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On World Water Day: Water and Sanitation Receiving High Level Political Attention

2010-03-18T15:59:15Z

Monday, March 22nd 2010 is recognized by the United Nations as World Water Day, a time to raise awareness of the global water crisis and focus on the solutions. The challenge is tremendous, almost 900 million people lack safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation (or safe toilets). NRDC has fought for clean water for decades and I am happy to report that my colleagues are writing this week about water’s intersection with so many environmental and health issues.

The Obama Administration has recognized the importance of the issue and is reaching out with key events to demonstrate its commitment to global water. I just finished a call this morning with Under Secretary of State Maria Otero about water policy during which she laid out key priorities for U.S. water activities around the world.

Under Secretary Otero announced that on World Water Day, Secretary Clinton will reinforce the U.S. commitment to global water – focusing on increased access to safe water and sanitation and improving the efficiency and management of water resources. Otero said they are working toward long-term sustainable solutions to prevent water from becoming a growing source of conflict and tension. The Under Secretary’s recognition of the role of watershed management is important to highlight, and a key part of the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Report. Notably the Obama Administration plans to integrate their food security and global health initiatives into U.S. water policy, through a comprehensive approach to development and water.

Otero stated:

Water is essential to all that we do, we can’t do without it and its irreplaceable.

Lack of clean water and sanitation is the second leading cause of death of children under five around the world. We need to use water more effectively and conserve water. As people around the world are facing the impacts of climate change especially the increases of floods and droughts – we know that managing water wisely is more critical.

These comments are very welcome from the Administration, but we also need Congress to act. That is why NRDC is calling upon Congress to increase funding for water and sanitation programming and we are working with over 30 organizations to raise awareness about the water and sanitation crisis.

In Washington DC on Tuesday March 23, 2010 you can make a difference by taking action on Capitol Hill for those who lack water and sanitation.

Two ways to get involved:

Sign up for advocacy day on the hill by clicking on the link and signing up-you can participate in meetings with Members of Congress and their staff throughout the day. This event begins at 9:00 a.m. with activities lasting throughout the day, including participation in the World’s Longest Toilet Queue.
If you’ve only got one hour: Meet us at Upper Senate Park for a rally on the hill. Students, educators and politicians will gather to form a line at Upper Senate Park to make the 'World’s Longest Toilet Queue'. Our ‘Queue’ is part of a global mobilization to demonstrate solidarity with those who have no clean water or safe sanitation and show Congress that they must increase resources to solve the global water and sanitation crisis.

The line forms at exactly 1:30 and will be completed by 1:45!

Let’s show the Administration and Congress that the time is now to confront the global water crisis and win!

International Women's Day: Empowering Women to Confront Climate Change

2010-03-09T00:51:13Z

March 8, 2010 is the 99th International Women’s Day a time to reflect on the dynamics between women and the environment. In this post we take a look at the disproportionate impact of climate change and resulting water shortages (and floods) on women around the world and at the same time celebrate women as powerful agents of change.

Check out these facts gathered by UNIFEM

Women provide up to 80% of agricultural labor and 45-90% of a household’s food.
Gathering and transporting water typically falls on women and children in developing countries — a task that can take many hours each day in drought prone areas.
Collecting water is already becoming increasingly burdensome with global warming. More regions will experience water shortages as rainfall becomes erratic, glaciers melt and seas rise.
There is a strong correlation between gender equality and women’s survival rate in disasters. Women are up to 14 times more likely than men to die from natural disasters. Poverty and poor access to health care exacerbate these risks.

A 2008 study commissioned by WEDO, shows the plight of women in Nepal as they face the impacts of climate change.

In Nepal, Dalit women are perhaps the most underprivileged people in the country; they face dual discrimination, being considered “untouchable” and being women, and they are particularly vulnerable to violence, including sexual abuse and rape. Since they are deprived of using public infrastructures, they usually have to walk farther to get water––very often of bad quality––and fuel wood.

Srijana is a Dalit widow, mother of a baby girl. She lives in a small mud house in Phoolparasi, Sarlahi District. She is used to coping with regular floods and has learned to elevate the plinths of her house in order to protect her belongings. She says this:

I am very poor and do not have anything except this house. Now the floods are coming more often and the level of the water is higher. Every year, my house is damaged by the water. I do not know what to do now since I am losing more and more of my house. I cannot get any support because I am untouchable and poor. I cannot even get refuge in my neighbors’ house.

(Excerpts from Case Study: Gender and Climate Change in the Hindu Kush Himalayas of Nepal available at http://www.wedo.org/wp-content/uploads/nepalcasestudy.pdf)

We have more to do in advocating for women’s rights and full integration in climate change solutions. Women have a great deal to offer as communities develop solutions to impacts on food and water resources. Yet to gain women's insight and participation special care must be given to ensure women are engaged at every level of decision making related to climate change and sustainable development.

Several champions are working to do just that. Check out the inspiring leaders that IUCN honored today. These seven individuals work tirelessly to empower women around the world to confront climate change. Something to celebrate!

This blog was co-authored by Lovelyn Nwarueze.

Take Action to Bring Clean Water to the Poor

2010-02-22T20:42:19Z

Its budget season in Washington, an opportunity to help shape how the U.S. will spend millions and sometimes billions of funds to improve the lives of the poor around the world.

