http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=7945
http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=5733
http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=6934
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This is the first time an opinion piece has gone out to our community, but this one’s historic.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu has just published a powerful call to conscience in an Israeli newspaper. In it, the Nobel Laureate and anti-apartheid legend stands with 1.7 million of us in calling on companies to boycott and divest from the Israeli occupation and repression of Palestine. His love shines through, as he urges Israelis (87% of whom supported the Gaza bombing) to liberate *themselves* from this terrible status quo. It’s a must-read: His Op-Ed is here (free registration may be needed, or try this other link).
The piece is exclusively published in an Israeli newspaper, but it’s a powerful legitimizer of what some governments still see as a controversial position, and the rest of the world needs to see it. The only way that will happen is through people sharing it.
Let’s share it with everyone! This campaign is gathering real pace. Russell Brand has recorded this video backing our campaign, and the companies we’re targeting are starting to reach out to the Avaaz team and ask for meetings. Avaazers in the UK are campaigning to end arms sales to Israel as the government there initiates a review. And shockingly, even the US government cancelled a shipment of hellfire missiles to Israel! The pressure is working – so let’s keep it up! If you haven’t yet, sign the petition here. Or click here to keep sending messages to our target companies. Let’s make sure they don’t think they can ride this out. And if you have a local campaign you could start to ensure that your town, or university, or community divests from the repression of Palestinians, start your own campaign here. It’s a tremendous thing for us to once again stand alongside Archbishop Tutu – one of our truly great non-violent leaders. Because in a world torn apart by extremists who successfully demonise the ‘other’, non-violent strength is transformative – the strength to be firm, even tough, in standing up for justice, but out of a love for all people that refuses to fall victim to the fear and ignorance that is our universal enemy. A love that recognises that all our fates, and freedom, are intertwined. That’s the precious spirit that our greatest leaders, from Gandhi to Tutu, have taught us, and that our community strives to live up to with each and every campaign. With hope, Ricken, Alex, Fadi, Jeremy, Ana Sofia, Ari and the rest of the Avaaz team PS – This campaign is about creating the conditions for a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine, and safe homes for Jews and Palestinians alike. Both anti-semitism and racism against Palestinians, like all hatred, are grotesque and should be fought. At the end of day, it is extremists on both sides that work together to threaten a peaceful future, and our work is to bring reasonable people together from all sides to take the action needed to save both Israel and Palestine. If anyone feels this campaign is one-sided, please check the Avaaz team’s response and explanation here. 
Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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How did the facilitator do that? Learn how with SEEd’s 4 day facilitation course
Dear Colleague,
All you ever wanted to know about delivering effective workshops -Facilitation of Learning for Sustainability !
COURSE DATES Part 1: January 9th & 10th 2015 Part 2: March 13th & 14th 2015
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SouthViews: Comment on IPCC’s Final Climate Report
SouthViews
No. 114, 10 November 2014 SOUTHVIEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide opinions and analysis of topical issues from a South perspective. Visit the South Centre’s website: www.southcentre.int.
View this email in your browser
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South News: South Centre Statement on Nagoya Protocol
SOUTH NEWS
View this email in your browser
No. 77, 30 October 2014
SOUTHNEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide information and news on topical issues from a South perspective. Visit the South Centre’s website: www.southcentre.int.
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P.POINT South Africa Wind Study
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Dear Colleagues,
This is inviting you to the Abuja Open Data Party, an initiative of Connected Development [CODE] to make, spread and teach open data. NGOs, Activists and Journalist from all around Nigeria will gather together in person to make things with and around open data while in a party mode 😉 Yes, we have music, free stickers, souvenirs and #OpenDrinks!
To read more about this event and register, kindly use the link below on or before Monday, November 14, 2014 https://sites.google.com/site/opendataparty/
As a follow up to our monthly Open Data Day in Abuja The #OpenDataParty is organized by Follow The Money with support from The Indigo Trust and you can Join us from 28-29 November, 2014.
At this Data Party we will be:
a. Creating a geo-referenced health facility funds database for Nigeria.
b. Creating a Health Service Delivery Monitoring Group and a Health funds tracker to be used by NGOs, Activists, Journalist and citizens that will be present at the Data Party (See our Education Funds Tracker here)
c. Learn how to leveraging on the FOI Act to access data and many more J
Feel free to share with your colleagues and networks.
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South News: South Centre Statement on Nagoya Protocol
SOUTHNEWS
No. 77, 30 October 2014
SOUTHNEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide information and news on topical issues from a South perspective.
Visit the South Centre’s website: www.southcentre.int.
View this email in your browser
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Science Matters – More bad news for bees: The new “F” word
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http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=e5895bcd12e23439a6c00ef95&id=0a5a153811&e=[UNIQID]
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South News: Ecuador President on Politics & Development at UNCTAD Lecture.
SOUTHNEWS
No. 76, 28 October 2014
SOUTHNEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide information and news on topical issues from a South perspective.
Visit the South Centre’s website: www.southcentre.int
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ICCCAD Newsletter October [Climate Knowledge Brokers]
Casey Williams, Guest Editor
Visiting Researcher, ICCCAD October 2014
The last six weeks have rushed by at ICCCAD. Several visiting researchers have returned to their homes and universities, and a new batch has arrived to begin research in Bangladesh. In early September, while Dr. Huq was in Dhaka, ICCCAD co-hosted a workshop run by the United Nations University designed to select vulnerability indicators for the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River Delta. The same week, researcher Neelopal Adri led a roundtable discussion on urbanization with representatives from a range of local and international organizations, and ICCCAD linked up with members of the TRACKS team, a group of researchers from the University of Bergen studying the ways climate change knowledge is produced and applied. In late September, Dr. Huq attended the UN Climate Summit in New York as a representative from civil society, and, as Eid-al-Adha approached and September bled into October, team members left the office to spend the holidays with family and friends.
In this issue of the ICCCAD Newsletter, you’ll find updates and reflections, ruminations and analysis from several of our team members. Clare Stott sums up her experiences at the Climate Knowledge Brokers Workshop held at Sussex University in the UK, and Rushda Khandker explores the difficulties of translating nuanced stories from Bengali into English. Masroora Haque, ICCCAD’s new Communications Coordinator, draws from her recent seminar on journalistic writing to offer some tips on how to communicate research to lay readers, and Jonas Dahlstrom recaps recent ICCCAD seminars. Kathinka Evertsen and I traveled to Bhola District in late September to conduct field research, and we each supply some thoughts and reflections from the trip, which we both found wonderful and provoking. In addition to these pieces, you will find information about several upcoming events and notes from Dr. Huq’s time at the UN Climate Summit.
Enjoy!
Goings on About the Town
Lost in Translation: Reflections from the Bhola Slum
Rushda Khandker
Intern, ICCCAD
Climate Knowledge Brokers,
Clare Stott
Researcher, ICCCAD
I recently attended the Climate Knowledge Brokers Workshop at the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at Sussex University in Brighton, UK. The workshop brought together members of the Climate Knowledge Brokers (CKB) Group. This group is organised via a Coordination Hub hosted by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) and a CKB Steering Committee chaired by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). The workshop was held over two days and attended by representatives from around 40 different national, regional and global institutes that are engaged in the management of climate change data and knowledge products. The event provided a lot of guidance for the Gobeshona initiative.
A series of activities took place throughout the workshop, including short presentations, knowledge ‘clinics’ and brainstorming activities. Presentations were given by representatives from CDKN and REEEP. They introduced the initiative and explained the context within which the CKB Group was formed. The group was created, we learned, in an attempt to reduce the confusion brought about by the multiple climate knowledge portals now available, and it is designed to bring knowledge brokers together to share data.
Knowledge clinics aimed to find solutions to problems faced by knowledge brokers. Representatives volunteered as ‘patients’ bringing their problems to a group of ‘doctors’ who aimed to diagnose the problems and find ways forward. This was a good chance to meet people facing similar challenges and to share possible solutions. The challenges discussed included the engagement of contributors, the targeting of specific audiences and the participation of users in online portals. Brainstorming sessions allowed certain out-of-the-box topics and project ideas to be explored. These focused on creating business strategies, linking portals and securing funding.
I offered the idea of a joint project designed to increase the quality of research being produced in developing countries. I was pleased to have an enthusiastic response and productive brainstorming session with fellow knowledge brokers. In the discussion, it was emphasised that producing quality research need not mean producing journal articles. A better approach might be to identify the purpose of the research and, therefore, the target audience and appropriate knowledge product, be it a brief, project report, journal article or book chapter. This and the other activities certainly provided food for thought and the potential of collaboration and idea sharing with some of the institutes represented.
Upcoming Events
Teesta River Basin Management Workshop. 16-17 October, Pan-Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
Monash University is working with regional stakeholders to develop a collaborative approach to river basin management given changes in climate, demography and demand for water from Himalayan-sourced rivers. Three case study systems are being examined: the Indus, the Koshi and the Teesta. A meeting in Dhaka (16,17 October) brings stakeholders together to discuss salient issues for the Teesta. Open invitation.
Workshop and seminar on Index-Based Insurance (IBI). 23 October, Ascott Hotel.
ICCCAD, in collaboration with the UN University and other stakeholders, will be hosting an all-day workshop on 23 October designed to bring individuals and organizations working on IBI together to share lessons and discuss key issues. The workshop will be followed by a seminar/dinner at which Thomas Loster of the Munich Re Foundation will be the keynote speaker.
Gobeshona Seminar: Climate Change and the Bangladesh Delta Plan. 26 October, 4:00PM, Center for Sustainable Development, ULAB
Dr. Hamidul Huq, professor and director of the Center for Sustainable Development, ULAB, will chair a discussion on climate change in the context of the Bangladesh Delta Plan, an outline for the sustainable development of the Bangladesh delta. The keynote speakers will be Dr. Dewan Quadir and Catharien Terwisscha van Scheltinga, members of the Bangladesh Delta Plan Formulation Team. Please RSVP to gobeshona.bd@gmail.com
As part of my time at ICCCAD, I worked as a translator for visiting researcher Kathinka Evertsen. Her research focused on differences in the migration experiences of men and women from the Bhola District. Bhola is heavily affected by river erosion, flooding and storms, and is among the areas most affected by climate change in Bangladesh. A part of Ms. Evertsen’s research involved interviewing migrants who have settled in the ‘Bhola’ slum in Mirpur. Among one of the oldest slums in Dhaka, Bhola slum is home to generations of migrants who left their villages as victims of climate change, and the aim of the research was to explore their personal stories.
I was asked to help translate during the interviews with the women and was immediately keen to be involved. As an undergraduate student who has completed only one year of study, I have not been involved in research work before and looked forward to learning more from this experience.
The experience was not without its challenges. One of the biggest problems I faced in the field was translating the academic-style English questions into Bangla in a way that would be easy for slum dwellers to understand, while trying to stay true to the original English meaning. Often, the questions were too complex and had to be explained further. Explaining the questions often meant oversimplifying them to the point where they became leading. Words such as ‘migration’ – the heart of the research – do not have an exact Bangla translation that I know of, so a lot of rephrasing had to be done. I found that translating Bangla to English was far easier.
Working as a translator opened my eyes to differences between the stories of the migrants. It also helped me to see how an entire community has been built on a set of shared experiences. Most of the inhabitants of the slum are from Bhola, and they are bound together by their roots. The women we spoke to all knew at least one other person from their village and had made a new network within the slum. Many of the young girls who had come to Dhaka alone to work in the garment factories mentioned that they now liked living here since they had made friends. No matter how long they had been here, and despite differences in age and occupation, all of the people in the slum participated in their own intricate systems of hierarchy, family and kinship, which are so ingrained in the slum’s foundation that they cannot be translated.
“We may have achieved a turning point this week in New York and around the in world in recognising the magnitude of the climate change problem.” – Dr. Saleeemul Huq
Dr. Huq at the UN Climate Summit in New York
Dr. Huq spent the week of September 20 in New York City at the UN Climate Summit, where he attended as one of 38 representatives from global civil society. In addition to participating the People’s Climate march as a part of the rally’s South Asian contingent, Dr. Huq attended the official summit meetings as well as several parallel sessions, including one on “frontline vulnerable communities.” After listening to speeches from leaders from around the world, Dr. Huq left the conference encouraged by the rhetoric of leaders from both developed and developing nations. But, writing on his blog, he insisted that “they will need to channel their rhetoric into the UNFCCC negotiations at this December’s Conference of Parties (COP) in Lima, Peru.”
Turning talk into action is often a long and difficult process, but Dr. Huq remains hopeful. “We may have achieved a turning point this week in New York and around the world in recognising the magnitude of the climate change problem,” he wrote.
Communicating Your Research to a Mass Audience
Masroora Haque
Communications Coordinator, ICCCAD
Everyone working in climate change should be a communicator for the cause.
Academics writing for journals know that purpose, audience and format are key features of effective communication. What about writing for a mass audience? Communicating your research to a mass audience inevitably creates more impact for your work, since your findings reach more people. Academic thinking and writing is slightly different from journalistic writing and thinking, even though each is essentially trying to do the same thing. Since the audiences for academic and journalistic writing are different, we have to approach each differently.
On September 25, I gave a seminar titled, “How to think and write like a journalist,” to help our researchers write better. Writing is a very teachable and learnable skill. Some pointers on effective journalistic writing are below:
1. Angle. The angle is the point or theme of a news story. It is the message that will resonate with people and keep them paying attention to the issue. Your angle will stem from at least one of the following questions: How does my research relate to everyday lives? How does my research impact people? Who would benefit from this information? Does your story relate to a specific national climatic issue? Does it help members of society understand each other better? Does it try to solve a specific climatic issue? What is unique and interesting about it? Does it build on an ongoing momentum or trend in the climate change arena? How can we influence policy with this information?
2. Headline. The first thing that people notice and the reason they read the article, the headline should be catchy, attention-grabbing and interesting. Avoid making general statements such as “Children and Climate Change.” Instead, mention why your findings are interesting and use a title such as “Investment in Children’s disaster preparedness has long term positive impacts.”
3. Human Story. Try as much as possible to start with a human story. The best-known kind of feature story is the human-interest story that discusses issues through the experiences of another. Try to put a face and a name to the larger climatic issue that you are talking about. This should be how you start the article.
4. Lead/Lede. The lead is the first paragraph. It summarizes the story and will help readers decide if they want to read the rest of the article. Think of the lead as your thesis statement. It contains a hook – something that keeps readers interested.
4. Body – Once you have established the topic, you can now go into the larger climatic issue that you want to talk about. Solidify your findings and observations with quotes from academics, practitioners, government, community members and other professionals working in the field. Share quantitative and qualitative data and represent them pictorially or graphically. This makes your article much more readable. Strictly avoid any jargon and “academic speak.” Reference papers and reports from your literature review. Talk about the current scenario, share what others are doing if necessary and, most importantly, talk about how it impacts people’s lives.
5. Recommendations. Remember, the ultimate goal of your article is to help people understand and deal with the impacts of climate change and/or influence policy so people’s lives are less severely impacted by its adverse effects. If your research has shed any light on any possible solutions to the climatic issue in your article, mention them and substantiate them with evidence. Recommendations from academics go a long way in shaping the discourse and implementing solutions.
6. Conclusion. Go back to the human name and face and conclude with his/her story. How can your recommendations and research findings help improve his/her life? What is the role of policymakers, government, practitioners, the private sector and the mass audience? The conclusion should tie the human aspect with the larger climatic issue that your article and research deals with.
Notes from the Field
Land loss on Bhola Island
Casey Williams
Visiting Researcher, ICCCAD
Kathinka and I arrived in Elisha, a town on Bangladesh’s Bhola Island, early Sunday morning, tumbling out of the auto into a cluster of tin-shed buildings huddled on the bank of the Meghna River. The water teemed with fishing boats, wooden half-moons coughing black smoke and bearing tattered flags. We watched them from the road – a narrow band of mud and asphalt that doubles as an embankment and which, cracked and eroded, looks like an apple tasted and discarded by some ravenous river monster. Up ahead, a truck lay overturned on the riverside. Its wheels had slipped through the crumbling embankment, and it seemed, to me at least, like a fresh victim of the riverbank erosion that has for decades been washing Bhola’s land into the Bay of Bengal.
Kathinka and I, along with Arvid and Rigan, our translators, spent eleven days in Bhola talking with people about riverbank erosion: perhaps the most serious issue currently facing people there. Each day, the Meghna swells and recedes, stealing land bit by bit until whole sections of earth fall into the river. During cyclones and bad storms, high winds blow across the water, whipping up tall waves that crash onto the bank. In a process that one fisherman described as “grasping,” the water snatches homes and shops from the exposed shore.
The Meghna has, according to many of the residents we spoke with, swallowed up land more hungrily in recent years. In Elisha, it is impossible to walk along the bank without meeting people who have lost their homes to the river. I talked to a grey-haired tea stall owner who twice watched his shop collapse with the faltering earth. The second time the river snatched his stall, a hut of corrugated tin propped up on bamboo stilts, the water rushed in so quickly that he didn’t have time to look behind him as he fled from his crumbling shop. Further down the riverbank, I asked a businessman where he was from. He simply pointed a wrinkled finger at the middle of the Meghna River. These men had been lucky enough to find new land, but many others we met remained huddled on the side of the embankment in huts fashioned from bits of tin and plastic bags, landless and exposed.
Landlessness is a uniquely devastating condition. Land not only provides people with the means for making a living, but it also roots families, cultures, and traditions in a particular place. Without land, people become dependent on other people and forces – landlords, bosses, labor markets – and, as a result, lose a certain degree of self-determination. As the effects of climate change become more acute in Bangladesh, land loss – and the related issues of migration and population pressure – will become an increasingly salient problem and one I hope to explore in more depth as I continue my research.
Environmental Migration in Bangladesh
Kathinka Evertsen
Visiting Researcher, ICCCAD
Bangladesh has long been a country of movement. There are as many reasons for migrating as there are people, but the first thing a migrant will typically tell you is that he or she moved for better economic opportunities. Bangladesh has also always been a country of dangerous weather, and, as climate change becomes a bigger problem, this is increasingly felt by the poor. The poor are both the most vulnerable and the most exposed to bad weather, since they often have little choice but to live in the least protected areas. In the southern Bhola District, the poorest are typically the ones living the closest to the river – simply because land is cheaper there. Consequently, the poor are also the ones being hit the hardest by river bank erosion. Last month, I visited a village where I was told that, only five years ago, the land stretched 10 KM into the river. Now there is almost no fertile land left in the village. Many farmers have become fishermen. Families that were able to collect enough money for a ticket have left for alternative livelihoods in cities like Dhaka and Chittagong. The ones who lost absolutely everything now live on the embankment, which is also eroding little by little, day by day.
What I experienced several times when speaking to people in Bhola was that they talked about moving as the saddest thing that could possible happen to them. At the same time, when they talked about people who had moved , they referred to them as the “ones being able to do so – the ones with the money” in a voice that seemed like migration was something to be envied. This shows how migration, although almost always about income opportunities, is also an emotional decision. This is often overlooked and needs to be taken into consideration when we weight the advantages and disadvantages of migration.
From the Seminar Manager’s Desk
Seminar Updates
Mr. Jonas Dahlström
Seminar Manager, ICCCAD
At ICCCAD inspiration always flows,and the number of ideas and projects are, as usual, many. Here, so that we do not just keep information for ourselves, it is important that we share our unique knowledge. This is why internal seminars are arranged. Lately, Kathinka Evertsen has presented on gender and migration, Masroora Haque on how to think like a journalist and Nathan Sage from USAID on their development activities. More seminars are planned. We are always open to meet new people, discuss new topics and listen to new stories. Don’t hesitate contacting me about joining any event!
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Madam/Sir,
Please find attached a press release on the above-indicated subject for your information and wider distribution.
Thank you and kind regards.
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
World Trade Center
413 St. Jacques Str. Office 800 / Montreal, QC H2Y 1N9 / Canada
Tel.: +1 514 288 2220 / Fax: +1 514 288 6588 / E-mail: secretariat@cbd.int /Website: http://www.cbd.int/
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Typhoon Haiyan survivors held “mud protest” (Philippine campaign update on Days of Action for Development Justice)
Manila, 10/9/14 — Covered in mud, activists portraying storm survivors held a play in front of Quiapo Church in Manila, Philippines to express dismay over the government’s rehabilitation efforts for victims of the 2013 Supertyphoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda). Eleven months after the deadly typhoon which claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people struck central Philippines, thousands of survivors still languish in tent encampments lacking facilities and basic provisions. Activists and civil society organizations fear of possible misuse of Haiyan aid as more and more survivors and their families claim of not getting any support from the national government.
The activity was mounted by Tindog, a group supporting the displaced families in central Philippines. Simultaneous protest activities were also held in Batangas and Cagayan de Oro.
The group also announced that Yolanda survivors, under the banner of People Surge, are now gearing-up for a giant rally in Tacloban City in time of the first anniversary of Yolanda on November 8, 2014. A week-long series of activities are also set to be held in Eastern Visayas to demand accountability to the Aquino government.
In September, People Surge head Dr. Efleda Kempis-Bautista participated in the People’s Climate March in New York and the People’s General Assembly organized by the Campaign for People’s Goals for Sustainable Development to share the stories of Typhoon Haiyan survivors and present their demands for climate justice, including financial and technical assistance to poor countries to transition to more sustainable economies and robust mechanisms to repay losses and damage suffered by the poor people of countries who are least responsible for the climate change but are bearing the full weight of its disastrous consequences.
Check out our official website for photos and updates on the Philippine campaign of the Days of Action for Development here: http://peoplesgoals.org/devjustice/typhoon-haiyan-survivors-held-mud-protest/
Stay tuned for other news on grassroots campaigns and struggles in other countries by visiting our website www. peoplesgoals.org/devjustice
Sincerely,
Ivan Phell Enrile
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The future of the internet shouldn’t be a secret
Helene H. Oord,
Remember the ITU?
In 2012, nearly 40,000 members of the Access community joined advocates from around the world in calling for a more inclusive governance of the internet. Specifically, we urged the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to open up its process in the lead-up to the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT).
Starting Monday, governments will gather in Busan, South Korea for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. “Plenipot” is normally a relatively stable, administrative conference, but this year there are signs the conference could be just as contentious as the WCIT, touching on issues of cybersecurity, the internet of things, and net neutrality.
But because the ITU operates largely behind closed doors, it’s hard to know for sure what’s up for debate and where different states stand.
Tell your national delegates: Urge the ITU to open up the conversation about the future of the internet.
The ITU is already considering some provisions that would make the proceedings more accessible to the public, including opening up free online access to ITU publications. Now national delegations need to take action to ensure transparency and inclusivity in these critical conversations.
To start, we need the ITU to webcast all committee proceedings. In addition, we are encouraging the ITU to:
- Open the Plenipotentiary Plenary and Committee Sessions to on-site observers, regardless of their participation status.
- Organize regular briefings for civil society. We understand that the ITU is already considering holding briefings with civil society representatives, and we welcome this.
- Create an online public contribution platform (as there was at the WCIT) and register such contributions as official Information Documents to be considered in debates among state parties.
- Highlight the benefits of openness and transparency in an effort to formalize greater public access to ITU processes and documentation.
Internet users around the world deserve a say in how the Web is governed. Take action NOW to tell the ITU to adopt these more open and accessible practices before the Plenipotentiary Conference starts this Monday.
Thanks,
Josh Levy
Access
The future of the internet shouldn’t be decided behind closed doors. Tell the ITU to open up.
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Deadly Ebola Virus Reaches America, Now What?
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Dear Avaazers,
Ebola could threaten us all, and the most urgent need to stop it is for volunteers.
If just 120 doctors among us volunteer, it will *double* the number of doctors in Sierra Leone. Other volunteers – in health, sanitation, skills – can help too. This is a call to serve humanity in the deepest possible way, to accept serious risk for our fellow human beings. Click to learn more, and show our gratitude to those making this powerful choice: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ebola_volunteers_thank_you_3/?bSPCVgb&v=47377
Three weeks ago, hundreds of thousands of us went offline to fight climate change. This week, we’re going offline to help stop Ebola.
The Ebola virus is spiraling out of control. Cases in West Africa are doubling every 2-3 weeks and the latest estimate says that up to 1.4 million people could be infected by mid-January. At that scale, this monster threatens the entire world.
Previous Ebola outbreaks have been repeatedly contained at small numbers. But the scale of this epidemic has swamped the region’s weak health systems. Liberia has less than 1 doctor for every 100,000 people. Governments are providing funds, but there just aren’t enough medical staff to stem the epidemic.
That’s where we come in. 39 million people are receiving this email. Our polling shows that 6% of us are health workers – doctors or nurses – that’s nearly 2 million of us. If just 120 doctors among us volunteer, it will *double* the number of doctors in Sierra Leone.
Other volunteers can help too — lab technicians, logisticians, water and sanitation workers, and transport workers. Volunteering means more than time. It means risk. Ebola is highly contagious. Health professionals have already died fighting it. But if there’s any group of people that would consider taking this risk for their fellow human beings, it’s our community. I and others on the Avaaz team are ready to take that risk with you, traveling to the front lines of this crisis.
Great things come from listening to the deepest voices within us. If you’re a health professional, or have other skills that can help, I ask you to take a moment, listen to the part of you that you most trust, and follow it.
Click below to volunteer, see messages from volunteers about why they’ve made this choice, and leave your own message of appreciation and encouragement for them:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ebola_volunteers_thank_you_3/?bSPCVgb&v=47377
Raising your hand to volunteer is the first step. You’ll need to get, and provide, a lot of information to ensure you’re well matched to an available position. You will likely need to discuss this decision with your loved ones, and you can withdraw from the process later if you choose to. For this effort, Avaaz is working with Partners In Health, Save the Children, and International Medical Corps, three of the leading organisations fighting this deadly disease. We are also consulting with the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, and the World Health Organization.
