regions, 524 cities, 1,397 companies, 569 universities, and 74 investors are now joining the UN Race to Zero campaign. As focus shifts to the robustness of net zero commitments, these actors all meet a stringent criteria, which includes submitting a plan in line with the science and setting interim targets, creating a more consistent and transparent approach towards achieving net zero emissions. ● This growing net zero alliance is spurring countries that have pledged the same ambition -- such as those in the Climate Ambition Alliance -- and which now cover nearly 70% GDP, according to the latest analysis. ● Companies in Race to Zero the campaign have a combined annual revenues of US$9.81 trillion, with new joiners including Arup, BT Pension, GlaxoSmithKline, KPMG International Limited, Primark and Sony. ● In addition, 30 Net Zero Asset Managers, responsible for a combined US$9.1 trillion are joining Race to Zero with the commitment to work with asset owner clients globally on decarbonisation goals, consistent with an ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050. ● The Race to Resilience, the sibling campaign to the Race to Zero, is unveiled. Recognising that emissions reductions must run in parallel with boosting resilience - the Race to Resilience will spur local governments, businesses and investors to respond to the impacts of climate change, from floods to wildfires to pandemics. UN Climate Change News, 12 December 2020 - To mark the anniversary of the Paris Agreement, the High-Level Climate Champions for the UK and Chile today announce a major update to the Race to Zero campaign. The largest ever alliance of regions, cities, businesses targeting net zero emissions now numbers over 2,500 members, representing a 30% increase since launching on World Environment Day. The anniversary brings together over 70 Heads of State at the Climate Ambition Summit, which is being co-hosted by the United Nations, the United Kingdom and France in partnership with Chile and Italy. During a six-hour event, world leaders from government, business and civil society showcase their commitments to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, five years after it was adopted on December 12, 2015. The Climate Ambition Summit is an opportunity for the world to reflect on the state of climate action and assess if it’s on track to meet the Paris goals. Progress will be captured in the 2020 Yearbook of Global Climate Action, which is being published today, presenting the range and state of action by cities, regions, businesses, investors, and civil society, while also examining the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and opportunities for a green resilient recovery. It also provides reflections from the Champions on the future of Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action. In amongst a string of national statements during the summit, the Race to Resilience -- the sibling campaign to Race to Zero -- will also be introduced by Zakiatu Sesay, a member of a frontline community in Freetown: “I’m here to launch the Race to Resilience through which the High-level Champions aim to catalyze action from non-state actors to help make 4 billion people from vulnerable groups and communities, like me, more climate resilient by 2030.” The campaign will be formally rolled-out at the Climate Adaptation Summit on 25 January, but its headline mission is to catalyse a step-change in climate resilience, reinforcing UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ statement last week that: “the Race to Resilience is as important as the Race to Zero.” With 100 million more people set to be pushed into extreme poverty by 2030 and millions of people in coastal cities to be driven from their homes by 2050, urgent action is needed to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in the face of climate shocks, which the campaign endeavours to address. The race to zero is underway, but analyses show the need for greater robustness on the targets made According to the latest analysis by Oxford-ECIU, net zero commitments globally now cover at least 68% of the global economy (US$84,575 billion), 56% of the global population (over 4.2 billion people), and 61% of global greenhouse gas emissions - an aggregate of more than 28,890 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. However, the analysis found that only 10% of net zero targets meet key procedural criteria, including a goal for decarbonization before 2050; a law, policy or strategy that confirms that goal; annual reporting on progress; a published plan for meeting the goal; and interim targets.  Such criteria are a core bar for entry for all members of the Race to Zero campaign. Meanwhile, Data-Driven EnviroLab records that Race to Zero members -- who all meet stringent criteria -- now include: City and regional governments representing nearly 8% of the global population. Their baseline emissions cover around 7% of global CO2 emissions. Companies representing at least US$ 9.81 trillion in revenue, which is over 12% of the world economy. Nigel Topping, COP26 High Level Climate Champion, said: “The Race to Zero has set the credible direction of travel for et zero by 2050. Now we are seeing this ambition translating into action, with thousands of companies, cities, states, regions, investors, and universities mobilizing behind this common goal to create a healthy, resilient, zero-carbon economy.” Mobilizing SMEs to race to zero emissions In collaboration with Oxford University’sNet Zero Climate Research and Engagement Team, the SME Climate Hub is launching a new tool library to provide small and medium-sized enterprises with freely available resources to reduce carbon emissions, build business resilience and gain a competitive advantage. Since launching in September, the Hub has brought more than 100 small and medium enterprises from 31 countries into the Race to Zero. Gonzalo Muñoz, COP25 High Level Climate Champion, said: "Small and medium enterprises make up 90% of business and feed the supply chains of major international corporations around the world. SMEs joining the Race to Zero will now help multinationals catalyse net zero targets across their supply chains, making 2021 a year for exponential climate action." Climate Action Pathway ‘Action Tables’ The Climate Action Pathway ‘Action Tables’, launched on Friday, identify the key change levers and impact areas needed to transform the major sectors of the global economy to be net zero and climate resilient. The Action Tables build on the Climate Action Pathways released last month, which set out visions for how big and important sectors of the economy can help limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and build resilience by 2050.  