Safe drinking water and adequate sanitation can have the most profound impact on improving lives and preventing disease, allowing people to focus on other issues like getting their children to school, growing food and doing other daily tasks.

Please take a moment to call upon Congress to increase funding for safe water and sanitation programs which promote health and healthy ecosystems. Here is a story from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) about how investing in clean water can make a real difference in people’s lives.

Success Story: Indonesia Environmental Services Program

The USAID/Indonesia Environmental Services Program is a $47 million program that works with water to address the linkages among environmental health, water resource protection, biodiversity conservation and critical land rehabilitation with public health issues of diarrhea prevention and increased access to clean water and sanitation services as key focal areas.

The Indonesia Environmental Services Program is making a difference. In just three years the program has achieved a number of outcomes, including:

13,092 hectares of critical land rehabilitated
152 community groups practicing improved natural resources management
61,479 households or 249,660 individuals with increased access to clean water
25,231 people trained in effective hand washing with soap

USAID also has programs to manage water bodies that cross international boundaries, protect watersheds from pollution, promote water conservation and health and hygiene education. This valuable work needs more resources and our leaders need to hear from you, so join NRDC’s message to Congress and if you have a story about how safe drinking water and sanitation improves lives please post it here.

Another Epic Snowstorm in DC: And Other Climate Change Surprises

2010-02-05T15:44:33Z

A big storm is coming to DC - up to 24 inches! People are stocking up on canned goods, and the stores are completely sold out of shovels. I am excited that later today I will be working from home.

Here is some great reading for your snow day:

Oddball Winter Weather: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States

The report, from the National Wildlife Federation, explains how climate change is making our winters generally more temparate but some places like DC are experiencing more large storms. Read about how this can threaten ecosystems and alter the natural rhythms of water and temperature. And try to stay warm and dry as the snow starts to fall.

President Obama’s budget contributes to fast-start international climate finance

2010-02-02T21:14:53Z

The White House released a proposed budget for 2011 which includes $1.4 billion to helps provide needed investments in developing countries to address the impacts of global warming pollution, shift to a clean energy future, and reduce the loss of tropical rainforests. The proposed budget represent a 38% increase from the 2010 international climate change finance budget, and will strengthen the US contribution to the Copenhagen Accord goal of $10 billion per year of fast-start funds (stay tuned - I will post more about other nations contributions to the fast-start funds soon).

We can and certainly will need to go further to meet the needed investments in these international efforts over the next few years, but this is a solid down payment toward helping the most vulnerable countries adapt to climate change, speeding the transition to a global low carbon economy, and maintaining the momentum of action spurred by the Copenhagen Accord (as we’ve tracked here).

As President Obama said at the UN Conference on Climate Change in New York this September:

No nation, however, large or small, wealthy or poor, can escape the impact of climate change… The security and stability of each nation and all peoples – our prosperity, our health, and our safety – are in jeopardy … We have a responsibility to provide the financial and technical assistance needed to help these nations adapt to the impacts of climate change and pursue low-carbon development.

Investing in these activities is in the US interest:

Security - Yesterday’s Department of Defense Report said that climate change is acting as an “accelerant of instability” & “weakening fragile governments.” Curbing climate change and providing adaptation tools will lessen the need to deploy troops to areas ravaged by drought, famine and conflict aggravated by global warming, saving lives and tax-payer money.
Jobs/economy – New technology and clean energy investments around the world create new markets and new opportunities for US innovators to lead to a clean energy future providing new jobs and opportunities.
Health – the damages to our health and quality of life—including costly contamination of our air and water supplies—from global warming pollution are not included in the prices of these fuels. the damages to our health and environment from global warming pollution are not included in the prices of these fuels. We need global action to transition away from these fuels to protect our own health. A new report from the National Academies of science estimate the hidden health costs in the United States alone are 120 billion.
Transparency – the agreement in Copenhagen paved the way for increased frequency and transparency of reporting by developing countries on their emissions, actions to reduce global warming pollution, and progress towards their commitments (as my colleagues have discussed here, here, and here). US investments can help support these efforts in developing countries so we have increased transparency of progress towards solving global warming.

The majority of international climate finance programming is included in the budgets of three agencies the Agency for International Development ($491 million), The Department of State ($155 million), and Treasury ($744 million). The funds will move bilaterally through direct in-country activities and multi-laterally through U.S. contributions to the World Bank and other international funds. In addition to these three agencies, other scientific and technical agencies like NASA, NOAA and EPA are doing key climate science and modeling, providing information for people on the ground to predict and adapt to climate change. The Department of Energy will continue to direct research and development to clean technology and share scientific data and expertise with counterparts around the world. The other agency contributions amount to another 104 million.

So how exactly will the funds be spent?

Adaptation - $334 million

USAID	Adaptation activities	187
State	Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF)	30
	Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF)	20
	Other UNFCCC	7
Treasury	Pilot Program for Climate Resilience	90

As I have detailed here adaptation programs will climate-proof development activities, making water and food security programs more resilient, and investing in systems that can withstand more extreme temperatures and less predictable weather and precipitation and the tools to understand and anticipate those conditions. The Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF)and Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) are multi-lateral funds under the UNFCCC assisting the least developed countries in their efforts to adapt to climate change.