While there is substantial risk, there are also clear ways to contain that risk. Ebola is spread by physical contact, so with extreme care, the risk of contracting it can be minimized. So far, 94 health care workers have died of Ebola in Liberia, but almost all of them have been national health workers, who sadly are far less well equipped than international volunteers. With treatment, the chances of surviving the virus are better than 50%.
Many of us, from police to activists to soldiers, have jobs that involve risking our lives for our country. It’s the most powerful statement we can make about what’s worth living for. Taking this risk to fight Ebola, makes a statement that our fellow human beings, wherever they are, are worth living for:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/ebola_volunteers_thank_you_3/?bSPCVgb&v=47377
If Ebola spirals further out of control, it could soon threaten us all. The fact that a weak health care system in a small country can let this monster grow to a size that threatens the world is a powerful statement of just how interdependent we are. But this interdependence is far more than just interests. We are connected, all of us, in a community of human beings. All the lies that have divided us – about nation and religion and sexuality – are being torn down, and we are realizing that we really are one people, one tribe. That a young mother and her daughter in Liberia fear the same things and love the same things as a young mother and her daughter in Brazil, or the Netherlands. And in this unfolding understanding, a new world is being born. Out of the darkest places come our brightest lights. Out of the depths of the Ebola nightmare, let’s bring the hope of a new world of one people, willing to give, and sacrifice, for each other.
With hope and determination,
Ricken, John, Alice, Danny, and the whole Avaaz team.
More information:
Up to 1.4m people could be infected with Ebola by January, CDC warns (The Guardian)
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/23/ebola-cdc-millions-infected-quarantine-africa-epidemi…
Known Cases and Outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease, in Chronological Order (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/history/chronology.html
Ebola ‘devouring everything in its path’ (Al Jazeera)
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/09/ebola-devouring-everything-path-201499161646914388.html
Ebola death rates 70% – WHO study (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29327741
Unprecedented number of medical staff infected with Ebola (WHO)
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ebola/25-august-2014/en/
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Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Youtube Climate Change/ Solar Energy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnUNnW2DH_M#t=40
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Herocolubus Or Red Planet ( V. M. Rabolu )
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Youtube Climate Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UAihKz_XVQ
CLIMATE PROMO: https://www.facebook.com/joinundesa?ref=stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UAihKz_XVQ#t=135
UNESCO UN ECCOSOC Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrMK9V62QSnjztVN7Go7AXQ
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Article on Genocide, as published by La vie Catholique, Mauritius, on 25th September 2014.
For your consideration and thoughts.
From: Dr Michael ATCHIA [mailto:mklatchia@intnet.mu]
Genocide : “Never again”
Why cover this subject?
As author Ann Clwyd said “Genocide is the responsibility of the entire world.”. It is ours too, not just of Christians because at present its our brothers and sisters in Iraq/Syria who are suffering but of every human being. This is no longer an issue for Iraq alone to deal with. The entire planet has a solemn responsibility to deal swiftly with ISIS and to neutralize their threat to civilization.
What is Genocide? It is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group. It is inhuman, immoral, illegal and completely unacceptable. It involves violence against people simply because of their difference.
ISIS’s persecution of Iraqi Christians.
ISIS has already forced tens of thousands of men, women and children to flee for their lives, is fast becoming a genocide, religious leaders have warned. Already, several images have emerged of Christian children beheaded by ISIS, merely for being Christian. Women are being raped, then murdered, and men are being hanged. These are the people who were warned – convert to Islam of be put to the sword. The Iraq-based leader of the Chaldean Catholic church, Patriarch Louis Sako, says Iraqi Christians face a ‘human catastrophe’.
Islamic State jihadists persecuted and drove Christians out of Iraq’s northern city of Mosul in July, which ended their presence in the town stretching back to the early years of Christianity.
They also drove out the neighboring Yazidi community, as well as executing many Yazidi men and forcing women and children into slavery. Other Muslims are not immune; Shiites have also been targeted in large numbers.
Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod of the Syriac Orthodox church said that ISIS’s capture ofQaraqosh, Iraq’s largest Christian city, had marked a turning point for Christians in the country. “They are killing our people in the name of Allah and telling people that anyone who kills a Christian will go straight to heaven: that is their message. They have burned churches; they have burned very old books. They have damaged our crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary.”
French and Egyptian Muslims back Middle East Christians against ISIS
A senior Egyptian cleric, the Grand Mufti, condemned all these killings in the name of Islam (Euro news, 14.9.14).The Muslim Council of France (CFCM) in a joint statement with a Christian group denounced the persecution of Middle East Christians by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and said mosques across France would pray for them this week.
Although several French Muslim groups have already condemned the atrocities of the Islamic State (IS) jihadi militants who have declared a medieval-style caliphate in Iraq and Syria, this is the first time that French Muslims have teamed up with Christians to support the victims of IS. CFCM said“barbarians are perpetrating crimes against humanity exploiting Islam as their banner.”
Historical perspective. Throughout History we have seen groups of misguided men, of all continents of all ‘religion’ overtaken by transient madness, committing genocide. Always after a genocide the world says “never again”. There had been so many examples, so many duly forgotten. For the sake of remembrance let us recall a few:
- · Nazi Germans exterminating more than 5 million Jews during WWII;
- · the Hutus massacring 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1993.
- · the massacres of Muslims by Christians during the Crusades, and during the recapture of Spain from the Moslems;
- · in 1915, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire. Out of about 2 million Armenians at the time of the massacre by the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, some 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country;
- · the elimination of the Amerindians by settlers from Europe. Let us hear Chief Seattle: “My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain…There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.” . Similarly for the Aborigines of Australia, the traditional indigenous people of the Amazon basin and of other parts of the world.
- · Slavery, a form of cultural genocide, practiced commonly in the ancient world, but in recent times mainly to people of African origin, uprooted and sold into forced labour, including here in Mauritius;
- · Stalin’s Gulags, the ‘imprisonment’ of the Palestinian people till today, the strongly uneven world trade which enriches many and leave many (especially producers of basic commodities) living close to starvation level
What to do?
Love one another. Today we must pray for those being persecuted, we must protest by word and deed, including at the political level our voice at the United Nations.
With Elie Wessel , “for the dead and the living, we must bear witness.”
We must learn in our schools the culture of peace and when conflict arise that of reconciliation and forgiveness.
On 20th anniversary of Rwandan genocide, Pope Francis urged reconciliation. He said,“reconciliation and the healing of wounds must remain the priority of the church in Rwanda”; “the schools and hospitals the Catholic Church operates in Rwanda have an essential role to play in ensuring a future of peace in the country, but nothing they do can be as effective as Catholics being united in love and allowing “the Gospel to touch and convert their hearts.”
And with poet Bertolt Brecht, understand the need to keep on fighting for justice, never to give up :“The first time it was reported that our friends were being butchered there was a cry of horror. Then a hundred were butchered. But when a thousand were butchered and there was no end to the butchery, a blanket of silence spread.
When evil-doing comes like falling rain, nobody calls out “stop!”
When crimes begin to pile up they become invisible. When sufferings become unendurable the cries are no longer heard. The cries, too, fall like rain in summer.”
Dr Michael Atchia
mklatchia@intnet.mu
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New article on the ReliefWeb blog: Thema ReliefWeb is hiring
Read the article on ReliefWeb: http://reliefweb.int/blogpost/reliefweb-hiring Are you interested in working with ReliefWeb?
Do you have a passion for humanitarian issues, web technology and information management?
We’re seeking two highly motivated people to fill two very important roles. 1. Chief of Section (ReliefWeb Coordinator) We’re looking for a leader with the right set of management, web technology and humanitarian experience to guide the future of ReliefWeb. The candidate will be required to provide leadership and strategic direction that enables ReliefWeb to to be humanitarian community’s leading information platform.
The Coordinator will plan and oversee the activities of ReliefWeb and actively liaise with humanitarian stakeholders. Applicants are required to have an advanced university degree and minimum of ten years of experience in project or programme management in a related area to qualify for the role. For more information, a full list of role requirements and how to apply, see the position description. 2. Intern – Humanitarian Affairs We’re also seeking a hardworking and motivated intern to help develop new humanitarian information initiatives for ReliefWeb As a ReliefWeb intern, you will get the opportunity to work on some innovative and exciting humanitarian information projects. You will acquire in-depth knowledge about the United Nations, OCHA and the humanitarian system and will assist in the development of a new humanitarian community project. You will also support ongoing communications and day-to-day content management operations.
To be considered for the internship, you must meet the requirements of the United Nations Internship Programme. All the details can be found on the position description on ReliefWeb. Be sure to read the special notice on completing the online application. If these jobs are not for you, then you can find your dream humanitarian position in our jobs section.
There are currently over 200 humanitarian organizations advertising more than 2,400 opportunities in a variety of locations around the world. Good luck! For questions about this list, please contact: feedback@reliefweb.int
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Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
——————————————————————————————————– IBON International Update: Peoples Climate March Posted on the IBON website with this link: http://www.iboninternational.org/page/whats_new/316 IBON Intl Update 2014-2 Climate Justice
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WE DID IT!! Largest. Climate. March. In History Dear amazing Avaazers, Months ago, our community decided on a crazy goal – the largest mobilisation on climate change in history. Yesterday, we blew past our wildest expectations, with a climate march *6 times* the size of anything before it!!! This was 80 city blocks of New York
And this was London, Berlin, Bogota, Paris, Delhi, and Melbourne
Over 675,000 of us marched around the world. It was a beautiful expression of our love for all that climate change threatens, and our hope that we can save this world and build a society powered by 100% safe, clean energy. Click to see more pictures from the day: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/climate_march_reportback/?bSPCVgb&v=46379 Together, we made history, but it’s just the beginning. The crucial Paris climate summit is 15 months from now — that’s where we need a global deal. By March next year, countries have pledged to make their national commitments — so our movement will divide to focus on these national targets. But every few months until Paris we’ll come together globally again and again, bigger and bigger, to beat a drum for change, for 100% clean energy, that our leaders can only follow. The movement we’ve been waiting for has begun. With gratitude, Ricken, Emma, Alice, Iain, Nataliya, Patri, Oliver, Diego, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team PS – We worked with thousands of organisations to make this day happen and particularly love our friends at 350. But our community deserves to celebrate the step we’ve taken. The Avaaz team and community played a central role in almost all the marches and events held. The Guardian called it “an organising triumph” for Avaaz and the BBC said “the marches brought more people on to the streets than ever before, thanks to the organisational power of the social media site Avaaz.” We fielded hundreds of organisers and thousands of volunteers, and donations from our community provided millions in funding to the effort. The challenges of our time call us to be better, and together we’ve done that, growing and changing into a new and more effective kind of movement, a movement that is now both online, and offline. Huge gratitude to everyone who made it happen. Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
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Before honey bees are extinct Dear friends, Bees are dying off worldwide and our entire food chain is in peril. Scientists blame toxic pesticides, and after a mega Avaaz campaign, the EU banned them. In five days the US could join the ban, and inspire other governments across the world to follow. This is our best chance to save bees from extinction. Sign the petition and forward this urgent appeal: Silently, billions of bees are dying off and our entire food chain is in danger. Bees don’t just make honey — they are a giant, humble workforce, pollinating 75% of growing plants. But in five days the US could move to ban the toxic pesticides that are killing them off. We know we can get a ban — after a mega Avaaz campaign last year, the EU banned this group of poisons that multiple scientists blame for bees’ rapid demise. Right now chemical companies are furiously lobbying US authorities to stop action. But insider allies say a massive public mandate could tip the scales towards a ban. Let’s give it to them! If the US moves, it will set in motion a ripple effect on the rest of the world. We have no time to lose — members of the White House’s bee task force will report with proposals on Tuesday. This is not just about saving bees, this is about our survival. Sign the emergency petition now — let’s build a giant global buzz calling for the US to outlaw these killer chemicals, before the honey bees are extinct: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_us_pet_loc/?bSPCVgb&v=46969 Bees are vital to life on earth — every year pollinating plants and crops with an estimated $40bn value. Without immediate action to ensure bees’ continued pollination, many of our favourite fruits, vegetables, and nuts could vanish from our shelves and ⅓ of our food supply will be gone. Recent years have seen a steep global decline in bee populations — some bee species are already extinct and just in California — the biggest food producer in the US — beekeepers are losing a third of their bees each year. Scientists have been scrambling for answers. While some studies, often funded by the chemical companies, argue this may be due to a combination of factors including disease, habitat loss and toxic chemicals, powerful independent studies conclude neonicotinoid pesticides are to blame. It is this startling evidence and super effective campaigning by Avaaz and partners that won the EU ban. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required by Congress to regulate toxins, but under the influence of big chemical companies, for years they’ve fudged the law. Now the White House’s ‘Pollinators Health Task Force’ could get the EPA to cancel the pesticides’ registration so they can’t be sold in the US. This is our chance! The task force reports in five days. Already 2.5 million of us around the world have backed this campaign. Let’s urgently build an unprecedented 3 million strong petition to save the bees and deliver it with strategic advocacy and media to stop a backroom deal that only benefits big business. Sign the urgent petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees_us_pet_loc/?bSPCVgb&v=46969 We can no longer leave our delicate food chain in the hands of chemical companies and the regulators that are in their pockets. Banning these pesticides will move us closer to a world safe for ourselves and the other species we care about and depend on. With hope, Terra, Alex, Alice, Ari, Nick, Laila, Marigona, Ricken, and the rest of the Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION: Heavy Costs, Weighing the Value of Neonicotinoid Insecticides in Agriculture (Center for Food Safety) http://issuu.com/centerforfoodsafety/docs/neonic_efficacy_digital/1?e=9942666/7206999 Presidential Memorandum — Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators (The White House) http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/06/20/presidential-memorandum-creating-federal-strategy-promote-health-honey-b Petition for Interim Administrative Review of Neonicotinoid Pesticides (Filed July 7, 2014) http://docs.nrdc.org/health/files/hea_14070701a.pdf The Costly Lobbying War Over America’s Dying Honeybees (National Journal) http://www.nationaljournal.com/energy/the-costly-lobbying-war-over-america-s-dying-honeybees-20140701 EPA memo reveals concern that pesticide causes bee deaths (SF Gate) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/green/detail?entry_id=79910 $15 Billion Bee Murder Mystery Deepens (Business Insider) http://www.businessinsider.com/colony-collapse-disorder-still-unsolved-lead-researcher-had-connections-to-bayer-2010-10 Beekeepers want government to pull pesticide (Palm Beach Post) http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/beekeepers-want-government-to-pull-pesticide-1107701.html Bees in freefall as study shows sharp US decline (The Guardian) http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jan/03/bumblebees-study-us-decline?INTCMP=SRCH
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1 Message Digest #1814 Press conference in Queens September 22 by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Message 1 Press conference in Queens September 22 “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Press conference in Queens at Social Security Administration, 155-10 Jamaica Avenue; by Councilman Daneek Miller. The topic will be commuter vans lack of ADA compliance and safety. It will be tomorrow night 6 p.m. Speaker Dustin Jones, DIA board member. Everyone is welcome. Reply to sender . Reply to group . To learn more about the CPANYS group, please visit http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/CPANYS
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BREAKING NEWS PRES RELEASE The Surprising Truth About Probiotics
please click here
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UN PRESS RELEASE THEMA: CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AT UNITED NATIONS Subject: [gccaall] REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AT UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release September 23, 2014 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE SUMMIT United Nations Headquarters New York, New York 1:03 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Mr. President, Mr. Secretary General, fellow leaders: For all the immediate challenges that we gather to address this week — terrorism, instability, inequality, disease — there’s one issue that will define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other, and that is the urgent and growing threat of a changing climate.
Five years have passed since many of us met in Copenhagen. And since then, our understanding of climate change has advanced — both in the deepening science that says this once-distant threat has moved “firmly into the present,” and into the sting of more frequent extreme weather events that show us exactly what these changes may mean for future generations. No nation is immune. In America, the past decade has been our hottest on record. Along our eastern coast, the city of Miami now floods at high tide. In our west, wildfire season now stretches most of the year. In our heartland, farms have been parched by the worst drought in generations, and drenched by the wettest spring in our history. A hurricane left parts of this great city dark and underwater. And some nations already live with far worse. Worldwide, this summer was the hottest ever recorded — with global carbon emissions still on the rise. So the climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it. The alarm bells keep ringing. Our citizens keep marching. We cannot pretend we do not hear them. We have to answer the call. We know what we have to do to avoid irreparable harm. We have to cut carbon pollution in our own countries to prevent the worst effects of climate change. We have to adapt to the impacts that, unfortunately, we can no longer avoid. And we have to work together as a global community to tackle this global threat before it is too late. We cannot condemn our children, and their children, to a future that is beyond their capacity to repair. Not when we have the means — the technological innovation and the scientific imagination — to begin the work of repairing it right now. As one of America’s governors has said, “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it.” So today, I’m here personally, as the leader of the world’s largest economy and its second largest emitter, to say that we have begun to do something about it. The United States has made ambitious investments in clean energy, and ambitious reductions in our carbon emissions. We now harness three times as much electricity from the wind and 10 times as much from the sun as we did when I came into office. Within a decade, our cars will go twice as far on a gallon of gas, and already, every major automaker offers electric vehicles. We’ve made unprecedented investments to cut energy waste in our homes and our buildings and our appliances, all of which will save consumers billions of dollars. And we are committed to helping communities build climate-resilient infrastructure. So, all told, these advances have helped create jobs, grow our economy, and drive our carbon pollution to its lowest levels in nearly two decades — proving that there does not have to be a conflict between a sound environment and strong economic growth. Over the past eight years, the United States has reduced our total carbon pollution by more than any other nation on Earth. But we have to do more. Last year, I issued America’s first Climate Action Plan to double down on our efforts. Under that plan, my administration is working with states and utilities to set first-ever standards to cut the amount of carbon pollution our power plants can dump into the air. And when completed, this will mark the single most important and significant step the United States has ever taken to reduce our carbon emissions. Last week alone, we announced an array of new actions in renewable energy and energy efficiency that will save consumers more than $10 billion on their energy bills and cut carbon pollution by nearly 300 million metric tons through 2030. That’s the equivalent of taking more than 60 million cars off the road for one year. I also convened a group of private sector leaders who’ve agreed to do their part to slash consumption of dangerous greenhouse gases known as HFCs — slash them 80 percent by 2050. And already, more than 100 nations have agreed to launch talks to phase down HFCs under the Montreal Protocol — the same agreement the world used successfully to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals. This is something that President Xi of China and I have worked on together. Just a few minutes ago, I met with Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, and reiterated my belief that as the two largest economies and emitters in the world, we have a special responsibility to lead. That’s what big nations have to do. (Applause.) And today, I call on all countries to join us -– not next year, or the year after, but right now, because no nation can meet this global threat alone. The United States has also engaged more allies and partners to cut carbon pollution and prepare for the impacts we cannot avoid. All told, American climate assistance now reaches more than 120 nations around the world. We’re helping more nations skip past the dirty phase of development, using current technologies, not duplicating the same mistakes and environmental degradation that took place previously. We’re partnering with African entrepreneurs to launch clean energy projects. We’re helping farmers practice climate-smart agriculture and plant more durable crops. We’re building international coalitions to drive action, from reducing methane emissions from pipelines to launching a free trade agreement for environmental goods. And we have been working shoulder-to-shoulder with many of you to make the Green Climate Fund a reality. But let me be honest. None of this is without controversy. In each of our countries, there are interests that will be resistant to action. And in each country, there is a suspicion that if we act and other countries don’t that we will be at an economic disadvantage. But we have to lead. That is what the United Nations and this General Assembly is about. Now, the truth is, is that no matter what we do, some populations will still be at risk. The nations that contribute the least to climate change often stand to lose the most. And that’s why, since I took office, the United States has expanded our direct adaptation assistance eightfold, and we’re going to do more. Today, I’m directing our federal agencies to begin factoring climate resilience into our international development programs and investments. And I’m announcing a new effort to deploy the unique scientific and technological capabilities of the United States, from climate data to early-warning systems. So this effort includes a new partnership that will draw on the resources and expertise of our leading private sector companies and philanthropies to help vulnerable nations better prepare for weather-related disasters, and better plan for long-term threats like steadily rising seas. Yes, this is hard. But there should be no question that the United States of America is stepping up to the plate. We recognize our role in creating this problem; we embrace our responsibility to combat it. We will do our part, and we will help developing nations do theirs. But we can only succeed in combating climate change if we are joined in this effort by every nation –- developed and developing alike. Nobody gets a pass. The emerging economies that have experienced some of the most dynamic growth in recent years have also emitted rising levels of carbon pollution. It is those emerging economies that are likely to produce more and more carbon emissions in the years to come. So nobody can stand on the sidelines on this issues. We have to set aside the old divides. We have to raise our collective ambition, each of us doing what we can to confront this global challenge. This time, we need an agreement that reflects economic realities in the next decade and beyond. It must be ambitious –- because that’s what the scale of this challenge demands. It must be inclusive –- because every country must play its part. And, yes, it must be flexible –- because different nations have different circumstances. Five years ago, I pledged America would reduce our carbon emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2020. America will meet that target. And by early next year, we will put forward our next emission target, reflecting our confidence in the ability of our technological entrepreneurs and scientific innovators to lead the way. So today, I call on all major economies to do the same. For I believe, in the words of Dr. King, that there is such a thing as being too late. And for the sake of future generations, our generation must move toward a global compact to confront a changing climate while we still can. This challenge demands our ambition. Our children deserve such ambition. And if we act now, if we can look beyond the swarm of current events and some of the economic challenges and political challenges involved, if we place the air that our children will breathe and the food that they will eat and the hopes and dreams of all posterity above our own short-term interests, we may not be too late for them. While you and I may not live to see all the fruits of our labor, we can act to see that the century ahead is marked not by conflict, but by cooperation; not by human suffering, but by human progress; and that the world we leave to our children, and our children’s children, will be cleaner and healthier, and more prosperous and secure. Thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)
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PRESS RELEASE: Conservative Crowd Count: 310,000+ Join People’s Climate March in New York City, Hundreds of Thousands Join Rallies Around the World PRESS RELEASE http://peoplesclimate.org/ YOU TUBE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYcKCnILsSE#t=147 Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Conservative Crowd Count: 310,000+ Join People’s Climate March in New York City, Hundreds of Thousands Join Rallies Around the World FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 21, 2014 Contact: media@peoplesclimate.org, +1- 917-719-6672
Conservative Crowd Count:
310,000+ Join People’s Climate March in New York City,
Hundreds of Thousands Join Rallies Around the World