The Action Tables add granularity to these pathways, giving stakeholders concrete actions that each actor can take over specific time periods, listing initiatives that help them achieve those actions, and nexus with SDGs and other thematic areas on a given set of actions. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said: “The Climate Action Pathways set out the necessary plans to achieving a resilient, healthy and sustainable future. Our race to zero emissions is a challenge, but these Pathways show that together we can achieve the transformations needed to realize the goals of the Paris Agreement and unleash its full potential.” In 2021, the Champions intend to build further on the Climate Action Pathways by providing new guidance on how to achieve a just transition for people reliant on old and polluting industry, gender-responsiveness, resilience and circular economy. Specific topic areas, such as the role of technology to catch and store carbon emissions and a pathway for the finance sector will be developed. Source:UN Author:UN Date:December 12, 2020

2020-12 12
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Climate Ambition Summit Builds Momentum for COP26

Date:2020-12

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Summit shows new surge in action and ambition on road to Glasgow Climate Conference Concrete plans and new pledges from 75 countries, businesses, sectors, cities bring Paris Agreement goals a step closer, highlight work ahead New York, London, Paris, 12 December — Global climate leaders took a major stride towards a resilient, net zero emissions future today, presenting ambitious new commitments, urgent actions and concrete plans to confront the climate crisis. Co-convened by the United Nations, the UK and France, in partnership with Italy and Chile, on the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, today’s Climate Ambition Summit marked a major milestone on the road to the crucial UN climate conference COP26 in Glasgow next November. 75 leaders from all continents outlined new commitments at the Summit. This is a clear signal that the Paris Agreement - more than ever before the compass of international action - is working to steeply increase climate action and ambition. The Summit showed clearly that climate change is at the top of the global agenda despite our shared challenges of COVID-19, and that there is mutual understanding that the science is clear. Climate destruction is accelerating, and there remains much more to do as a global community to keep the global temperature rise to 1.5C. However today’s Summit showed beyond doubt that climate action and ambition are on the rise. The announcements at or just before the Summit, together with those expected early next year, mean that countries representing around 65% of global CO2 emissions, and around 70% of the world’s economy, will have committed to reaching net zero emissions or carbon neutrality by early next year. These commitments must now be backed up with concrete plans and actions, starting now, to achieve these goals, and today’s Summit delivered a surge in progress on this front. Leading the way to Glasgow with strengthened national climate plans (NDCs) The number of countries coming forward with strengthened national climate plans (NDCs) grew significantly today, with commitments covering 71 countries (all EU member states are included in the new EU NDC) on display. As well as the EU NDC, a further 27 of these new and enhanced NDCs were announced at or shortly before the Summit. A growing number of countries (15) shifted gears from incremental to major increases. Countries committing to much stronger NDCs at the Summit, included Argentina, Barbados, Canada, Colombia, Iceland, and Peru. The leadership and strengthened NDCs delivered at the Summit mean we are now on track to have more than 50 NDCs officially submitted by the end of 2020, boosting momentum and forging a pathway forward for others to follow in the months ahead. Today’s announcements, together with recent commitments, send us into 2021 and the road to the Glasgow COP26 with much greater momentum. The Summit showcased leading examples of enhanced NDCs that can help encourage other countries to follow suit - particularly G20 countries. Another stride towards a resilient, net-zero emissions future Following today’s Summit, 24 countries have now announced new commitments, strategies or plans to reach net zero or carbon neutrality. Recent commitments from China, Japan, South Korea, the EU and today Argentina have established a clear benchmark for other G20 countries. A number of countries at the Summit set out how they are going even further, with ambitious dates to reach net zero emissions: Finland (2035); Austria (2040) and Sweden (2045). Climate vulnerable countries are at the forefront of action and ambition. Barbados and the Maldives have set a highly ambitious target for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, with the right support. Fiji, Malawi, Nauru and Nepal indicated that they are aiming for the 2050 goal. At the Summit, adaptation and resilience moved to centre stage. 