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More Countries Are Putting a Price on Carbon But Stronger Action Is Needed to Meet Paris Targets
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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
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Twelve big cities to buy zero emissions buses, extend green areas
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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

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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.
 
Web Summit 2017

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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:
 
Hack4Climate at COP23

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Hack4Climate is a 4-day Climate/Blockchain hackathon event. Its objective is to mobilize the 'blockchain'/DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) community for #ClimateAction, assuring that the Paris Climate Agreement is successfully implemented.

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19 Global Climate Action Projects to be Honoured at the UN Climate Conference COP23 in Bonn
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Nineteen ground-breaking initiatives from around the world were announced on October 12, as recipients of the United Nations ‘Momentum for Change’ Climate Solutions Award.
 
The winners underline how Global Climate Action is accelerating, two years after the Paris Agreement was universally adopted and in support of the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Representatives from the following three winning activities spoke about their innovative solutions at a special event in Berlin, Germany, on October 12:
 
​  A women-led, eco-fashion business that addresses climate change by recycling fabric waste to produce clothing collections, while providing jobs for disadvantaged female workers;
​  A partnership between TerraCylce, SUEZ, and Procter & Gamble that removes plastic from beaches and uses it to create shampoo bottles made with 25% of the reclaimed beach plastic;
​  The leading British retailer Marks & Spencer, who implemented a sustainable strategy that allowed them to achieve carbon neutrality for worldwide operations in 2014.
 
The Momentum for Change initiative, spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat, shines light on some of the most innovative, scalable and practical examples of what people across the globe are doing to combat climate change.
 
Selected initiatives, called ‘Lighthouse Activities,’ demonstrate the exceptional amount of climate action happening around the world. This announcement is part of wider efforts to mobilize action and ambition, as national governments work toward implementing the Paris Climate Change Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.
 
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, said: “I want to congratulate this year’s award winners. Their passion, creativity and positive impacts on the ground are extraordinary, real-world examples of how the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the wider SDGs is happening at all scales, across all countries, and across all sectors of society."
 
“We know that to meet our shared goals, ambition needs to be raised over the years and decades to come. These Lighthouse Activities provide direct inspiration to others—from developed and developing countries alike—to be agents of change that can catalyze communities and countries go further, faster, together,” she added.
 
The 19 winning activities fall within one of Momentum for Change’s five focus areas: Women for Results, Financing for Climate Friendly Investment, ICT Solutions, Planetary Health, and Climate Neutral Now. All 19 activities will be showcased at a series of special events during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany (6 November to 17 November 2017).
 
Read more about the 19 game-changing initiatives:
 
 
From Waste to Wow, Italy, UNFCCC
 
QUID, a woman-led, eco-fashion social enterprise, addresses climate change by recycling high-quality fabric waste from fashion companies to produce women’s clothing collections.
 
 
More Corals = More Fish, Belize, UNFCCC
 
Women are offered grant-funded or subsidized training programs, often led by women divers, on marine tourism and lagoon ecology to restore coral reef habitats.
 
 
Sustainable Agriculture with Gender Inclusion and Participation in Quito, Ecuador, UNFCCC
 
Women are taught sustainable food production through agricultural measures that increase food security, reduce carbon emissions, and shrink the city´s ecological footprint.
 
 
Building Resilient Livelihoods, Sudan, UNFCCC
 
This project distributes agricultural packages to women farmers, including hands-on training in conservation agricultural techniques, and access to finance and markets.
 
5. Kaxu Solar One | South Africa
 
Kaxu Solar One, South Africa, UNFCCC
 
The International Finance Corporation leveraged private-sector capital to develop and construct the world’s first large-scale concentrated solar power plant, using blended funding to close funding gaps and to deliver positive results to stakeholders.
 
 
Green Finance and The Aggregation of Swedish Local Government Investment Projects, Sweden, UNFCCC
 
Kommuninvest’s Green Bond Framework aggregates local and regional governments’ funding needs that adhere to a set of pre-determined sustainability criteria to offer green loans and work towards the overarching goal of a climate-neutral society. 
 
7. Partnerships to Advance Climate Risk Insurance Approaches | Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia
 
Partnerships to Advance Climate Risk Insurance Approaches, Grenada, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia, UNFCCC
 
The Munich Climate Insurance Initiative designed and implemented a parametric index-based microinsurance product to cover extreme weather damage in the Caribbean in partnership with social aggregators like credit unions, farmers’ cooperatives and associations. 
 
