Bonn, July 9, 2020. The world has faced an unprecedented threat from COVID-19. It has been a global health crisis unlike any in recent history — one that has spread human suffering and destabilized the global economy. In the midst of the resulting uncertainty, a window of hope and opportunity opens: an opportunity for nations to shape the economy of the 21st century in ways that are greener, cleaner, healthier and more resilient. In other words, a chance to recover better. As they roll out their economic financial support packages, governments have a tremendous opportunity to make those plans as green and sustainable as possible. This includes both measures to increase climate action to reduce emissions, as well as measures to increase the resilience towards climate change impacts. Both types of measures offer the opportunity for sound, long-term investments beyond immediate considerations, which can recharge economies, create jobs and boost the well-being of people around the world. It is for this reason that the Global Commission on Adaptation’s statement – aimed at inspiring political leaders around the globe for a climate-resilient future – is so important. Take a look. Read, share, inspire. The COVID-19 pandemic has tragically exposed the risks humanity faces and how unprepared we are to respond. People’s health, well-being, and livelihoods are all affected. These threats are multiplied by the growing impacts of the climate crisis — more extreme storms, droughts, heat waves, food crises, and diseases — which have not stopped. Vulnerable populations are hit hardest: The pandemic could drive 100 million more people into extreme poverty by the end of this year. As the world responds, it must build back better. We can return to the old way of doing things or we can get on a new path, one that makes human society more resilient, more equitable, healthier, and stronger. These goals are interconnected and investments in the recovery should address multiple challenges. We must seize the opportunity to transform how we understand, plan, finance, and respond to risks. We must integrate climate resilience into decisions at all levels of government and by businesses, communities, and households, with particular focus on resilience in infrastructure and financial decisions. Innovative investment in research and development and finance can help countries deliver new solutions to both the pandemic and climate crises. Since COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, we must meet it and similar threats by protecting the basic human right to a safe and healthy environment. We have the opportunity to act now, but the window is short. Governments worldwide are investing more than $10 trillion this year alone in crisis relief, after which accumulated debt may reduce the ability of governments to address urgent needs. Yet, to date, most stimulus packages have not sufficiently incorporated climate resilience into their recovery plans. This must change. Investing in climate resilience is smart economics. According to the Global Commission on Adaptation’s flagship Adapt Now report, adaptation investments consistently deliver high returns, with benefit-cost ratios ranging from 2:1 to 10:1. We need to invest in economic activities that will create jobs, protect communities and natural ecosystems, and be durable in the face of our changing world. Adaptation often creates more jobs per dollar spent than more traditional investment, with superior local benefits. We must act now, not wait for the next crisis to hit. Investing in climate resilience is better and less costly than waiting until after a disaster strikes. Early preparedness and prevention saves lives. Over the long run, inclusive, sustainable, and equitable economies are more robust. Now is the time for global solidarity. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently said, solidarity is not only a moral imperative, it is in everyone’s interests. Demonstrating global solidarity with the world’s poorest and most vulnerable can prevent more deaths from COVID-19, reduce the longer-term impacts on livelihoods and economies, address underlying human rights issues, and lower risks from the climate crisis and future shocks. Commitments to the UN response appeal have been increasing but are still insufficient. Support has been directed more toward larger economies than to places where poverty will increase the most as a result of the pandemic. Some countries may be reaching the limit of their national capacity, even as they repurpose their budgets in response to the emergency. For vulnerable countries to successfully recover and advance, they will need urgent access to financial support and future debt relief from governments, multilateral development banks, and donors, including as committed under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Global Commission on Adaptation calls on world leaders to incorporate climate resilience into economic recovery packages. World leaders should align policies with longer-term climate objectives, build global partnerships, and mobilize private sector support for improved climate resilience. We call for accelerated progress in seven areas: Locally Led Adaptation, Urban Resilience, Water Resources Management, Social Safety Nets, Food Security, Nature-Based Solutions, and Disaster Prevention. These recommendations align with and support internationally agreed frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, while prioritizing an equitable and resilient recovery. Locally Led Adaptation. Vulnerable populations must have a voice and role in shaping the recovery in every keysector and system. The response must address underlying inequities in society and give agency to local actors on the frontlines of climate change, including marginalized communities, indigenous peoples, women and girls, and youth. This Commission, in its flagship report and Action Tracks, has repeatedly emphasized the importance of locally led action. Local planning and action, and investments in the existing social capital of communities, can help ensure that the best information is shared, resources are made available, and the best policies are enacted.   