Clean Energy - $710 million

USAID	Clean Energy	129
State	Major Economies Initiatives and Programs	30
	Methane to Markets	5
	Montreal Protocol	24
	Western Hemisphere Affairs	10
	UNFCCC	5
Treasury	Clean Technology Fund	400
	Program for Scaling up Renewable Energy in Low
	Income Countries (SPREP)	50
	Global Environmental Facility	58

Clean energy investments will be focused in four key areas: energy efficiency, low-carbon energy, clean transport and energy sector reforms to promote sustained investment in energy sectors. Its also important to note that many of these programs will move through international funds like the World Bank’s Clean Technology Fund. The appropriation language regarding this fund requires that these investments reduce overall emissions, do not cause adverse public health or environment threats, and improve energy efficiency of buildings or transport or transition power generation toward renewable forms (and gas in the case that it replaces coal). These requirements may help transition this major World Bank initiative to a cleaner energy portfolio.

Deforestation Reductions and Increased Forest Cover - $347 million

USAID	Sustainable Landscapes	175
State	World Bank Forest Carbon Partnership Facility	15
	International Conservation Programs	8
	UNFCCC	2
Treasury	Tropical Forest Conservation Act	20
	Global Environment Facility	32
	Forest Investment Program	95

The sustainable landscapes budget item is largely comprised of programs to reduce deforestation, but seeks to include the broader landscape including soils, and eventually agriculture. In this case many of the funds will be used to build capacity to enable effective REDD programs including monitoring and reporting of emissions, land tenure and governance and technical agricultural and forestry methods.

Are other government resources going in the wrong direction?

Fortunately, while the Obama administration is establishing a good down payment on international climate finance, they have also made a strategic choice to focus on the entirety of the U.S. government support. When we are trying to solve global warming we can’t have any US support investing in activities that increase emissions (going in the wrong direction) – we need all gears moving us towards solution (going in the right direction).

The President’s budget begins to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies worth $36 billion dollars over 10 years as was agreed at the recent G20 meeting (as my colleague discussed here). My colleague has written in detail about how the proposed budget eliminates tax loopholes for oil, gas and coal. By eliminating inefficient subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, the Obama Administration is raising the funds we need to combat climate change and invest in the solutions to adapt and move toward a more sustainable future.

And the President’s budget recognizes that other government supported entities like the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation need to also be moving us in the right direction. So his budget signals that they are going to help speed the transition of these institutions to supporting global warming solutions.

----------------

The President’s budget signals an important down payment in efforts to assist developing countries in deploying clean energy, reducing deforestation, and adapting to the impacts of global warming. The U.S. and other countries will need to increase their investments in these critical opportunities over time, but the President’s budget rightly recognizes that these investments are in the U.S. interest.

These are investments in our security, jobs, and health. That sounds like a smart investment to me and one that we should ensure is supported by Congress. We’ll be working with Congress and the Administration to secure this funding and help make sure that it is being wisely invested.

Copenhagen Accord on Track

2010-01-26T21:26:05Z

The BASIC Countries (Brazil, South Africa [Afrique du Sud], India and China) reiterated their commitment to a global climate agreement at their meeting in Delhi on Sunday January 24th. The Ministers issued a joint statement supporting the Copenhagen Accord and their intention to submit their mitigation actions to the UNFCCC by this Sunday January 31, 2010.

In less then a week we expect that all the major emitters including the United States, BASIC nations, Japan, European nations, Canada, Indonesia and others will have submitted their mitigation actions to be included in the Copenhagen Accord Annexes. In fact, just Tuesday, Japan formally submitted its commitment of a 25% emissions cut to the UNFCCC Secretariat. Nations also have the opportunity to “associate” with the Accord or become an original co-sponsor, and as time progresses they will have the opportunity to update their commitments, improving the level of ambition.

World leaders committed to one another and the public world-wide, and we have every reason to expect them to follow through with the Copenhagen Accord. In the final hours of Copenhagen, the leaders of 28 nations agreed in person to flesh out the Accord by detailing national mitigation actions. In their unprecedented late night session in Copenhagen the President’s and Prime Ministers also agreed to the critical fast-start funds of 10 billion/year for through 2012. The BASIC Ministers called for quick action to initiate the flow of these funds to the least developed countries, small island states and vulnerable African nations. These monies are critical to address the impacts of climate change that are hitting the worlds poorest and most at risk.

On January 20th, the UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer gave an optomistic press briefing about the status of the Accord, calling the Accord a “stepping stone” to a more robust agreement in Mexico. Despite Mr. de Boer's positive message some reports of his remarks characterized the aggrement as at risk or faltering, but the key milestones for the Accord are already moving along as expected.

The U.S. will formalize its pledge.
BASIC nations will lay out their commitments to curb emissions.

Over the next few weeks, we can look forward to the release of the final report of the Copenhagen meeting and a fresh Copenhagen Accord with the key details in the Annex.

