The Sixth Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), set up to help tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems, will take place from June 27-28, 2018 at the Furama International Conference Center in Da Nang, Viet Nam.
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University of Michigan "Act on Climate" MOOC
Are you concerned about climate change? Would you like to learn how to address and respond to this challenge? If so, this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is for you.
Act on Climate: Steps to Individual, Community, and Political Action is a seven-week course intended to help learners understand, address and respond to climate change as individuals and in partnership with their communities and political leaders. The course focuses on how to translate learning into action on climate change in the areas of food, energy, transportation and the built environment (cities). This course was co-developed and taught by Michaela Zint, Professor of Environmental Education and Communication, and University of Michigan Students. A range of academic climate change experts and professional leaders are featured.
The MOOC starts on June 25, 2018.
As a result of completing this course, you will be able to:
1) Identify individual, community, and political actions you can engage in to effectively address and respond to climate change.
2) Describe how insights from the social sciences can be employed to create change at the individual, community, and political levels.
3) Feel empowered to continue to influence how you, your community, and political leaders address and respond to climate change.
Who is this class for?
This course was designed for individuals who would like to learn more about actions they can take to lessen the impact of climate change and respond to a changing climate. There are no prerequisites for this course, and we do not assume that you have a background in climate science.
Banner and thumbnail photo credits to Jay Mallin
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UNFCCC Global Youth Video Competition on Climate Change 2018
Are you 18-30 and taking part in activities to fight climate change? Send a 3-minute video for a chance to be a youth reporter at the UN Climate Change Conference in Poland in December. The deadline is on August 31, 2018.
If you are the winner, you will have access to round-trip travel to the 24th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 24) in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018. You will be assigned as a youth reporter, assisting the UN Climate Change team with videos, articles, and social media posts.
Before participate, please take a look at the following requirements:
Video up to 3 minutes long Aged between 18 and 30 Spoken or subtitled English Enter from any country Submit by August 31, 2018One winner in each of the two categories
Category One: Responsible production & consumption
How we make and use the products and goods we use in everyday life plays an important role in tackling climate change. Taking raw materials from the ground, manufacturing products and then throwing away our used products and waste materials can all add to greenhouse gas emissions. But there are low-carbon ways to design, produce, supply and recycle products.We can live more climate friendly lifestyles if we manage our natural resources sustainably, and be more energy and resource efficient during the entire life-cycle of the goods we consume.
Submit videos that showcase your activities that contribute to responsible production and consumption. Examples of submissions:
Carrying out climate friendly solutions/ideas on how to promote sustainable production or consumption Campaigns to promote behavioural change Initiatives to reduce emissions during the lifecycle of goods, in areas such as:
unnecessary consumption sustainable fashion sharing economy reusing goods and materials transporting goods locally focused economy reducing wasteCategory Two: Green and climate friendly jobs
New job opportunities are opening up in a range of environmentally-friendly sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable design, recycling, energy efficiency, electric vehicles or sustainable agriculture. Green jobs can improve energy efficiency, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and help people adapt to the effects of climate change.New business ideas, green industrialization, and education can all add to the creation of safe and meaningful work in a low-carbon economy.
Submit videos that showcase your activities that contribute to creation of climate friendly jobs. Examples of submissions:
Work or new businesses that improve the economy and addresses climate change Green jobs and careers related to: Renewable energy Food waste Construction and infrastructure Transportation Green design Technical and job-based training for green jobs Educational campaigns promoting sustainable employment Research to develop a low-carbon economy
The Joint Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance is an annual collaborative effort to make public MDB climate finance figures for developing and emerging economies, together with a clear explanation of the methodologies for tracking this finance.
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MDB Climate Finance Hit Record High of US$35.2 billion in 2017
An increase of nearly 30 per cent on the previous year,
boosting projects that help developing countries cut emissions and address climate risks.
Climate financing by the world’s six largest multilateral development banks (MDBs) rose to a seven-year high of $35.2 billion in 2017, up 28 per cent on the previous year.