Urban Resilience. Cities are on the frontlines of the current health crisis and many climate shocks. Yet more than 1 billion people live in slums or informal settlements with little or no access to basic services. Improving the resilience of essential services in cities is critical and can be done through a strategic shift toward crisis-proof and equitable urban development. Shovel-ready, climate-smart projects include stormproof affordable housing, nature-based solutions, such as green roofs, and inclusive and sustainable sanitation systems, which can be implemented in even the poorest communities.   Water Resources Management. Resilient access to fresh water is fundamental for health and sanitation and for economic productivity. Yet 3 billion people, 40 percent of the world’s population, lack access to basic hand-washing facilities in their homes, and 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation. Climate-related flooding and droughts will lead to millions more people being affected. Solutions are often low-cost and high-return. Improving water, sanitation, and hygiene costs about $0.29 per person per day. Water investments, like flood and drought management and pollution control, have benefit-cost ratios of up to 6:1.   Shock-Responsive Social Safety Nets. The pandemic has revealed fault lines in countries’ abilities to deliver urgently needed resources to vulnerable communities. Safety nets have helped lift 36 percent of the world’s poor out of extreme poverty; however, in low-income countries only 1 in 5 of the poorest people are covered. Countries can expand safety nets to cover more beneficiaries and provide greater support in response to a climate or health shock. Public works programs can provide jobs that also build resilience, for instance, in landscape restoration and community water infrastructure. Economic inclusion programs, widely proven to lift extremely poor households into sustainable livelihoods, also show significant promise toward resilient recoveries.   Food Security. The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the fragility of our food and agriculture systems, leading to limited availability of and access to nutritious food. The 500 million small-scale farming households in developing countries are especially at risk, including those in Africa and South Asia, many of whom also face devastating locust swarms with links to climate change. We need rapid interventions to strengthen food and nutrition security, improve food reserve policies, reduce agriculture and food workers’ health risks, and safeguard migrant laborers. Investments in climateinformed digital advisory services can help farmers identify threats and access weather-based insurance and finance. Over the long term, we need to build resilient and sustainable food systems, which include a range of evidence-based interventions, such as agroecological approaches, and which are underpinned by international cooperation to fund farmer-oriented research & development to address global problems, such as drought, flooding, heat, and salinization.   Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). Natural solutions provided by healthy ecosystems and green infrastructure can deliver massive economic and resilience benefits. Compared to traditional infrastructure, they deliver more jobs per dollar, higher economic returns, and are faster to implement and more sustainable in the long run. Intact ecosystems can also limit the spread of zoonotic diseases. Protecting and restoring mangroves globally, at a cost of less than $100 billion, could create $1 trillion in net benefits by 2030. NBS investments also reduce carbon emissions, strengthen resilience to disasters, improve food security, decrease biodiversity loss, and benefit human and ecosystem health.   Disaster Prevention. COVID-19 has demonstrated the need to scale up investments in and access to digital technologies, funding mechanisms, and capacity-building solutions to better manage risks and avoid damage to build resilient societies. Forecast-based financing, for instance, can save lives, reduce damage, and speed up recovery. Spending $800 million on early warning systems in developing countries would avoid $3 to 16 billion per year in losses. To reach the most vulnerable, these efforts need to be coupled with investments in the capacity of “last mile” communities to act. The Global Commission on Adaptation aims to accelerate action and inspire political leadership for a climate resilient future. It is led by Ban Ki-moon, Bill Gates and Kristalina Georgieva, and includes 35 Commissioners and 23 convening countries. As global systems are being reset from the pandemic, the Global Commission on Adaptation and its partners are working to advance action in these areas. The Commission will report on progress at the Climate Adaptation Summit in the Netherlands in January 2021. These recommendations will be carried forward at COP26 in Glasgow and should be prioritized in the years to come.   SIGNED BY: Ban Ki-moon Inger Andersen Michelle Bachelet Winnie Byanyima Jagan Chapagain Patricia Espinosa Christiana Figueres Ingrid-Gabriela Hoven Emma Howard Boyd Naoko Ishii Agnes Kalibata Loren Legarda Strive Masiyiwa José Antonio Meade Muhammad Musa Cora van Nieuwenhuizen Mari Pangestu Sheela Patel Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum Feike Sijbesma Andrew Steer Simon Stiell Francis Suarez Petteri Taalas Patrick Verkooijen Rodger Voorhies Shemara Wikramanayake Jonathan Wilkinson Note: Commissioners are signing this statement in their individual capacity. This statement does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commissioners’ respective organizations, institutions, or governments. Source：UN Author：UN Date：July 9, 2020