NEW YORK — An official count conducted at the People’s Climate March in New York City showed that over 310,000 people participated in the largest climate rally in history–more than tripling pre-march estimates of 100,000. Around the world, hundreds of thousands more joined 2,646 events in 156 countries. “We said it would take everyone to change everything — and everyone showed up,” said Eddie Bautista, Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance. Shattering expectations, this official attendee count makes the People’s Climate March New York City’s largest social demonstration in the last decade. Well above the 80,000 who attended the 2009 march at the Copenhagen climate talks, the 310,000 attendees at today’s demonstration have set world history just days before a UN Summit bringing world leaders together to discuss tangible action on climate change. “People around the world are tired of waiting for our politicians to act,” said Payal Parekh, Global Managing Director for 350.org, one of the organizations coordinating the global day of events. “From the islands of the Pacific to the streets of New York City, we’re demanding action, not words. We’re showing what real leadership looks like.” Marches around the world also exceeded expectations with more than 30,000 people taking to the streets in both London and Melbourne and over 25,000 in Paris. Thousands also marched in Delhi, Rio, Paris, Barcelona, Jakarta and beyond. In most places, the People’s Climate march was the largest demonstration on climate change to date. In addition, at last count, 2,129,060 people around the world had also signed onto a petition calling for world leaders to take bold action at the UN Climate Summit this week. “With hundreds of thousands marching in over 2,500 protests worldwide, this is by a long way the largest climate mobilization in history. It’s a wake up call to politicians that climate change is not a green issue anymore, it’s an everybody issue,” said Ricken Patel, the executive director of Avaaz, who delivered the petition to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at 1:00pm this afternoon on the march route. Learn more at www.peoplesclimate.org
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Seed updates View this email in your browser Welcome to the latest edition of SEEd’s free online e-newsletter
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climate-l digest: September 18, 2014 CLIMATE-L Digest for Thursday, September 18, 2014. 1. Weather Reports from 2050: Iceland (today), Germany (Friday) and Tanzania (Monday) 2. NAMA Sustainable Development Tool 3. Climate Change Daily Feed – 18 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 4. WTP for Flood Insurance in Pakistan and its Determinants 5. World Bank course ‘Energy Sector Strategies to Support Green Growth’ 6. Obama’s science advisor to talk energy at Colloquium on Forests and Climate 7. CS/CDKN New Publication: The Way Forward in International Climate Policy: Key Issues and New Ideas 2014 8. Event Notification | New York trade and climate change event at NY Climate Summit 9. New Policy Brief: The Contribution of Forests and Land Use to Closing the Gigatonne Emissions Gap by 2020 Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 11:16:11 +0200 Subject: Weather Reports from 2050: Iceland (today), Germany (Friday) and Tanzania (Monday) http://www.wmo.int/media/climatechangeimpact.html
Michael Williams Chief, Communications and Public Affairs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) CP 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland +41-22-730-8315 // +41-79-406-4730 (cell) Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and www.wmo.int Subject: NAMA Sustainable Development Tool *Apologies for cross-posting* Dear Climate-L Readers, UNDP MDG Carbon has released a new tool that is designed for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) developers and policy makers. The tool allows users to evaluate the sustainable development performance indicators and sustainable development results achieved over the lifetime of the NAMA. The tool is linked to the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which may be subject to change, and shall allow policy makers to track the effects of the NAMA on environmental conservation, economic growth, poverty reduction and public welfare. NAMA sustainable development benefits are quantified using Nationally Appropriate Improvements (NAIs) and are calculated for each indicator to evaluate the co-benefits of each intervention for a specific monitoring period. MDG Carbon is currently testing the tool in several NAMAs. First lessons learned will be shared over the next few months. Please download the tool here. We hope that you find the tool useful and would appreciate continuous feedback on the applicability of the Tool. Best regards, Alexandra Alexandra Soezer, Ph.D. Project Manager MDG Carbon United Nations Development Programme 304 E 45th Street, FF-910 New York, NY 10017, USA alexandra.soezer@undp.org Phone: +1-212-906-6433 Cell phone: +1-917-293-6269 www.mdgcarbon.org Follow us Subject: Climate Change Daily Feed – 18 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice
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Subject: World Bank course ‘Energy Sector Strategies to Support Green Growth’ E-Learning Course Energy Sector Strategies to Support Green Growth Last date to apply – October 13, 2014 Course Delivery Dates: October 20 – 6 November, 2014 Introduction: This course covers essential aspects of renewable energy, energy efficiency and innovation policies and discusses how they can contribute to green growth strategies. The course begins with an overview of the range of policy tools available, including price instruments (e.g., feed-in tariffs), quantity instruments (e.g., tradable renewable energy certificates) and standards (e.g., building codes for energy efficiency). As an example, the course discusses the opportunities provided by these policy tools, together with the challenges of implementation. The course ends with a discussion on how these policies can be integrated into overall green growth strategies at the national level. The course also examines how public policy and financial support can support innovation, research and development of new technologies. It discusses global patterns of innovation and a range of policies to encourage the development, deployment and diffusion of green technologies Learning objectives: The overall objective of this course is to provide a better understanding of the policy instruments used to promote the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies in developing countries. The course is unique in covering a broad spectrum of energy sector strategies, including both renewable energy and energy efficiency. It helps develop the mindset and knowledge base required for anyone wishing to pursue a more in-depth analysis on energy systems planning. Target Audience: Policymakers, planners, development practitioners, energy specialists For Queries Contact: Ms. Chandni Dinakaran at cdinakran@worldbank.org Link to Application: Click Here Subject: Obama’s science advisor to talk energy at Colloquium on Forests and Climate Dear all, An afternoon of real science and big ideas, from CIFOR and the Earth Institute at Columbia University I’m pleased to confirm that Dr. John Holdren, US President Obama’s chief science advisor, will be our opening speaker at the Colloquium on Forests and Climate: New Thinking for Transformational Change, in New York on 24 September, starting at 1.30 pm EDT. Also sharing their big ideas are:
- Carlos Nobre, Brazil’s National Secretary for R&D Policy & member of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Scientific Advisory Panel on Global Sustainability
- Eduardo Brondízio, Professor of Anthropology and Adjunct Professor of Environmental Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington
- Dan Nepstad, Executive Director of the Earth Innovation Institute
- Cheryl Palm, Director of Research at the Agriculture and Food Security Center, Columbia University
- Pushpam Kumar, Chief of UNEP’s Ecosystem Services Economics Unit
Here’s a preview of what some of these speakers have to say (you can read their fullcomments at www.cifor.org/colloquium): Carlos Nobre on climate variability… “An impoverished kind of savannah: I think that’s what the forests of the future will look like if climate change is not checked.” Daniel Nepstad on land use… “A global crisis is underway that could become a global revolution . . . To change the crisis into a revolution we need to overcome the intense fragmentation that we’ve seen.” Eduardo Brondízio on governance… “Our efforts to reconcile development and conservation in forest regions rest on unsustainable grounds. We need to confront – intellectually and in practice – several mismatches and misconceptions.” REGISTRATION: If you’ll be in New York next week and want an afternoon of real science and big ideas, you can register through our partners at the Earth Institute at Columbia University: http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/events/view/73260/ (or you can contact me directly). (Entry is free and open to all, but only a few places remain.) LIVE WEBCAST: For those not in New York, the whole event will be live-streamed through http://www.cifor.tv starting at 1.30 pm EDT. MEDIA INQUIRIES: Media are welcome at the event. Please direct any requests to Donald Lehr at +1 917 304 4058. Event: Colloquium on Forests and Climate: New Thinking for Transformational Change Date: 24 September 2014, 1.30 – 5 pm. Venue: Roone Arledge Auditorium, Lerner Hall, Columbia University, New York For more information, please visit cifor.org/colloquium This event is affiliated with Climate Week NYC. Learn more through www.ClimateWeekNYC.org or on Twitter @ClimateWeekNYC #CWNYC. I look forward to seeing you there. Imogen Badgery-Parker Outreach Manager Center for International Forestry Research e: i.badgery-parker@cgiar.org t: +62 (0) 251 8622 622 x318 / m: +62 (0) 811 847 7157 / s: i.badgery.parker cifor.org | blog.cifor.org Subject: CS/CDKN New Publication: The Way Forward in International Climate Policy: Key Issues and New Ideas 2014 Dear All, Climate Strategies and CDKN are pleased to announce that our new publication ‘The Way Forward in International Climate Policy: Key Issues and New Ideas 2014’ is now available to download online. In May 2014, CDKN and Climate Strategies convened leading climate change academics, policy advisors and subject experts to address some of the critical deadlocks hampering climate negotiations, and to identify new economic, social and political ideas to move the debate forward. This new report, The Way Forward in International Climate Policy: Key Issues and New Ideas 2014, presents some of the ideas discussed during the event, the Global Climate Policy Conference. These range from the creation of climate ‘club goods’ to the role of green investment vehicles, technology and innovation in supporting mitigation and adaptation activities. This report also explores the social psychology of messaging and how this applies to our communications with the public and the private sector; and considers how personally held concepts of justice and equity might influence negotiations on adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage. Enjoy! On behalf of Climate Strategies and CDKN teams, Eleonora Arcese & Mairi Dupar Follow us @climatestrat and @CDKNetwork View this email in a web browser WWF-WUR_Gigatonne_Gap ———————————————————————————————————- Thema: New policy brief evaluates inclusiveness of SDGs Dear colleagues, The United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), the Earth System Governance project, and the Sustainability Transition beyond 2015 project have published a new policy brief titled “Sustainable Development Goals and Inclusive Development”. The brief evaluates the proposed SDGs developed by the UN General Assembly’s Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals against criteria for inclusive development. This policy brief was produced by an international group of experts on environmental governance led by Prof. Joyeeta Gupta (University of Amsterdam), and is the fifth in the POST2015/UNU-IAS Policy Brief Series. The brief sets out the following key messages: 1. Social goals tend to be marginalized in the implementation of sustainable development while economic growth is prioritized, often at the cost of ecological goals. Many of these development issues are essentially distributional issues. These distributional challenges will be exacerbated by the need to limit the environmental utilization space (ecospace) on Earth and the consequent challenge of how this space will be equitably and inclusively shared among countries and people. 2. Inclusive development principles, tools, and evaluation criteria for the proposed SDGs fall into three clusters: – Regarding inclusive development per se, the SDGs currently proposed do not provide guidance to establish targets that would build capacity for the most marginalized populations so that they can learn about and access SDG-related opportunities. – In the context of the Anthropocene, the SDGs neither adequately address ecosystemic limits nor the allocation of responsibilities, rights, and risks among countries and peoples in relation to fixed and diminishing resources. – From a relational perspective, the wording of the OWG document lacks balance; it focuses more on effects than root causes. 3. These governance issues can be addressed by developing context-relevant, appropriate targets and indicators, but this will require exceptional steering and leadership to ensure their successful implementation. “Sustainable Development Goals and Inclusive Development” can be downloaded here: http://i.unu.edu/media/ias.unu.edu-en/project/2218/Post2015_UNUIAS_PolicyBrief5.pdf. Previous briefs from the POST2015/UNU-IAS Series can be downloaded here: http://ias.unu.edu/en/research/sustainability-transformation-beyond-2015.html#outputs Makiko Arima United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) arima@unu.edu http://ias.unu.edu https://www.facebook.com/UNU.IAS https://twitter.com/unuias
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Thema Japan For Sustainability Energy / Climate Change ** Geothermal Power: Japan Has World’s Third Largest Geothermal Reserves, 60 Percent of Which Can Be Developed http://www.japanfs.org/en/news/archives/news_id035043.html
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WE DID IT!! Largest. Climate. March. In History Dear amazing Avaazers, Months ago, our community decided on a crazy goal – the largest mobilisation on climate change in history. Yesterday, we blew past our wildest expectations, with a climate march *6 times* the size of anything before it!!! This was 80 city blocks of New York 
And this was London, Berlin, Bogota, Paris, Delhi, and Melbourne… 
- our love for all that climate change threatens, and our hope that we can save this world and build a society powered by 100% safe, clean energy. Click to see more pictures from the day: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/climate_march_reportback/?bSPCVgb&v=46379Together, we made history, but it’s just the beginning. The crucial Paris climate summit is 15 months from now — that’s where we need a global deal. By March next year, countries have pledged to make their national commitments — so our movement will divide to focus on these national targets. But every few months until Paris we’ll come together globally again and again, bigger and bigger, to beat a drum for change, for 100% clean energy, that our leaders can only follow. The movement we’ve been waiting for has begun.
With gratitude, Ricken, Emma, Alice, Iain, Nataliya, Patri, Oliver, Diego, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team PS – We worked with thousands of organisations to make this day happen and particularly love our friends at 350. But our community deserves to celebrate the step we’ve taken. The Avaaz team and community played a central role in almost all the marches and events held. The Guardian called it “an organising triumph” for Avaaz and the BBC said “the marches brought more people on to the streets than ever before, thanks to the organisational power of the social media site Avaaz.” We fielded hundreds of organisers and thousands of volunteers, and donations from our community provided millions in funding to the effort. The challenges of our time call us to be better, and together we’ve done that, growing and changing into a new and more effective kind of movement, a movement that is now both online, and offline. Huge gratitude to everyone who made it happen. Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter
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Subject: Climate Change Daily Feed – 17 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice.
Youtube Climate Change/ Solar Energy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnUNnW2DH_M#t=40
Herocolubus Or Red Planet ( V. M. Rabolu )
Youtube Climate Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UAihKz_XVQ
CLIMATE PROMO: https://www.facebook.com/joinundesa?ref=stream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UAihKz_XVQ#t=135
UNESCO UN ECCOSOC Youtube : http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrMK9V62QSnjztVN7Go7AXQ
Having trouble viewing this email? Please try our Browser Version. climate-l digest: September 17, 2014 Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:00:02 -0500
CLIMATE-L Digest for Wednesday, September 17, 2014. 1. 2050 weather reports for South Africa and Zambia 2. New reports with CARE involvement on climate change and SDGs 3. New WBGU Report: Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement 4. Climate Change Daily Feed – 17 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 5. Climate Change Job Vacancies Update – 17 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 6. WHO/WMO Invitation to submit Case Studies on Climate Services for Health 7. =?utf-8?B?UmVmZXJlbmNlOiBGaXJzdCBDYWxsOiDigJxXb3JsZCBTeW1wb3NpdW0gb24g?= 8. Restore America’s Estuaries hosts Blue Carbon full-day workshop Subject: 2050 weather reports for South Africa and Zambia www.wmo.int/media/climatechangeimpact.html Michael Williams Chief, Communications and Public Affairs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) CP 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland +41-22-730-8315 // +41-79-406-4730 (cell) Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and www.wmo.int Subject: New reports with CARE involvement on climate change and SDGs Dear climate-l readers, Below you find information on 2 new reports and a blog related to climate change in the SDGs. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions (and feel free to use and distribute them) Best regards Sven Harmeling The first is a joint report led by Christian Aid (with CAFOD, CARE, Greenpeace, Practical Action and WWF) entitled ‘The Right Climate for Development, Why the SDGs must act on Climate Change’. It focuses on analysing the IPCC and its relevance for the different SDG. Find the report here: http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/J2795-IPCC_5th_Assessment_v3.pdf The second is a CARE-only paper on the SDGs and climate change: “A sustainable future for all: Eradicating poverty and tackling climate chaos”. It also includes an analysis of the OWG outcomes. You can read the new CARE paper here on the CARE Climate Change website. http://www.careclimatechange.org/files/a_sustainable_future.pdf Alertnet blog: Climate change and the SDGs: Where do we go from here? http://www.trust.org/item/20140910171834-ox2jn/?source=fiBlogs Subject: New WBGU Report: Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement Dear colleagues, The German Advisory Council on Global Change has just released its new report: Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement Climate policy is getting nowhere, while climate change continues unchecked. Yet in the midst of this crisis of humankind there is new hope. It has to do with strong movements towards sustainability that have recently been forming everywhere in civil society: social networks, cities and local councils, religious communities, business alliances and clubs of nation states – they are all expanding initiatives to combat climate change, and encouraging political decision-makers to move beyond their day-to-day business and act decisively. As a result, responsible policy-makers are gaining valuable allies in efforts to overcome multilateral deadlock and shape a future without climate chaos. This interaction between these players might make an ambitious agreement possible in Paris next year. These are the conclusions of the WBGU’s new special report ‘Climate Protection as a World Citizen Movement’, which was today presented to Federal Environment Minister Dr. Barbara Hendricks and State Secretary Dr. Georg Schütte (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) on the occasion of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in New York. In its report, the WBGU recommends a dual strategy for international climate policy: on the one hand, the planned Paris Agreement should codify the global phasing-out of fossil CO2 emissions and thus serve as a guide; on the other, civil-society initiatives that take on responsibility and make their own contributions towards a low-carbon economy and low-carbon lifestyles should be supported. The German Federal Government set up the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) as an independent, scientific advisory body in 1992 in the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit). The WBGU’s task is to analyse global environmental and development problems and to develop recommendations for action and research in the quest for solutions to these problems. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber and Dirk Messner are the two co-chairs of the WBGU. Download the report (PDF): http://www.wbgu.de/wbgu_sg2014_en.pdf Pre-order a printed copy (avaliable mid October 2014): http://www.wbgu.de/wbgu_sg2014_en.html Link to the report in german language: http://www.wbgu.de/wbgu_sg2014.html Best, Astrid Schulz WBGU Secretariat Luisenstraße 46 D-10117 Berlin Germany Phone: 030 263948 0 E-Mail: wbgu@wbgu.de Internet: www.wbgu.de
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climate-l digest September 19, 2014 Subject: climate-l digest: September 19, 2014 From: “Climate Change Info Mailing List digest” <climate-l@lists.iisd.ca> Reply-To: “Climate Change Info Mailing List” <climate-l@lists.iisd.ca> Date: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 00:00:04 -0500 CLIMATE-L Digest for Friday, September 19, 2014. 1. LEDS LAC Webinar: Huella de Ciudades/Footprint of Cities 2. Webcast on 24 September: Global Alliance on Climate-Smart Agriculture 3. Introducing the Joint Principles for Adaptation – a civil society tool for promoting inclusive and equitable adaptation policies 4. Third annual joint MDB report on climate finance released 5. Climate Change Daily Feed – 19 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 6. Latest IISD reports finds Canada trailing USA on Climate Change Policy View this email in your browser Subject: Introducing the Joint Principles for Adaptation – a civil society tool for promoting inclusive and equitable adaptation policies Dear Climate-L colleagues, This mail is to reintroduce you to the first version of the Joint Principles for Adaptation (JPA) which will be tested over the next year by civil society networks in the Southern Voices on Adaptation project. The JPA is meant to be a benchmark for civil society for what they consider good adaptation planning. The purpose of the JPA is to serve as a tool for civil society actors to assess and influence plans and policies of Southern governments in the field of adaptation to climate change, such as the NAPs. A key focus is to promote policies and processes that are inclusive, involving poor and vulnerable groups in planning and implementation. The Joint Principles have been developed based on input by climate networks across the world and were finalized and adopted in Kathmandu in the context of CBA8 at a workshop jointly organised by Southern Voices and CAN- South Asia. View the video from the Kathmandu workshop The next year will see civil society partner networks in the Southern Voices on Adaptation project test the Joint Principles for Adaptation by working with governments in 12 different countries.
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Africa |
Asia |
Latin America |
| Ghana | Cambodia | Bolivia |
| Kenya | Nepal | Guatemala |
| Malawi | Sri Lanka | Nicaragua |
| Mozambique | Vietnam | |
| Niger |
The experiences of the 12 partner networks will be documented in case studies, and will be the basis for further development and revision of the JPA during 2015, with a view to presenting a final version at COP21 in Paris. Find out more about the 12 partner networks To promote the JPA and the inclusion of civil society concerns in adaptation planning, we have introduced through CARE International the JPA in a submission during the SBI session on National Adaptation Plans at the UNFCCC Bonn Sessions in June. In August at the NAP Expo in Bonn we also presented the JPA and supporting materials If you know of organizations engaged in advocacy for inclusive and equitable national adaptation policies the JPA may be able to assist them. You are welcome to forward this mail to them and ask them to get in touch with the SV Secretariat or one of our three regional facilitators. For more information visit the Southern Voices website on www.southernvoices.net. Best Regards, Constantine Carluen Communications Officer Southern Voices on Climate Change
JOINT PRINCIPLES FOR ADAPTATION 1.0
A CIVIL SOCIETY INITIATIVE TO PROMOTE EFFECTIVE AND EQUITABLE ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE Adopted in Kathmandu April 2014. To be updated during 2015, informed from testing in 12 countries.
Preamble The Joint Principles for Adaptation are a statement by civil society organisations from across the world of what they consider to be a benchmark for good adaptation planning. They were developed in 2014 as a joint initiative by civil society networks working on climate change from Africa, Asia and Latin America, and will be further revised as they are tested in more countries. They take the form of a set of seven principles, each with a subset of qualifying criteria. NATIONAL FRAMEWORKS FOR ADAPTATION PLANNING LEAD TO A MORE EQUITABLE AND MORE EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE WHEN
| PRINCIPLES | Criteria |
| A. The planning process is participatory and inclusive | 1. The knowledge and experience of local communities and indigenous peoples is incorporated |
| 2. Communities affected by climate change participate in defining options and priorities | |
| 3. Plans are publicised in ways that local people can understand and engage with | |
| B. Public funds for adaptation are utilised efficiently and managed transparently and with integrity | 1. The implementation and financing of plans is periodically monitored by a body on which civil society is represented |
| 2. Adaptation funding is made available through a transparent process of allocation | |
| 3. There is full and free access to information on how adaptation funds are being spent (finances and processes) | |
| 4. There is a mechanism in place to safeguard against initiatives that might have negative impacts | |
| 5. A secure mechanism for expressing grievances and seeking redress is available | |
| C. All government sectors and levels of administration have defined responsibilities and appropriate resources to fulfil them | 1. National adaptation plans carry the authority to enable different government sectors to work in a coordinated way |
| 2. Existing initiatives are enhanced to take climate change into account | |
| 3.Funding for adaptation is explicitly provided for within the national budget and respective sectorial allocations | |
| D. Local adaptation plans developed through community-based approaches are a core element | 1. Local adaptation plans are formalised and integrated into the development priorities of local administrations |
| 2. Significant resources are allocated towards implementation of local adaptation plans | |
| 3. Financing arrangements make commitments for multi-year programmes of support to vulnerable communities | |
| E. The resilience of women and men who are most vulnerable to climate change is built | 1. Plans identify and target people who are socially and economically most vulnerable |
| 2.Programmes take into account the differentiated needs and capacities of women and men in different social groups | |
| 3. Initiatives that enhance community adaptation through greater social integration and cohesion are promoted | |
| F. There is a balance between the investment in physical infrastructure and the building of skills and capacities | 1.Adequate resources are made available to improve the effectiveness of institutions responsible for managing climate change adaptation |
| 2. Adequate resources are made available for raising public awareness and education about climate change | |
| 3. Investment plans contains targets for both “soft” and “hard” interventions | |
| G. Plans respond to evidence of the current and future impacts of climate change | 1. Adaptation plans consider how climate is affecting existing vulnerabilities |
| 2. Planning scenarios are based on the best available science and evidence from the ground | |
| 3. Interventions are modified as new information becomes available | |
| 4. Climate information is made accessible to enable adaptive decision making by all stakeholders |
