Partner News | Connect4Climate

#Hack4Climate - Why Climate needs Blockchain

Press Conference: 12:00-12:30 pm on 11.11.2017

Sections

Header

#Hack4Climate 2017: The first global COP-hackathon

Description

<p><a href="https://www.hack4climate.org/#home" target="_blank">Hack4Climate</a> draws attention to the climate-related importance of IT- based innovation in general, and distributed ledger technologies (DLT, ‘Blockchain’) in particular. It is the first hackathon combining blockchain and climate, and the first linked to a COP climate conference. This September, Hack4Climate has organized 17 preparatory workshops in 17 global blockchain hubs, from San Francisco to Shanghai, Berlin to Johannesburg, and Suriname. Hack4Climate is a global hackathon, bringing together 100 participants from 30 countries for truly hands-on #ClimateAction. Hack4Climate will take place for the first time in parallel to <a href="https://cop23.unfccc.int" target="_blank">COP23 </a>in Bonn/Germany, from November 12-16, 2017. Hack4Climate is scheduled to take place during upcoming climate conferences, bringing together DLT/blockchain talent, private and public sector innovators, as well as NGOs and academia. </p>

<p>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoV6aVvlmjQ]</p>

<div>DLT/blockchain shows disruptive innovation potential for a large number of fields with direct climate relevance. This includes the board challenge areas, as well as different domains/mechanisms of the<a href="http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php" target="_blank"> Paris Agreement</a>. Rulebook (NDCs, Article 6, REDD+, etc). Hack4Climate’s mission is to raise awareness, mobilize talent and ideas, and thus pave the way for specific and rapidly deployable use cases. In the view of Hack4Climate, DLT/blockchain-based innovation is crucial to go ‘further, faster, together’, thus to raise ambition and contribute to tangible #ClimateAction.</div>

<h3><span style="color:#008000;">Where do we hack?</span></h3>

<div>Hack4Climate 2017 is held on ‘<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19wTD4KjgDLRRRMH71oJJFiCduh25zVqz/view&…; target="_blank">The Fiji</a>’, the small island hack hotel. The Fiji is moored close to the COP conference center in the<a href="http://riverdocking.com/anleger/bad-godesberg/" target="_blank"> Rhine at Bad Godesberg</a>. The Fiji will host all 100 participants, 40 experts and 10 organizers. During the course of the<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D7a9T6LAAgfx0lcK0U9N8WrSK9SZXEmy/view&…; target="_blank"> 4-day program</a>, The Fiji is open to invited guests.</div>

<h3><span style="color:#008000;">Meet the hackers</span></h3>

<div>From over 500 qualified applications received, the best 100 are invited to Bonn. Participants have an average age of 29 and an average DLT/blockchain experience of 3.5 years. Get an idea of the skills and motivation of Hack4climate’s participants - <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r1LHtTIvFjKwHGOg52N__JLi1IRvdJE…; target="_blank">we’ve asked them</a>, why they should be invited for Hack4Climate. Watch what they have answered. Get access to<a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1r1LHtTIvFjKwHGOg52N__JLi1IRvdJE…; target="_blank"> the best pictures and watch some aftermovies</a> of Hack4Climate’s preparatory workshops. This file will be constantly updated during Hack4Climate and provides you with visual content</div>

<h3><span style="color:#008000;">Challenge Areas</span></h3>

<div>
<div>1.<strong> Identification & Tracking of Emissions</strong> (IoT, supply chains, NDCs/inventories)</div>

<div>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdszu89svhg&t=1s]</div>

<div>2. <strong>Carbon Pricing</strong> (markets & tax, linking across- borders, p2p exchange)</div>

<div>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZrjQg35jsw]</div>

<div>3. <strong>Distributed Energy</strong> (developed & developing markets, operation & finance)</div>

<div>[video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMpyTOJlzh0]</div>

<div>4. <strong>Sustainable Land Use</strong> (accounting & finance, forests & agriculture, clean cities)</div>