20 countries indicated new or forthcoming commitments to protect people and nature from climate impacts. Countries, such as Ethiopia, said they were taking a whole- of-economy approach that protects people and nature, while Suriname said it is stepping up its implementation of its National Adaptation Plan. Developed countries, including the UK, Portugal and Spain, announced they were stepping up their adaptation efforts. A major new global campaign - the Race to Resilience - was also launched today, setting a goal of safeguarding 4 billion people vulnerable to climate risks by 2030 (more details below). Speeding up the shift from grey to green economies Several countries set out concrete policies to implement their economy-wide targets at the Summit. Pakistan announced no new coal plants, while Israel said it was joining the growing list of countries stepping away from coal. 15 countries provided details on how they will speed up their transitions to renewable energy by 2030, including Barbados (aiming for fossil-fuel free), Vanuatu (100% renewables), and Slovakia (decarbonised power). Denmark announced it will end oil and gas exploration. India announced a new target of 450GW installed capacity of renewable energy by 2030. China committed to increasing the share of non-fossil fuel in primary energy consumption to around 25% by 2030. In line with this momentum, the UK, France and Sweden set out plans to end international financial support for fossil fuels, while Canada announced it will ramp up its price on carbon to C$170 per tonne by 2030. Working with nature, not against it The Summit showed dedication to protecting nature with 12 leaders highlighting their existing plans to increase the use of nature-based solutions to combat climate change. As we approach the UN Biodiversity Conference in 2021, the Summit highlighted the need for more integrated solutions to confront both the climate and biodiversity crises, and speeding up progress right across the Sustainable Development Goals. 12 donor countries highlighted their commitments to support developing countries, including just under €500m in additional investment from Germany, an additional €1bn per year from France from its previous target, as well as a World Bank commitment to ensure that 35% of their portfolio includes climate co-benefits, and EIB commitment to ensure that 50% includes climate co- benefits, as well as 100% alignment of EIB’s activities on Paris agreement. However, the Summit also demonstrated there is much more to do to ensure that no one is left behind. With COVID-19 impacting international climate finance flows this year, 2021 will be critical to show that finance is flowing and to meet and surpass the $100bn goal. From momentum to a truly global movement: cities, business and financiers stepping up ambition at scale Race to Resilience (Global) – a campaign launched today which brings together initiatives involving mayors, community leaders, businesses and insurance companies, among others, who commit to building resilience actions to safeguard by 2030 the lives and livelihoods of 4 billion people from groups and communities vulnerable to climate risks. Examples of actions and initiatives include the following: Zurich Insurance (Switzerland) announced that the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance will triple funding by 2025 and expand its reach from 11 to 21 countries. Mayor of Freetown (Sierra Leone) committed to planting 1 million trees between 2020 and 2021. Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (Global) - representing US$9 trillion of assets under management has seen each of the 30 founding members unequivocally commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. This includes setting individual portfolio targets, as well as engaging companies in each member’s portfolio to set decarbonization goals in line with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5C. C40 Cities (Global) – reinforced the commitment and action by cities to implement the Paris agreement by announcing the launch of the Cities Race to Zero campaign and that 70 cities have joined in the first month. Godrej & Boyce (India)—a manufacturing company, announced commitments to key global initiatives including the Business Ambition for 1.5C, setting science-based targets, and advancing energy efficiency, through the EP100 initiative for energy-smart companies, in line with their overall ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. International Airlines Group (Spain/UK) — are the first airline group worldwide to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The Oneworld Alliance of 13 airlines representing 20% of global aviation, is investing US$400m in sustainable aviation fuels (over the next 20 years) to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Dalmia Cement (India) – 40 of the world's leading producers of cement as part of the Global Concrete and Cement Association have issued a industry commitment to deliver carbon-neutral concrete by 2050. The Indian cement company has gone further and established a roadmap to become carbon negative by 2040 and is working globally to meet its 100% renewable energy objectives. Movida-Rent-a-Car (Brazil) – presented the actions that will underpin their pledge of net-zero emissions by 2030 and becoming carbon positive by 2040. Movida is reducing emissions across its operations, offsetting the carbon footprint of the company and its customers by planting trees, as well as adapting to impacts of climate change and undertaking risk analysis using methodologies of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. Apple (United States) – pledged carbon neutrality for its supply chain and products by 2030 and announced new progress that 95 of its suppliers have committed to moving to 100% renewable energy. Artistic Milliners (Pakistan) -- a textile company announced joining the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action and shared their actions on the circular economy to reduce their carbon footprint and provide zero emissions energy to thousands of homes. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said: “The Summit has now sent strong signals that more countries and more businesses are ready to take the bold climate action on which our future security and prosperity depend. “Today was an important step forward, but it's not yet enough. Let's not forget that we are still on track to an increase of temperature of 3 degrees at least in the end of the century, which would be catastrophic. “The recovery from COVID-19 presents an opportunity to set our economies and societies on a green path in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. “As we look ahead, the central objective of the United Nations for 2021 is to build a truly Global Coalition for Carbon Neutrality.” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Today we have seen what can be achieved if nations pull together and demonstrate real leadership and ambition in the fight to save our planet. “The UK has led the way with a commitment to cut emissions by at least 68 percent by 2030 and to end support for the fossil fuel sector overseas as soon as possible, and it’s fantastic to see new pledges from around the world that put us on the path to success ahead of COP26 in Glasgow. “There is no doubt that we are coming to the end of a dark and difficult year, but scientific innovation has proved to be our salvation as the vaccine is rolled out. We must use that same ingenuity and spirit of collective endeavour to tackle the climate crisis, create the jobs of the future and build back better.” President Macron said: “Despite the global pandemic and one of the worst economic crises of our time, we have shown today that climate action remains at the top of the international agenda. The crisis gives us the opportunity to accelerate our ecological transition and I welcome the announcements made today by more than 70 heads of State and government. This summit has confirmed that the Paris agreement struck under the French COP Presidency five years ago remains, more than ever, the compass of international climate action. "The EU is a leader in this global fight, with our new target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 – which is a fundamental milestone on the way to carbon neutrality. The EU and France will continue to promote ambitious levels of climate finance. We look forward to working with the United Nations, the UK COP Presidency and all parties to the Paris Agreement to keep raising ambition, and deliver on it through concrete action, in the year ahead.” Source:UN Author:UN Date:December 12, 2020

2020-12 02
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UN Secretary-General: “Making Peace with Nature is the Defining Task of the 21st century”

Date:2020-12

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UN Climate Change News, 2 December 2020 - UN Secretary-General António Guterres today delivered a landmark speech on the state of the planet at Columbia University in New York, setting the stage for dramatically scaled-up ambition on climate change over the coming year. His speech was delivered on the day that two new authoritative reports were released from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) underscoring the severity of the climate crisis. The WMO report shows 2020 to be on track as one of the three warmest years on record, while the UNEP report states that to limit temperature rise to 1.5-degrees Celsius as set out in the Paris Climate Change Agreement, the world needs to decrease fossil fuel production by roughly 6% every year between now and 2030. Pointing out the dire current environmental and climate trends, he said “humanity is waging war on nature,” and that nature was already “striking back with growing force and fury.” Consequently, he said that “making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.” While detailing an emergency, Mr. Guterres said he also saw hope, and pointed to the many solutions already within reach to solve the present crisis. He spoke of the COVID pandemic as presenting an opportunity: “COVID recovery and our planet’s repair can be two sides of the same coin,” adding that it was time to flick the “green switch.” He said the international community has a chance to not simply reset the world economy, but to transform it to a sustainable one driven by renewable energy that will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a resilient future, Mr. Guterres cited three imperatives in addressing the climate crisis: First, achieving global carbon neutrality within the next three decades. Second, aligning global finance behind the Paris Agreement. Third, delivering a breakthrough on adaptation to protect the world – and especially the most vulnerable people and countries -- from climate impacts. This is a “moment of truth for people and planet alike”, he said, where the global community must take a collective step towards a safer, more sustainable and equitable path, with the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change as a blueprint. See full speech below, check against delivery: President Bollinger, Dear friends, I thank Columbia University for hosting this gathering — and I welcome those joining online around the world. We meet in this unusual way as we enter the last month of this most unusual year. We are facing a devastating pandemic, new heights of global heating, new lows of ecological degradation and new setbacks in our work towards global goals for more equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken. Dear friends, Humanity is waging war on nature. This is suicidal. Nature always strikes back -- and it is already doing so with growing force and fury. Biodiversity is collapsing. One million species are at risk of extinction. Ecosystems are disappearing before our eyes.Deserts are spreading. Wetlands are being lost.   