UN Climate change News - 22 june 2020 - As countries begin to reopen their economies, technology experts meeting in the context of the June Momentum for Climate Change stressed that to make green recovery a reality, the immediate post-COVID-19 period of the next 6 to 9 months needs to focus on climate policies and climate-friendly technologies that have been tried and tested and are ready to be rolled out.    This was one of the key messages as technology experts met to identify how climate technologies and the Technology Mechanism under the Paris Agreement can support countries to achieve a green, sustainable economic recovery post COVID-19. The Technology Mechanism consists of two complementary bodies: the Technology Executive Committee (TEC), its policy body and the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN), the mechanism’s implementation body. Their functions are complementary and support efforts to address both policy and implementation aspects of climate technology development and transfer, including in developing countries. Technology Mechanism representatives along with technology experts from the private sector, government, entrepreneurs and an international organization emphasized that clean technology has the potential to generate more jobs than investments in older sectors, which proves invaluable in building the recovery the world needs. The TEC's Chair, Mareer Husny, said "Despite the COVID-19 crisis and the resulting postponement of COP26, the TEC is on track to deliver environmentally sound climate technology policies to support countries in implementing the Paris Agreement. As such, the TEC is keen to provide positive input into green economic recovery efforts, especially with respect to transfer and deployment of climate technologies." While a multitude of policies and commercial climate-friendly technologies exist, easy access to finance remains one of the main challenges to implementing them. Experts outlined that governments and international organizations can address these challenges and make technologies more cost effective in various ways, including facilitating the provision of grants and other funding for the implementation of different clean technologies, the introduction of legislation and incentive schemes that prioritize the use of new climate-friendly technologies and the promotion of improved efficiency of existing high-carbon emitting technologies. Mary Stewart, the CEO of Energetics underlined: “The technologies to set us well on the path to deliver the emissions reductions required to limit warning to 1.5 degrees are currently available at commercial scale. From a policy perspective the low hanging fruit is to enable the implementation of these technologies.” Yet the deployment of climate technologies works best when underpinned by clear and solid policy, mainstreamed into national policies such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Each NDC reflects the country’s ambition, taking into account its domestic circumstances and capabilities. This year is critical with respect to climate change ambition as 2020 is the year in which Parties will submit their new or updated NDCs. NDCs are submitted once every five years and thus represent a key opportunity to capture post COVID-19 green recovery initiatives that go beyond the short-term. While climate technologies tend to be country specific, stimulus support from governments should include requirements for ambitious climate action. Key climate technologies will be those that generate the most jobs per investment. For example, energy efficiency programs that boost local employment and locally sourced equipment will be a good source of jobs and can deliver significant cost and emissions reductions.  Where homes are electrified, programs that address energy use are important.  Whereas areas without electrification would benefit from the implementation of renewable energy, either small or large scale depending on the circumstances. Source：UN Author：UN Date：June 22, 2020