The MDBs’ latest joint report on climate financing said $27.9 billion, or 79 per cent of the 2017 total, was devoted to climate mitigation projects that aim to reduce harmful emissions and slow down global warming.
The remaining 21 per cent, or $7.4 billion, of financing for emerging and developing nations was invested in climate adaptation projects that help economies deal with the effects of climate change such as unusual levels of rain, worsening droughts and extreme weather events.
In 2016 climate financing from the MDBs had totalled $27.4 billion.
The latest MDB climate finance figures are detailed in the 2017 Joint Report on Multilateral Development Banks’ Climate Finance, combining data from the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank Group and the World Bank Group (World Bank, IFC and MIGA). These banks account for the vast majority of multilateral development finance. In October 2017 the Islamic Development Bank joined the MDB climate finance tracking groups, and its climate finance figures will be included in joint reports from 2018 onwards.
Climate funds such as the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund, the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF), the European Union’s funds for Climate Action, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and others have also played an important role in boosting MDB climate finance. As well as the $35.2 billion of multilateral development finance, the same adaptation and mitigation projects attracted an additional $51.7 billion from other sources of financing last year.
Of the 2017 total, 81 per cent was provided as loans. Other types of financial instruments included policy-based lending, grants, guarantees, equity and lines of credit.
Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and East Asia and the Pacific were the three major developing regions receiving the funds. The report contains a breakdown of climate finance by country.
The sharp increase came in response to the ever more pressing challenge of climate change. Calls to galvanise climate finance were at the heart of events such as the One Planet Summit in Paris in December 2017, two years after the historic Paris Agreement was adopted. Multilateral banks began publishing their climate investment in developing countries and emerging economies jointly in 2011, and in 2015 MDBs and the International Development Finance Club agreed joint principles for tracking climate adaptation and mitigation finance.
Climate finance addresses the specific financial flows for climate change mitigation and adaptation activities. These activities contribute to make MDB finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development, in line with the Paris Agreement. The MDBs are currently working on the development of more specific approaches to reporting their activities and how they are aligned with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
“For the World Bank Group, 2017 was a record-setting year on climate finance as a result of a deliberate effort over the past few years to mainstream climate considerations into our operations. This upward trend is continuing. The Multilateral Development Banks are also playing a key role in leveraging private sector finance which will be critical to meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Last year alone, the WBG crowded in $8.6 billion in private financing for climate change, which is up 27% from 2016."
John Roome, World Bank Senior Director for Climate Change
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Celebrate World Day to Combat Desertification - #2018WDCD
A wise investment in land supports you and your future. Your choices determine future scenarios for sustainable growth. The 2018 World Day to Combat Desertification (#2018WDCD) urges you to move away from unsustainable land use and make a difference by investing in the future of land under the slogan, “Land has true value – invest in it.”
We often use land as if it were a limitless resource, ignoring its role in our everyday lives. This negligence threatens food and water supply, biodiversity, and even human security itself. Short-sighted economic gains such as land grabbing, unplanned urban sprawl, unsustainable agriculture, and over-consumption lead to unsustainable land use, which eventually causes degradation and loss of critical ecosystem services. As a result, consumption of the Earth´s natural reserves has doubled in the last 30 years, with a third of the planet´s land already severely degraded.
By turning land degradation into land restoration, we can realize the land´s full potential. Healthy and productive land can bring not only environmental but also significant economic gains. For example, case studies from the Economics of Land Degradation Initiative (2015) indicate that:
The annual loss of 75 billion tons of soil from arable land leads a missing opportunity for economic benefits of USD 400 billion per year globally
Taking action against soil erosion over 105 million hectares would save up to USD 62.4 billion in net present value over the next 15 years
Enhancing carbon stocks through agricultural soils alone can create potential value on the carbon market from USD 96-480 billion annually
Burkina Faso: 20 000 trees are planted to create living hedges. Photo Credits:UNCCD
Sustainable land management (SLM) is a wise investment for economic growth that does not compromise resilient livelihoods. It is key to safeguarding and managing the quality of the land by balancing its biological and economic potential. Moreover, land can play a vital role in linking multiple Sustainable Development Goals by harnessing synergies while minimizing potential conflicts and trade-offs. SLM can give tremendous momentum to positive change. By safeguarding life on land, we deliver for all life on Earth.