Every year, we lose 10 million hectares of forests. Oceans are overfished -- and choking with plastic waste. The carbon dioxide they absorb is acidifying the seas. Coral reefs are bleached and dying. Air and water pollution are killing 9 million people annually – more than six times the current toll of the pandemic. And with people and livestock encroaching further into animal habitats and disrupting wild spaces, we could see more viruses and other disease-causing agents jump from animals to humans. Let’s not forget that 75 per cent of new and emerging human infectious diseases are zoonotic. Today, two new authoritative reports from the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme spell out how close we are to climate catastrophe. 2020 is on track to be one of the three warmest years on record globally – even with the cooling effect of this year’s La Nina. The past decade was the hottest in human history. Ocean heat is at record levels. This year, more than 80 per cent of the world’s oceans experienced a marine heatwave. In the Arctic, 2020 has seen exceptional warmth, with temperatures more than 3 degrees Celsius above average – and more than 5 degrees in northern Siberia. Arctic sea ice in October was the lowest on record – and now re-freezing has been the slowest on record. Greenland ice has continued its long-term decline, losing an average of 278 gigatons a year.   Permafrost is melting and releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Apocalyptic fires and floods, cyclones and hurricanes are increasingly the new normal. The North Atlantic hurricane season has seen 30 storms, more than double the long-term average and breaking the record for a full season. Central America is still reeling from two back-to-back hurricanes, part of the most intense period for such storms in recent years. Last year such disasters cost the world $150 billion. COVID-19 lockdowns have temporarily reduced emissions and pollution. But carbon dioxide levels are still at record highs – and rising. In 2019, carbon dioxide levels reached 148 per cent of pre-industrial levels. In 2020, the upward trend has continued despite the pandemic. Methane soared even higher – to 260 per cent. Nitrous oxide, a powerful greenhouse gas that also harms the ozone layer, has escalated by 123 per cent. Meanwhile, climate policies have yet to rise to the challenge. Emissions are 62 per cent higher now than when international climate negotiations began in 1990. Every tenth of a degree of warming matters. Today, we are at 1.2 degrees of warming and already witnessing unprecedented climate extremes and volatility in every region and on every continent. We are headed for a thundering temperature rise of 3 to 5 degrees Celsius this century. The science is crystal clear: to limit temperature rise to 1.5-degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the world needs to decrease fossil fuel production by roughly 6 per cent every year between now and 2030. Instead, the world is going in the opposite direction — planning an annual increase of 2 per cent. The fallout of the assault on our planet is impeding our efforts to eliminate poverty and imperiling food security. And it is making our work for peace even more difficult, as the disruptions drive instability, displacement and conflict. It is no coincidence that seventy per cent of the most climate vulnerable countries are also among the most politically and economically fragile. It is not happenstance that of the 15 countries most susceptible to climate risks, eight host a United Nations peacekeeping or special political mission. As always, the impacts fall most heavily on the world’s most vulnerable people. Those who have done the least to cause the problem suffer the most. Even in the developed world, the marginalized are the first victims of disasters and the last to recover. Dear friends, Let’s be clear: human activities are at the root of our descent toward chaos. But that means human action can help solve it. Making peace with nature is the defining task of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere. In this context, the recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity. We can see rays of hope in the form of a vaccine.   But there is no vaccine for the planet. Nature needs a bailout. In overcoming the pandemic, we can also avert climate cataclysm and restore our planet. This is an epic policy test. But ultimately this is a moral test. The trillions of dollars needed for COVID recovery is money that we are borrowing from future generations. Every last penny. We cannot use those resources to lock in policies that burden them with a mountain of debt on a broken planet. It is time to flick the “green switch”. We have a chance to not simply reset the world economy but to transform it. A sustainable economy driven by renewable energy will create new jobs, cleaner infrastructure and a resilient future. An inclusive world will help ensure that people can enjoy better health and the full respect of their human rights, and live with dignity on a healthy planet. COVID recovery and our planet’s repair can be two sides of the same coin. Dear friends, Let me start with the climate emergency. We face three imperatives in addressing the climate crisis: First, we need to achieve global carbon neutrality within the next three decades. Second, we have to align global finance behind the Paris Agreement, the world’s blueprint for climate action. Third, we must deliver a breakthrough on adaptation to protect the world – and especially the most vulnerable people and countries -- from climate impacts. Let me take these in turn. First, carbon neutrality – net zero emissions. In recent weeks, we have seen important positive developments. The European Union has committed to become first climate neutral continent by 2050 – and I expect it will decide to reduce its emissions to at least 55 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. The United Kingdom, Japan, the Republic of Korea and more than 110 countries have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050. The incoming United States administration has announced the same goal. China has committed to get there before 2060. This means that by early next year, countries representing more than 65 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions and more than 70 per cent of the world economy will have made ambitious commitments to carbon neutrality. We must turn this momentum into a movement. The central objective of the United Nations for 2021 is to build a truly Global Coalition for Carbon Neutrality. I firmly believe that 2021 can be a new kind of leap year — the year of a quantum leap towards carbon neutrality. Every country, city, financial institution and company should adopt plans for transitioning to net zero emissions by 2050 -- and I encourage the main emitters to lead the way in taking decisive action now to get on the right path towards achieving this vision, which means cutting global emissions by 45 percent by 2030 compared with 2010 levels. Every individual must also do their part -- as consumers, as producers, as investors. Technology is on our side. Sound economic analysis is our ally.   