In the months ahead the climate meetings will resume with several negotiating sessions throughout 2010, the first scheduled meeting will likely be held in June 2010. These sessions will continue the work of negotiating the details of REDD, climate finance and investment, the adaptation framework, and the clean technology mechanism, issues that in many cases were agreed or very close but were not formally adopted as time ran out in Copenhagen. These items will likely also continue to be addressed in the G20 meetings and other parallel process throughout the year, though many countries have encouraged a focus on the UNFCCC process to promote inclusiveness and transparency in the continued climate talks.

As the Copenhagen Accord process continues to unfold throughout 2010, NRDC will be tracking the Copenhagen mitigation actions and financial commitments on our website. And we will be in Cancun,Mexico later this year pushing to strengthen the Copenhagen Accord with even stronger international agreements and the domestic actions to achieve those agreements.

Many thanks to Lovelyn Nwarueze

NRDC's Howard Law Extern who co-authored this article.

Vegetarian in 2010: My New Year's Resolution

2010-01-06T21:35:50Z

Given the environmental challenges we face, my new years resolution to go vegetarian this year is a small endeavor. For me, though, it will be quite a shift. In recent years, I have been acturately described as an omnivore. But I am going to take a break from that approach. I will reduce my environmental footprint by eating a bit lower on the food chain.

No fish, no red meat, no poultry (or other white meat). I am from Wisconsin, so naturally a friend asked me if wild game was still on the menu. No wild game. My reasons are as complicated as many people’s eating choices are – they are personal, cultural, dynamic and imperfect.

Nevertheless I trust that eating lower on the food chain will ease a tiny portion of the air and water pollution caused by industrial agriculture, reduce my total carbon footprint, and limit my contribution to unsustainable fishing practices. I hope that this small step will make 2010 a more sustainable year for me. Happy New Year!

Countries pull together in the final hours of Copenhagen

2009-12-19T17:32:23Z

In the wee hours of the morning countries united to support the Copenhagen Accord, overcoming a nearly crushing diplomatic challenge. My colleagues Jake Schmidt and David Doniger watched the agreement unfold and sent us copious notes and reports from inside the Bella Center’s plenary hall.

As I read each country’s statement, in what proved to be a very emotional UN session, it became clear that most countries (188 of the 193 parties at current count) wanted to support the people most vulnerable to climate change by moving forward with the Copenhagen Accord. The countries that have determined not to support the Accord are Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Sudan. In an impressive show of unity the remaining 188 countries pulled together in what many saw as a step forward toward global action on climate.

The back and forth between parties at the United Nations can often seem bureaucratic and a bit boring, but not at 3 A.M. this morning as the exhausted leaders found the courage to address climate as a truly global body. Some have called this a test of multilateralism; and rather than trying to determine whether we passed, I have highlighted some paraphrased statements by leaders from many parts of the world.

MALDIVES: The talks here are at risk, yet the science suggests that we have only seven years to act. In the last few days Maldives has sat with 25 other countries to build a document. Though it is not perfect, this document allows us to continue the talks and come to a legally binding agreement. Please do not delete this document.

ETHIOPIA: On behalf of the African Union, Ethiopia recognizes that this document is a compromise and postponing is not an option.

UNITED KINGDOM: We have two roads to choose from, the first is to support the document which is imperfect but will improve people’s lives. The document offers 30 billion in fast start funds and 100 billion in long term funds. The other road undermines this process.

At this point in the conversation, the UN body faced a procedural challenge because the group generally operates on consensus but could not easily move forward with 5 of the 193 countries opposing the document. Slovenia offered an elegant solution proposing that the document could be adopted along with a list of the countries that support and oppose it.

BANGLEDESH: As one of the most vulnerable countries we assert the need to make every effort in the right direction.

GRENADA: On behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, we stand by the document and we stand by the process. Many countries including the United States, UK, Russia, South Africa, Algeria, Denmark, Ethiopia, South Korea, China, Brazil and more participated in these talks. The negotiations weren’t easy but we support the outcome.

JAPAN: We are here to save not only the islands but also to save future generations.

PHILLIPINES: We have to move forward to protect the world.

ALGERIA: This text defines the main elements of a financial mechanism and includes technology transfer and short-term finance. Africa wants to be part of the solution, we urge this summit: make the right choice!

BARBADOS, BELIZE and TUVALU noted that the parties all worked very hard and the process should go forward. Tuvalu said ‘please don’t jeopardize our future’.

LESOTHO: On behalf of the Least Developed Countries, we support the accord.

MALDIVES: There are many countries who need this document. I implore you please keep this document alive and adopt this document.

In the end the session went through the morning and into the mid-afternoon. The group decided to use Slovenia’s proposal to adopt a decision which ‘noted the Copenhagen Accord.’ As of writing, the list of countries which supported the Accord are not yet included in the document on the UN’s website, but that will certainly be finalized in the next few days.

After two weeks of participating in the Copenhagen Climate Talks (one of the most amazing and engrossing experiences of my life), a path forward was paved by broad agreement among 188 countries to address climate change together.

New texts in Copenhagen: what do all the documents say?

2009-12-15T21:49:32Z

Thousands of fingers pattering softly on keyboards over the last two days and nights have produced a new round of texts. The documents were released Tuesday morning while my colleagues and I waited in line outside the Bella Center. It was cold and there were thousands of confused people, but a sense of camaraderie grew amongst those stuck in line together. We were hopeful, exhausted, excited, freezing cold and extremely motivated to be part of such a historic moment.