 
ICTs For Small-Scale Farmers: A Game Changing Approach to Climate Smart Agriculture in Latin America, Colombia and Honduras, UNFCCC
 
This easy-to-use ICT tool collects, collates, and analyzes weather data to inform farmers in advance on how to adjust their agricultural practices to ensure maximum crop-yield and thus food security. 
 
9. SmartICE | Canada
 
Smartice, Canada, UNFCCC
 
Developed by the Memorial University of Newfoundland, this tool helps Inuit (indigenous people) adapt to thinning sea-ice by providing information to aid in the planning of safe routes on the ice, thus reducing travel risks.
 
10. Green Credit Card | South Korea
 
Green Credit Card, South Korea, UNFCCC
 
Credit card users are rewarded with points that are converted into cash or can be donated to environmental funds when they buy ecological products, use public transport, make paper-less transactions, and consume less electricity, water, and gas.
 
11. Climate Change Impacts on Mountain Biodiversity (CLIMB) | France, Italy, and Switzerland
 
Climate Change Impacts on Mountain Biodiversity (CLIMB), France, Italy, and Switzerland, UNFCCC
 
A local scientific NGO has built an innovative Biodiversity and Climate Change Observatory engineered by Orange on Mont-Blanc to measure and report the impact of climate change in the region, using 70 tailor-made temperature stations, distant monitoring software, and connected webcams and camera traps.
 
 
Restoring Peatlands in Russia, Russia, UNFCCC
 
This project, led by Wetlands International and supported by German and Russian government ministries, is spearheading the restoration of peatlands in Russia, and reducing the incidence of fires in peatland areas, and the resulting CO2 emissions and smoke particulates.
 
 
Cleaning our Oceans of Plastic, Solving Extreme Poverty and Reducing Emissions of Global Supply Chains, Haiti, Southeast Asia, UNFCCC
 
People in Haiti bring recycled plastic to one of 20 recycling markets operated by Plastic Bank, where it is exchanged for cash or critical essentials, such as a child’s school tuition. Removing plastic from waterways also helps stop the spread of some tropical diseases by eliminating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
 
 
Reclaiming Global Waterways and Beaches, France, UNFCCC
 
TerraCycle and Procter & Gamble have partnered to manufacture the world’s first recyclable shampoo bottle made from “beach plastic” waste for the shampoo brand Head & Shoulders. The removal of degrading plastic from waterways and beaches delivers improved health for the fish, birds, animals and humans who rely on the ocean for food.
 
15. Sustainable Energy for Safe Childbirth | Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Nepal
 
Sustainable Energy for Safe Childbirth, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Nepal, UNFCCC
 
We Care Solar saves lives in childbirth by bringing solar power to remote, off-grid, and under-resourced medical centers. This initiative saves lives, as health workers no longer struggle to provide life-saving care with inadequate and dangerous lighting, such as kerosene lanterns, candles, and diesel fuel generators.
 
16. Plan A Carbon Reduction | United Kingdom
 
Plan A Carbon Reduction, United Kingdom, UNFCCC
 
Leading British retailer Marks & Spencer started their ‘Plan A’ sustainable strategy in 2007. In 2012, they became carbon neutral in the UK and Ireland, which was further extended to all Marks & Spencer operations worldwide in 2014.
 
17. Net Positive Wine | United States of America
 
 
Fetzer Vineyards has been leading the wine industry in sustainable practices for decades, becoming the first Zero Waste certified wine company in the world, and the first winery in California to operate on 100% renewable energy.
 
18. Aviva's Climate Neutral Plan | United Kingdom
 
Aviva's Climate Neutral Plan, United Kingdom, UNFCCC
 
In 2006, Aviva became the first global insurance group to offset its entire operational emissions, and over the 10 years since Aviva became carbon neutral, it has saved 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions through carbon finance projects.
 
19. The Zero Carbon Police Force | United Arab Emirates
 
The Zero Carbon Police Force, United Arab Emirates, UNFCCC
 
Dubai Police is measuring and reducing its emissions, with a goal to become carbon neutral by 2020 – the first police force to achieve this feat globally.
 