How the Joint Principles for Adaptation can be used The Joint Principles are framed in a way that can be generally applicable across a wide range of country contexts. While they are useable in that form, in most cases they will need to be customised for a particular context. The first step in using the Joint Principles is to ensure that they are expressed in a way that is appropriate to the intended audience. The Joint Principles can be used in one or more of three ways, outlined below. In all modes, a useful starting point is to use the Joint Principles to assess the status of national adaptation policy and planning in their countries. This might be in the form of a scorecard, with an assessment made against each principle and/or each criterion. “Advocacy Mode”: To set advocacy objectives An assessment against the Joint Principles can be used to identify the gaps between the existing status of adaptation planning in a country and the desired level. These can then be used to define the areas on which civil society might undertake advocacy, either where the gap is largest, or where the potential for closing it is highest. Used in this way, the Joint Principles serve as an internal tool or reference point for civil society organisations. Example: As a result of the analysis, civil society may choose to mount a campaign to ensure that “Adaptation funding is made available through a transparent process of allocation” (Principle B.2) “Dialogue Mode”: To promote dialogue with government The assessment of performance against the JOINT PRINCIPLES can be carried out as a collaborative exercise with government counterparts, and subsequently used to develop an agreed national benchmark for the adaptation framework of plans, policies and programmes in the country. If governments are using the LEG guidelines[1], the JOINT PRINCIPLES indicates those areas of particular interest to civil society and where they might have a role. Thus the Joint Principles serve as an input for developing a nationally determined adaptation standard, towards which all the stakeholders in the country agree to work. Example: By jointly considering the Joint Principles, government and civil society might formally agree the roles that civil society will play in the process of developing a National Adaptation Plan. “Capacity-building Mode”: To determine capacity building needs A JOINT PRINCIPLES assessment can help identify the areas where capacity among civil society, government or other actors needs to be built in order for the desired level to be attained. Example: The Joint Principles may highlight that local government staff need training and support in how to develop local adaptation plans using community-based approaches. These modes can be used singly or in combination – for instance, the assessment may indicate that certain principles need to be upheld through advocacy, while for others capacity building may be a more effective response. Developing the Principles The current version of the Joint Principles was based on initial contributions from a number of civil society networks from across the world. The next step is to test them in practice, and proposals are being received from civil society networks interested in doing this, and customising them to suit particular country circumstances. Following a year of testing, the Joint Principles will be reviewed in 2015 and a revised version issued for wider dissemination. Please see further information at www.southernvoices.net CARE Danmark Jemtelandsgade 1, DK-2300 Copenhagen S OFFICE PH. +45 35 200 100 E-MAIL: ccarluen@care.dk [1] Least Developed Counties Expert Group “Technical Guidelines for National Adaptation Plan Process” Subject: Third annual joint MDB report on climate finance released Dear Climate-L readers, The third annual Joint MDB report on Climate Finance was released today. It was prepared by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank Group (WBG) and demonstrates the shared engagement expressed by the group of six MDBs to reinforce transparency of their financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The report analyses the financial commitments from the institutions to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the information provided has been expanded to include both a more detailed sector based breakdown and a split between public and private operations, as well as a regional breakdown of MDB financing. The MDBs believe that setting meaningful targets and identifying opportunities for climate finance requires consistent and robust data. This report is therefore based on the common climate finance tracking methodology that MDBs have developed. The report can be downloaded from: http://www.eib.org/projects/documents/joint-report-on-mdb-climate-finance-2013.htm Best regards, Vanessa Paul Communication Officer 98-100 bd Konrad Adenauer L-2950 Luxembourg +352 4379-84331 / v.paul@eib.org / www.eib.org Les informations contenues dans ce message et/ou ses annexes sont reservees a l’attention et a l’utilisation de leur destinataire et peuvent etre confidentielles. Si vous n’etes pas destinataire de ce message, vous etes informes que vous l’avez recu par erreur et que toute utilisation en est interdite. Dans ce cas, vous etes pries de le detruire et d’en informer la Banque Europeenne d’Investissement. The information in this message and/or attachments is intended solely for the attention and use of the named addressee and may be confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this transmittal in error and that any use of it is prohibited. In such a case please delete this message and kindly notify the European Investment Bank accordingly. Browser Version. ——————————————————————————————————- Thema Digest nr 1813 8 Messages Digest #1813 HELP NEEDED-FOOD STAMPS by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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SNAP and Temporary Assistance Recipients in NYS Urged to Plan Ah by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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ACCESSIBILITY – WHAT DO WE KNOW AND WHAT DON’T KNOW YE by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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MESSAGE FROM NYLAG by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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Food Stamp by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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NYAIL Action Alert – 9.19.14 – Tell the Social Security Administ by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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New Senate Bills Address Economic Access for People with Disabil by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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My T.V. Show: “In My Shooze” by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Messages
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HELP NEEDED-FOOD STAMPS “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Hi everyone, After I posted about changes in SSI, I got few emails where people asked that they cut drastically cut of food stamps. Someone said it happened after EDT machine changed. Is it anyone heard about it? One person got from $185 to $16. What he/she needs to do? I suggested go to local Indepd. center. Thank you Luda Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top
2 SNAP and Temporary Assistance Recipients in NYS Urged to Plan Ah “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 New Yorkers Receiving SNAP and Temporary Assistance Are Urged to Plan Ahead This Weekend as Benefits Will Be Unavailable for a Short Period All efforts being made to minimize impact to recipients The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has alerted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients and Temporary Assistance recipients that from midnight until no later than noon this Sunday, September 21, 2014, their benefits will be unavailable while a system change is made. For the past several months, OTDA has been working closely with local leaders and advocates throughout this process so that as many people as possible in the affected communities are aware of the EBT system downtime. “Thousands of New Yorkers depend on these vital services to help support their families. That is why I have directed OTDA staff to expedite the EBT system change. I urge all recipients of these important benefits to do their shopping and make cash withdrawals now, so they will not be inconvenienced during the short switch over,” said OTDA Commissioner Kristin M. Proud. This temporary interruption in services is necessary to allow a new contractor to take over operating the EBT system. During this time, SNAP recipients will not be able to make food purchases with their SNAP benefits using the EBT cards, and Temporary Assistance recipients will not be able to use their EBT cards to make purchases or withdraw cash. There will be no impact on Medicaid recipients’ ability to use their cards to access medical benefits. After the conversion to the new contractor is complete, current EBT cards will continue to work as usual. There is no need for cardholders to replace their cards. OTDA is making efforts to assure that the vendors meet the noontime goal to minimize the impact on all recipients and in particular the Jewish community as they prepare for Rosh Hashanah. Why do the conversion on this Sunday? September 21 was selected because EBT historical transition data shows that the third weekend of the month has the lightest transaction volume. The transition cannot happen earlier in the month when SNAP benefits are being posted to accounts for the new monthly cycle. Why do the conversion in September? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not allow New York State to conduct the conversion in November or December. Why is OTDA changing EBT vendors? The EBT contract conversion is required in accordance with State Finance Law procurement rules because the contract with the existing vendor is expiring and no further contract extensions are available. OTDA engaged in a competitive procurement process to retain a new vendor. Where can SNAP and Temporary Assistance recipients find more information? OTDA has posted the date and time of the transition to its website (www.otda.ny.gov<http://www.otda.ny.gov), to the myBenefits website (www.mybenefits.ny.gov<http://www.mybenefits.ny.gov), to the OTDA hotline (1-800-342-3009), and to the EBT hotline. The information on the websites is accessible in eight languages, and the OTDA hotline message is available in English and Spanish. OTDA notified the state 211 helpline and New York City’s 311 helpline about the EBT system downtime. OTDA has also posted information about the September 21 downtime in these other places: * Local social services department offices * OTDA social media sites * Public assistance and SNAP client notices At OTDA’s request, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service sent a letter from OTDA notifying all retailers authorized to accept SNAP benefits in NYS. Third party processors and other commercial merchants (retailers) currently accepting EBT cards for cash purchases were contacted directly by the new EBT vendor one week prior to the conversion weekend and informed of the conversion downtime. All EBT cardholders were notified by letter over the summer and were encouraged to plan ahead for the system downtime. New Yorkers who receive cash public assistance benefits may want to prepare for the downtime by withdrawing available benefits in advance of September 21 from their cash public assistance accounts using their EBT cards. If you are in need of food assistance during the EBT downtime period, please visit your nearest food pantry or soup kitchen that is usually open on Sundays. If you are in New York City, you may call the NYC Hunger Hotline number (1-866-888-8777) for information on the location and hours of operation of food assistance sites. For information on food assistance sites outside New York City that will be open on Sunday, please call the OTDA hotline number at 1-800-342-3009. While the system is down on September 21, the EBT cardholder helpline (1-888-328-6399) will not be available. Call center agents will be available to answer calls placed to the OTDA hotline (1-800-342-3009) from 9:00 a.m. on September 20 until 5:00 p.m. on September 21, including during the overnight hours. Once the conversion is complete and cards can be used again, OTDA will post messages saying the system is working again. Cardholders can check the OTDA hotline, OTDA website<https://otda.ny.gov/, myBenefits<https://www.mybenefits.ny.gov/ website and Facebook<https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-State-Office-of-Temporary-and-Disability-Assistance/145316812172859?ref=hl and Twitter<https://twitter.com/nysotda. For more information, visit http://otda.ny.gov/. Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . 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ACCESSIBILITY – WHAT DO WE KNOW AND WHAT DON’T KNOW YE “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. The concept often focuses on people with disabilities or special needs and their right of access, enabling the use of assistive technology. JUST FEW NEW INFO ABOUT IT 1. The NYC Restaurant Access Program (RAP) is designed to provide a restaurant with the opportunity, if it chooses to do so, to advertise the fact that its restaurant is wheelchair-friendly. We are proud to announce the launch of the Restaurant Access Program (RAP). RAP is designed to provide a restaurant with the opportunity, if it chooses to do so, to advertise the fact that its restaurant is wheelchair-friendly. Should your restaurant qualify, you will be sent a RAP “Wheelchair Friendly” Decal that you can post in your restaurant promoting its friendliness to wheelchair users. For more information please email us at rap@cityhall.nyc.gov or call 311. a.. Restaurant Access Program Flyer (RAP) (in PDF) b.. Restaurant Access Program Flyer (RAP) Spanish Version (in PDF) c.. Restaurant Access Program Survey Guidelines (in PDF) d.. Service Animal One-Sheeter (in PDF) e.. Service Animal One-Sheeter Spanish Version (in PDF) f.. New York City Restaurant Owner Manual g.. Things a Business Owner Should Know (in PDF) h.. Things a Business Owner Should Know Spanish Version (in PDF) 2. The Disabled Foodie David Friedman, creator of The Disabled Foodie blog http://thedisabledfoodie.com Are you a foodie in the NYC area who happens to be disabled? Do you have trouble eating at a restaurant or shopping for food due to issues of accessibility? I provide ratings and reviews of NYC area food venues in terms of accessibility to help open up the food world to you. http://www.thedisabledfoodie.com/?p=160%20-%20contact-form-160 3. Find an Accessible Ride The New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission manages a program that provides wheelchair-accessible yellow taxi dispatching services. Wheelchair-accessible yellow taxis will respond to trips originating in Manhattan and ending anywhere in the five boroughs, Westchester and Nassau counties, and the three regional airports. Passengers pay the normal metered taxi fare in New York City from the point of pick-up to destination. There are no extra costs to passengers. There are five ways to request a New York City wheelchair-accessible taxi: · Call 311 · Call the dispatch center directly: (646) 599-9999 · Text a request to: (646) 400-0789 · Use the mobile app “Wheels on Wheels” (WOW), powered by Taxi Magic and available free at the Apple iTunes Store · Order online at www.nycaccessibledispatch.org · Customers living in the Bronx, Brooklyn, northern Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island can call the following Boro Taxi car services (also known as Street Hail Livery bases) for a wheelchair-accessible Boro Taxi. We will update this list as more accessible Boro Taxis go on the road. · 50,000 Use App to Order Wheelchair Accessible Taxi in New York City The city’s handicapped-accessible taxi program, where wheelchair and scooter-bound passengers can order yellow cabs using a smartphone, has been a success with more than 50,000 people taking advantage of the service is it’s first year and a half, according to data obtained by The Post. That’s more than 150 a day and other cities like San Francisco and Chicago are studying New York’s system to better tailor their fleets to disabled passengers. http://nypost.com/2014/06/30/50000-use-new-app-to-order-handicapped-accessible-cabs/ 4. Callers with a Speech Disability Dial 7-1-1 or 800-626-1220 http://www.nyrelay.com http://www.nyrelay.com/speechdisablility.html New York Relay Service not only offers relay services for deaf or hard-of-hearing consumers but also for consumers with a speech disability. People with hearing and speech disabilities use the phone like everyone else – to find out about a product, make an appointment, reach a teacher, call a parent with a birthday party invitation, or simply to be neighborly. Two services that are available for callers with a speech disability are: a.. Speech-to-Speech (STS) and b.. Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) Speech-to-Speech (STS) Speech-to-Speech (STS) allows a speech-disabled person to voice his/her conversation. A specially trained Sprint STS operator repeats the words of the person with a speech disability or synthesizer output to the other person. No special equipment is needed to use this service.Click here for more information.http://www.nyrelay.com/sts.html Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) Hearing Carry-Over (HCO) allows a caller with a speech disability to type his/her conversation for the relay operator to read aloud to the standard telephone user. The HCO user can listen to the standard telephone user. A teletypewriter device (TTY) may be needed to use this service. Click here for more information.http://www.nyrelay.com/hco.html 5. Intel Unveils Connected Wheelchair Intel has unveiled a new smart wheelchair at this year’s Intel Developer Forum. The wheelchair, which can collect biometrical information, track locations, and send data to doctors in case of emergencies, was developed by 20-year-old Tim Balz, an Intel intern. In a video introduction by Stephen Hawking, Intel delves into how technology can help people with disabilities. WATCH VIDEO http://www.accessibledispatch.com/2014/09/intel-unveils-connected-wheelchair-project/ 6. ACCESS NYC https://a858-ihss.nyc.gov/ihss1/Images/ihhs_accessnyc_logo.png ACCESS NYC is a free service that helps you find out if you may qualify for over 30 City, State and Federal benefit programs. You can use this service anonymously or you can create an account. Learn about Benefits: Use ACCESS NYC to find out more about different health and human services benefits that may be right for you or a loved one. ACCESS NYC contains all the information you will need to apply for benefits such as how to apply, where to go, and what documents to bring. You can apply or renew online for some benefit programs. https://a858-ihss.nyc.gov/ihss1/en_US/IHSS_S094_ScreeningHomePagePage.do Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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MESSAGE FROM NYLAG “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 NYLAG’s public assistance unit would like to talk to people whose Food Stamps were drastically cut. Please person phone number or email address and I’ll pass it on to NYLAG’s co-worker? They may be able to help.If there are other similar cases please pass them on. Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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Re: Food Stamps “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Good morning everyone, There are many people emailed about their clients’ problems with food stamps and SSI. There are two organizations that I trust very much and who promised to help people: 1. CIDNY – The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York’s www.cidny.org 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (212) 674-2300 CIDNY has the Food Stamp contract for all five boroughs. People can call 212-674-2300 and tell the receptionist that they are having trouble with their food stamps. 2. NYLAG’s public assistance unit would like to talk to people whose Food Stamps were drastically cut. Please person phone number or email address and I will pass it on to NYLAG’s co-worker. They may be able to help. If there are other, similar cases please pass them on. 212.613.7310 or EFLRP@nylag.org From: Meir Friedland Subject: RE: Food Stamps Good afternoon, We have had an issue with Food Stamps. We recently signed up a new individual and the amount he was approved for was $51 a month, not the usual $189 our other individuals receive. When I contacted the Food Stamp office the explanation was that their SSI is very high and they have no heating, electrical or utilities expenses, thus the SSI is considered a high income so his eligibility is much less. They said that all individuals will have their food stamp benefits reduced like this as they come up for recertification. They did not say anything about the change to the new EBT machines, and I have the new machine and everyone else is still getting their usual same amount. We contacted IAC and they said it must be specific to this individual, that there has not been a widespread change. I sent in a recertification for another individual this week so we will see how this all plays out. Meir Friedland Bookkeeper Human Care Services for Families and Children, Inc. 718-854-2747, ext. 277 m.friedland@hcsny.org IMPORTANT NOTICE: This message and any attachments are solely for the intended recipient and may contain confidential information which is, or may be, legally privileged or otherwise protected by law from further disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, use, or distribution of the information included in this email and any attachments is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender by reply email and immediately and permanently delete this email and any attachments. Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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Fw: NYAIL Action Alert – 9.19.14 – Tell the Social Security Administ “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 This alert comes to NYAIL from Restore the American Promise Network Right now, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is making long-term plans for the future of Social Security. They’re calling it Vision 2025 – and they’re accepting public comments until Oct 1, 2014. We all know how important Social Security is to our communities. It’s the safety net that’s kept so many people across the country out of poverty. We need to urge the SSA to look to keep local offices open, expand benefits, and preserve the life of the trust fund by lifting the wage cap. Social Security serves so many of us, it’s also very complex. That’s why it’s so important the Social Security Administration keep offices open in every community – to provide one-on-one help so that everyone gets the benefits they need. The SSA needs to hear from each of us about how important it is to keep local offices in every community. They need to know that even technologically savvy folks still need in-person help with complicated registration Already the SSA has closed 13 offices across New York State. It’s a scary trend that’s likely to only get worse if we don’t speak up. ACTION: Tell the Social Security Administration to keep SSA offices open in our communities, expand benefits, and preserve the trust fund. Click here right now to share your vision with the Social Security Administration! http://ssa1.ideascale.com/ The fact is that when it comes to Social Security benefits, it’s not one size fits all. Each situation requires choices. SSA needs to provide beneficiaries with the help they need to make the best choices. Here are a few sample comments you can use: 1. There should be a well-staffed Social Security office in every community. Registering is a complex matter and errors often result in incorrect or delayed benefits. One-on-one assistance eliminates errors and makes sure people get the benefits they need. 2. Social Security call centers need more staff. Right now, call centers are operating at the worst efficiency they ever have, and wait times are expected to double this year. As baby-boomers are coming of age, the need for individual attention at call centers will only grow. 3. Social Security is not in crisis. We need to help extend the life of this fund by lifting the cap of $113,700 so that payroll taxes apply fairly to every dollar of wages. 4. We need to stop the proposed elimination of the Benefit Verification forms. According to the SSA, 11 million people came into a Social Security office last year looking for forms. Housing, social service agencies, lenders, and charity programs require these forms. The solution is simple: keep the local offices open and keep the services intact. 5. We need to ensure that the Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) adequately reflect the living expenses of retirees so that seniors are better able to keep up with the rising costs of essential items, especially health care. Social Security touches each and every one of us. We all need to do our part to keep it strong. Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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Fw: New Senate Bills Address Economic Access for People with Disabil “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 New Senate Bills Address Economic Access for People with DisabilitiesNew Senate Bills Address Economic Access for People with Disabilities Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa recently introduced bills in the U.S. Senate to promote economic independence for people with disabilities. The bills address access to housing, transportation, and exercise and call upon the U.S. Access Board to develop new accessibility guidelines and standards in each of these areas. They are based on findings from an investigation by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee into economic and employment issues faced by people with disabilities. “To address the economic barriers Americans with disabilities still face, I am introducing three new bills as part of an ‘Access for All’ agenda to help them achieve the economic success necessary to be independent and lead full and fulfilling lives in their communities,” stated Harkin who chairs the HELP Committee. “Today’s report makes clear that even as more people with disabilities seek to enter the workforce, there are still too many barriers preventing them from becoming economically independent. When these Americans are not part of the workforce, they are much more likely to be stuck in poverty with no way of getting ahead.” The “Universal Home Design Act” would require certain accessibility features for single family homes and townhouses that are built or purchased with federal financial assistance. These include universal design features that would be established by the Access Board to ensure access to entrances, interior doors, environmental controls, and at least one indoor room, bathroom, and kitchen space. The bill also would create the Office of Accessible Housing and Development within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The “Accessible Transportation for All Act” would require access to taxi services and ban discrimination based on disability by taxi companies and drivers. It would authorize competitions to create affordable and accessible taxi and car designs, require states to develop strategic plans to increase the availability of accessible cabs, direct the Access Board to issue accessible taxi standards and service standards, establish a new tax credit for access improvements undertaken by taxi companies, and create an Accessible Taxi Board at the Department of Transportation. The “Exercise and Fitness for All Act” would require access to exercise and fitness equipment at gyms, heath clubs, colleges and universities, and other facilities, including treadmills, step machines, stationary bikes, rowing machines, weight machines, and circuit training and strength equipment. The Access Board would be tasked with developing new accessibility guidelines for such equipment within 18 months of enactment. According to the HELP Committee report, people with disabilities often cannot participate in the workforce due to a lack of access to reliable transportation and to affordable housing, and they continue to report discriminaton in the workplace, including wage inequality. The findings also address other economic issues and barriers faced by people with disabilities. Further information, including a summary of the introduced bills, is available on the Help Committee website. SUBSCRIBER SERVICES: Manage Preferences | Unsubscribe | Help For more information about the content of this email, contact the Access Board. This email was sent to luda@disabledinaction.org using GovDelivery, on behalf of: United States Access Board · 1331 F St NW, Suite 1000 · Washington DC 20004 · (800) 872-2253 (v) · (800) 993-2822 (TTY) Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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My T.V. Show: “In My Shooze” “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 From: …Hilda Kathy Broady, M.S., L.M.H.C., V.R.C., CASAC-t Hello My Beautiful Family and My Wonderful Friends: I am asking you to please take the time to watch my show? It is informative and helpful to a lot of people. The feedback I received for the Premiere was very positive! The show airs every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. New York time. optimum channel 68 bronx only and FIOS channel 34 bronx only. I know you don’t all live in the Bronx but you can watch it online at: www.bronxnet.org. It is simulcasted. So the show is International. When you go to the site, just click on channel 68. |Then click on the show. If you have any ideas for future shows, please do not hesitate to contact me at: 718-600-5054 or send me an email. I really believe this is an opportunity to REALLY make a difference. I LOVE YOU ALL AND REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT! …Hilda Kathy Broady, M.S., L.M.H.C., V.R.C., CASAC-t Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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CLIMATE-L Digest for Tuesday, September 16, 2014.
1. Weather report for Christmas 2050: Belgium 2. Climate Change Daily Feed – 16 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 3. Global Commission: Achieve economic growth and action on climate change together now 4. International Contest “Best Climate Practices for Energy Poverty Alleviation” – ONE MONTH LEFT – Deadline: 15 October 2014 5. Continuing the Conversation on Equity-New Paper- “Operationalising an Equity Reference Framework in the Climate Change Regime” 6. IEA-RETD releases reports on value creation and innovation policies 7. Register to Vote for CSO Observers to the CIFs 8. Rockefeller Event on Climate Change Adaptation 9. COP20 Climate Knowledge for Action Website 10. Webinar Series: Understanding Land Use in the UNFCCC 11. Energy Research and the Contributions of the Social Sciences 12. Climate Week NYC 2014 begins Monday! 13. Invitation: LIMITS Final Conference, 25th September 2014, Brussels (Belgium) climate-l digest: September 16, 2014 Subject: Climate Change Daily Feed – 16 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice
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Subject: Global Commission: Achieve economic growth and action on climate change together now The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate is pleased to announce the launch of Better Growth, Better Climate: The New Climate Economy Report. The report sets out compelling evidence from across the world that economic growth and action on climate change can now be achieved together. Ahead of next week’s UN Climate Summit the report sets out a 10-point Global Action Plan to achieve both better growth and a safer climate. Go to http://newclimateeconomy.report/ to find out more, or follow @newclimateecon #ncereport on twitter. “The New Climate Economy report refutes the idea that we must choose between fighting climate change or growing the world’s economy. That is a false dilemma,” said former President of Mexico Felipe Calderón, Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. “Today’s report shows how technological and structural change are driving new opportunities to improve growth, create jobs, boost company profits and spur economic development.” Over the coming months the New Climate Economy project will engage with governments, businesses, investors, city authorities and civil society in countries across the world to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations. We hope to help stimulate a new debate. Please join it. For more information about how you can participate please contact info@newclimateeconomy.net TAN COPSEY l Senior Communications Manager THE NEW CLIMATE ECONOMY l The Global Commission on the Economy and Climate PHONE +44 (0)7879552390 SKYPE tancopsey WEBSITE www.newclimateeconomy.net ADDRESS 88 Kingsway, Holborn, London, WC2B 6AA Sign up for our newsletter here Subject: International Contest “Best Climate Practices for Energy Poverty Alleviation” – ONE MONTH LEFT – Deadline: 15 October 2014
Best Climate Practices 2014 International Contest
Best Climate Practices for Energy Poverty Alleviation
ONE MONTH LEFT: send your practice until October 15th, 2014 Coming to grips with energy poverty is crucial for sustainable social and economic development. We believe it is possible to develop concrete, innovative solutions aimed at solving the problem and promoting economic development and social dignity.
The competition is sponsored by ICCG’s Best Climate Practices Observatory and is open to best practices related to the issues of energy poverty as actions liable to mitigate or aid in adapting to climate change. The competition is open to:
- original ideas just waiting to be realized,
- already existing innovative projects that deserve to be replicated in different economic and socio-geographical contexts.