<div>[video:www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTrr-FIMJBg]</div>

<div>5. <strong>Sustainable Transport</strong> (mobility & logistics, private & public)</div>

<div>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCrGL-4Gv6s]</div>

<div>6. <strong>Anything goes</strong> (as per participants, partners)</div>

<div>[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRcnWYibexg&t=1s]</div>
</div>

World Bank Group Youth Summit 2017: Technology and Innovation for Impact

Timezone:

We find ourselves amid the greatest information and communications revolution in human history and must take advantage of this rapid technological change to make the world more prosperous and inclusive. With youth being the early adopters and the most active users of Information and Communication technologies, their participation is essential in expanding the reach of technology and fulfilling the transformative potential of the digital revolution.

International Federation (IF) Forum 2017

Timezone:

This year’s IF Forum theme is "International Federation Impact - Leading the Way Towards a Sustainable Agenda." The 11th edition of the IF Forum will offer three days of targeted thematic sessions designed to be of specific value to the International Sport Federations' in attendance. In a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee, GAISF, ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF, AIMS, and Associate Members.

Sustainable Energy For All at COP23

Timezone:

Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) will be at the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP23), the UN Climate Change Conference taking place in Bonn, Germany, Nov. 6 – 17, 2017.

2017 is set to be in top three hottest years, with record-breaking extreme weather

It is very likely that 2017 will be one of the three hottest years on record, with many high-impact events including catastrophic hurricanes and floods, debilitating heatwaves and drought. Long-term indicators of climate change such as increasing carbon dioxide concentrations, sea level rise and ocean acidification continue unabated. Arctic sea ice coverage remains below average and previously stable Antarctic sea ice extent was at or near a record low.

The World Meteorological Organization’s provisional Statement on the State of the Climate says the average global temperature from January to September 2017 was approximately 1.1°C above the pre-industrial era. As a result of a powerful El Niño, 2016 is likely to remain the warmest year on record, with 2017 and 2015 being second and/or third. 2013-2017 is set to be the warmest five-year period on record.

The WMO statement – which covers January to September - was released on the opening day of the United Nations climate change conference in Bonn. It includes information submitted by a wide range of UN agencies on human, socio-economic and environmental impacts as part of a drive to provide a more comprehensive, UN-wide policy brief for decision makers on the interplay between weather, climate and water and the UN global goals.

“The past three years have all been in the top three years in terms of temperature records. This is part of a long term warming trend,” said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “We have witnessed extraordinary weather, including temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius in Asia, record-breaking hurricanes in rapid succession in the Caribbean and Atlantic reaching as far as Ireland, devastating monsoon flooding affecting many millions of people and a relentless drought in East Africa."

“Many of these events – and detailed scientific studies will determine exactly how many – bear the tell-tale sign of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gas concentrations from human activities,” he said.

Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change which is hosting the Bonn conference, said: “These findings underline the rising risks to people, economies and the very fabric of life on Earth if we fail to get on track with the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement”.

“There is unprecedented and very welcome momentum among governments, but also cities, states, territories, regions, business and civil society. Bonn 2017 needs to be the launch pad towards the next, higher level of ambition by all nations and all sectors of society as we look to de-risk the future and maximize the opportunities from a fresh, forward-looking and sustainable development path, “she added.

Extreme events affect the food security of millions of people, especially the most vulnerable. A review of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) found that, in developing countries, agriculture (crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry) accounted for 26% of all the damage and loss associated with medium to large-scale storms, floods and drought.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the global health impacts of heatwaves depend not only on the overall warming trend, but on how heatwaves are distributed across where people live. Recent research shows that the overall risk of heat-related illness or death has climbed steadily since 1980, with around 30% of the world’s population now living in climatic conditions that deliver prolonged extreme heatwaves. Between 2000 and 2016, the number of vulnerable people exposed to heatwave events has increased by approximately 125 million.