Banner photo credit to Kaxu Solar One
Thumbnail photo credit: From Waste To Wow
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Fiji Issues First Developing Country Green Bond, Raising $50 Million for Climate Resilience
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Fiji has become the first emerging market to issue a sovereign green bond, raising 100 million Fijian dollars, or US$50 million, to support climate change mitigation and adaption.
 
Home to over 870,000 people, Fiji’s 300 volcanic islands include low-lying atolls that are highly susceptible to cyclones and floods. In 2016, Tropical Cyclone Winston—the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere on record—passed directly over Fiji, causing economic losses that amounted to almost one third of the country’s GDP. Like all Pacific island states, Fiji is also highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change: close to 20 percent of the region’s 10 million people could be displaced due to climate change by 2050.
 
Green bonds are fixed income, liquid financial instruments that are used to raise funds dedicated to climate-mitigation, adaptation, and other environment-friendly projects. This provides investors an attractive investment proposition as well as an opportunity to support environmentally sound projects.
 
At the request of Fiji’s Reserve Bank, the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group focusing on private sector, provided technical assistance to assist the government in issuing a sovereign green bond. This collaboration took place under a broader, three-year Capital Markets Development Project supported by the Australian Government. Through this partnership, Australia and IFC are helping stimulate private sector investment, promote sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty in the Pacific.
 
 
Projects financed from the Fiji green bond will follow the internationally developed Green Bond Principles, and will focus primarily on investments that build resilience against the impacts of climate change. Sustainalytics US (Sustainalytics), a provider of environmental, social and governance research and analysis, evaluated Fiji Sovereign’s green bond transaction and its alignment with the Green Bond Principles. Fiji will also use bond proceeds for projects supporting its commitment to achieve 100% renewable energy and reduce its CO2 emissions in the energy sector by 30% by 2030.
 
Fijian Prime Minister and President of COP23 Frank Bainimarama said: “The Fijian people, along with every Pacific Islander, live on the front lines of climate change. The rising seas, changing weather patterns and severe weather events are threatening our development, our security and the Fijian way of life, along with the very existence of some of our low-lying neighbors. I have made access to climate finance a key pillar of our upcoming COP23 Presidency, and we are proud to set an example to other climate-vulnerable nations by issuing this green bond to fund our work to boost climate resilience across Fiji. By issuing the first emerging country green bond, we are also sending a clear signal to other nations that we can be creative and innovative in mobilizing funds and create win-win outcomes for countries and investors in adapting to the serious effects of climate change.”
 
“With this bond, Fiji has demonstrated that green capital markets can be created in emerging economies, and that all countries, big and small, have an important role to play in facilitating climate solutions,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “As it takes the helm of COP23, Fiji is uniquely positioned to inspire other countries to meet their respective targets and build resilience against climate change.”
 
The World Bank and IFC are among the pioneers of the green bond market. The World Bank issued the first green bond in 2008. Since then, both institutions have provided leadership by issuing green bonds across a range of currencies, tenors and volumes; helping to define best practice for reporting and standards; and working with countries to facilitate the development of domestic green bond markets. The global green bond market is expected to reach US$134.9 billion in 2017.
 
The Government of Fiji will chair the 23rd Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany from November 6-17, 2017. Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has given high priority to COP23 and aims to continue the momentum for action since the entry into force of the Paris Climate Change Agreement last year.
 
Fiji Green Bond Summary Terms and Conditions
 
Issuer: Government of Fiji
 
Amount: 100 million Fiji dollars
 
Pricing date: 1 November 2017 – May 2018
 
Settlement date: 1 November 2017 – May 2018
 
Maturity date: 1 November 2022 and 1 November 2030
 
Issue price: 100
 
Coupon: 5 years: 4.00%; 13 years: 6.30%
 
Denomination: Fiji Dollars
 
Original article here.
Photo Credits: UNFCCC
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Ministry of the Environment, Italy: New Press Room is Dedicated to Lucia Grenna
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Italian Minister of the Environment Gian Luca Galletti remembers the World Bank's journalist and communications officer who passed away last June. The new sustainable design of the press room has been curated by FederLegnoArredo and Kube Design.