A panel of experts will evaluate the practices and will award the Experts’ Choice Award: a precious Murano glass art item fashioned by a famous master craftsman. The author of the practice that receives the highest number of votes by the website’s users between October 16th and 31st, 2014 will win the Users’ Choice Award: the production of a promotional video of his or her practice. The winners will be invited to accept their awards at the fourth edition of the Think Forward Film Festival (Venice, December 12-13, 2014), the ICCG film festival on climate change and renewable energy. The winners of each practice will also benefit from the opportunity to make contact with a broad network of institutions and potential investors, and will see their practice publicized through the communication channels of the International Center for Climate Governance. Read the detailed Call for Proposals and participate in the Competition >> Watch the video >> Contact: info@bestclimatepractices.org, +39. (0) 41.2700.453. a joint initiative of in collaboration with International Center for Climate Governance Island of San Giorgio Maggiore 8, Venice, Italy Ph: +39 041 2700411– Fax: +39 041 2700413 info@iccgov.org – www.iccgov.org Subject: Continuing the Conversation on Equity-New Paper- “Operationalising an Equity Reference Framework in the Climate Change Regime”
Dear Climate-L readers The MAPS Programme http://www.mapsprogramme.org/ is continuing to commission research to further explore the concept of equity and allocation processes within the UNFCCC climate negotiations. The recently published research paper “Operationalising an equity reference framework in the climate change regime” by Xolisa Ngwadla and Lavanya Rajamani can be found at http://www.mapsprogramme.org/wp-content/uploads/Paper_Operationalising-ERF.pdf The paper identifies legal, architectural and technical options for operationalising the equity reference framework (ERF). This framework is increasingly being proposed as a means to address the imperatives of effectiveness and equity in the 2015 agreement. A previous paper by Ngwadla “Equitable Access to Sustainable Development. Relevance to negotiations and actions on Climate Change” can be found at http://www.mapsprogramme.org/wp-content/uploads/EASD-Relevance-to-negotiations_Paper.pdf This paper reflects on the basis and relevance of equitable access to sustainable development (EASD) in the UNFCCC negotiations and on the various perspectives and approaches to achieve fairness in the implementation of the Convention. The author makes a case for an ERF that covers a number of considerations in the conceptual and operational approach to equity. Contributing to the ongoing conversation about equity is Sonja Klinsky’s paper “Social-psychology, equity and climate change negotiations” http://www.mapsprogramme.org/wp-content/uploads/Paper_Social-psychology-equity-and-climate-change-negotiations.pdf The paper addresses the equity debates within climate policy, and draws attention to underlying social-psychological patterns that could shape ideas about what feels fair in various situations. The author recognises that equity remains a central component of climate negotiations at both international and national levels, and must be considered if progress is to be achieved. For further reading on the issue of Equity and please see- What is Fair?- a brief that synthesises the experiences and research on Equity that came out of the MAPS Programme is 2013. http://www.mapsprogramme.org/wp-content/uploads/Brief-what-is-fa Equitable access to sustainable development: Contribution to the body of scientific knowledge. A Joint paper by the BASIC expert group, Beijing, Brasilia, Cape Town and Mumbai http://www.mapsprogramme.org/wpcontent/uploads/Basic_EASD_Experts_Paper.pdf Equity sustainable development and climate policy. Editorial Special Issue http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2014.859352#.VBWc4ZSSzyA Kind regards MAPS International Team Aisling de Klerk Communications Officer SouthSouthNorth Projects Africa t: +27 (0) 21 4618551/2881 / f: + 27 (0) 21 4613507 s: aislingSSN www.mapsprogramme.org www.southsouthnorth.org twitter: @MAPSProgramme Subject: IEA-RETD releases reports on value creation and innovation policies IEA-RETD is pleased to launch two related reports: on value creation along the renewable energy industrial value chain (RE-ValuePolicies), and on innovation policies for emerging RE technologies (RE-InnovationChain). Both reports demonstrate that successful deployment of renewable energy requires integral policies, addressing issues that lie beyond the direct sphere of renewable energy. Policy Instruments to Support Renewable Energy Industrial Value Chain Development (RE-ValuePolicies) Renewable energy technologies provide more than just energy. They can – with the right policy environment – create jobs and contribute to economic growth. The RE-ValuePolicies report gives insight in the key factors in renewable energy (RE) value creation. It presents a wide set of policy instruments for value creation which can be used to complement the currently used set of RE policies, in order to enable countries to maximise the economic benefits of the further development of the RE industry. What are the policy instruments that optimally support the renewable energy industrial value chain and capture its value? The report was prepared by a consortium of the Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftliche Strukturforschung (GWS), the German Development Policy Institut (DIE) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI), all Germany. The report can be downloaded here: http://iea-retd.org/archives/publications/re-valuepolicies Best Practice Innovation Policy for Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies (RE-InnovationChain) Each step of the technology innovation chain, from basic research to deployment of mature technologies, requires a different set of policy incentives. The RE-InnovationChain study looks into best practice innovation policy for emerging renewable energy technologies. The report presents international best practice for strategic innovation policy delivery, synthesising proven methods from around the world. It also makes new recommendations to improve the delivery of on-going policy tools, focusing on reducing risk for private sector investment earlier along the innovation chain, and pursuing an increasingly international innovation policy. By following these principles, governments that can unlock renewable energy technology deployment at lowest cost and also seed technology driven economic growth and exports. The project led by the Carbon Trust and supported by Element Energy, involved extensive input through workshops and interviews with leading international policymakers and industry experts. The report can be downloaded here: http://iea-retd.org/archives/publications/re-innovationchainSubject: Register to Vote for CSO Observers to the CIFs The selection process for nonprofit civil society organization (CSO) observers to the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) is underway. As a part of the selection process, RESOLVE is pleased to invite CSOs to register to vote (www.resolv.org/cif/voting) for CSO observer candidates to the CIFs. Who Can Vote? Representatives of not-for-profit, non-governmental CSOs engaged in climate change issues and/or with the Climate Investment Funds may register to vote. Only one registration (and vote) is permitted for each organization. Large organizations with multiple country offices may cast one vote in each CIF region where they are present (Africa/Middle East, Asia/Pacific, Latin America/Caribbean, and developed countries). Please note that there are separate selection processes for CIF observers from the private sector and for indigenous peoples’ organizations. How Do I Register? To register to vote, visit: www.resolv.org/cif/voting. The deadline for registration is 20 October 2014 at 11:59 PM GMT. How Do I Vote? Once you have registered, instructions for voting will be emailed to you when the voting period opens in October. Pre-registered organizations will be able to vote for CSO observer candidates in their region during the voting period. Where Can I Get More Information? Please visit www.resolv.org/site-cif to learn more about the CSO observer selection process and www.climateinvestmentfunds.org to learn more about the CIFs. Follow us at @RESOLVORG on twitter for updates on the selection process! Want to Apply to be a CSO Observer? The deadline has been extended to 24 September 2014. Visit www.resolv.org/cif to apply. If you have any questions about the process, please email (cifobservers@resolv.org) or call (202-965-6208). Subject: Rockefeller Event on Climate Change Adaptation I would like to inform the list of an upcoming event during Climate Week in New York City featuring speakers from BBC Media Action, CARE International, The Ecological Monitoring Centre and the Kenyan Meteorological Office. The forum will explore “Innovative Approaches to Climate Change Adaptation” and will take place on Thursday 25 September at the Rockefeller Foundation’s offices in New York City. Details can be found here: http://us8.campaign-archive2.com/?u=13b1929f69c721ee55b181c3e&id=17069b9ee6 Delia Lloyd Senior Policy Manager + 44 (0)20 8008 0378 delia.lloyd@bbc.co.uk Correspondence address: MC3A Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London, W12 7TQ Statutory information and further information relating to BBC Media Action is available on: www.bbcmediaaction.org Subject: COP20 Climate Knowledge for Action Website Dear Climate-L Colleagues, We are glad to share with you the COP20’s Climate Knowledge for Action official website, an interactive tool to promote the systematized dissemination of existing knowledge on Climate Change. Visit http://www.cop20.pe/en/ck/ You can also visit our website http://www.cop20.pe/en/ and follow us on Facebook (COP20 Lima)and twitter (@LimaCop20). Regards, Luciana Subject: Webinar Series: Understanding Land Use in the UNFCCC Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate in a series of webinars on land use under the UNFCCC. The series of four webinars are based on the guide Understanding Land Use in the UNFCCC. The objective of the guide is to provide clear and concise explanations on how land use is reported and accounted for under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol in order to help negotiators, inventory compilers, project developers, reviewers and policy makers working in the field. The first webinar will provide a high-level overview of the guide, and the remaining sessions will dig deeper into the different topics. An overview of the topics, dates and times of each webinar is below. Hosts of the webinar series are two of the guide’s authors, Marcelo T. Rocha and Peter Iversen. Marcelo T. Rocha is an agronomist with a PhD in applied economics. Since 2001, he has participated in the UNFCCC Kyoto Protocol negotiation process, as a technical adviser for the Brazilian government and as co-chair of various negotiations groups, including the LULUCF group. Peter Iversen has a M.Sc. in Forestry from Copenhagen University. He currently works for the Danish Energy Agency and has represented Denmark in various international forest policy negotiations, including UNFF, ENA-FLEG and the UNFCCC. He has co-chaired negotiation on the inclusion of LULUCF under the Kyoto Protocol and has also been involved in SBSTA agriculture meetings. Follow this link to register: http://tinyurl.com/l9qxr52 All of the following webinars are scheduled at 9:00 EST | 14:00 GMT | 15:00 CET. – 2 October – Overview of land use in the UNFCCC (2 hrs.) – 8 October – Focus session: Land use reporting and accounting (including CDM and JI); social and environmental safeguards (2 hrs.) – 16 October – Focus session: Baselines and reference levels (1.5 hrs.) – 30 October – Focus session: Natural disturbances and Harvested Wood Products (1.5 hrs.) If you are unable to participate, a recording of each webinar will be available at the following website, along with a discussion forum for questions and answers: http://ghginstitute.org/understanding-land-use-in-the-unfccc/ This website also includes links to download copies of the guide and its summary for policy makers in English, Spanish and French. There is no registration fee to attend or view any of the webinars at a later date. Regards, Robert O’Sullivan Senior Director, Finance and Carbon Markets Forest Carbon, Markets and Communities (FCMC) Program http://fcmcglobal.org/ Subject: Energy Research and the Contributions of the Social Sciences Dear Colleagues, I would to draw your attention to a recent article in the journal on Energy Research & Social Science, “Energy research and the contributions of the social sciences: A contemporary examination.” The article reports on changes in climate science, energy studies, social science, public administration, and policymaking over the past twenty-five years. In 2014, we find that social scientists are still disadvantaged by policy-maker biases and inaccessible deliberative systems, but also better poised to conduct original humanistic energy research and produce targeted social change interventions. We review promising social scientific advancements, particularly in the realm of citizen action research. We conclude with the case study of evidence-based practice, a model from the health field that illustrates how climate change and energy research, practice, and policymaking could benefit from the inclusion of social science perspectives and methods. All the best, Joanna Dafoe Subject: Climate Week NYC 2014 begins Monday! Hey everyone, Just a note to remind everyone of Climate Week NYC next week, September 22-28. ClimateWeekNYC.org has everything you need to know. On the Opening Day itself (September 22, from 10am EST) we will have a number of announcements, so be sure to keep an eye on @ClimateGroup &#CWNYC, as well as watch our live stream which will be easily found from our homepage. But before then, we have one more Twitter Q&A tomorrow Wednesday Sep 17 – although there will hopefully be another one on the Thursday of CWNYC – that I’d like to invite you to join in and ask questions, if you can. It is at 4-5pm London time/11am-12pm New York time. It is about the “We Mean Business”, a first of its kind climate-business-org coalition, which we’ll be running on hashtag #WeMeanIt, and which I’ve posted about on our website. We and @WMBtweets will host the session with 3 leaders of the coalition Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Director, Prince of Wales’s Corporate Leaders Group, Aron Cramer, President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility, and Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group. In the meantime, please follow our activities on Twitter and feel free to share our #CWNYC graphics on social media, which we’ve stored on Flickr. Many thanks Clare Saxon Global Digital Editor T: +44 (0)20 7960 2996 csaxon@theclimategroup.org | skypeID: csaxonTCG CLIMATE-L Digest for Tuesday, September 16, 2014. 1. Weather report for Christmas 2050: Belgium 2. Climate Change Daily Feed – 16 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 3. Global Commission: Achieve economic growth and action on climate change together now 4. International Contest “Best Climate Practices for Energy Poverty Alleviation” – ONE MONTH LEFT – Deadline: 15 October 2014 5. Continuing the Conversation on Equity-New Paper- “Operationalising an Equity Reference Framework in the Climate Change Regime” 6. IEA-RETD releases reports on value creation and innovation policies 7. Register to Vote for CSO Observers to the CIFs 8. Rockefeller Event on Climate Change Adaptation 9. COP20 Climate Knowledge for Action Website 10. Webinar Series: Understanding Land Use in the UNFCCC 11. Energy Research and the Contributions of the Social Sciences 12. Climate Week NYC 2014 begins Monday! 13. Invitation: LIMITS Final Conference, 25th September 2014, Brussels (Belgium) Subject: Climate Change Daily Feed – 16 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice
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Subject: Weather report for Christmas 2050: Belgium www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPHru93x_Ww&feature=youtu.be www.wmo.int/media/climatechangeimpact.html Michael Williams Chief, Communications and Public Affairs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) CP 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland +41-22-730-8315 // +41-79-406-4730 (cell) Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and www.wmo.int
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Sovereign debt restructuring: UN takes a big step forward
Dear colleagues, The UN General Assembly has passed a landmark resolution that mandates the UN to create a “multilateral legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring”. Promoted by the G77 countries and triggered by the aggressive vulture funds lawsuits against Argentina, this resolution could be a game changer for the way future debt crises are managed. First and foremost, it has shifted the forum for political debate away from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) towards the UN. However, shamefully the EU’s vote was split over this crucial decision. The path towards a real debt restructuring regime It is certainly not news that the lack of a legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring – a state insolvency regime – has been a gaping hole in the international financial architecture. Prominent economists such as Joe Stiglitz, senior officials such as the IMF’s former Deputy Director Anne O. Krueger and civil society campaigners have pointed again and again to this deficit. However, governments from both debtor and creditor countries have so far been reluctant to put their political weight behind any meaningful initiative. The most relevant political commitment is probably the Monterrey Consensus’ vague commitment to “consider” new debt workout mechanisms. The most relevant practical work, on the other hand, was the IMF’s concept for a Sovereign Debt Restructuring Mechanism, which was shelved 11 years ago when it faced a political deadlock in the US and EU-dominated IMF Executive Board. Never miss a good crisis Remarkably, even the global financial crisis has not led to any meaningful political initiative by governments since 2008. It was civil society campaigns that kept the flame burning until the issue was picked up last year by the staff of international organisations, when the IMF issued a staff paper and the UN set up expert groups on new debt workout mechanisms at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Then came the rather surreal vulture fund lawsuit of NML Capital vs Argentina at a provincial court in the US state of New York, and Judge Thomas Griesa’s ruling to pay out the vultures in full. He interpreted the pari passu (equal treatment) clause in an extraordinary way and – probably as an unintended side-effect – kicked the whole contemporary sovereign debt restructuring non-regime into the dustbin. Basically all the experts agree that debt restructurings as we knew them, which used to depend on the voluntary participation of creditors, simply don’t work anymore if holdout creditors can achieve full payment through litigation. Restructuring decisions must be binding for all creditors and must be enforceable, hence the need for a multilateral legal framework. Debtor countries drive the issue forward Argentina’s bold move of proposing a UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution – and successful mobilisation of the whole G77 as well as China to back this Resolution – represents a long overdue political breakthrough. Finally, a critical mass of governments is willing to act. Most remarkably, while governance reform processes in the area of sovereign debt restructuring used to be dominated by creditor nations, or creditor-dominated institutions such as the IMF, debtor nations have now finally taken the driving seat. The Resolution was voted on yesterday, on 9 September 2014, and was passed with a large majority: 124 UN Member States voted in favour, 41 abstained, and only 11 voted against. UN takes centre stage When looking at the debate that took place around the vote, it becomes clear that any conflict was not so much about whether there should be a legal framework or not. Only the USA, one of the few ‘no’ voters, stated that this was counter-productive. For the other countries that spoke out, the question was more whether the UNGA should be mandated to take it on, or if this should be left to the IMF. Developing countries made it clear that the UNGA, as the most inclusive forum, is the right place for political debate and decision-making to take place. Debt restructuring is simply too important to be left to the IMF, in whose board developing countries do not have a significant stake, and which, as a major creditor, would face an impossible conflict of interest. All BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) voted in favour of the Resolution, another expression of their dissatisfaction with the stalled governance reform at the IMF. Of the five countries that have the largest share of voting rights and their own Executive Director at the IMF, four voted no (USA, Japan, Germany and the UK). The EU vote was split; the majority of European nations abstained. The EU speaker, Italy, stated the key reason for abstaining was that the G77 initiative was simply too rushed. European governments’ voting behaviour is shameful, as this continent is currently the most vulnerable to debt crises. As things stand, Europe is in most urgent need of a better state insolvency regime. However, at the next stages of this process, EU leaders will have the opportunity to engage constructively and to listen to their citizens. Ahead of the vote, a large coalition of European civil society organisations, including Eurodad, called on European governments to vote in favour of the Resolution. This might have helped to shift some European votes from ‘no’ to abstention. The next steps In any case, the G77’s support was sufficient to help the Resolution pass. However, this represents just the beginning, not the end, of a process leading to a multilateral framework for sovereign debt restructurings. The next step will be that the UNGA decides on the modalities of the intergovernmental negotiations. The character this new multilateral framework will take will be subject to political power plays in the future. For us as civil society organisations campaigning for just solutions to debt crises, it is key that a legal framework does not only make binding and enforceable decisions, but that it also reduces the human suffering that debt crises cause, and also addresses the question of illegitimate debts. We therefore share the view of the UN Special Rapporteur on Debt and Human Rights that “international human rights law should be considered as applicable law in the context of debt restructurings”. On 25 September 2014, the UN Human Rights Council will vote on a complementary resolution that places debt restructurings firmly in the context of human rights. We hope that Europe will take a more constructive position when it gets its second chance later this month. Bodo Ellmers Policy and Advocacy Manager – Debt and Responsible Finance 
Eurodad, European Network on Debt and Development Tel: + 32 2 894 46 51 Skype: eurodad-bodo Email: bellmers@eurodad.org Rue d’Edimbourg, 18-26. Brussels 1050. Belgium —————————————————————————————————
Asia-Pacific Network Updates for Global Change Research
Upcoming Events [CAF2013-01SY-L+D(F)-Huq] Loss and Damage Workshop When: Tue Sep 30, 2014 Where: Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum 2014 When: Wed Oct 1, 2014 to Fri Oct 3, 2014 Where: Kuala Lumpur Malaysia [APN-Hyogo-BNU] International Expert Meeting on Air Pollution Control in Urban Asia-Pacific When: Mon Oct 27, 2014 to Wed Oct 29, 2014 Where: Beijing Normal University Zhuhai [ISDE] 5th Digital Earth Summit When: Sun Nov 9, 2014 to Tue Nov 11, 2014 Where: Nagoya, JAPAN [UPLB] 2nd International Conference of Forest Education and Research (FORED 2014) When: Wed Nov 19, 2014 to Sat Nov 22, 2014 Where: Los Baños, Laguna, the Philippines [UNFCCC/COP20] COP20 Meetings When: Mon Dec 1, 2014 to Fri Dec 12, 2014 Where: Lima, Peru [IPBES] IPBES Third Plenary, Bonn, Germany When: Mon Jan 12, 2015 to Sat Jan 17, 2015 Who: Upcoming Events VIEW ALL EVENTS New Publications from APN Projects Climate Perturbation and Coastal Zone Systems in Asia Pacific Region: Holistic Approaches and Tools for Vulnerability Assessment and Sustainable Management Strategy http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1547 Sediment Dynamics and Downstream Linkages in Tropical Streams as Affected by Projected Land-Cover/Land-Use and Climatic Change http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1541 Peri-Urban Development and Environmental Sustainability: Examples from China and India http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1556 Flood Risk Management Demonstration Project (phase 1) Under the Asian Water Cycle Initiative for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (FRM/AWCI/GEOSS) http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1552 Integrated Prediction of Dipterocarp Species Distribution in Borneo for Supporting Sustainable Use and Conservation Policy Adaptation http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items/show/1565 To keep updated on our latest publications, you may subscribe to the project output RSS feed: http://www.apn-gcr.org/resources/items?output=atom&sort_field=modified&sort_dir=d
We welcome your comments and suggestions! Please send them to info@apn-gcr.org
The “Global Change Announcement” and “Upcoming Events” sections feature global change activities not limited to those funded/organised by the APN. While we strive to ensure the information provided is accurate and up-to-date, dissmination of such information does not imply any endorsement by the APN or its donors APN Secretariat, East Building, 4F, 1-5-2 Wakinohama Kaigan Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan Tel : +81-78-230-8017 | Fax: +81-78-230-8018 ———————————————————————————————————-
Latest news from the PRI
http://www.unpri.org/publications/?dm_i=1PCE,2SCLT,AYSYFF,A4VDE,1
http://www.unpri.org/viewer/?file=wp-content/uploads/PRI-in-Person-2014_attending-organisation-04-08.pdf&dm_i=1PCE,2SCLT,AYSYFF,A4VDE,1 ——————————————————————————————————–
ISS newsletter no. 30 / September – October 2014
We are happy to be able to send you the latest ISS newsletter. In it you will find a list of events taking place at ISS over the coming two months as well as ISS news and publications. We are very open to receiving your suggestions and comments. Please also feel free to forward the newsletter to anyone you feel may be interested in finding out more about ISS. Contents
- What’s going on at ISS
- New ISS Publications
- ISS News
- Alumni meetings and prospective students walk-in sessions
Jane Pocock MA | Marketing & Communication | International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam| Kortenaerkade 12| Room 0.24 | P.O. Box 29776 | 2502 LT | The Hague | The Netherlands|www.iss.nl | T +31 70 4260434| pocock@smc.eur.nl
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JFS WEEKLY 2 – 8 Sep. 2014
Energy / Climate Change **
Tokyo Steps up Expansion of Renewable Energy Usage toward 2020 Olympics http://www.japanfs.org/en/
CLIMATE-L Digest for Monday, September 08, 2014. 1. APAN Photo Contest 2014 – The Top Ten (Your Vote on Facebook) 2. Biochar: skyscrapers for soil biota and much more 3. Slides: a special “top” category in the 2015 climate agreement 4. Weather report from 2050: Denmark 5. Climate Change Daily Feed – 8 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 6. Announcing the SDG Listserv from IISD Reporting Services and Merger of Websites on Post-2015 and Sustainable Development Subject: APAN Photo Contest 2014 – The Top Ten (Your Vote on Facebook) APAN Photo Contest 2014 – The Top Ten (Your Vote) After receiving 371 photos submitted from around 140 photographers across the Asia-Pacific region, we have shortlisted the top ten photos! Now it’s up to the APAN Photo Contest 2014 Judging Panel to decide the first, second and third prize winners based on the following criteria: a) Relevance to the contest theme and climate change adaptation b) Interpretation, creativity and the message of the photo c) The photo composition and the quality of the photo Like, share and vote on Facebook – most ‘liked’ photo wins US$250! You can also serve as a judge by visiting the “APAN Photo Contest 2014 Top Ten (Your Vote)” Facebook album and like for your favourite photo. The photo with the most ‘likes’ will be named the Popular Choice Award winner and receive US$250. APAN Photo Contest 2014 Top Ten (Your Vote) Facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.555832231210401.1073741836.156048397855455&type=1 The two-week voting period starts 08 Sep 2014, 10:00AM (GMT +07:00) Bangkok Time and ends 22 Sep 2014, 05:00PM (GMT +07:00) BangkokTime. Below are the photo titles and photographers:
- · Harvesting Rice Using a Boat – Aji Styawan (Indonesia)
- · Harmony – Reu Dawner Flores (Philippines)
- · Planting Rice– Danang Sujati (Indonesia)
- · Bakhawan Eco-Park – Danilo O. Victoriano Jr. (Philippines)
- · Ensure Life – Prashanta Kumar SAHA (Bangladesh)
- · Water scarcity – Dilip Lokre (India)
- · Sea Erosion – SL Shanth Kumar (India)
- · Human Within Ocean and Sky – Van Thanh PHAM (Vietnam)
- · Mangrove Restoration – Maulana Gogo
- · Tonle Sap Stilt House – John LANDER (United States)
The results for all prizes will be announced in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at the 4th Asia-Pacific Climate Change Adaptation Forum on 1-3 October 2014. Please share this album widely with your friends and family – and get everyone involved! Many thanks and all the best! The APAN Photo Contest 2014 team Subject: Biochar: skyscrapers for soil biota and much more We happily announce a new book on Biocharculture, based on the work of Sai Bhaskar Reddy. Biochar is charcoal that is used for other purposes than heating. It makes a contribution on many fronts: it improves the capacity of the soil to retain moisture but also nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus. It helps regulate soil temperature and contribute to climate change mitigation. It improves soil life – with pieces of biochar serving as ‘skyscrapers for millions of soil biota’. All this contributes to higher water and land productivity. Biochar can also be used for many other functions. All this is described in the easy-read that can be downloaded from http://metameta.nl/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Biocharculture-Book_20_8_2014_finalSF.pdf For free hard copies please write to: saibhaskarnakka@gmail.com MetaMeta Team Subject: Slides: a special “top” category in the 2015 climate agreement These slides (PDF copy) provide information about the idea that FIELD is exploring of a special category in the 2015 climate agreement, which would only be open to countries whose NDCs are above-adequate. (http://www.field.org.uk/papers/slides-a-special-category-in-the-2015-climate-agreement) Related article “Countries need an incentive to bid ambitious climate plans” (http://www.rtcc.org/2014/08/29/countries-need-an-incentive-to-bid-ambitious-climate-plans/) FIELD – Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development www.field.org.uk Twitter: @FIELDLegal / Facebook Third Floor / Cityside House / 40 Adler Street London E1 1EE / Tel: + 44 (0)20 7096 0277 Registered charity no. 802 934 Company Limited by Guarantee and Incorporated in England and Wales Reg. No. 2463462 Subject: Weather report from 2050: Denmark The third in our series of possible future weather scenarios in support of the UN Climate Summit:
http://www.wmo.int/media/climatechangeimpact.html Michael Williams Chief, Communications and Public Affairs World Meteorological Organization (WMO) CP 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland +41-22-730-8315 // +41-79-406-4730 (cell) Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and www.wmo.int ——————————————————————————————————–
climate-l digest: September 11, 2014
Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:00:02 -0500 CLIMATE-L Digest for Thursday, September 11, 2014. 1. Weather report for 23 September 2050 — Miami, USA 2. New paper: Moral Collapse in a Warming World 3. USAID’s Lower Mekong Climate Data Now Available Online 4. REMINDER – The ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics & Policy: Climate Policy Innovation Fund – Call for applications – Closing date 21st September 5. Climate Change Daily Feed – 11 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 6. Live online debate on UN Climate Summit, Sept. 15 15:00 London time/10:00 New York time 7. Research insights for adaptation practice 8. China climate and energy policy: new papers from Australian-Chinese collaborations Subject: Weather report for 23 September 2050 — Miami, USA
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climate-l digest: September 10,
Subject: “Weather report” for 23 September 2050: USA CLIMATE-L Digest for Wednesday, September 10, 2014. 1. “Weather report” for 23 September 2050: USA 2. Climate Change Job Vacancies Update – 10 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 3. Climate Change Daily Feed – 10 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 4. Blog Post: Is adaptation an option for small island nations? 5. weADAPT: IPCC guide, mobile phone applications, using climate information and more….. 6. The Second Environmental Protection and Sustainability Forum 7. Invitation to Carbon-CAP First Stakeholder Workshop at Cambridge University 8. Participants from 195 Countries Register to UN CC:Learn e-Course 9. Adaptation Fund and UNEP Hold Climate Finance Readiness Seminar in Bangkok 10. [JCM (Indonesia-Japan)] Call for public comments on three JCM proposed methodologies for Indonesia (September 10 to September 24, 2014)
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Help deliver Avaaz’s most important petition ever
Dear friends, September’s massive climate mobilisation is gathering steam. In just days, hundreds of new events have been organised around the world! The bigger the turn-out, the bigger our impact. It looks like you tried to find a climate event, but didn’t end up joining one. Check back again – there could now be one near you. Click now to RSVP to an event in your community or create one of your own: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/