In 2016, 23.5 million people were displaced during weather-related disasters. Consistent with previous years, the majority of these internal displacements were associated with floods or storms and occurred in the Asia-Pacific region. In Somalia, more than 760 000 internal displacements have been reported, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

The latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook indicates that adverse consequences are concentrated in countries with relatively hot climates and which are home to close to 60% of current global population.

Banner and thumbnail photo credit: Daryll Peter Griffith/Photo4Climate

World Bank Group Pavilion at COP23

Timezone:

For the first time, the World Bank Group will be present at COP with a dedicated pavilion that will serve as a convening and networking hub to promote, discuss and share climate solutions with global leaders, media and online influencers.

Not in Bonn? Follow the Facebook Live sessions at the Connect4Climate Facebook page.

All times are CET

November 6 - Opening Day

More Countries Are Putting a Price on Carbon But Stronger Action Is Needed to Meet Paris Targets

More and more countries and sub-national jurisdictions are putting a price on carbon but the level of action must ramp up significantly to help the world meet its Paris Agreement targets, says a new World Bank report.

Launched just ahead of the UNFCCC’s Climate COP23 in Bonn, the annual review: State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2017, presents good and not-so-good news. On the positive side, the value of carbon pricing initiatives – including emissions trading schemes (ETS) and carbon taxes - reached $52 billion, an increase of 7 percent compared to 2016. And with eight new or enhanced carbon pricing initiatives in place since early 2016 - three quarters of them in the Americas (Colombia, Chile, and several Canadian provinces) – there are now 42 national and 25 sub-national jurisdictions putting a price on carbon emissions.

Together, these jurisdictions raised revenues from carbon pricing of more than $20 billion for the second consecutive year, with the potential to raise much more. The report says revenues could increase to over $100bn a year if existing carbon pricing schemes adopted prices consistent with the Paris Agreement temperature targets.

State and Trends of Carbon Pricing, November 2017, World-Bank Group

On the less positive side, the report finds that 85 percent of emissions are still not covered by carbon pricing, and that most current carbon prices are significantly lower than the $40-80/tCO2 by 2020 and $50-100/tCO2 by 2030 that the Stern-Stiglitz High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices found to be consistent with the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement.

“A well-designed carbon price is an indispensable part of a strategy for efficiently reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also fostering growth,” said John Roome, Senior Director for Climate Change at the World Bank. “While we’ve seen progress over the past year, action to expand carbon pricing coverage and to increase prices to deepen its impact has to accelerate.”

The report highlights key areas of progress made since early 2016, including:

Chile and Colombia launched carbon taxes;

Three Canadian provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario) and one US state (Washington) introduced new or enhanced carbon pricing schemes;

Mexico is starting a one-year ETS simulation to create awareness on carbon pricing and prepare for the launch of a pilot ETS in 2018; and

China is gearing up for the commencement of its national ETS, potentially the largest carbon pricing initiative in the world.

The report estimates that an additional US$700 billion a year will be needed annually by 2030 to finance the transition to low-carbon economies. The report builds a vision for an integrated approach that links climate-focused domestic policies and carbon pricing, complemented by effective international cooperation through climate finance from donors and new climate markets, to mobilize resources at the speed and scale required to deliver low-carbon growth, jobs and innovation.

According to the report, domestic resources will need to make a significant contribution, enabled by improved national policy environments -- including carbon pricing -- to catalyze increased private sector investment. International climate finance will remain important and could be targeted where it is most effective at supporting the low-carbon transition and to promote the development of climate markets. As climate markets develop, they could play a larger role in mobilizing resources for low-carbon investments. Results-based climate finance could support this transition by piloting programs based on the principles of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, providing lessons and building capacity for the implementation of international climate markets.

The report was prepared with the technical support of Ecofys, A Navigant company and Vivid Economics.

To download the full report, visit https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/28510

In May 2017, the World Bank launched the Carbon Pricing Dashboard website, adding an interactive dimension to the annual State and Trends of Carbon Pricing reports. This resource provides an up-to-date overview of carbon pricing initiatives and allows users to navigate through the visuals and data of the report. Please visit: http://carbonpricingdashboard.worldbank.org/.