More than half the coal plants operating today cost more to run than building new renewables. The coal business is going up in smoke. The International Labour Organization estimates that, despite inevitable job losses, the clean energy transition will result in the net creation of 18 million jobs by 2030. But a just transition is absolutely critical. We must recognize the human costs of the energy shift. Social protection, temporary basic income, re-skilling and up-skilling can help to support workers and ease the changes caused by decarbonization. Dear friends, Renewable energy is now the first choice not just for the environment, but for the economy. But there are worrying signs. Some countries have used the crisis to roll back environmental protections. Others are expanding natural resource exploitation and retreating from climate ambition. The G20 members, in their rescue packages, are spending 50 per cent more on sectors linked to fossil fuel production and consumption, than on low-carbon energy. And beyond announcements, all must pass a credibility test. Let me take the example of shipping. If the shipping sector was a country, it would be the world’s sixth biggest greenhouse gas emitter.   At last year’s Climate Action Summit, we launched the Getting to Zero Shipping Coalition to push for zero emissions deep sea vessels by 2030. Yet current policies are not in line with those pledges. We need to see enforceable regulatory and fiscal steps so that the shipping industry can deliver its commitments. Otherwise, the net zero ship will have sailed. Exactly the same applies to aviation. Dear friends, The Paris signatories are obligated to submit their revised Nationally Determined Contributions with their 2030 emissions cut targets. Ten days from now, along with France and the United Kingdom, I am convening a Climate Ambition Summit to mark the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement. Less than a year from now, we will all meet in Glasgow for COP26. These moments are opportunities for nations to detail how they will build forward and build better, acknowledging the common but differentiated responsibilities in the light of national circumstances – and consistent with the goal of global carbon neutrality by 2050. Second, let me now turn to key question of finance. The commitments to net zero emissions are sending a clear signal to investors, markets and finance ministers. But we need to go further. We need all governments to translate these pledges into policies, plans and targets with specific timelines. This will provide certainty and confidence for businesses and the financial sector to invest for net zero. It is time:   To put a price on carbon. To phase out fossil fuel finance and end fossil fuel subsidies. To stop building new coal power plants -- and halt coal power financing domestically and overseas. To shift the tax burden from income to carbon, and from taxpayers to polluters. To integrate the goal of carbon neutrality into all economic and fiscal policies and decisions. And to make climate-related financial risk disclosures mandatory. Funding should flow to the green economy, resilience, adaptation and just transition programmes. We need to align all public and private financial flows behind the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Multilateral, regional and national development institutions, and private banks, must all commit to align their lending to the global net zero objective. I call on all asset owners and managers to decarbonize their portfolios and to join key initiatives and partnerships launched by the United Nations, including the Global Investors for Sustainable Development Alliance and the Net-Zero Asset Owners Alliance. Companies need to adjust their business models – and investors need to demand information from companies on the resilience of those models. The world’s pension funds manage $32 trillion dollars in assets, putting them in a unique position to move the needle. They are still far from doing so. I appeal to developed countries to fulfill their long-standing promise to provide $100 billion dollars annually to support developing countries in reaching our shared climate goals. We are not there yet.   This is a matter of equity, fairness, solidarity and enlightened self-interest. And I ask all countries to reach a compromise on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, as they prepare for COP26, to get us the clear, fair and environmentally sound rules carbon markets need to fully function. I also welcome the work of the task force launched in September, with members representing 20 sectors and 6 continents, to develop a blueprint for large-scale private carbon offset markets. Third, we need a breakthrough on adaptation and resilience. We are in a race against time to adapt to a rapidly changing climate. Adaptation must not be the forgotten component of climate action. Until now, adaptation represents only 20 per cent of climate finance, reaching only $30 billion on average in 2017 and 2018. This hinders our essential work for disaster risk reduction. It also isn’t smart .The Global Commission on Adaptation found that every $1 invested in adaptation measures could yield almost $4 in benefits. We have both a moral imperative and a clear economic case for supporting developing countries to adapt and build resilience to current and future climate impacts. Before COP 26, all donors and the Multilateral Development Banks should commit to increase the share of adaptation and resilience finance to at least 50 per cent of their climate finance support. Early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, improved dry land agriculture, mangrove protection and other steps can give the world a double dividend: avoiding future losses and generating economic gains and other benefits. We need to move to large-scale, preventive and systematic adaptation support.   