1892 Events & Counting!
In weeks, when major world leaders meet at the UN for an urgent climate meeting, together we can send a clear message that it’s time to stop our scary slide towards climate destruction. If each of us joins in, we can make September 21 a day the world will never forget: the largest day of action on climate change in history. https://secure.avaaz.org/en/
Avaaz.org is a 38-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world’s people shape global decision-making. (“Avaaz” means “voice” or “song” in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz’s biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. ———————————————————————————————————–
[CPANYS] Digest Number 1806
Coalition of People of dis- Abilities of Group
NYAIL Action Alert – 9.9.14 -Tell Congress to Fully Fund Housing by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 2 REMINDER- September 30, 2014 Access to Independence: An Accessible T by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26
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Fw: The West Side Soccer League are looking for disabled children be by “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Messages 1 NYAIL Action Alert – 9.9.14 -Tell Congress to Fully Fund Housing Tue Sep 9, 2014 1:42 pm (PDT) . Posted by: “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 This alert comes to NYAIL from the National Low Income Housing Coalition CALL TO ACTION! Call on Congress to Fully Fund Housing Programs Now! Tell Congress Housing Programs Need Adequate Full-Year Funding Congress returns from August recess this week and will get to work on a continuing resolution (CR) to keep federal programs, including HUD’s housing programs, funded until mid-December. A CR is necessary if Congress does not pass an FY15 HUD appropriations bill before September 30. While a CR will only fund programs at their FY14 levels, a stronger FY15 appropriations bill with strong funding levels would be much better for housing programs. For example: a.. A CR would only fund HUD’s homeless assistance programs at 14% less than the $2.406 billion level requested by President Obama for FY14. a.. At FY14 levels, the housing choice voucher program would be funded at $1.2 billion less than the amount needed to bring back the 40,000 vouchers lost because of 2013’s sequestration, and not yet restored. a.. And, for the critical public housing operating and capital funds, FY14 funding levels are less than both the President requested and the Senate’s FY15 appropriation bill would provide. BACKGROUND At this point, it is unlikely that Congress will pass a full HUD appropriations bill, but will rather move forward with a CR to fund programs just beyond the November elections. Please join us in calling your Members of Congress to ask them to contact the Chair or Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee and tell them that providing adequate funding for the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs, the housing choice voucher program, the public housing operating and capital programs, the HOME program, and HUD programs are top priorities. WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT The House and Senate are back from their August recess for just a couple of weeks before another recess prior to the elections. During this time, Congress must pass some mechanism to fund programs after the start of the next fiscal year, which begins on October 1. Housing programs will be better off if Congress adequately funds them in FY15 rather than continuing FY14 funding levels. HOW YOU CAN TAKE ACTION a.. ACTION: Call your Senators and Representative this week and ask to speak to the staff person who works on housing issues. b.. Make the ask! Urge them to support sufficient funding for McKinney-Vento homeless assistance grants, tenant-based rental assistance, public housing, HOME, and other important programs. c.. Report back. Contact us to let us know what type of response you are getting when making your calls. We want to be able to track any progress that is being made. Reach us at outreach@nlihc.org. d.. Spread the word. Forward this action alert to your networks with the phone numbers of your Senate and House offices. MORE INFORMATION To find the contact information for your Senators and Representative, simply visit NLIHC’s website and enter your zip code in the “Contact Congress” box at the lower right of the screen. When calling, make sure to ask for the staff person who works on housing issues. Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^ 2 REMINDER- September 30, 2014 Access to Independence: An Accessible T Tue Sep 9, 2014 4:40 pm (PDT) . Posted by: “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 Access to Independence The New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) in collaboration with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) cordially invite you to: ACCESS TO INDEPENDENCE “Access to Independence is an Accessible Transportation Expo Designed to Educate the Public About Accessible Transportation Options Available in New York City” Victor Calise, Commissioner, MOPD ACCESS TO INDEPENDENCE September 30, 2014 10 AM – 2 PM Columbus Park, Brooklyn NY (North side of the park) Columbus Park is adjacent to Brooklyn Borough Hall Access to Independence Participants Include: • NYC Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) • MTA New York City Transit • MTA Access-A-Ride • NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission • NYC Department of Education • Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island • Interagency Council of Developmental Disabilities Agencies (IAC) Directions: By Subway: 2,3,4,5 to Borough Hall, entrance/exits are within the park. R to Court St, walk one block east towards Cadman Plaza W. A,C,F, R to Jay St-MetroTech, walk two block west towards Adams St. By Bus: The following Brooklyn bus routes are adjacent to the park 25, 26, 38, 41, 45, 52, 57, and 103. Please check with the MTA for additional bus routes. Contact Information To participate please register online at: www.nyc.gov/mopd or Call 311 Matthew Puvogel | Transportation Coordinator Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities 100 Gold Street, 2nd Floor | New York, NY 10038 O: 212.788.8948 | F: 212.312.0960 Reply to sender . Reply to group . Reply via Web Post . All Messages (1) . Top ^
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The West Side Soccer League are looking for disabled children be Tue Sep 9, 2014 4:52 pm (PDT) . Posted by: “Luda Demikhovskaya” lyudmila26 West Side Soccer League’s program for special needs players, now in its 16th year, still has openings for players ages 5 to 7 years old. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh5MHoAwj4w The West Side Soccer League plays in Central Park on Sundays, starting Sept 14th, from 12:15-1:15pm. Normal cost is $140 per player, but scholarships are available which bring the cost down to $20 per player. To register, go to www.wssl.org, and register for the “Special program for athletes with disabilities” or email Jim Karpe at karpe.jim@gmail.com if you have any questions. Thanks! Special Needs Soccer VIP Soccer is a parent-run, all-volunteer league which provides special needs families with a safe, fun team sports experience. This adaptive sports program at West Side Soccer League (WSSL) now has over 100 players, including families from all five boros. Affordability is important, since special needs families are faced with a lot of extra costs. Standard fee is $140 for the 9 week season, and the no-questions-asked scholarship reduces that to $20. Fun is the most important aspect of our program. Children will play sports by choice, and they choose to stop when the fun drains away. VIP soccer keeps it fun through a mixture of engaging skill-building games, and the right level of challenge. The “adapt” part of “adaptive soccer” means that we change the game, to provide the player and their family with the right mixture of support and challenge. We are guided by the belief that the most fun and memorable experiences are the result of facing a challenge and overcoming it. Red Bulls trainers have been an integral part of VIP soccer for the past three years. They are out on the field with our players and coaches several times each season, running the skill-building portion of the program and even helping to referee the games for the younger players. These professional trainers lead our players and at the same time give our parent-coaches guidance. “Our parents come to the league with enthusiasm, but almost no soccer knowledge,” says VIP head coach Jim Karpe. “The young men and women from Red Bulls have filled that gap in our line-up—plus they bring their own enthusiasm to the field.” VIP Soccer is a truly community-based program. Most of our coaches are player-parents, and many siblings get involved as well, as on-field buddies—essentially one-on-one assistant coaches. And our community includes the mainstream West Side Soccer League parents and players. Entire teams of mainstream players, ages 10 and up, come out to on a weekly basis to train with VIP teams and then play a (half-speed) game against them. The delightful surprise has been what a positive experience this has been for the mainstream players and their families. “Special needs parents are grateful for the program,” says Jim Karpe, “but the real over-the-top ‘thank you’s come from the mainstream families. They see their self-involved teen-ager suddenly blossom into an empathic, caring human. It’s all about creating the right conditions.” Frequently Asked Questions Q. Isn’t soccer too fast-paced for someone with developmental disabilities? A. No. Soccer is a wonderful sport for our population of special children. Put a ball at a child’s feet. As soon as they kick it, they have started playing soccer. It grows up from there, to moving the ball intentionally, becoming aware of opponents, team-mates, passing. Some of our players will advance to ball mastery and reading the field. For others, victory will mean simply getting ball down the field toward the goal. Q. Aren’t there complicated rules about when a ball is in and out of play? A. We adjust the rules to fit the abilities of our players, all of whom have IEPs. Q. Where and when? A. We play on Sunday mornings in Central Park’s North Meadow, from September until mid-November. As the league continues to grow, we anticipate expanding to Sunday afternoons and to Saturday in 2015. Q. How do I register? A. On-line at www.wssl.org Be sure to click on the radio button about the “special soccer experience for players with…disabilities” And, if you cannot afford the $140 fee, click on the scholarship request and the fee drops to $20. Q. Isn’t it too late to register? A. Anytime after mid-June, you will get a scary “Waitlist” warning message, because the mainstream program has been filled up. However, VIP still has openings as of mid-August. Q. What about players with mobility issues, or who are in wheel chairs? A. Most of our players fall into the “stand-up disability” category. We have had successful participation from players who need assistive devices, from walkers to wheel-chairs. However, moving a wheel chair around on our natural grass fields in Central Park is not easy, so we are now partnering with the NYC Parks Department to create and run a wheel-chair soccer league which will play on more suitable surfaces. At least to start with, this will be indoor only. June 20th Deadline: SOCCER REGISTRATION FOR FALL Co-ed Special Needs Sports Leagues in NYC Children from all five boros welcome, age 5 & up. No one turned away. Registration deadlines are flexible, but early on-line registration is recommended. Due to growth of leagues, late registrants might be wait-listed. We are a loosely affiliated group of parents and volunteers, united by our shared commitment to bring excellent team sports programs to the special needs community. With the support of local and national volunteer sports organizations, we have created a place where special needs children in NYC take part in team sports—just like mainstream programs, with teams, uniforms, trophies, etc. Our aim in each sport is to provide each child with the appropriate level of support and challenge. The players get exercise, develop physical, social and cognitive skills. Most important of all, they have fun. These are not respite programs, but rather community-based, parent-supported sports teams staffed solely by volunteers—most of whom are parents of players. When you register your son or daughter, we hope you will actively join our community of volunteers. Registration costs vary from league to league, but none are more than $175 for the season. Scholarships available for the asking in each sport. Everyone Plays, whether or not they can pay. AYSO Soccer Fall 2014 VIP Division of WSSL. West Side Soccer League (AYSO). 2013 enrollment: 82 players. On-line registration May-June. Play Sunday from September thru November in Central Park North Meadow, just above 97th Traverse. 2013 schedule: 75 minute session for under eight, ninety minute session for older, from 9:30 am to 1pm, with youngest group first. www.wssl.org Jim Karpe (516) 655 2713 karpe.jim@gmail.com or Oscar Mack (917) 362-1828 oscarmack@aol.com Safe Haven Hoops Basketball Winter 2014-15 Champions Division of Safe Haven Hoops. 2013-14 enrollment: 150 players. On-line registration Oct – Nov. Play Saturdays from Dec thru March, at PS 163 on W. 97th St. betw Amsterdam & Columbus . 2014 schedule: Five ninety minute sessions from 9 AM to 4 PM, and then two one-hour sessions for youngest from 4 – 6 PM. www.safehavenhoops.org Ken McGrory 917-592-9665 Kenneth.mcgrory@rabobank.com Rhonda Havre 718-671-8442 donrondon@verizon.net Little League Baseball Spring 2014 Challenger Division of WSLL. West Side Little League. 2014 enrollment: 96 players. On-line registration closes Jan 31! Play Sunday afternoons from April thru June in Riverside Park at 77th Street. 2013 schedule: 75 minute session for under ten, up to two hour session for older, from 1:30 PM to 5 PM, with youngest group first. www.westsidebaseball.org Jim Karpe (516) 655 2713 karpe.jim@gmail.com All are welcome, no one turned away. Late registration possible, but late registrants might be wait-listed. Contact: Ken, Rhonda, Jim or Oscar. Christopher Noel Accessibility Coordinator T 718.760.6831 (Queens Office) T 212.360.3319 (Manhattan Office) C 646.632.7344 (Mobile Phone) E christopher.noel@parks.nyc.gov NYC Parks Arsenal North 1234 Fifth Avenue, Room 201-203 New York, NY 10029 nyc.gov/parks ——————————————————————————————————–
URGENT APPEAL: Militarization of Indigenous Communities in Ukhrul, Manipur, India
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New article on the ReliefWeb blog:
API update: Two new features to make humanitarian tools more useful Read the article on ReliefWeb: http://reliefweb.int/blogpost/api-update-two-new-features-make-humanitarian-tools-more-useful
Earlier this year we officially launched the ReliefWeb API (v.1.0). The API allows web developers and tech-savvy humanitarians access to over 17 years’ worth of carefully selected and curated humanitarian content stored in the ReliefWeb database. For all our non-technical humanitarian users, API is short for “application programming interface”, and it enables websites, software, and apps to talk directly with the ReliefWeb database, allowing them to retrieve, republish or reuse the content offered by ReliefWeb. We’ve received some great feedback from many tech-savvy humanitarians who are planning and developing new information tools. In future, we hope to showcase the exciting projects being developed using the ReliefWeb API. We are continually striving to improve our API in order to make it easier to develop online tools useful to humanitarians. So today we are announcing ReliefWeb API version1.1 with some small but significant updates that incorporate two new useful features.
- 1. “Facets” for data analysis
One of the reasons why we built the API is to make 17 years’ of humanitarian content available for analysis. Now, with facets,developers will be able to create new search interfaces that make it easier to retrieve content statistics and build applications like our Content Trends. Even better, you can dig further into ReliefWeb by combining rich metadata and leveraging full-text search, allowing you to really “crunch the numbers”.
- 1. Disaster alerts through “status”
We recently introduced a new feature on ReliefWeb – Disaster Alerts. Alerts are now also available via the API. You can now filter Disasters for the field “status” and value “alert”, like this: http://api.rwlabs.org:80/v1/disasters?limit=10&filter[field]=status&filt… The values you can filter for are “current”, “alert” and “past”. They are defined as follows:
- “Current”: A disaster with significant humanitarian impact and and ongoing response and/or recovery and reconstruction operations. By filtering for “current” disasters, you can retrieve disasters that are actively being covered by ReliefWeb and receiving frequent updates.
- “Alert”: A developing disaster situation that has the potential for significant humanitarian impact. By filtering for “alert”, you can retrieve hazard events that may cause damage in near future, such as approaching tropical storms.
- “Past”: A disaster with significant humanitarian impact for which there haven’t been any substantive updates in over four weeks or for which there is evidence that the main response activities have been completed.
In addition to these, v1.1 adds POST support for complex queries. Be sure to check out the release notes on the API Developers group, and sign up to receive future updates. For complete documentation on what fields and values you can use in the API, please see the API Field Definitions and Taxonomy Descriptions. If you have any feedback or questions about the new API features, we would love to hear from you. Simply email us at feedback@reliefweb.int or leave a comment below. For questions about this list, please contact: feedback@reliefweb.int ——————————————————————————————————– CLIMATE-L Digest for Saturday, September 06, 2014. 1. Climate Institute Announces GHG Emissions Offset Program to Support Small Island States 2. UN CC:Learn News: New UN CC:Learn Resource Guides Promote Advanced Learning on Climate Change & Health and on Climate Change Education 3. Carbon emissions from video game distribution – online isn’t always better Subject: Climate Institute Announces GHG Emissions Offset Program to Support Small Island States September 4, 2014 Dear Colleagues: On the occasion of the 3rd historic International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Apia, Samoa, the Climate Institute announces a greenhouse gas emissions offset program to support the transition to sustainable energy sources in small island economies. The program will offer individuals; businesses and organizations the opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint resulting from their activities, operations, and events by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Small Island Developing States. SIDS spent about US$ 140 billion on fossil fuel imports in 2012 alone – a figure 700% higher than in the year 2000. According to a study by the Climate Institute in collaboration with SIDS DOCK, a 1% increases in renewable energy investments in SIDS were associated with 0.05% increases in GDP across 16 SIDS between 2000 and 2013. The study underscores the benefits of renewable energy investments to macroeconomic performance in SIDS and will be released later this month during the Climate Summit in New York. Climate Institute over the last 15 years has assisted and supported a number of Small Island Stats in developing and implementing sustainable energy plans. The Institute promotes the leadership of Small Island States and encourages them to become models of sustainability for the rest of the world. The Institute is also promoting the idea of 100% renewable energy and carbon neutral islands and communities across the world. The carbon offsets program is part of the VISION 20/30 initiative of the Climate Institute that was launched at the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012, in support of the UN Secretary General’s Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative. Sustainable Energy for Island Economies has been identified as one of the High Impact Opportunities of the SE4ALL initiative. To learn more about the Institute’s offset program, contact nkhattak@climate.org or chris.walker@climate.org. More information on the Institute’s Small Islands initiative is available at www.gseii.org Subject: UN CC:Learn News: New UN CC:Learn Resource Guides Promote Advanced Learning on Climate Change & Health and on Climate Change Education Dear Climate-L Readers, Please see below the latest news from UN CC:Learn. New UN CC:Learn Resource Guides Promote Advanced Learning on Climate Change & Health and on Climate Change Education The UN CC:Learn Secretariat has launched two new Resouce Guides providing a tour of the best and most relevant resources, mostly drawn from within the UN System, on climate change & health and on climate change education. The Resource Guide for Advanced Learning on Understanding the Climate Change and Health Interface, which was developed with technical advice of the World Health organization (WHO), has been developed for those interested in gaining a more advanced understanding of the linkages between climate change and health. The Resource Guide for Advanced Learning on Integrating Climate Change in Education at Primary and Secondary Level, which was developed with technical advice of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provides resources relevant for learning about both formal and informal education on climate change at primary and secondary level. The guides are part of a series facilitating access to state-of-the-art materials relevant for climate change learning. Other two Resource Guides have been issued on the Fundamentals of Climate Change Science and on Predicting and Projecting Climate Change. Read the full news article here: http://uncclearn.org/news/resource_guides_health_education About UN CC:Learn UN CC:Learn is a partnership of 33 multilateral organizations which supports Member States in designing and implementing results-oriented and sustainable learning to address climate change. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is provided by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). One of the objectives of UN CC:Learn is to facilitate access to existing climate change learning materials and to support the development of complementary learning resources, as appropriate. Funding for UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government. For further information please contact:uncclearn@unitar.org. Subject: Carbon emissions from video game distribution – online isn’t always better Dear Climate-list members, For those interested in the impact of the Internet on GHG emissions Reid Lifset Console Games and Climate Change – Researchers Reveal Carbon Emissions of PlayStation®3 Game Distribution It’s not always true that digital distribution of media will have lower carbon emissions than distribution by physical means, at least when file sizes are large. That’s the conclusion of a study published in Yale’s Journal of Industrial Ecology that looked at the carbon footprint of games for consoles such as PlayStation®3. Researchers found that Blu-ray Discs delivered via retail stores caused lower greenhouse gas emissions than game files downloaded over broadband Internet. For their analysis, the investigators estimated total carbon equivalent emissions for an 8.8-gigabyte game because data for 2010 indicated that to be the average game size. The bulk of emissions resulted from game play, followed by production and distribution. The Internet will become more efficient with time, but game files sizes are likely to continue to increase, making predictions about the relationship between online services and climate change a matter for further research. The article is freely downloadable at: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/jiec.12181 Reid Lifset Resident Fellow in Industrial Ecology Editor-in-chief, Journal of Industrial Ecology School of Forestry & Environmental Studies Yale University 195 Prospect St / New Haven, CT 06511 / reid.lifset@yale.edu / +1-203-432-6949 (tel) ———————————————————————————————————
Updates – Japan For Sustainability
Civil Society Community-Led Energy Association Launched to Promote Renewable Energy http://www.japanfs.org/en/
The importance of back to school
Dear Friend, For many of us, the school year is in full swing—school buses once again rumble through our neighborhoods, and our children head off each morning with backpacks stuffed. But as a supporter of GFC, you know that for many of the world’s children, school is only a dream. Together, we have the power to change this. Please donate now and make education a reality for children who would otherwise remain in poverty and a face a future of hardship. When you donate to GFC, you support mobile libraries and curbside classrooms that reach children in some of the most underserved communities around the globe. You help make sure girls, indigenous children, and children with disabilities are given equal footing in the classroom and beyond. You give children in conflict zones the opportunity to learn in a safe and caring environment—even in the midst of war. To honor children everywhere—the schoolchildren in your community, and those who are still struggling to make their dream of going to school a reality—please donate today. We couldn’t do this important work without you. Together, we can help bring education to all children, regardless of their circumstances. Thank you! My Best, Susan Goodell | Chief Executive Officer The Global Fund for Children | 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 420 | Washington, DC 20005 |USA www.globalfundforchildren.org| …advancing the dignity of children and youth worldwide ——————————————————————————————————— AIPP Weekly Updates on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues in Asia ( 15 August – 25 August 2014)
http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=dc4caa0ad8267e9e91f18c213&id=2e418abf33&e=ec908e3d54
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Science Matters – Leaders must put people before politics
By David Suzuki. Read Online
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climate-l digest: September 09, 2014
CLIMATE-L Digest for Tuesday, September 09, 2014. 1. The 2014 September 1st updates of the UNEP DTU CDM, PoA, JI, NAMA Pipelines are now available 2. Upcoming WWF Learning Session on “REDD+ as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development” 15 September 3. New Book: Constitutions and the Commons 4. APPLY NOW: Facilitate discussion or pitch idea at Peru’s Global Landscapes Forum Youth Session 5. Webinars on science base for Climate-Smart Agriculture 6. @IISDRS Summary & Analysis from the SIDS Conference #islands2014 7. PAGE e-learning course on Green Economy: promoting inclusive, low-carbon development 8. Climate Week Event: Corporations Leading Climate Resilience around the World 9. World Congress on Sustainable Technologies (WCST-2014): Call for Submissions! 10. WMO Publishes Greenhouse Gas Bulletin 11. Climate Change Daily Feed – 9 September 2014 – Climate Change Policy & Practice 12. New special issue on ‘Climate change adaptation and development’ – Free to read online 13. =?Windows-1252?Q?Learn_from_Megadisasters_=96_Book_launch_session_at_the_?= =?Windows-1252?Q?World_Reconstruction_Conference_2;_Washington,_DC;_Frida?= =?Windows-1252?Q?y,_September_12,_11_am_-_12:30_ 14. Are Americans ready for climate change? Discuss in our live chat! Subject: The 2014 September 1st updates of the UNEP DTU CDM, PoA, JI, NAMA Pipelines are now available Dear Climate-L reader 1. September 2014 UNEP Risoe has changed name to UNEP DTU. This is because we have left the peninsular Risoe and moved into the UN-City in Copenhagen, and because we are still part of the Danish Technical University DTU. The CDM/JI Pipeline Analysis and Database of the CDM & JI projects has been updated at www.cdmpipeline.org and the NAMAPipeline on www.namapipeline.org CDM news: In August 8 new CDM projects were submitted. Four of these projects were hosted by India, 2 from Brazil, 1 from Bangladesh, and 1 from Lao PDR. In addition 2 projects from India and 1 from Zambia were resubmitted. 17 CDM projects got their registration action in August, bringing the total number of registered CDM project up to 7554, or 87% of the 8690 of the CDM projects that are alive. Only 1126 projects are still at validation and 10 have requested registration. For 1859 CDM projects the DOEs terminated validation, and for 267 the DOEs gave a negative validation. 270 projects were rejected by the EB, and 63 projects were withdrawn. August had a monthly issuance of 7.8 MCERs. The total issuance is now 1480 MCERs. The average issuance success is 89.5%. According to the “Annual compilation and accounting report for Annex B Parties under the Kyoto Protocol for 2013” FCCC/KP/CMP/2013/6 the total Voluntary Cancellation until the end of 2012 was 4.9 MCERS, and it could easily be the double now. Since the Voluntary Cancelations in the central registry is now 1.1 MCERs, the Voluntary cancelation in the national registries must be around 10 MCERs. However, it is secret how much was canceled for which projects in the national registries. We have added a new table 7 at the bottom of the “Analysis2” sheet shoving the number of CDM projects using the SD-tool in each host country for each CDM type. The SD-Tool has now been used for 13 CDM projects (4 of these are PoAs). In the PDD templates the section B8 showing, which the PDD consultants were, was deleted in March 2012. The UNFCCC has now (after EB80) reinserted this information in all the new PDD formats (for some in the monitoring section). Since some CDM projects have submitted request for renewal into the 3rd crediting period, we have added a new column in the “CDM_project” sheet with the name “3rd period ktCO2e/yr” showing the average expected GHG reduction in this 7 year period. We have added a new sheet called “TOC_Analysis” containing a Table Of Content for all the many tables and charts in the Analysis sheet. Click on the title of the table or chart you want to see and the macro will bring you there. We have added a new column in the “Analysis” sheet called “Host country use”. In this column you can now see the 128 Chinese CDM projects that have applied to be registered in the domestic pilot compliance market (they are marked with the text “CCER val.”. In total 270 projects have been submitted to the Chinese domestic pilot compliance market until now. 16 of these projects are registered (recorded) in the Chinese system and 14 have got CCERs issued. We have added 4 new columns in the the far right-hand side of the “CDM_Project” sheet showing the issuance of CCERs and the credit period for these projects. PoA news: Two new PoAs were submitted in August: “Accelerating Electrification through Grid Extension and Off-Grid Electrification in Rural Areas of Uganda” and “Programme of Activities for Fossil Natural Gas Substitution by Renewable Natural Gas Produced from Anaerobic Digestion of Organic Waste in Brazil” Subtracting the 42 PoAs that the DOEs terminated validation of, the 3 PoAs rejected by the EB, the 3 PoAs withdrawn, and the 22 resubmitted PoAs we now have 390 PoAs in the Pipeline: 123 at validation, 5 have requested registration, and 262 are registered. 6 new CPAs were submitted in August for 4 PoAs: “Tanzania Renewable Energy Programme” got 1 new CPA, “Promotion of renewable energy generation in India- Programme of Activities” got 2 new CPA. “PoA on RE” in India got 2 new CPAs, and “Nepal Biogas Support Program-PoA” got 1 CPA. We have added a new column in table 2 and 5 in the “PoAanalysis” sheet. It shows how many CPAs have been submitted by each host country, and how many CPAs have used each sub-type. In total 1806 CPAs exist hosted by 64 countries. We have added 2 small tables in the “PoAanalysis” sheet showing the top 10 most active host countries by the number of submitted PoAs, or CPAs. we also added 2 tables showing the most popular sub-types by number of submitted PoAs, or CPAs. One PoAs had issuance of CERs in August. “Small-Scale Renewable Energy PoA in Thailand” got 12.783 kCERs for the first of its CPAs. The total issuance from the 8 PoAs with issuance is now 0.8 MCERs. JI news: No new JI projects were submitted in August. Excluding the 26 withdrawn projects and 1 rejected project the JIPipeline contains 761 projects (555 in track 1 and 206 in track 2). No JI projects had issuance in August. The total sale of hot air is estimated to be 453 Million AAUs NAMApipeline news: see www.namapipeline.org The UNFCCC NAMA Registry can be accessed by the public at the webpage: www4.unfccc.int/sites/nama Two new NAMAs were submitted in August: “Energy Efficiency in Public Sector” from Dominican Republic, and We welcome Sudan in the NAMAPipeline with their NAMAs: “Development of a feed-in tariff NAMA for renewable energy”. This information is used as input to our NAMAPipeline, which now contains 53 NAMAs (including 1 NAMA that was withdrawn) and 10 support programmes. We had added a new column in table 1 in the “Analysis” sheet showing the annual GHG reduction in 2020 in reported in the NAMAs. The total GHG reduction reported from all the NAMA are now 59 MtCO2e. Another column in the same table shows that the total request for financial assistance is 5042 MUS$. PledgePipeline news: The UNEP Emission Gap Report 2013 was published, see http://www.unep.org/emissionsgapreport2013/ The UNEP Emission Gap Report 2014 will be published mid-November 2014. UNEP Risoe is one of the teams that delivered emission data to this report. We regularly update our PledgePipeline on the web-site: www.unep.org/climatechange/pledgepipeline. Joergen Fenhann, Rasmus Saldern Antonsen and Thor Nyborg Bendsen UNEP DTU (formerly known as UNEP Risoe) Danish Technical University UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark Phone: (+45) 40 20 27 89 jqfe@dtu.dk Subject: Upcoming WWF Learning Session on “REDD+ as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development” 15 September Dear All, Please join us for the next WWF Forest and Climate Programme online REDD+ Learning Session on Monday, September 15 at 10am EDT/4pm CEST. Topic: REDD+ as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development When: Monday, September 15 at 10am EDT/4pm CEST What: In this learning session, Dr. Mairon Bastos Lima will present on the important role of forests and land-use in tackling climate change in light of the upcoming UN Climate Summit in NYC later this month. He will also discuss the meaning and scope of non-carbon benefits and why they matter for the future success of REDD+ and forest conservation. The session will end with an update on the status of the international negotiations on non-carbon benefits, what countries can do to promote them, and the challenges and opportunities therein. Mairon is a postdoctoral researcher at Wageningen University focusing on REDD+ policy in a one-and-a-half year collaboration with the WWF Forest and Climate Programme. A Q+A session will follow the presentation. Register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/55376164519585025 This is a free, open event. Please help us spread the word by sharing this announcement with any contacts who may be interested. Thanks, Breen Byrnes | Acting Manager, Communications + Learning | WWF Forest & Climate Programme Washington, DC direct: +1-202-495-4518 | | skype: breen.byrnes breen.byrnes@wwfus.org | panda.org/forestclimate | twitter.com/wwfforestcarbon | wwfforestandclimate.tumblr.com Join the REDD+ Community and connect with REDD+ practitioners from around the globe! *This webinar is organized as a resource for REDD+ practitioners around the globe and may include a wide range of varying perspectives — not necessarily the views or positions of WWF. Subject: APPLY NOW: Facilitate discussion or pitch idea at Peru’s Global Landscapes Forum Youth Session Are you:
- Involved in forestry, agriculture, fisheries, mountains or land use and passionate about the role youth play?