World Bank publication

Banner and thumbnail photo credits: Air pollution by Mehdi Mir'azim, Iran

Twelve big cities to buy zero emissions buses, extend green areas

OSLO (Reuters) - Twelve major cities including London, Paris, Los Angeles and Cape Town promised to buy only zero-emissions buses from 2025 and to make major areas free of fossil fuel emissions by 2030 to protect the environment.

The 12, with a combined population of almost 80 million, said they would promote walking, cycling and the use of public transport under a joint “fossil-fuel-free streets declaration”.

Many cities are setting tougher environmental goals than governments to limit air pollution and to achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

“Air pollution caused by petrol and diesel vehicles is killing millions of people in cities around the world,” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in a statement. “The same emissions are also causing climate change.”

The mayors, part of the C40 group of cities which is seeking to slow global warming, said they would “procure only zero-emissions buses from 2025 and ensure that major areas of their city are zero emissions by 2030.”

Other cities signing up were Copenhagen, Barcelona, Quito, Vancouver, Mexico City, Milan, Seattle and Auckland.

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti shows off a skateboard he will offer to London Mayor Sadiq Khan during a two-day summit of the C40 Cities initiative, a network of cities making plans to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions along levels agreed upon in Paris two years ago, in Paris, France, October 23, 2017. Photo Credits: Reuters/Charles Platiau

Zero emissions areas could mean more parks, pedestrian areas or roads where only electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles could enter to make cities more attractive places to live. They did not define how big “major areas” would be.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, for instance, said the city was aiming to add 165 hectares (408 acres) of green space in coming years, extend bike lanes and cut the number of trips by private vehicles by a fifth.

Tokyo-Governor-Yuriko-Koike-London-Mayor-Sadiq-Khan-Reuters-Charles-Platiau

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (R) and London Mayor Sadiq Khan (L) attend a bilateral talk during a two-day summit of the C40 Cities initiative, a network of cities making plansto cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions along levels agreed upon in Paris two years ago, in Paris, France, October 23, 2017. Photo credits: Reuters/Charles Platiau

Seattle Mayor Tim Burgess said the plan demonstrated “the power of cities to lead on climate.”

C40 estimated that there were 59,000 buses of all types operating on the streets of the 12 cities.

zero-emissions-bus-mexico-reuters-edgard-garrido

An electric bus that reads 'zero emissions' is seen on a day of traffic restrictions from the Mexico City's government campaign to support anti-pollution measures in Mexico City, Mexico, May 5, 2016. Photo Credits:Reuters/Edgard Garrido

Among them, London says it has the largest electric bus fleet in Europe, with more than 2,500 hybrid electric buses made by China’s BYD and Britain’s Alexander Dennis.

In an expanding market, other makers include Volvo, Mercedes-Benz Daimler and Proterra Inc.

Caroline Watson, an expert in low-emission vehicles at C40, told Reuters the declaration was meant as “a clear commitment in writing to raise the bar and give a signal to the private sector” to encourage greener investments in cities.

Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Toby Chopra

Original text here.

Banner and thumbnail photo credits: Reuters/Charles Platiau. From L to R: Mauricio Rodas, mayor of Quito, Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo, former New York City Mayor and founder of Bloomberg L.P. Michael Bloomberg, Barcelona's Mayor Ada Colau and Milan's mayor Giuseppe Sala pose together during a two-day summit of the C40 Cities initiative, a network of cities making plans to cut planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions along levels agreed upon in Paris two years ago, in Paris, France, October 23, 2017.

#Uniting4Climate Global Digital Surge

Timezone:

The Bonn 2017 UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) represents the next critical step toward bringing the goals of Paris to life. With a new spotlight on sub-national climate action, incoming COP23 President and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji has called upon a “Grand Coalition” of governments at every level, civil society, the private sector, and individuals to collectively accelerate momentum.