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
By
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
By
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.
 
 
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/. 
 
 
Banner and thumbnail photo credits: Air pollution by Mehdi Mir'azim, Iran
#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.
 
|
Connect4Climate at COP23
By
The COP23 is being organized following an innovative concept of “one conference, two zones”. During the two weeks of the conference, a vast area of the city of Bonn will become the Climate Campus that will be organized in two zones: the “Bula Zone” and the “Bonn Zone”. This approach focuses on a close integration of the zones to ensure that negotiations, events and exhibits are integrated into one conference. Learn more about this new concept here.

Calendar of Events

Connect4Climate social media events

All times are CET

Web Summit 2017

Timezone:
Web Summit - 'Where the tech world meets' - started as a simple idea in 2010: Let’s connect the technology community with all industries, both old and new. It seemed to resonate. Web Summit has grown to become the “largest technology conference in the world”.
 
These are some of the 1,000+ speakers invited to this year's edition:
 
|
6 Highlights from the World Bank Annual Meetings 2017
By
The Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund bring together central ministers of finance and development, private sector, representatives from civil society, academics and central bankers to discuss key issues of global concern. Over six days the Connect4Climate team followed the climate change and sustainable development related events allowing you to be part of this important international discussion. See our six highlights below:
 

1. Future Harvest: Who Will Grow Tomorrow’s Food?

 
The World Bank’s Food and Agriculture Global Practice hosted an event highlighting young farmers who are passionate agriculture. “Agriculture like any good job is hard, but technology will make it an easier job in the future," said Pedro Diniz, from Fazenda da Toca in Brasil. 
 
[video:https://youtu.be/6Q_yT2z2Nvg]
Journalist Femi Oke moderated a panel composed by four successful examples: Shelly-Ann Dinnall, a poultry farmer from Jamaica; Pedro Diniz, Founder and CEO of a large scale organic farm in Brazil; Katrina Sasse, a cereal farmer from Australia; and Brian Ndyaguma, an entrepreneur who grows greens to supply a café in Uganda. As Katrina Sasse said: "Sharing this stories is essential to 'unlock the code' and inspire youth to become farmers."
 

 

2. Is the private sector the key to providing the extra $2.5T/year needed to meet the #SDGs?

The involvement of the private sector to invest in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is key to achieve the 17 goals until 2030, concluded the panel composed by Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning, Indonesia; Anne-Marie Chidzero, CEO, Alitheia Identity; Board Member, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund, Making Finance Work for Africa, and Women’s World Banking; Hans Peter Lankes, Vice President, Economics and Private Sector Development, International Finance Corporation (IFC); Susan Lund, Partner, Mckinsey Global Institute; and Matthew T. McGuire, Managing Director, The Abraaj Group Luis Fernando Mejía, Director-General, National Planning Department, Colombia.
 
[video:https://youtu.be/n0I31Ol2GMM]
"We need to enhance the role of the public sector and it needs to work in partnership with the private sector," affirmed Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia, while Susan Lund urged the world to do more: “Keep doing what you're doing but you'll have to do it faster, better and in a larger scale."
 

 

3. Localizing the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

 
Two panels focusing the discussion on the implementation of the SDGs, firstly concentrated in work Colombia is doing to reach the 17 goals. “Colombia is a country very committed to the SDGs being very involved in the discussion that led to the SDGs," stated the Colombian Minister Mauricio Cárdenas. 
 
[video:https://youtu.be/BY1QyI4mSVE]
Ede Ijjasz-Vásquez, director of World Bank Social, Urban, Rural & Resilience Global Practice, started the second panel by underlining that "Everyone needs to run in the same direction to make the SDGs happen." Gender equality, education, resilience were presented as major factors to progress. As Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP and UNEP UN Under Sec-Gen & ED said: "More than awareness we need to learn how to empower one another."
 

 

4. a) How do we ensure new infrastructure makes resilience, not risk, for future generations? #ResilienceDialogue - Part 1

[video:https://youtu.be/35UJmjQkv6M]

“How much more destruction is needed for us to start protecting our planet? The time to act is now.” On International Day for Disaster Reduction, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin group, initiated his speech appealing the audience to the urgency of protecting the Caribbean from natural disasters. "There must be a Marshall plan for a greener and more resilient Caribbean," Branson declared. “If we do not invest in resilience we will be in systemic reconstruction. Resilient infrastructure is urgent," reminded Christiana Figueres, Mission2020 Convenor.    
 

 

4. b) How do we ensure new infrastructure makes resilience, not risk, for future generations? #ResilienceDialogue - Part 2

[video:https://youtu.be/HfosvkvoSqg]

Featured tweet:

 

5. Forests, climate and land rights: How can policy lending address the major challenges of development? #AMCSO17

[video:https://youtu.be/0VgvlP16QTw]

As part of the civil society discussions happening at the World Bank during the Annual Meetings, experts from the United States, Colombia, Peru and Congo approach the efforts made by their countries to protect the forest and which measures needs to be considered. “74% of our population - Congo - depends on the forest," stated Joseph Bobia. Nezir Sinani, Director, Rights and Environmental Sustainability, BIC, also reminded that “fossil fuels and its subsidies need to end." "Maybe the question we need to ask ourselves is how we can stop illegal activities in our forests," stressed Ricardo Perez, Advocacy Specialist, DAR, from Peru.
 

6. Conversation on End Poverty Day: How Can We Break The Cycle?

[video:https://youtu.be/e1hGpROzovw]

Special event on International Day to Eradicate Poverty - #EndPoverty Day - with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim and a panel of experts from the Washington, D.C. community, media and civil society to debate what are the causes behind extreme poverty and which are the best weapons to fight it. “Nearly 1.1 B people lifted themselves out of extreme poverty in last 25 years, but 800 M still live on $1.90/day," informed Jim Yong Kim, who believes that by “working together we can be the first generation to end poverty." According to the five specialists education is crucial to tackle this issue. As Carolina Sanchez, World Bank, remembered: "We know that more educated parents are more able to develop their children's skills."