This is especially urgent for small island developing states, which face an existential threat. The race to resilience is as important as the race to net zero. Dear friends, Let’s remember: there can be no separating climate action from the larger planetary picture. Everything is interlinked – the global commons and global well-being. That means we must act more broadly, more holistically, across many fronts, to secure the health of our planet on which all life depends. Nature feeds us, clothes us, quenches our thirst, generates our oxygen, shapes our culture and our faiths and forges our very identity. 2020 was to have been a “super year” for nature. The pandemic has had other plans for us. Now we must use 2021 to address our planetary emergency. Next year, countries will meet in Kunming to forge a post-2020 biodiversity framework to halt the extinction crisis and put the world on a pathway to living in harmony with nature. The world has not met any of the global biodiversity targets set for 2020. And so we need more ambition and greater commitment to deliver on measurable targets and means of implementation, particularly finance and monitoring mechanisms. This means:     More and bigger effectively managed conservation areas, so that our assault on species and ecosystems can be halted;     Biodiversity-positive agriculture and fisheries, reducing our overexploitation and destruction of the natural world,     Phasing out negative subsidies -- the subsidies that destroy healthy soils, pollute our waterways and lead us to fish our oceans empty.     Shift from unsustainable and nature-negative extractive resource mining, and to broader sustainable consumption patterns Biodiversity is not just cute and charismatic wildlife; it is the living, breathing web of life. Also in 2021, countries will hold the Ocean Conference to protect and advance the health of the world’s marine environments. Overfishing must stop; chemical and solid waste pollution – plastic in particular -- must be reduced drastically; marine reserves must increase significantly; and coastal areas need greater protection. The blue economy offers remarkable potential. Already, goods and services from the ocean generate $2.5 trillion each year and contribute over 31 million direct full- time jobs – at least until the pandemic struck. We need urgent action on a global scale to reap these benefits and protect the world’s seas and oceans from the many pressures they face. Next year’s global conference on sustainable transport in Beijing must strengthen this vital sector while addressing its negative environmental footprint. The Food Systems Summit must aim to transform global food production and consumption. Food systems are one of the main reasons we are failing to stay within our planet’s ecological boundaries. At the beginning of 2021, we will launch the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration focused on preventing, halting and reversing the degradation of forests, land and other ecosystems worldwide. The Decade is a rallying cry for all who want to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change with practical and hands-on action. The International Conference on Chemicals Management will establish a post- 2020 framework on chemicals and waste. According to the World Health Organization, sound chemicals management could prevent at least 1.6 million deaths per year.   2021 will also be critical in advancing the New Urban Agenda. The world’s cities are fundamental frontlines on sustainable development – vulnerable to disaster yet vectors of innovation and dynamism. Let us not forget that more than 50 per cent of humankind already lives in cities – and this number will reach almost 70 per cent in 2050. Next year, in short, gives us a wealth of opportunities to stop the plunder and start the healing. One of our best allies is nature itself. Drastically reducing deforestation and systemically restoring forests and other ecosystems is the single largest nature-based opportunity for climate mitigation. Indeed, nature-based solutions could provide one third of the net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. The World Economic Forum has estimated that business opportunities across nature could create 191 million jobs by 2030. Africa’s Great Green Wall alone has created 335,000 jobs. Indigenous knowledge, distilled over millennia of close and direct contact with nature, can help to point the way. Indigenous peoples make up less than 6 per cent of the world’s population yet are stewards of 80 per cent of the world’s biodiversity on land. Already, we know that nature managed by indigenous peoples is declining less rapidly than elsewhere. With indigenous peoples living on land that is among the most vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation, it is time to heed their voices, reward their knowledge and respect their rights. Let’s also recognize the central role of women. The impacts of climate change and environmental degradation fall most heavily on women. They are 80 per cent of those displaced by climate change.   