After almost three hours we made it inside and gathered up all the new versions of the texts. These texts are just several of many documents and proposals issued in the last week, and it remains unclear at this point how each component will fit together into the final agreement. In addition, a set of parallel process have developed. Newly arrived Ministers and other high level officials are working in closed sessions to resolve some of the key issues, while the lower level negotiators continue to rework these texts.

The documents include these highpoints:

Proposals to establish a registry or a mechanism to record the mitigation actions of developing countries. The mechanism would help match each action with financial and technological support from other countries, through bilateral, regional or multilateral arrangements. Once the matches are agreed the mechanism will provide regular updates both on the action and the financing.
Language on agriculture which would try to bring that sector into the climate agreement. Climate change is already impacting agriculture and the tools to adapt, to hotter warm periods and more unpredictable water supplies, are vital for the world’s most vulnerable people.
A proposal to turn to the Montreal Protocol to phase down the production of hydroflurocarbons another heat trapping gas. It’s unclear whether there is agreement in the negotiation halls on this issue.
Greater clarity on methods to reduce emissions through deforestation including transparent national forest monitoring. The proposed text allows for management at the sub-national level ‘as appropriate’, but the specifics of when/how forest management will be managed below the national level must be defined. You can drive a logging truck through the phrase ‘as appropriate’.

Regional or local management should only be in place for the first few years of the agreement and then forest management must shift to the national level to provide greater assurance of the conservation of natural forests and their carbon stocks. The text must clarify that national management will be the ultimate objective for REDD forest management.

Inclusive language on adaptation which recognizes the role of gender sensitivity and broad stakeholder participation in adaptation planning and activities. The adaptation text invites parties to invest in the sustainable management of natural resources as a way to build climate resilience.
Details on technology transfer promoting centers of innovation, public-private partnership investment in R&D, and capacity building. Technology actions can include the procurement of soft and hard technologies for implementation of adaptation and mitigation actions.
On medium-term financing and beyond, we have everything in the text besides the numbers. Countries shall establish a body which will work under/with/be accountable to the Conference of the Parties to support mitigation, REDD plus, adaptation, technology, and capacity-building. The funds shall be new and additional – provided by developed countries. The text calls upon countries to make commitments for finance for the 2010-2012 period and to codify those pledges in an appendix to the agreement.

At issue remain the critical questions of the scale and source of financial contributions and the issue of monitoring and reporting actions. For more on both check out this blog by my colleagues Barbara Finamore and David Doniger.

So as we look forward to a fresh start today with even more new texts its good to keep in mind the range of finance numbers bouncing around the Bella Conference Center.

The World Bank estimates that we need $75-100 billion annually for adaptation.
Project Catalyst estimates that from 2010-2020 an average of up to $150 billon per year is required for financing adaptation and mitigation.
Oxfam International charges that $200bn per year in new public funds is needed to help poor countries reduce their emissions and adapt to a changing climate.
Lord Stern of the London School of Economics puts the funding requirement at $50 billion in 2015 rising to $100 billion plus in 2020s.

I hope that as President Obama and Secretary Clinton depart for Copenhagen they are poised to mobilize big new investments along with the world’s wealthiest nations. The developed nations must bring new financing sources to the table to help stem the loss of the tropical forests, to help the world’s poor and vulnerable people survive the impacts of global warming, and to bring them clean energy.

This is a moment that calls us to do everything we can. As the texts move around and countries issue new statements about their positions its important to remember the value of a global climate deal. We have just three days left, so let’s get going.

Adaptation Tools and Technologies: 100 Billion or Just 25 Cents a Day

2009-12-09T16:59:10Z

Its Day Three of the Copenhagen Climate Talks and adaptation is taking center stage. Delegates at the climate talks are calling for investment in technologies to provide early warning systems, predict crop losses, and provide local solutions. A youth group just called for global investment in adaptation at a level of just 25 cents a day from all developed country citizens to support 100 billion dollars a year for adaptation.

Earlier during a rare quiet moment I had the pleasure of chatting with a representative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) about the tools needed to predict, understand and adapt to climate change.

The WMO, for those who may not be familiar with it, is a scientific organization within the United Nations which built the tools to allow meteorologists from around the world share their data and create interconnected, real-time systems that predict the weather every day. And to provide fullest disclosure, I myself was unaware of the WMO until I spent several years working for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which houses the National Weather Service.

Dr. Avinash Tyagi, the Director of the Climate and Water Department at the WMO, explained that:

We have had over 100 years to improve and refine the best methods for hydrologic science. Naturally, our water management strategies are based on the presumption that whatever happened in the past will happen in the future. But climate change throws all of our old assumptions about natural systems especially water systems into question. We can no longer base our assumptions on the past. There is an immediate need to adapt our management strategies to the changing climate and the new and emerging climate models.

Unfortunately, according to Dr. Tyagi, Time is not on our side.

Scientists and Negotiators Agree

The urgency of climate change is a significant challenge, but luckily the opportunity matches the challenge. More importantly scientists, and negotiators of both the developed and developing states can agree that one key solution lies in utilizing modern geospatial technology to empower communities.