- 18-30 years old?
- Good at fostering lively group discussions or presenting ideas in an interesting and succinct way?
- Passionate about finding creative solutions to big challenges?
Apply NOW to lead action-oriented roundtable discussions or pitch innovative ideas to an expert panel at the 2014 Global Landscapes Forum in Peru: http://bit.ly/1t6dPNL Natalia Cisneros Vice-President 2014-2015 International Forestry Students’ Association Head of Council 2013-2014 vicepresident@ifsa.net | www.ifsa.net Subject: Webinars on science base for Climate-Smart Agriculture Dear Colleagues, As part of the CCAFS private sector webinar series, we are organizing two webinars on the science base for Climate-Smart Agriculture, this September. 1. La ciencia detrás de la Agricultura Sostenible Adaptada al Clima (12 de septiembre de 2014 – 11:30 a.m., Colombia UTC-5) For more information, please visit bit.ly/lampvtsectwebinar 2. Exploring GHG mitigation potential in rice production (18 September 2014 – 12:30 p.m., UK UTC+1) For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/t3pvtsectwebinar Registration is free for both webinars, but places are limited. So please register as soon as possible. Best Regards, Dhanush Dinesh Global Policy Engagement Manager CGIAR Research Program Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) ——————————————————————————————————-
If you find the Japan for Sustainability Newsletter useful or interesting, please forward it to friends and suggest that they start their own free subscriptions at http://www.japanfs.org/en/
Japan for Sustainability Newsletter #144 August 29, 2014 Copyright (c) 2014, Japan for Sustainability Japan for Sustainability (JFS) is a non-profit communication platform to disseminate environmental information from Japan to the world, with the aim of helping both move onto a sustainable path. See what’s new on our web site: http://www.japanfs.org/en/ E-mail: info@japanfs.org In the August 2014 issue of the JFS Newsletter: – Update on Japan’s Efforts to Build National Resilience to Disasters – From Energy-Saving Architecture to Energy Self-Sufficient Architecture: History of Energy-Saving Architecture in Japan – Kochi’s Challenge — A Prefecture Tackling Depopulation (Part 1) Update on Japan’s Efforts to Build National Resilience to Disasters http://www.cas.go.jp/jp/
To address the challenge of reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of architectural structures, various efforts are being made both in Japan and elsewhere. We will introduce efforts being made in Japan, using excerpts from a book written by Hideharu Niwa, the title of which translates as “Energy Self-Sufficient Architecture Supporting Sustainable Low-Carbon Cities (published by Kousakusha in 2013).”
Energy-Saving Techniques of Traditional Japanese Housing Traditional Japanese houses that use little fossil energy were basically passive houses, meaning they accommodated natural conditions. By existing with nature and using natural energy, these houses created and maintained comfortable indoor spaces without using fossil energy, and can provide us with valuable ideas for modern house planning. 1. Accepting changes in indoor conditions Changes in indoor temperature, etc., were considered normal in traditional houses. . People even enjoyed those changes. If we tolerate such changes, we can enhance our ability to rely on natural energy even in modern housing. 2. Drastically reduced environmental load Traditional houses had almost no internal load. Thus, by interrupting solar radiation and curbing the penetration of solar heat from the outside, people could keep out summer heat using only ventilation. Even in modern architecture it is important to cut the cooling load at the source. 3. Natural energy controlling indoor conditions It was once quite normal to create pleasant indoor conditions with natural ventilation and lighting, not depending on fossil energy. People often sprinkled water on the ground for cooling, making use of the way heat is absorbed by evaporating water. The efficient use of natural energy to create comfortable indoor conditions is still important even in modern architecture. 4. Natural materials The walls, roofs and floors of houses in previous times were basically made of natural materials. These were zero-emission materials which decomposed and eventually turned back into soil. This can provide us with clues on how to solve current problems with resources and waste. Energy-Saving Methods in Modern Architecture In the 1900s, as ferroconcrete architecture became more popular, buildings increased in size and their internal volumes grew relative to their perimeter zone surface areas. Consequently, internal heat generation increased and the percentage of natural lighting and natural ventilation used decreased, making it difficult for people to rely on natural energy. At about the same time, electric lamps for general lighting and air conditioning units were developed, and large buildings started to focus on the use of artificial energy such as electricity. In the late 20th century, stable supplies of electric energy were secured and fluorescent lighting became widely available at a rapid pace. Fewer buildings were being built with the high ceilings and shallow depths (distance from the building’s outer perimeter to its center point), which take into consideration the use of natural energy, including natural ventilation and lighting. Meantime, high-rise buildings with low ceilings and deep depths — that is, buildings with high volume efficiencies — became mainstream. In the late 1950s, with the advent of large panes of glass for architecture, the realization of expansive buildings with large openings on exterior walls became possible. As if in response to this trend, technologies such as louvers and light shelves were developed to provide shielding from the direct rays of the sun and decrease the heat load. The Oil Crisis and Energy-Saving Buildings In the 1970s when buildings increased in size, atriums in office buildings prevailed as a method of providing an open environment. An atrium is a stairwell within a building that allows sunlight to penetrate. As offices with shallow depths are open and easy-to-use in terms of layout, the ideal depth was thought to be about 15-20 meters. The use of atriums was an effective technique to realize this in large buildings. Improving on this idea, some high-rise buildings were built in a courtyard style, with small exterior-wall openings and an expansive atrium. These buildings adopted energy-saving methods that consisted of reducing the perimeter zone heat load and using the atrium for ventilation and lighting as a buffer space against the natural environment. Concurrently, the zero energy band control concept was introduced in an attempt to attain a coexistence of natural and artificial energy. With zero energy band control, an allowance is added to a preset air conditioning temperature so that within a certain limit artificial energy is not used. In the 1970s, amid the energy crisis that followed upon two oil crises, there was demand for wide-ranging energy conservation measures in the field of architecture, such as setting air conditioners to 28 degrees Celsius, restricting luminance to 400 lux, and installing pull switches for each lighting unit. These were just temporary emergency measures for saving energy that sacrificed comfort and required a certain degree of patience. In the late 1980s, environmental issues such as air pollution and global warming were raised from a long-term perspective, and energy-saving methods for buildings shifted to environmentally conscious ones using sustainable renewable energy. Sustainable Development and Environmentally Friendly Buildings After the term “sustainable development” was used in the Brundtland Commission’s 1987 report, the importance of global environmental conservation became widely recognized. In the architecture field, eco-friendly building designs have been tried in an effort to minimize environmental impacts. These constitute experimental attempts to maintain comfortable indoor conditions with minimal use of fossil energy through skillful control of heat and solar radiation, and use of renewable energy. Global Warming Prevention and Low-Carbon Buildings According to the final figures for 2011, Japan’s total greenhouse gas emissions had increased by 3.7 percent from their 1990 levels, but emissions from the service sector (including offices, sales and services) and the household sector had increased significantly, by 50.9 percent and 48.1 percent, respectively. Thus, reducing emissions from these sectors is a pressing issue. Greenhouse gases are released at all stages of a building’s life cycle, including designing, construction, maintenance, management, utilization, repair, demolition and scrapping, while most of the building-derived emissions come from energy consumption during building use. Since 1997, when the third Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3) was held, much attention has been given to reducing greenhouse gas emissions during the entire life cycle of buildings. Various attempts have been made to reduce CO2 emissions from buildings, for example, by extending their service life, using recycled materials and reducing building weight. In recent years, such buildings have been called “sustainable buildings.” The Present State of Energy-Saving, Sustainable Buildings Compared to the average for ordinary office buildings in Tokyo, the unit energy consumption of leading energy-saving and sustainable buildings built after 2000 is about 40 percent less. However, fossil energy supplies the remaining 60 percent. To achieve energy self-sufficiency, it will be essential to make further energy-saving efforts and introduce renewable energy. In one of JFS’s coming articles, we feature energy self-sufficient architecture in Japan. Stay tuned! Edit by Junko Edahiro Kochi’s Challenge — A Prefecture Tackling Depopulation (Part 1) On July 2, 2014, Masanao Ozaki, Governor of Kochi Prefecture, delivered a presentation entitled “Kochi’s Challenge — A Prefecture Tackling Depopulation” at a cross-industrial study meeting hosted by “e’s Future Co-Creation Forum” led by Junko Edahiro, chief executive of Japan for Sustainability. His speech focused on the comprehensive efforts being implemented by this prefecture which has been experienced the nation’s common problem of depopulation ahead of other prefectures. This issue of the JFS newsletter introduces an excerpt from his speech, focusing on industrial promotion in Kochi. Kochi Prefecture has been facing the problem of depopulation for quite a while. According to projections by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, if Japan’s total fertility rate remains at 1.35, total population is likely to reach the 40 million level in 2110, a decrease of more than 80 million people compared to its 2010 population, while the percentage of elderly people is also estimated to rise to 41.3 percent. As for the proportion of working-age population relative to the elderly, the current ratio is 2.57 workers supporting one senior citizen. This ratio will become more problematic in 2060 with 1.30 workers supporting one senior citizen even in the case of a high fertility rate projection of 1.60, and only 1.19 workers per elderly person in the case of a continuing 1.35 fertility rate. As these economic burdens increase sharply, we may face the real threat of negative spiral which can raise further financial obstacles to having children. Kochi’s population began to decrease naturally in 1990, 15 years ahead of other prefectures, and its process of population aging started 10 years ahead of other prefectures. As its population declined and aged, the economy began to shrink. Local consumption had fallen 20 percent by 2007 compared to 1997 when sales reached their peak. This rate of decline has been commensurate with the decline in working-age population. Depopulation has directly affected the region because Kochi’s industrial structure leans inwardly on the local market with weak connections to outside markets. As a result, even in an economy recovering nationwide with an improved jobs-to-applicants ratio, this ratio in Kochi remained mostly unchanged and at a low level. When economic activity shrinks and younger generations move outside the prefecture, a vicious cycle can result in which depopulation and aging proceed unchecked. Rural communities, particularly in semi-mountainous regions, become weaker, low fertility accelerates, and population decreases further. Kochi has been tackling this negative spiral and has advanced every possible political measure in its effort to deal with the depopulation issue. Kochi now promotes the following five basic policies: economic revitalization through implementation of an industrial promotion plan; consolidation and acceleration of measures against the predicted Nankai Trough earthquake; creation of the healthiest, most long-lived prefectural population; enhancement of education and support for child-raising; and improved infrastructure and its effective use. These five policies fall under two overarching policies: one that involves enhancement and consolidation of measures for semi-mountainous regions and another that constitutes a radical consolidation of measures to deal with the falling birth rate while expanding working opportunities for women. I would now like to explain more about industrial promotion. The idea of local consumption of local products is important. But in our shrinking economy, any one region will never prosper only by consuming what has been produced in the region. In this situation, we need to earn money from other prefectures and other countries by promoting outbound sales of local products. To increase outbound sales of its products, Kochi launched a public corporation as a public-private partnership. Aiming to produce goods attractive even to Tokyoites, this public corporation supports technology development and provides opportunities for test marketing. We are working on an action plan to develop and commercialize a total of 245 local products that reflect the specialties of each district in the prefecture. Part of the corporation’s work is directing a pilot retail shop located in Ginza, one of Tokyo’s most popular shopping areas. The corporation handles sales, and also makes arrangements with various industry sources, organizes small business meetings at the shop to invite in buyers, and sets up sales promotion booths at business exhibitions to invite industries in Kochi to exhibit, including follow-up and negotiations by corporation staff with interested industries. The number of contracts concluded with the help of this corporation has been growing sharply — only 178 contracts were closed 2009; this number skyrocketed to 3,333 in 2013. The total value of these contracts was calculated at 341 million yen (about US$3.37 million) in 2011, which expanded to 1,235 million yen (about US$ 12.22 million) in 2013. These figures were calculated when the contracts were signed, so I anticipate that they will gradually generate more profits through future business cycles. Another of the corporation’s important roles is to introduce various projects and products to the mass media. In the season when ginger is harvested, the corporation repeatedly promotes new ginger products to mass media outlets to attract coverage emphasizing that ginger is good for the health. The value equivalent to commercial publicity costs calculated from this kind of media coverage has been growing considerably. We also promote products in collaboration with a number of companies; for examples include the manufacture and sales by a major beverage company of juice using Kochi-grown yuzu citrons, a framework agreement with four major convenience store chains for product development and sales using local produce from Kochi, and sales of Kochi-grown produce to staff cafeterias at major companies in Tokyo. While promoting our local products outside the prefecture, we also see local producers withering. To address this problem, we are focusing on support for primary industries in Kochi, for example by securing labor and viable revenues for producers. In the agricultural sector, we are developing a next-generation greenhouse horticulture complex. The Netherlands is advanced in greenhouse horticulture, boasting the world’s second greatest exports of agricultural products despite its tiny area. Kochi has the highest level of greenhouse horticulture in Japan, but the Netherlands has more advanced systems with higher productivity per growing area; for example, tomato yields from the Netherlands’ system are about three times higher than Kochi’s. Kochi signed a friendship agreement on horticultural farming with the Netherlands, and is pursuing technical transfer. Utilizing the cutting-edge technology available through this partnership, Kochi is constructing a next-generation greenhouse horticulture complex and an adjacent agricultural training center for newcomers with the aim of increasing both agricultural yields and the number of new farmers. In line with Kochi’s efforts to focus on agriculture, the local product action plan I mentioned earlier contains a plan to brand rice harvested from steeply terraced paddies. The yield is small but the quality is excellent as it is grown in a climate with large temperature fluctuations. Also, we are working on product development using Kochi specialties, for example, green tea sweets and Bincho-tan or white charcoal, a traditional type of charcoal in Japan. Sales are promoted through the channels developed by the public corporation. In trying to strengthen manufacturing, we face a big hurdle to development in that manufacturing industries in Kochi presently consists mainly of subcontractors. They need to create their own business plans if they want to develop their own products. Therefore, when companies in Kochi start promoting new products outside the prefecture, the prefectural government offers total support by assigning a staff member to assist in the efforts of each company. The prefecture helps local companies make their own plans in cooperation with advisers, subsidizes prototype development, and supports technical cooperation at the Kochi Prefectural Industrial Technology Center. This Center encourages companies’ business expansion and employment promotion through developing new markets, and through a support department for promoting consumption of local products as well as outbound sales. In 2012 when the Kochi Industrial Promotion Center’s support for sales to other prefectures kicked off, its initial annual sales amounted to 250 million yen (about US$2.47 million), and in 2013 this figure increased to 1,620 million yen (about US$16.03 million). Our efforts have just started, and so these amounts might be still small. But we are expecting them to have an increasingly large economic impact in the future. Kochi is particularly focusing on industries related to disaster preparedness. A prediction about a potential earthquake in the Nankai Trough released in March 2012 estimated that Kochi’s Kuroshio Town might suffer a 34.4-meter tsunami. This prediction was a real shock to the prefecture and its residents. However, trying to turn adversity into opportunity, Kochi intends to address disaster prevention and promote related industries by preparing for the enormous damages caused by frequent natural disasters and the predicted Nankai Trough earthquake. To that end, Kochi established a certification system for newly developed disaster-related products. Most of these products potentially affect human survival, and so the prefecture asks researchers to test and certify their safety and usefulness. Certified products will be preferentially purchased by local governments within the prefecture through public procurement. These Kochi-approved products are marketed at exhibitions held in other prefectures, with advertising to the effect that “This product has been chosen by Kochi as a reliable product to prepare for a 34-meter tsunami.” Annual sales of registered products made in Kochi for disaster prevention were 60 million yen (about US$594,000) in 2012, and 1,070 million yen (about US$10.59 million) in 2013. We hope to further strengthen this kind of sales promotion with an eye on the global market. Kochi is also making efforts in the field of tourism. Having tourists come to Kochi and spend their money is one of the ways for residents earn money from outside the prefecture. Since Kochi’s attractiveness is not of the theme-park type, we need to create sightseeing tours that make the most of our natural environment. There are beautiful rivers in Kochi, but that alone does not attract tourists. Various attractions such as water sports, traditional river cruises, and riverside barbecue facilities can help attract tourists. We also need to prepare alternative rainy-day attractions. When local people in Kochi plan a tourism product, we invite input from experts in travel agencies in Tokyo and work the plan out together. We then receive feedback from them to brush up the tour plan. This process is repeated nine times a year. In this way, we are working hard to create tourism products that can attract urban people. To be continued in Part Two Speaker: Kochi Prefecture Governor Masanao Ozaki Edited by Junko Edahiro Japan for Sustainability Celebrates Its 12th Anniversary We would like to take this opportunity to appreciate your interests, encouraging feedback and continuous support to our activities for the past 12 years since the establishment of JFS on August 26, 2002. Thanks to your support, we have delivered more than 4,000 articles and 143 newsletters to over 7,700 subscribers around the world. We will keep moving forward to contribute to sustainability for the world. We would be happy to collaborate with you, and welcome your feedback at any time. Our warmest regards, Japan for Sustainability [JFS Web Site Additions of the Month] – This month’s cartoon: “Water, not oil!” on the Eco Cartoons Page (2014/08/07) http://www.japanfs.org/en/
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JFS WEEKLY >>> 19 – 25 Aug. 2014
Japan for Sustainability Celebrates Its 12th Anniversary We would like to take this opportunity to appreciate your interests, encouraging feedback and continuous support to our activities for the past 12 years since the establishment of JFS on August 26, 2002. Thanks to your support, we have delivered more than 4,000 articles and 143 newsletters to over 7,700 subscribers around the world. We will keep moving forward to contribute to sustainability for the world. We would be happy to collaborate with you, and welcome your feedback at any time. Our warmest regards, Japan for Sustainability ** Civil Society ** Disaster-Hit Town Renovates Closed School into Sustainability Learning Center http://www.japanfs.org/en/
Right to a healthy environment message – Canadian Update Blue Dot Tour
Thanks to you, our movement is growing Wow! The two weeks since the Blue Dot Tour launched have been incredible! More than 20,000 Canadians from every province and territory have stood up and joined local movements in their communities. More than half of tour eventtickets are already sold out, and new partners, performers and events are being added to the itinerary. With your help, the right to a healthy environment message has reached more than one million people online. I want to take a moment to thank you. Without you, there wouldn’t be a Blue Dot Tour, and we wouldn’t be steadily working our way toward guaranteeing every Canadian’s right to breathe fresh air, drink clean water and eat healthy food. Across the country, this movement is growing. From coast to coast to coast, citizens are telling us they’re joining the Blue Dot movement because they want a big picture solution that gives everyday people a voice in decisions that affect community health and well-being. Have a look at our online map — you’ll see this leadership taking root all across Canada. Every single blue dot on that map is another opportunity to guarantee environmental rights in a local community. We can do this together For more than a year, the team and I have been working with partners and with David Suzuki to meticulously plan a path to achieve the right to a healthy environment in Canada. It’s ambitious, it’s exciting and sometimes — when we really think about everything that’s at stake — it’s scary. But the success of these first two weeks fills me with hope. We can achieve this together. If you haven’t already, please join the Blue Dot movement now. Sincerely, Tovah Paglaro Project Lead, Blue Dot Tour ——————————————————————————————————–
2014 brings Earth its hottest quarter-year ever! Green Prophet.htm
http://www.greenprophet.com/2014/07/2014-brings-earth-its-hottest-quarter-year-ever/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+greenprophet+%28Green+Prophet%29 2014 brings Earth its hottest quarter-year ever! Posted on July 28, 2014 by Laurie Balbo in Energy with 0 Comments 
Two credible scientific datasets are suggesting that Earth, like George Clooney or Elle MacPherson, is getting hotter with age. Buckle your seat-belts and let the Climate Change debate begin! The past three months were collectively the warmest ever experienced since record-keeping began in the late 19th Century. The Japan Meteorological Agency, which has been tracking global temperatures since 1891, reported that April, May and June nabbed individual titles as the warmest-ever of those months on record – and, when considered together – they also represent the planet’s hottest quarter year . Bear in mind, this isn’t just saying that these temps are the highest in the past 123 years. We don’t have records predating 1891 – so, theoretically, these could be the peaks of the past 1,230 or 123,000 years! The agency states that the quarterly average was about 0.68 degrees Celsius (1.22 degrees Fahrenheit) above the 20th-century average. Hardly enough to ruin your summer vacation, but the knock-on to worldwide weather and climate events is arguably significant. As reported by tech website Future Slate,”abnormally warm ocean water helped spawn the earliest hurricane ever recorded to make landfall in North Carolina, and a rash of heat waves have plagued cities from India to California to the Middle East.” Additional heat is being produced by a building El Niño emerging in the Pacific, and, for this time of year, Arctic sea ice is trending near record lows. Don’t put much stock in the Japanese data? NASA also released its monthly global temperature numbers for June. Using different calculation methods, NASA arrived at nearly identical results (June 2014 dropped to third all-time third warmest, and April was tied for second). At the same time, these agencies report that in April, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels reached a monthly average of 400 parts per million for the first time in at least 800,000 years. A “weird science” coincidence that this data is concurrent with Hollywood blockbusters “Godzilla” and “Noah”? Are the numbers (and the conclusions drawn) just fear-mongering and quackery? Or rational indicators that we need to quickly clean up our post-industrial behavior? We can argue, or we can act. Image of warming earth from Shutterstock, temperature graph from The Jap ——————————————————————————————————–
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South Views: North’s policies are exposing South’s economies to shocks
http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=fa9cf38799136b5660f367ba6&id=fc3901b50b&e=1e33eb2f1a
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Stiglitz presentation (OWG13 side event)
——————————————————————————————————— New vacancy at WESSA – Project Manager: Biosphere Reserve South Africa Dear Sir/Madam, Greetings Due to a new and exciting project coming on board at WESSA in the Core Funding Unit, a fixed term contract position has now become available. This position is based at the Howick office. Please see attached advert for more information. Dead line for this application is 8 August 2014. Kind and warm Regards Phindile Sithole SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme Tel: +27 (0)33 330 3931 ext 2131 Fax2email: +27 (0)86 513 2403 URL: www.WESSA.org.za Post: PO Box 394, Howick, 3290, KZN, South Africa Project Manager Biosphere Reserve Howick —————————————————————————————————— Subject: Events to discuss the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report in New Delhi, India 5th-6th August 2014 Dear climate-l readers, The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) together with the Government of India and the Imtergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and local partners TERI and the Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD) invite you to discuss the key messages of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report at a public event in New Delhi on 6th August 2014. This is one of six events throughout July-August 2014 in African and Asian countries, which aim to facilitate discussions among leaders in government, academia, business and civil society on the implications of the Fifth Assessment for their national context. In this high-profile event, expert authors from the IPCC will present and discuss a range of topics including: • What is the world’s climate change pathway? How might India climate look in the future? • Exposure and vulnerability to climate change, including natural disasters: India’s prospects • Emission trends and opportunities for low carbon development • Securing climate finance for mitigation that delivers benefits for climate adaptation and resilience Throughout the sessions, there will be ample interactive question-and-answer sessions with the audience. In the morning, an Opening Session will see keynote addresses from:
- Shri Jitendra Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Science and Technology (Independent Charge), and for Earth Sciences (Independent Charge), Government of India
- Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon’ble Minister of State for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (Independent Charge), for Information and Broadcasting (Independent Charge), and for Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India
- Dr Rana Kapoor, President, Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India (ASSOCHAM) and Managing Director & CEO, Yes Bank
Dr Pachauri, Chairman IPCC and Director General of TERI will facilitate the session, and be joined by Sam Bickersteth, CEO, CDKN and Mr Dipankar Sanyal, Director, BCSD. This will be followed by an IPCC Author Session which will look at the implications of the major findings of AR5 in India. Chaired by Ambassador Ajaj Malhotra, the following authors will present their respective working group reports:
- Dr Krishna K Kanikicharla, Coordinating Lead Author, IPCC Working Group I
- Dr Purnamita Dasgupta, Coordinating Lead Author IPCC Working Group II
- Dr Shobhakar Dhakal, Coordinating Lead Author IPCC Working Group III
In the afternoon, a HARD TALK Session will see a debate, moderated by Dr Prodipto Ghosh, among a set of influential Indian thought leaders on climate and development:
- Dr Ashok Khosla, Founder and Chairman, Development Alternatives
- Dr Navroz Dubash, IPCC Lead Author, WGIII and Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research
- Mrs. Seema Jain, Secretary, Dept. of Science, Technology & Environment, Government. of Punjab
- Dr. Joyashree Roy, IPCC Coordinating Lead Author, WGIII and Professor of Economics, University of Jadavpur
- Mr Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director, Energy Efficiency Services Limited
Download the full programme to learn more. Spaces are limited, so please RSVP to bamrara@teri.res.in if you are interested in attending. Representatives of the media are warmly invited to attend and may register. A press conference will be held between 11:00 to 12:00 in the Seminar Hall GF, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. For more information, contact S S Jeevan: 8447208963 and Basudha Das: 9999881145. In addition, for any University students and young scientists interested in attending a dedicated interaction and Q&A session with the IPCC authors on the 5th August, 14.30-16.15 at TERI University, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, please register with Mr Dharmender Kumar dkumar@teri.res.in For additional communications resources on the Fifth Assessment Report see www.cdkn.org/ar5-toolkit and visit the IPCC’s main website www.ipcc.ch Mairi Dupar | Global Public Affairs Coordinator | CDKN: Climate and Development Knowledge Network t: +44 (0) 7921 088475 e: m.dupar@odi.org.uk | skype: mairi.dupar | www.cdkn.org Overseas Development Institute, 203 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ, UK Twitter: @CDKNetwork @mairidupar CDKN on: Facebook and LinkedIn ——————————————————————————————————
(AYICC) Fwd: [action2015-campaigning] action/2015 Reference Group Elections
Dear Friends & Colleagues, Kindly read carefully below and VOTE for Ibrahim Ceesay, our Board Chairman & Executive Coordinator, AYICC. Thanking you in advance. Hamzy! – Hello Leaders, This is a new global campaign for the Post2015 development process and the UNFCCC Paris meeting in 2015. I am standing as a member of the reference group representing African Youth through the African Youth Initiative for Climate Change (AYICC) and African Youth Panel (AYP) Kindly read the email below, visit the website of the campaign, register your individual organizations and vote for moi :)) Shalom!!! Subject: [action2015-campaigning] action/2015 Reference Group Elections Dear colleagues, We are pleased to launch the election of the action/2015 Reference Group. In order to exercise your right to vote, we have online voting for this process, with the help of Helios, non-profit initiative that provides a free, anonymous and online voting platform. You will be sent a voter ID and password by email from Helios – so please check your junk mail if it does not arrive in your inbox. Please make sure that the relevant and appropriate member of your organisation receives this Voter ID and login, as there is only one vote per registered campaign organisation. Organisations will only receive 1 voter ID per campaign organisation, as outlined in the election process document on the action2015 website. If you are unsure who has received the vote for your organisation, please check your junk/spam mail and then reach out to cecily.rawlinson@civicus.org. The online election can be found here. Please study the list of nominees and select the best candidates for the action/2015 Reference Group. As indicated in the guidelines, if you do not feel comfortable voting in a certain region, you do not have to cast a vote in that region. Elections will run until midnight 00:00 UTC on Saturday 2nd August. Please find instructions (EN/FR/ESP) below to guide you through the online voting process. If you have any issues – please contact cecily.rawlinson@civicus.org or info@action2015.org Best wishes, The action/2015 Team Cecily Rawlinson T: +27 11 833 5959 (extension 115) E: cecily.rawlinson@civicus.org Skype: cecilyCIVICUS Instructions to Vote 1. Find your Helios login and password, and go to <link> 2. Use your Helios login and password (the voter ID and password you received by email), and click CHECK CREDENTIALS to log into your account. 3. Click START to begin voting 4. Select up to 1 candidate for each region that you believe are the best fit for action/2015 Reference Group. You may select between 0 and 1 candidates. When you are finished selecting candidates, click PROCEED. 5. If you are sure of your selection, click CONFIRM CHOICES AND ENCRYPT BALLOT 6. Helios will then encrypt your ballot with a secret key which you should keep (either by clicking print or email). Then click PROCEED TO CAST 7. Finally, click the “I am O Name, cast this ballot” button to finalise your vote. You are able to vote as many times as you wish but only the last ballot cast will be counted. 8. You will then receive the message onscreen “Congratulations, your vote has been successfully cast!”. You will also receive a confirmation email. Instructions techniques pour le vote 1. Avec votre identifiant et votre mot de passe Hélios (reçus par mail), allez sur le site d’Hélios <link> 2. Entrez votre identifiant et votre mot de passe Hélios, et cliquez sur « CHECK CREDENTIALS » pour vous connecter à votre compte. 3. Cliquez sur « START » pour commencer votre sélection. 4. Sélectionnez vos candidats. Lorsque vous avez terminé la sélection des candidats, cliquez sur « PROCEED ». 5. Si vous êtes sûr(e) de votre choix, cliquez alors sur « CONFIRM CHOICES AND ENCRYPT BALLOT ». 6. Hélios cryptera ensuite votre bulletin de vote avec une clé secrète que vous devez conserver (soit en cliquant sur format « papier » ou « électronique »). Puis, cliquez sur « PROCEED TO CAST ». 7. Enfin, cliquez sur le bouton « I am O Name, cast this ballot » pour finaliser votre vote. Vous êtes en mesure de voter autant de fois que vous le souhaitez, mais seul le dernier bulletin de vote sera pris en compte. 8. Sur l’écran, le message suivant s’affichera : « Congratulations, your vote has been successfully cast! ». Vous recevrez également un mail de confirmation. Instrucciones para Votar: 1. Teniendo a su nombre de usuario y contraseña para Helios, ir al enlace <link> 2. Utilice el nombre de usuario y contraseña de Helios (el identificativo y la contraseña que recibió por correo electrónico), y haga clic en COMPROBAR CREDENCIALES (“ CHECK CREDENTIALS”) para iniciar la sesión en su cuenta. 3. Haga clic en COMENCAR (“START”) para comenzar la votación 4. Cuando haya terminado la selección de los candidatos, haga clic en CONTINUAR (“PROCEED”) . 5. Si está seguro de su selección, haga clic en CONFIRMA ELECCIONES Y CIFRA BOLETA (“CONFIRM CHOICES AND ENCRYPT BALLOT”) 6. Helios luego cifrara’ su boleta con una clave secreta que usted deberá guardar (puede escoger entre impresión o correo electrónico). A continuación, haga clic en CONTINUAR PARA VOTAR (“PROCEED TO CAST”) 7. Por último, haga clic en el botón “Soy Nombre, registre esta votación” (“I am O Name, cast this ballot”) para finalizar su voto. Puede votar tantas veces como desee, pero sólo se contabilizará su última votación. 8. A continuación, recibirá el mensaje en pantalla FELICITACIONES, SU VOTO HA SIDO REGISTRADO CON ÉXITO (“Congratulations, your vote has been successfully cast!”). También recibirá un email de confirmación. ——————————————————————————————————- MARTA : Register Today for the Empowered Africa Dialogue
Deets are below and don’t forget to forward.