But women are also the backbone of agriculture and key stewards of natural resources. They are among the world’s leading environmental human rights defenders. And women’s representation in national parliaments is linked directly to the signing of climate action agreements. As humankind devises strategies for natural resource governance, environmental preservation and building a green economy, we need more women decision-makers at the table. Dear friends, I have detailed an emergency, but I also see hope. I see a history of advances that show what can be done – from rescuing the ozone layer to reducing extinction rates to expanding protected areas. Many cities are becoming greener. The circular economy is reducing waste. Environmental laws have growing reach. At least 155 United Nations Member States now legally recognize a healthy environment as a basic human right. And the knowledge base is greater than ever. I was pleased to learn that Columbia University has launched a Climate School, the first new school here in a quarter of a century. This is a wonderful demonstration of scholarship and leadership. I am delighted to know that so many members of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network are with us today as special guests – university presidents, chancellors, deans, faculty and other scholars. The United Nations Academic Impact initiative is working with institutions of higher education across the globe. The contributions of universities are essential to our success.   Dear friends, A new world is taking shape. More and more people are recognizing the limits of conventional yardsticks such as Gross Domestic Product, in which environmentally damaging activities can count as economic positives. Mindsets are shifting. More and more people are understanding the need for their own daily choices to reduce their carbon footprint and respect planetary boundaries. And we see inspiring waves of social mobilization by young people. From protests in the streets to advocacy on-line…From classroom education to community engagement… From voting booths to places of work…Young people are pushing their elders to do what is right. This is a moment of truth for people and planet alike. COVID and climate have brought us to a threshold. We cannot go back to the old normal of inequality, injustice and heedless dominion over the Earth. Instead we must step towards a safer, more sustainable and equitable path. We have a blueprint: the 2030 Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The door is open; the solutions are there. Now is the time to transform humankind’s relationship with the natural world – and with each other.   And we must do so together. Solidarity is humanity. Solidarity is survival. That is the lesson of 2020. With the world in disunity and disarray trying to contain the pandemic, let’s learn the lesson and change course for the pivotal period ahead. Thank you. *** Source:UN Author:UN Date:December 2, 2020

2020-11 24
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Participate in the New ETF Initiative

Date:2020-11

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UN Climate Change News, 24 November 2020 - The ‘Universal Participation in the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) Initiative’ was launched by Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change during the opening ceremony of the Climate Dialogues. The initiative seeks to bring together countries, support organizations, the business community, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to realize the benefits of the strengthened transparency requirements under the Paris Agreement’s enhanced transparency framework (ETF). The ETF specifies how Parties to the Paris Agreement report on progress in reducing emissions, adapting to climate change impacts, and on support provided or received. The ETF is a central component for the credibility and operation of the Paris Agreement. Participation and regular reporting under the ETF will allow governments to better measure and plan for their climate actions and to identify what needs to be done to achieve low carbon and high resilience economic transformation. Over the next few years, Parties will transition from the existing transparency arrangements to the ETF under the Paris Agreement. For the Paris Agreement to deliver on its objectives, universal participation in the ETF is required. The initiative for the universal participation in the ETF seeks to bring all actors together under a common banner, which in turn can help amplify existing efforts and spark new ideas. Everyone has an important role to play in ensuring the success of the ETF and the Paris Agreement. This global initiative will help bring together actions and activities geared towards the implementation of the ETF by all stakeholders. To this end, the initiative will: Facilitate enhanced access to support to developing country Parties by offering a platform for wider stakeholder engagement, including North-South and South-South cooperation Mobilize support needed for building up and strengthening domestic capacities for Parties and other stakeholders, including robust and sustainable institutional arrangements for climate- relevant data Increase political awareness and buy-in at the highest national level for an evidence-based national decision-making process with a broad base of stakeholder engagement Generate global momentum towards enhancing the understanding of the importance and benefits of transparent climate-relevant data and information for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Participation by all stakeholders To harness efforts by all, the ‘Universal Participation in the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) Initiative’ is open to all stakeholders, including Parties, international organizations and Non-Party actors, such as businesses, investors, NGOs etc. To join the initiative and/or to receive further information please send an email to ETF@unfccc.int The ETF will serve as an informal platform for this international coalition to motivate and incentivize ambition in the implementation of the Paris Agreement and to contribute with their activities. Source:UN Author:UN Date:November 24, 2020