Over the last two days developing countries said that high quality observations (satellite images, rain measurements, stream levels, temperature records and more) are necessary for adaptation. They called for more funding for the Global Climate Observation System. And the WMO is working to encourage countries to prioritize climate research and science in their own national budgets. There is no debate on the value of data and observations to climate adaptation here at the Copenhagen negotiations.

Making Global Climate Models Useful to You and Me

While we agree in principle the challenge lies in implementation. Existing climate data can be used to build global and regional models, but the most valuable data still needed at the local level. And local scientists around the world need to tap into the best tools, knowledge and methods. So how can we build local knowledge and capacity?

Globally

At the WMO’s World Climate Conference September 2009, Ministers agreed to establish a Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) to facilitate collaboration between sectors, nations and scientists. The GFCS will provide standards for measurement, create guidelines for integration and build capacity. Ultimately their work shall support early warning systems, predict crop losses, and bring local solutions.

Climate models require data from many sectors, beyond the WMO’s usual partners, and GFCS will have to tackle that challenge. No small feat since there is a role for data related to fire, weather, soil moisture, water, biodiversity, energy, air quality, storms and more in climate models.

Nationally

At the national level how can we facilitate communication between meteorologists, hydrologists, health specialists, and the coastal managers about the data needed for climate models and adaptation? Sometimes, if you are lucky, you can bring together the scientific data from a variety of government sectors. For example, the United States is slated to establish the National Climate Service as part of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. While many countries won’t establish new climate services, with the right level of global and local investment they will be empowered to bring together many agencies, scientists and specialists from different disciplines to strengthen their own climate models.

Locally

And then you get to the really good news. Lets say the world’s leaders amaze us here in Copenhagen, make commitments to deep emissions reductions, and put significant short term and long-term money toward adaptation, technology, reducing deforestation and capacity building. Monies directed to building climate observation knowledge can empower local people with the tools they need to collect data (lake temperature data) and combine it with data from other sectors (rainfall data and indigenous knowledge) and predict local climate impacts (the fate of a local fish critical to food security). The integrated data can be fed back to the global framework building a more robust model, improving our efforts to adapt to climate change.

On the Ground

While writing this blog and chatting with my colleagues, I learned that the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) is already using these geospatial information technology tools. They are using integrated data to map herd movements, predict water shortages and floods and adapt their activities to the changing environmental conditions. So please allow me to finish this blog by amplifying their message to the COP 15 about adaptation

All efforts must be made to improve communication between regional, sub-regional and national meteorological agencies and indigenous peoples and vulnerable local communities;
GEF, UNDP and related funding bodies should support transfer of appropriate geo-spatial information technologies which improve the ability of indigenous peoples and vulnerable local communities to document and promote their knowledge of natural and human adaptation
Strengthen and support the UNDP Small Project funding of Community-based Adaptation in Africa; Best practices of Community-based and Ecosystem-based Adaptation should be shared and promoted widely.

Financing the Deal: Copenhagen Climate Talks

2009-12-07T09:24:19Z

Here in Copenhagen the hustle and bustle surrounding the climate talks is in full swing. In less than an hour the official opening of the meeting will begin with welcome speeches from the leaders of the negotiation process. You can follow it here via a webcast, youtube, twitter, facebook and more.

In advance of the negotiations my colleague Jake Schmidt has outlined the key issues facing the negotiators in a series of blogs. And as I look forward to immersing myself in the conference today, I’ve got just one of those key issues on my mind – finance.

There are many issues that need to be resolved here in Copenhagen, but the among the most important for the deal is the issue of both short-term and long-term financial commitments. As my colleague highlighted here investments (both technology and finance) could spur developing country emission reductions.

Recent proposals from the developed world for up to $10 billion annually for prompt start funding through 2012 are most welcome. And the U.S. has signaled it will do its ‘fair share’ of that amount. But even these statements of strong commitment to climate finance require finesse to move the deal forward.

The funds must be demonstrably new (and not repackaged development aid nor already dedicated climate funds) to meet new the challenge of shifting to low carbon development, reducing deforestation and adapting to climate change.

And perhaps most importantly the funds must be sustained for the long-term. Long-term finance well-beyond 2012 is critical. Shifting energy production technologies, tackling deforestation and adaption to climate change is a long-term challenge. The prompt start funding proposed over the last few weeks is critical to get this process started but the long-term investment in the range of climate change activities will underpin the transition to sustainable development. Prompt start and long-term funding will only be effective if both are provided at sufficient and predictable levels and managed in a transparent way.

As 56 newspapers around the world posted in a common editorial today:

The transformation will be costly, but many times less than the bill for bailing out global finance — and far less costly than the consequences of doing nothing.

…

But the shift to a low-carbon society holds out the prospect of more opportunity than sacrifice. Already some countries have recognized that embracing the transformation can bring growth, jobs and better quality lives.

…

Kicking our carbon habit within a few short decades will require a feat of engineering and innovation to match anything in our history.

These newspapers have united to demonstrate to the world the importance of investing in climate solutions now.

As NRDC’s Frances Beinecke wrote: Global climate change is the single greatest environmental challenge of our generation. It is, though, far more than that. It is a humanitarian challenge. It is an economic challenge. It is a national security challenge. And it is a moral challenge, the great moral challenge of our time. We must rise to meet it, we must turn it around, or we will fail our forebears and our children.