UN Climate Change News, 16 June 2020 – The Board that oversees the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has concluded its latest meeting, held virtually in three sessions over four weeks to accommodate members spanning five continents, from Japan to Peru. The CDM – established under the Kyoto Protocol to drive investment to climate-friendly projects – continues despite challenges posed by COVID-19. The mechanism rewards projects in developing countries for each tonne of greenhouse gas they reduce or avoid. The incentive has meanwhile led to registration of more than 8,100 projects and programmes in 111 countries, from renewable energy projects, to projects that spread 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. The Board at it 106th meeting agreed a contingency to adjust for travel restrictions faced by people including third party representatives responsible for checking projects on the ground, allowing for rescheduling of site visits, considered matters relating to methodologies for measuring emission reductions achieved by projects, and agreed to discuss at its next meeting the implications of the delay of the annual gathering of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, which gives guidance for the running of the mechanism, among other issues. CDM Executive Board Discusses 2020 workplan  Top of the agenda was the Board’s 2020 workplan, as well as its support to its technical panels, and discussion on possible CDM programmes to incentivize construction of green buildings. A few matters had to be moved to the Board’s next meeting, including on the commissioning of a review of the lessons learned in operating the global mechanism now in its 20th year. “Climate change hasn’t taken a break, so neither can we,” said Executive Board Chair El Hadji Mbaye Diagne. “Working with the UN Climate Change secretariat we managed to find a way to meet, despite the miles and time zones, that allowed us to give thorough attention to the policies and procedures under consideration.” “There are many challenges ahead of us in these difficult times but all CDM EB members remain committed to meeting them and are more attentive than ever to the concerns of all stakeholders,” said Mr. Diagne. At the start of the meeting, the Board elected Mr. Diagne of Senegal as Chair and Olivier Kassi, from Belgium, as Vice-Chair. Mr. Diagne, a mechanical engineer and Director General of Afrique Energie Environnement, Dakar, took over from Piotr Dombrowick of Poland. Mr. Kassi, from the Ministry of the Environment, Belgium federal government, takes over from Mr. Diagne. The 20 members of the Board serve in their personal capacity, meeting 4-5 times a year to oversee the quality of projects registered and CERs issued, and to consider ways to improve and evolve the CDM. Carbon-Pricing Instruments Increasingly Deployed An increasing number of subnational and national governments are using carbon-pricing instruments, sometimes in conjunction with the CDM, as part of efforts to address greenhouse gas emissions in their jurisdictions. Some domestic systems, including the Colombian carbon tax, European Union Emissions Trading System, the Korean emissions trading system, the South African carbon tax and the Swiss emissions trading system, have been using CERs from CDM projects as eligible offset units that emitters in these jurisdictions can use for compliance with emission obligations. The International Civil Aviation Organization Council in March 2020 approved the CDM to supply the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) with eligible emissions units. There is also an increasing interest in use of CERs to supplement climate action by individuals, organizations and companies, as part of social corporate responsibility efforts. Climate Neutral Now, operated by the secretariat, has tripled its signatories since the start of 2018. Companies, organizations, events and individuals are encouraged to measure their emissions, continually reduce all they can, and compensate for the rest by supporting climate action through purchase and cancellation of CERs. In 2015, at the Board’s request, the secretariat launched a platform for the voluntary cancellation of CERs. The carbon offset platform was set up to provide a new source of demand for CERs and provide a user-friendly way to buy and cancel CERs. Source：UN Author：UN Date：June 16, 2020

UN Climate Change News, 10 June 2020 – “Where do we stand with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs): Enhancing action on climate change in 2020” was the theme of a key virtual high-level event held yesterday as part of the June Momentum initiative by UN Climate Change. NDCs are at the heart of the Paris Climate Change Agreement and embody efforts by each country to reduce national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Each NDC reflects the country’s ambition, taking into account its domestic circumstances and capabilities. The 2015 decision adopting the Paris Agreement referred clearly to 2020 as the year when Parties would submit their new or updated NDCs, and also as the year marking the launch of five-year NDC cycles. As such, 2020 is a key year for climate change ambition. But 2020 is turning out to be a momentous year in more ways than one. Parties are expected to communicate new or updated NDCs, yet this is now happening against the backdrop of a major global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, 13 countries have submitted new or updated NDCs that are recorded in the NDC registry. The virtual high-level event, opened by Ms. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change and Chile’s Minister of Environment and President of COP25, Ms Carolina Schmidt, aimed to zoom in on the challenges and experiences, but also on the opportunities that countries now face in their NDC processes. In her opening remarks, Ms. Espinosa expressed her devastation at the loss of life throughout the world due to COVID-19.  “The pandemic is an additional, unexpected challenge for all of us. But we must remember that climate change remains the most significant challenge to humanity over the long term.” Ms. Espinosa emphasized that recovering from COVID-19 and addressing climate change are not mutually exclusive. She said: “We can combine the recovery process with strategies and actions to address climate change. If this is done right, the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis can steer us to a more inclusive and sustainable climate path.” This theme was echoed by Ms Carolina Schmidt who urged countries to enhance their NDCs to help their societies recover from the pandemic in cleaner and more sustainable ways. During the ensuing panel discussions, all speakers referred to the opportunity to recover and rebuild better and more sustainably. Many participants underlined that there is no choice between pursuing growth and tackling climate change. Pursuing low emissions pathways will in fact speed up economic recovery and growth following COVID-19. This emerging awareness is encouraging given that the current level of ambition would likely result in an increase of global average temperatures of 3C or more, significantly higher than the temperature limits of less than 2C and as close to 1.5C as possible contained in the Paris Agreement.  Yet the international community has the political will, collective capacity and expertise to close the ambition gap, as well as steer the world towards an economic recovery that is mindful of the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Mr Yannick Glemarec, Executive Director of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), succinctly described the emerging opportunity when he stated: “To ensure that countries maintain momentum on NDCs in 2020, it is critical that NDCs are leveraged to ‘green’ national recovery measures. This can be achieved in 2 ways: First, by integrating priorities in NDCs which promote green resilient recovery into stimulus packages to secure financing; and second, by crafting new green resilient recovery measures to enhance NDCs.”    While some developed countries have embraced the greening of their economic recovery packages, this may pose a challenge to developing countries. As a result, the GCF, the UNDP and others are making support available to developing countries for this purpose. See relevant presentations on the events page. UN Climate Change also stands ready to support countries in their NDC process. Source：UN Author：UN Date：June 10, 2020

UPS announced the company will commemorate World Environment Day on June 5 by matching the carbon offsets of all packages shipped via its carbon neutral program during the month of June. UPS carbon neutral counterbalances the estimated carbon impact of each shipment by purchasing certified carbon offsets. To participate, shippers pay a small fee to offset the carbon footprint of shipping their packages then UPS will match these offsets throughout June. This is essentially doubling the shipper’s impact thereby allowing the shipper to potentially net out “carbon negative” in June. The per package flat rate price for the optional service is $0.05 for UPS® ground services and $0.20 for UPS Next Day Air®, UPS 2nd Day Air® and UPS 3 Day Select® services. “There is truly no better way to honor World Environment Day than to facilitate actions that will help the planet,” said Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, UPS chief sustainability officer (CSO) and vice president of environmental affairs. “UPS hopes to create more awareness about our carbon neutral shipping option so additional customers will take advantage of it, thus helping to fund large-scale carbon reduction programs and reduce the total carbon impact of shipping on the environment.” UPS started its carbon neutral program in 2010 and offsets more than 60 million packages annually for customers, which equates to more than 100,000 metric tonnes of carbon offset each year. UPS has supported projects worldwide that include forestation, landfill gas destruction, and wastewater treatment. UPS carbon neutral option is verified by Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS), an inspection, testing, and verification company. Additionally, UPS’s carbon offset process adheres to The CarbonNeutral Protocol from Natural Capital Partners. UPS’s carbon neutral offering is just one way the company is helping shippers reduce their impact on the environment. Customers can also choose more sustainable last mile delivery options and solutions designed for more efficient returns. One option is to direct packages to UPS Access Point® locations(such as The UPS Store, CVS pharmacy, Michaels or Advance Auto Parts) whereconsolidated deliveries can take place for multiple consumers preventing several delivery attempts to a single residence. On the returns front, UPS works with a company called Optoro, using its returns optimization platform that helps shippers maximize recovery value and reduce items going to landfills. Additionally, customers can participate in UPS’s Eco Responsible Packaging Program or UPS can conduct a carbon impact analysis on their shipping. Furthermore, customers benefit from the carbon reduction efforts UPS undertakes in its own operations. During the last decade, UPS has invested more than $1 billion on alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles as well as supporting infrastructure. The company is now the largest user of renewable natural gas in the transportation industry and has a specialized alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet of more than 10,300 vehicles. Recently, UPS announced plans to purchase more than 6,000 natural gas trucks through 2022.  And, in January, UPS announced an investment in the UK-based technology startup firm Arrival and committed to buy 10,000 of their electric vehicles. UPS is an important part of its customers’ supply chains and continues to offer sustainability solutions that impact their value chains. Source：STAT Author：STAT Date：June 2, 2020