Rome, Oct 17th, 2017 - A new press room furnished by Italian talent in circular design was dedicated to those who have made a living commitment to the environment. Italian Environment Minister Gian Luca Galletti inaugurated today at the Via Cristoforo Colombo’s offices the new press conference room dedicated to Lucia Grenna: journalist, institutional communicator, and founder of the global partnership program “Connect4Climate”, a strong and passionate voice about environmental issues within the World Bank.

Lucia Grenna passed away on June 15th in Washington, just two days after her return from the G7 Environment in Bologna. She was the cornerstone of #All4TheGreen, an initiative promoted by the World Bank with the support of the Italian Ministry of Environment that presented over 70 events in the squares and streets of Bologna in the week leading up to the G7 Environment Ministers meetings hosted by the Ministry, and attended by thousands of citizens, representatives of associative and entrepreneurial world, and of institutions at the highest levels.

Lucia Grenna "has given her soul to the environment," Minister Galletti said. Also in the photo, Lucia's sisters Gabriella (on the right) and Elena (on the left)

To remember the commitment of Lucia Grenna today, at the ceremony of cutting the ribbon, together with Minister Galletti there were her sisters Gabriella and Elena, Undersecretaries Barbara Degani and Silvia Velo, the executives of the ministry and representatives of the World Bank, who worked with her educating people on climate change.

"Lucia - said Minister Galletti - has given her soul to the environment, and she made cultural action on climate change the real mission of her life. We chose to remember her here because her generous commitment to promoting environmental values and to developing the link between the environment and the economy. Her memory must 'live' in this ministry."

Lucia Grenna Press Room

Inside Lucia Grenna Press Room. Photo Credits: Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea

Also inaugurated by the President of FederLegnoArredo Emanuele Orsini, the furnishings of the new press room were designed and handled by the company "Kube Design", in collaboration with FederLegnoArredo, which brings together the companies of the Italian furnishing industry. From the chairs to the tables, to the speakers' park to the panels in the background, every detail is conceived in terms of environmental sustainability, ecological research and innovation.

The main material of the fittings is cardboard, 100% recyclable and biodegradable material. The furnishings, to ensure durability over time, were produced in water-repellent rigid material and personalized with ministry logos. "Thanks," said Galletti, "goes to FederLegnoArredo and to the Kube Design company to provide us, in line with their strong commitment to the environment, a setting not only gorgeous in aesthetics but all in the name of the circular economy. “This - Galletti concludes - is an example of how much talent and potential the Italian company has to look at sustainability." 

Read the press release in Italian in its source here.

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Celebrating International Day for Disaster Reduction in Bangladesh
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October 13th is International Day for Disaster Reduction. It all began in 1989, after a call by the United Nations General Assembly for a day to promote a global culture of risk-awareness and disaster reduction. Every year, the day celebrates people and communities around the world who are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face. The 2017 edition continues as part of the "Sendai Seven" campaign, centered on the seven targets of the Sendai Framework. This year the focus is on Target B, of which the aim is to reduce the number of people affected by disasters by 2030.
 
Celebrating International Day for Disaster Reduction in Bangladesh, BEDS
 
Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) is community based organization works for maintaining the balance between human and nature. Like all other organizations, BEDS community has also celebrated the day in the Sundarbans coastal region of Bangladesh at Satkhira district and Khulna district, where a big portion of the land was washed away by riverbank erosion very recently. 
 
“To reduce the number of people affected by disasters by 2030” is the slogan for this year. The aim of celebrating the day was to bring people’s voice to the global community. Sundarbans coastal communities face different natural disasters like cyclone, flood, riverbank erosion, tidal surges, over and unusual rainfall, draught etc. But the major problem is riverbank erosion and cyclone. 
 
Celebrating International Day for Disaster Reduction in Bangladesh, BEDS
 
At the beginning of the day’s activity, community discussed about their vulnerability of disaster. They also discussed about how communities can reduce their disaster risks as well as set their needs. Local community demonstrated their vulnerability, resources and needs through displaying placards and festoons. Activities of the day ended through a big rally. The community urged to the global community to realize their sufferings and help them to reduce their disaster risk.           
Disruptive Technology for Development Forum: Highlights
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In an open forum on September 15 leaders and colleagues from across the World Bank Group came together for a three-hour open discussion on the urgency of harnessing the power of disruptive technology for development.

Hosted by the World Bank Group and supported by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Connect4Climate (C4C) is a global partnership for a livable planet that connects, creates, and communicates to build long-lasting change for future generations.

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