This is the true value of land.
Every one of us has a role to play. Farmers can invest in smart agriculture that leads to higher yields despite a reduction in inputs like pesticides. Policy makers and land managers can support bio-economy by investing in new SLM technologies and processes. Consumers can spend their money on organic and fairly traded products to avoid land degradation. There are many more ways to invest in land wisely.
Vietnam: Delegates of the WDCD meeting plant 2 000 trees at Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien province to promote sustainable land management practices. Photo Credits:UNCCD
We can all contribute to and benefit from investing in SLM – whether we act as consumers, producers, corporations, or governments. Changes in behavior and adoption of more efficient planning and practices can guarantee that sufficient land resources are available long-term to meet our ambitions for and to provide sustainable livelihoods.
The choice is ours. Know the true value of land and invest in it.
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Transition Monaco Forum 2018
Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness, Prince Albert II, Transition Monaco Forum, a new global platform committed to accelerating the transition towards a clean future across all sectors and industries, will convene global business leaders, policymakers, cleantech experts, and innovators at The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco from June 26-27, 2018.
In response to commitments made during COP 21 and the One Planet Summit, and by developing new business models combining prosperity and sustainability as well as identifying the latest technologies and implementing initiatives for companies to pioneer this change, Transition Monaco Forum aims to accelerate the ecological and energy transition.
The objectives of this exciting new initiative are to form a European hub of investors dedicated to financing the ecological and energy transition and to mobilize key stakeholders across all sectors to find concrete solutions for businesses to develop sustainably.
Gathered in Monaco, a country leading the energy transition, participants will debate the five critical enablers of the cleantech ecosystem: finance, regulation, innovation, cities and territories and new stakeholders.
Speaker Highlights
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco (Monaco)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Founder, R20 Regions of Climate Action (USA)
Alzbeta Klein, Director and Global Head, Climate Business, International Finance Corporation (IFC) (USA)
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, Chair of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (France)
Other confirmed international speakers include:
Olivier Biancarelli, General Director, Tractabel-Engie (France)
Erik Brandsma, General Director, Swedish Energy (Sweden)
Graciela Chichilniski, Economist and Nobel Prize Winner, Columbia University (USA)
Filipe de Botton, CEO, Logoplaste (Portugal)
Matthieu de Chanville, Deputy Head of Alliance Ventures, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi (France)
Jérôme Delafosse, Explorer and Expedition Leader, Energy Observer (France)
Rinat Guy, Chief Innovation Officer, Municipality of Tel Aviv (Israel)
Eric Harr, Co-Founder & CEO, Laudato Si'Challenge (USA)
Paul Holthus, President & CEO, World Ocean Council
Margaret Kuhlow, Finance Practice Leader, WWF (USA)
William Kwende, Chairman, Agritech (Burkina Faso)
Claude Nahon, Sustainable Development, Senior Vice President, EDF (France)
Francis O’ Sullivan, Director, Energy Initiative, MIT (USA)
Gunter Pauli, Businessman and Author of the Blue Economy (Belgium)
Nancy Pfund, Managing Partner, DBL Partners (USA)
David Rosenberg, CEO, Aerofarms (USA)
Carlos Sallé, Director of Energy Policies and Climate Change, Iberdrola (Spain)
Riaz Siddiqi, Founder and Managing Partner, Denham Capital (USA)
Sylvain Vanston, Chief Sustainability Officer, AXA (France)
Find here the full conference program and the full list of confirmed speakers
A comprehensive annual overview of the state of renewable energy.