Today, world leaders are poised to take advantage of this most unique opportunity to realign our common trajectory and invest for the long-haul in a path that promotes jobs, energy security, and economic sustainability. Let’s encourage them to make these commitments for reduced emissions and climate finance a reality here in Copenhagen.

Today is World Toilet Day!

2009-11-19T20:36:07Z

It's a fun way to build awareness for a very serious problem. Safe water and sanitation are the world's most pressing environmental health challenges as NRDC has highlighted here and here. Luckily World Toilet Day celebrations in DC did reach lots of people.

This morning on a radio show, Congressman Earl Blumenauer highlighted the importance of safe places for people to defecate and urinate. 2.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to a safe private toilet and as a result millions of people, especially young children, die of diarrheal illnesses unnecessarily.

During lunchtime in DC a variety of health, development, and water and sanitation organizations joined together to create an exhibit in front of the Capitol building showing that sanitation can provide dignity, health and safety. Children from a local school even brought signs and explained why they thought toilets were important.

What would you do if you didn't have a toilet?

Take a minute and check out news about these events around the world that are part of World Toilet Day. And see what you can do to raise awareness about this important issue. We've said it before and we will say it again It's Time to Use Your Potty Mouth.

Happy Toilet Day!

Water and Ecosystems a Focus at Barcelona Climate Change Talks

2009-11-16T19:04:36Z

We tend to think of climate change as an air pollution problem, or a threat to our atmosphere, but in fact water and especially watery ecosystems (wetlands, mangroves, mountainous cloud forests, and more) will play a major role in our ability to both curb climate change and to adapt to that change.

Climate change will stress water resources placing the greatest burden on the world's most vulnerable people, already challenged by the simple act of getting a glass of safe drinking water. NRDC's president Frances Beinecke explored climate change adaptation in the developing world in a radio broadcast today.

At Water Day (held during Barcelona's Climate Change Talks) specialists in the areas of safe drinking water and sanitation, energy, gender, ecosystems and energy discussed how climate change impacts on water will impact these issues. Moreover they explored tools and techniques to respond to the impacts of changes in hydrologic cycle. You can hear all the recorded discussions by clicking on the link above.

The impacts of climate change on water will reduce both the quantity and quality of water available to drink. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a chapter on Water Resources in their 4th report which detailed the impacts of climate change on water:

1) The likelihood of water borne diseases will increase.
2) Floods and droughts will become more frequent, and storms more intense.
3) Water will be in shorter (and more erratic) supply.
4) Sea level rise will result in salt water intrusion in coastal areas decreasing available freshwater.
5) Dry areas will have even less available freshwater, yet rapidly growing populations in these regions need more water.
6) Water pollution will be worsened by higher water temperatures, increased precipitation, and longer dry periods.
7) Aquatic ecosystems will suffer changes in water availability and related extinctions of species sensitive to water temperature and availability.

On the final day in Barcelona a new version of the text shed some light on how a final Copenhagen agreement will consider water and ecosystems. The newest text adaptation non-paper 53 (which combines the two most recent adaptation papers), includes key references that highlight the value of water and ecosystems:

Within National Adaptation Plans of Action (NAPAs) countries may include actions in and across different sectors, including agriculture and food security, water resources, health, ecosystems, coastal zones; [Annex 1, page 28]
Countries shall protect and sustainably managing natural resources and ecosystems, and the goods and services they provide, to facilitate adaptation; [paragraph 7, page 4]

The words in the text are most welcome, as recognition of the importance water and ecosystems as tools for resilience. Yet the evolution of thinking will have to go beyond the language in the negotiating text. When it comes to addressing the challenges of water and the changing climate we must come to understand that the old ways of doing business will not suffice. We need new approaches, new assessment tools, new ways to engage everyone (especially vulnerable communities and women). As a friend said in the sessions yesterday, 'rather than climate change, we should be talking about climate changing.' Impacts and models continue to evolve and we should focus on being as nimble in our approaches and open to new ideas as possible.

The discussion evolving here in Barcelona brings together the tools and principles of adaptive management, sustainable development and ecosystem based adaptation to address the threats of climate change. Yet the concepts of adaptation can be simply understood as three key areas:

1) investing in the natural systems that sustain life (such as wetlands) and
2) ensuring that the services of those ecosystems (like safe drinking water and food) are accessible to all
3) learning from each success and failure and building those lessons into future actions

I look forward to seeing how the negotiators protect these principles as the negotiations continue in Copenhagen.

Retired military general and young creative protestors agree: The US must help the world’s poor adapt to climate change

2009-10-16T22:27:09Z

Yesterday a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss helping the "world's most vulnerable nations" to respond to the droughts, floods and refugees created by climate change.

In general, the Senators and witnesses agreed that the US should contribute significant funds because poor people around the world are already suffering from the increased storms, droughts and diseases resulting from climate change. Not to mention the fact that the world's poor contributed the least to the greenhouse gases causing climate change.

There was one outlier though, Kenneth Green of the American Enterprise Institute (funded by ExxonMobil and noted here for trying to pay IPCC scientists to criticize the seminal IPCC 4th Report) denied climate change and the significance of its impacts. He showed little sympathy for the millions of poor people with no choice but to live in low-lying islands and along the coasts. He suggested that they simply move away.

In response, a few very polite women in the front row donned the snorkels they had snuck into the Senate and raised signs held high saying "Fund Climate Adaptation" and "Global Treaty Now."

Many thanks to Morgan Goodwin of Avaaz Action Factory DC for the photo. dc.actionfactories.org

The snorkels represented the people who live on small islands who have no other land to turn to. The Government of the Maldives will be making the same point this Saturday by holding a Cabinet meeting underwater.

These silent protestors were also standing up for the people who are threatened by more severe storms and flooding. Likewise, they represent Sub-Saharan African nations which may be overcome by spreading deserts. As one African delegate exclaimed at the climate talks in Bangkok last week: "We too will be drowning, in a sea of sand."

The most compelling of the witnesses was Charles F. Wald, a former General in the U.S. Air Force. He indicated that scale of the problem of adapting to climate change is immense and we must act now. He said 30,000,000 Bangledeshis will be displaced and they have nowhere to go. Moreover, he echoed the refrain that investing in energy security and climate change is in our own security interest.

Adaptation investments will prevent a worsening of the global security environment. As the IPCC notes in its 4th assessment report, climate change is a threat multiplier which can worsen the impacts of food shortages, water scarcity, migration pressures and conflict.
Adaptation funding will save the U.S. Government money. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case General Wald noted that the US military will have to respond to more humanitarian disasters as a result of climate change. To illustrate the scale of the costs of such work; deploying 1000 troops to Afghanistan costs $1 billion.

Another witness David Waskow of Oxfam pointed to their new report which shows that US companies will benefit from adaptation investments.

The good news about this hearing is that the range of voices seemed to agree, the US must fund adaptation, at sufficient levels, now. And the benefits will accrue for both the US and the world's most vulnerable people.

Adapting to Global Warming: $100 Billion Says World Bank (Give or Take a Little Social Change)

2009-10-02T17:42:07Z

The typhoon Ketsana is pouring down on Bangkok this morning as I ready myself for day four of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change meetings. Representatives of countries and hundreds of civil society organizations will continue to meet here for another week to identify solutions for December's critical global warming negotiation in Copenhagen.

As the media has reported, the results of talks here are mixed, but there is hope in the conversation about adaptation. As NRDC noted here efforts to build resilience to climate change impacts in developing nations is critical because climate change is affecting vulnerable people around the world now. And there is a growing recognition that this will create global instability that will impact the US national security (as discussed here). So not only is it the right thing to do, but it is also in the US domestic interest.

Today's typhoon ripped through the Philippines, Samoa, Tonga, Vietnam, Cambodia and other nations before it arrived here in Bangkok but the good news is that the storm has become part of the debate, a terrible tangible impact of climate change.

The threat of worsening storms was reiterated last night at a World Bank event about their new report, Economics of Adaptation to Climate Change (EACC).

The report indicates that the costs of adaptation to a world 2°C warmer would cost between $75 - $100 billion a year between 2010 and 2050. $100 billion is a big number and delegates from the most vulnerable countries are rightfully concerned that monies must be committed now, at sustainable and sufficient levels to help build resiliency.

And if we don't address global warming the price tag would become even larger so we need invest in solving this challenge. It is always cheaper and easier to avoid the mess in the first place than to clean up after the fact.

It is critical that the US and other countries increase their financial contribution towards helping developing countries address this financial gap. There are some efforts to provide a down payment towards this end (as my colleague discussed here) and the US Administration as begun to more clearly signal that it wants this support in the climate bill working its way through the US Senate (as my colleague discussed here). But more needs to be done to support adaptation in developing countries.

But the report from the World Bank approaches adaptation through a traditional development lens. How much will it cost to replace the dams, seawalls and power plants which may suffer from climate impacts?

These adaptation needs are important. We must make our investments more resilient to global warming and we need to ensure that we are simultaneously pulling millions out of poverty.

But it is no longer appropriate to view adaptation through a 'hard' model which largely does not factor in policy shifts and social responses. Soft tools like capacity building, communication, education, research and planning are perhaps the most critical in our efforts to adapt to climate change. Adaption, even in its very name suggests new innovative approaches, flexible tools and models supple enough to respond to the variety of new scenarios the world will experience. Without major shifts in thinking, the World Bank and other groups are likely to continue with adaptation by ribbon cutting, favoring large concrete infrastructure solutions over flexible sustainable mechanisms which can take many forms.

In 2050 the least developed nations should have cutting edge energy sectors which incorporate the best renewable technologies and social and economic models which promote efficiency. In this ideal world, coastal communities will be protected through participatory costal management which capitalizes on the natural world's resilience through investment in wetland and mangrove rehabilitation, rather than seawalls and other 'hard' tools which often shift vulnerabilities and may not withstand the intensified weather events of a +2°C warmer world. A mix of soft tools (enabling communities to adapt and progress) and hard tools (providing the energy, water and food) are both essential to sustainable development.

Here in Bangkok, once the clouds begin to part, lets hope that leaders of both the industrialized and developing world will use the projected costs of adaptation to shape a climate agreement which supports resiliency with flexible tools.