Oh, and if you want to read what I’m up to in the Dominican Republic (and hopefully, Haiti) then visit my blog theselovelypoems.
- For the most up-to-date agenda click here.
- Press inquiries click here.
- Send a message to the summit [A social media guide].
- If your organization wants to share brochures, reports or books with Empowered Africa attendees, please email EmpoweredAfrica2014@
gmail.com. - Lunch is available on-site in the cafeteria at the Blackburn Center for $10.05 per person. There are other restaurants within walking distance of the Blackburn Center.
GETTING TO HOWARD UNIVERSITY
- METRO–Take the Metro (subway) to the Howard/Shaw U metro stop. Exit the Shaw-Howard U metro station in the direction of Howard University (right turn/north) and proceed approximately six blocks on Georgia Ave. Make a right on Howard Place and continue through the main gate at (Howard Pl and 6th St). The Blackburn Center is located on the left corner of the courtyard. A reflection pool is in front of the building.
- There is also a University Shuttle that can take you from the the Howard/Shaw U metro station to Howard Place & Georgia Ave.
- DRIVING– Click here.
- PARKING– Street parking is available on and around campus. Consider downloading Parkmobile App on your smartphone to the pay meter fees with a credit card OR you can pay by phone.
Peace. monét 770.377.4015 “I want to live the rest of my life, however long or short, with as much sweetness as I can decently manage, loving all the people I love, and doing as much as I can of the work I still have to do. I am going to write fire until it comes out of my ears, my eyes, my noseholes — everywhere. Until it’s every breath I breathe.” Audre Lorde —————————————————————————————————-
[MGCY] Ministers Reference Book : Commonwealth 2014 (My article) – please share widely
Dear Colleague,
It is my privilege to share with you the 2014 Ministers Reference Book of Commonwealth which is Designed to help commonwealth member countries work ever-more closely with each other to build a peaceful and prosperous community. The report features over 40 articles from leading commentators, including H.E.s David Cameron , Goodluck Jonathan, Executive Heads of UNCTAD, ITC, IMF, UNESCO, FAO and others. It also has a feature on Hon. Hon. Nelson Mandela’s legacy and his impact on the Commonwealth. I am very honored to inform that the book features my article on Youth Led Development (Page 152-155) among all these other luminaries. I hope you will find this useful. Warm regards Ravi Please web-version http://issuu.com/henleymedia/docs/ministers_reference_book_2014_low_r/1 Please find a PDF of the Report – *You can copy and paste the following link in your browser to retrieve your file. The link will expire on August* 07, 2014 03:31 PDT. https://rcpt.hightail.com/2596430952/1d8dcaab17fcae91a2d26a70313eb192 Mailing list of the UN Major Group Children and Youth: The Children and Youth space in sustainable development negotiations at the United Nations. Website: www.childrenyouth.org, Facebook: www.facebook.com/UNMGCY, Twitter: @UNMGCY Ntiokam Divine Child Labour Champion Focal Point,Follow-up to the Brasilia Declaration Global Youth Digital Advocate Post -2015 skype: ntiokam.divine “Engaging and mobilizing youth for Agriculture Development” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9rxEVm9Nl8 Read My Blog<http://acsstudents.weebly.com/1/post/2011/12/divine-interjection.html> Share Your Vision for the World We Want 2015<http://www.worldwewant2015.org> UN Information on Post-2015<http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/beyond2015.shtml> Read the MyWorld Blog <http://blog.myworld2015.org/> Follow @worldwewant2015 *Celebrate the UN International Day of Peace, 21 September!* —————————————————————————————————–
Updates from SEEd
http://us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=108e9fe88ad0fbeacdb75c9f8&id=2c58af9e0d&e=b41ab63755
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Canada’s cities lead on climate action
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Call for papers “Agroecology, small scale farming and regional development”
Dear all, We, Future of Food: Journal for Food, Agriculture and Society would like to call research papers, book reviews, alternative views and reports for the Vol. 2 , Nr. 2 of the FOFJ journal on the theme of “Agroecology, small scale farming and regional development”. The nexus between regional development and small scale farming is crucial factor in post-2015 MDGs agenda. This journal is based on open access policies. The issue will be published in November 2014. You can find more details at http://tinyurl.com/nkyy7eg Our current issue Vol 2 Nr 1 Water for Food can be viewed at http://www.unwater.org/
——————————————————————————————————- I hope you can come out today–invite your friends! Best, Anita Please forward! Empowered Africa Dialogue — *DC Launch Party/Meet & Greet*! When: Tuesday July 22nd 7:00 – 8:30pm Where: 1916 10th St NW Washington DC 20001 between U & T RSVP and invite your friends on the Facebook event Donate here: https://www.indiegogo.
– Climate Justice on Our Common Planet– Militarism and Human Security– Food Security and Food Sovereignty– Trade Unions and Democracy– Rising Inequality and Illicit Financial Flows and– The way forward together
– Mithika Mwenda, Pan African Climate Justice Alliance– Brenda Mofya, Oxfam International– Horace Campbell, Syracuse University– M. Jahi Campbell Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy– Scholastica Haule, Action Aid Tanzania– Able Ngigie, United Workers Union of Liberia– Oretha Tarnue, United Workers Union of Liberia– Alvin Mosioma, Tax Justice Network Africa– and more!
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CEC Talks Nature: Inspiring a new generation of nature stewards
WEB VERSION | Inspiring a new generation of nature stewards ——————————————————————————————————-
Gaza under attack letter _ english and spanish letter
Dear friends Please find attached a copy of our Gaza letter in both English and Spanish. If you would still like to include your organisational name – please send me your sign on. Free Palestine, End the Attack on Gaza! Paul Quintos IBON International / 3rd Flr., IBON Center / 114 Timog Avenue, Quezon City 1103 / Philippines Telefax: +63 2 9276981 / Skype ID: paul.quintos Websites: iboninternational.org / peoplesgoals.org Gaza Under Attackfinal (1) / Gaza Under AttackSpanish ——————————————————————————————————
Support our Social Media Campaign for Development Justice
Dear friends, The first salvo of our Global Days of Action for Development Justice is fast approaching. As such, we need to double our efforts to reach out to the most number of people to mobilize for our campaigns. One creative and efficient way to do this is through social media. At present, we have Twitter and Facebook accounts for the Global Days of Action for Development Justice. We also have uploaded campaign essentials on our People’s Goals website. Meanwhile, we have already prepared our YouTube channel where we will be featuring the Days of Action for Development Justice video produced by APWLD, and hopefully, as we progress with the campaign in our respective countries, your very own video creations. Our Toolkit (English and Spanish http://peoplesgoals.org/
- Like and follow our Official Global Day of Action Social Media Accounts
- Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/
daysfordevjustice and the People’s Goals Page: https://www.facebook.com/ ThePeoplesGoals. - Official Twitter Page: twitter.com/Dev_Justice
- Official Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/
“Suggest” said pages to your colleagues, co-workers, friends and family
- Switch your profile pictures and cover photos (FB and Twitter) to our Global Day of Action logos available for download at http://peoplesgoals.org/?p=
1098. Ideally, all of us should have uploaded our campaign logo as profile pic before the July 21st Day of Action. Encourage friends to do the same. - Like, post, comment and share the pages’ contents to promote the pages’ online visibility
- Join our Facebook “Event” for the July 21 Global Action and/or for the various national/local mobilizations and campaigns and send invitations to friends and members of your group
- Use our hashtags #DevelopmentJustice #TiltTheBalance #FightFor5 #DayOfAction #PeoplesGoals #GenderJustice #SocialJustice #RedistributiveJustice #EconomicJustice #Accountability #5for2015 #Post2015 #SustainableDevelopment
6. Follow accounts of fellow organizations in the campaign, retweet and reply to posts to sustain the conversation and maintain our online presence Should you need further details on how to set up Facebook and Twitter accounts, please refer to the Toolkit or send us your inquiries by emailing the Global Secretariat secretariat@peoplesgoals.org Thank you so much for your cooperation. Sincerely, Ivan Phell Enrile ——————————————————————————————————-
Articles_Manipur’s Development Debacle in Post 2015 Contex_Global Day of Dev Justice.
Global Day of Development Justice in Manipur from 21-24 July.
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New article on the ReliefWeb blog:
Stay “alert” with ReliefWeb’s enhanced disaster monitoring system Read the article on ReliefWeb: http://reliefweb.int/blogpost/stay-alert-reliefweb-s-enhanced-disaster-monitoring-system ——————————————————————————————————–
DEVEX: A ‘rapid’ response to disasters, climate change
To view this email as a web page, click here
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Dear All,
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International Politics and environmental disasters
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World Association of NGOs (WANGO) NGO News April 2014
WANGO — A Global Association of NGOs Serving Humanity April 2014 WANGO NGO News & Notices Empowering Families: A Pathway to Development, DOHA call to action Chairman, Mr Taj Hamad was one of the panelists Go>>> THE UN and International News ECOSOC spring meeting was held in New York April 14 and 15, with the theme Coherence, coordination and cooperation in the context of financing for sustainable development and the post-2015 development agenda Experts from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and from the United Nations discussed such topics as sustainable development, the world economic situation and prospects and more. Go>>> NGO Resources This link will give you information on different organizations that donate books and computers to non profits and NGOs http://www.fundsforngos.org/
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“If we share caring, lightheartedness and love, we will create abundance and joy for each other and then this moment will have been worthwhile ”
Deepak Chopra |
Contact Us: WANGO 200 White Plains Road, First Floor Tarrytown, NY 10591 USA 914 631-8990 For the NGO News Contributor Guidelines, >>>
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All material and information, which appears on the NGO News, is presented for informational purposes only. WANGO and NGO News present all data as is, without any warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, and is not liable for any loss or damage caused by a user’s reliance on any of the information obtained through the NGO News. For corrections or clarification, email: publications@wango.org. |
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Global Footprint Network “Making Headway”
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SouthNews: Tribute to Norman Girvan, a Caribbean Giant
View this email in your browser
SOUTHNEWS
No. 64, 11 July 2014 SOUTHNEWS is a service of the South Centre to provide information and news on topical issues from a South perspective. Visit the South Centre’s website: www.southcentre.int. ——————————————————————————————————
UNICEF: Funds needed to stave off malnutrition deaths in Somalia
UNICEF: Funds needed to stave off malnutrition in Somalia UNICEF on Tuesday made an urgent funding appeal to prevent as many as 200,000 children in Somalia from dying of severe malnutrition. Just $15 million of a $150 million appeal has been received, UNICEF said. “If funding is not received immediately, UNICEF will have to suspend essential life-saving health services within one month,” said Christophe Boulierac, a UNICEF spokesman. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Reuters
——————————————————————————————————– Urbanizing Asia; Thailand’s Open Government Trend; Justice in Indonesia; ADB VP on Rising Inequality
viewing this: Click here to view it online.
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Dear UNDP colleagues and friends,
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This Fifth-Grader Raised $200,000 to Clean Up the Gulf Oil Spill by Selling Watercolors
——————————————————————————————————– Dear Friends and Colleagues,
This poll is being conducted by Initiative for Equality (IfE) to help choose priorities for setting up platforms for collaboration towards the goals of the Equity Treaty. The Equity Treaty (written by civil society groups in 2012) contains a shared set of ideas, principles and goals concerning equality within and between societies, and 15 commitments for global action. You can see and sign the Equity Treaty on our website. The Equity Action Collaborative is IfE’s project to foster global collaboration towards these goals and commitments. We intend to form Action Groups to focus on one or more specific issues derived from the Equity Treaty, and then to provide platforms and tools for cooperation. These Action Groups will allow independent organizations to share information, develop strategies, coordinate action, and facilitate global collaboration towards greater equality. You can read more about the Equity Action Collaborative here: https://
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Environmental News: Media Center
NRDC, Black Rock and FTSE Jumpstart Mainstream Climate-Conscious Investing
Dear Community of Educators,
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Thanks for joining Access’ Movement for Global Digital Freedom! Right now, the fight for internet freedom and digital rights is taking place on many fronts, from Egypt to Australia, from Vietnam to Pakistan.
Together we can make a difference to ensure that all people have open and secure access to the internet. If you would like to support our vital work, please donate here: https://donate.accessnow.org/
——————————————————————————————————– Dear Community of Educators, The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability Monday, and it makes for overwhelming reading; climate change is already affecting the food supply, will only get worse, and the poor will suffer the most. Intended to represent global scientific consensus, the report is big news worldwide. Richard Tol, now a professor at the University of Sussex and a professor of the Economics of Climate Change, Institute for Environmental Studies and Department of Spatial Economics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, has told Reuters that he disagreed with some findings of the summary issued in Japan today. • “The drafts became too alarmist,” he said but he acknowledged some other authors “strongly disagree with me.” See, http://www.finfacts.ie/
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https://www.tigweb.org/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487&ec=1487,196347 http://www.tigweb.org/community/cultureconnect/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487&ec=1487,196347 http://days.tigweb.org/world-day-of-water?utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1487&ec=1487,196347 http://commit2act.tigweb.org/actions/discover/ http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/peacebuilding-through-culture-connect-online-live-chat-tickets-10948405977 ———————————————————————————————————-
Join us at our JBF Worldwide 8th Anniversary Event
http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=ebe72e5d-a489-4d9e-b8da-c297749c015a&c=8bc0f640-3558-11e3-88c2-d4ae526edc76&ch=8dd09c60-3558-11e3-89f4-d4ae526edc76 ———————————————————————————————————– The LDCs call for the inaugural meeting of the ‘year of ambition’ to be placed on a very high stand http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=84285436aa6613a4dc8c2d737&id=2037c4b597&e=57d8ea3878 —————————————————————————————– http://us3.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e14fdb3684d7099d6e1acdabd&id=d5cdb2a678&e=022e06c469 ——————————————————————————————- http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=ce9d6bf5750b200766cf12a52&id=6b2f4bb358&e=19efefbf03 —————————————————————————————– http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2014/sgsm15577.doc.htm http://www.equatorinitiative.org/index.php?lang=en http://www.ais.unwater.org/pro/?q=node/1733 http://www.youtube.com/watchv=PwfuNqQk9h0&list=UUvtCtVKTdDBqUBVJrX2wYOQ#t=125 World Wetlands Day 2014: Christopher Brigg’s Statement www.empasys.net ———————————————————————————————— Trillions of Dollars of Public Spending to be Directed Towards Greening Global Markets Sustainable Public Procurement Programme Can Accelerate Shift to Resource-Efficient World NEW YORK, 1 April 2014 – A new global programme, launched Tuesday, will harness the power of the trillions of dollars that Governments spend on public procurement each year towards a shift to a more resource-efficient world. The Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) Programme – the first action to get underway as part of the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) – will assist Governments to redirect public spending into goods and services that bring significant environmental and social benefits. “The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations spent an average 13 per cent of gross domestic product on public procurement in 2011, while in some developing nations this can hit 20 per cent. This adds up to trillions of dollars globally, demonstrating the scale of the opportunity ahead,” said Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director. “Governments can use this enormous purchasing power to force markets onto a sustainable path by demanding goods and services that conserve natural resources, create decent greens jobs and improve livelihoods around the globe.” The SPP Programme—co-led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI)—will enable this shift by improving knowledge of sustainable procurement’s benefits and supporting implementation through access to experts and tools. Existing initiatives from around the globe prove that sustainable procurement transforms markets, boosts eco-industries, saves money, conserves natural resources and fosters job creation. For example: * Indian Railways replaced more than one million incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescent lamps in 400,000 employees’ homes, saving more than 100,000MWh of energy and reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 90,000 tonnes each year. * In Brazil, the Foundation for Education Development saved 8,800 cubic metres of water and 1,750 tonnes of waste by using notebooks made from recycled paper in Sao Paulo schools. * In France, a contract for the purchase of toner cartridges was awarded to an organization that, between 2009 and 2011, recovered 11,500 kilogrammes of waste, saved the Government 30 per cent in costs and created nine full-time jobs for disabled people. Many other nations, including the Republic of Korea, have created sustainable public procurement policies that will bring further such benefits in the near future. In the United States—where the Government procures more than $500 billion a year in goods and services—the Federal Government has incorporated sustainability requirements into purchasing regulations. Additionally, an Executive Order stipulates that 95 per cent of all new contracts use products and services that are energy- and water-efficient, environmentally preferable, non-ozone depleting and contain recycled content. Chile’s public procurement and contracting bureau set a target of 15 per cent of procurement orders meeting sustainability targets by 2012. This was exceeded one year ahead of schedule: 17.2 per cent of orders included sustainability criteria by the end of 2011. The bureau oversees $8 billion in transactions, accounting for more than 3.2 per cent of GDP. In Japan—where a 2010 study found that government bodies spent US$672 billion (17.6 per cent of GDP)—green purchasing laws now require ministries, provincial governments and an increasing number of cities to make 95 per cent of their purchases from designated “green product” categories. The programme, by working to ensure such purchasing decisions are the norm rather than the exception, aims to play a vital role in the transitioning the globe to an inclusive Green Economy. The launch comes just a few months ahead of the first United Nations Environment Assembly, when the world’s environment ministers will meet to discuss the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, with a special focus on sustainable consumption and production. “A rapid transformation, which will support the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, is eminently possible,” said Mr. Steiner. “Governments from across the globe signed up to the UNEP-led Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative at Rio+20, and are backing this commitment with action. This demonstrates that the political will is already in place.” The programme is also supported by the European Commission, the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, the China Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Republic of Korea, ISEAL Alliance, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Swedish Ministry of the Environment and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. ADDITIONAL QUOTES: * “If public money is spent on products and services that reduce environmental impacts, encourage social improvement and achieve financial efficiency, a huge step forward could be made towards sustainable development,” said Gino Van Begin, Secretary-General, ICLEI World Secretariat. “This is what the 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Public Procurement aims to achieve.” * “The Republic of Korea has gained strong expertise in the implementation of green public procurement based on an electronic monitoring system over the past 10 years,” said Yongjoo Kim, President of KEITI. “We wish to contribute to the programme, in close partnership with UNEP and ICLEI, by identifying and disseminating good practices.” About the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP) The 10YFP is a global framework for action that enhances international cooperation to develop, replicate and scale up Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) and resource efficiency initiatives around the world. It was established after Heads of State at Rio+20 agreed that SCP is a cornerstone of sustainable development, and an important contributor to poverty alleviation and the transition to low-carbon and green economies. The SPP Programme is the first of an initial suite of programmes to be launched under the 10YFP. Other programmes on consumer information, sustainable lifestyles and education, sustainable buildings and construction, and sustainable tourism are expected to be launched in 2014. UNEP hosts the Secretariat of the 10YFP. For more information, please visit www.unep.org/10yfp For more information, please contact: Shereen Zorba, Head, UNEP News and Media 254-20 762 502, +254 788 526 000, shereen.zorba@unep.org
Powerful new NY Times article on climate in/justice
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Dear Colleagues,
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TBL Group Conferences
www.tbligroup.com – www.tbliconference.com
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UN Side event Access to information EN US
UN side event Invitation-WV-UNFPA-Social Accountability-Dec2013
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jscherr/2014_the_year_of_glocalization.htm —————————————————————————————- Date: Thursday, 9 January 2014, 1:00-2:50 PM Venue: German House, 871 UN Plaza (1st Ave at 49th St) Organized by: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with the support of the German Mission to the UN RSVP: wi-4-vn@newy.auswaertiges-
Jim Sniffen Programme Officer UN Environment Programme New York tel: +1-212-963-8094 sniffenj at un.org/jsniffen88 at gmail.
- http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/warsaw_nov_2013/application/pdf/cop19cmp9_overview_schedule.pdf
- http://unfccc.int/meetings/warsaw_nov_2013/meeting/7649.php
http://unfccc.int/files/meetings/warsaw_nov_2013/application/pdf/cop19cmp9_overview_schedule.pdf http://www.wedo.org/wp-content/uploads/Short-info-flyer-WMG_FES-event5.pdf http://www.itcilo.org/en/the-centre/about-us/job-opportunities/?set_language=en http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=wwgqt5nab&v=001Xb0L0r5qCg0Wa4X9fxKMH1XE82JqbynezKexeWRXNSBsN_JrQmGmZYhdXx5Y01q5LI_-ESKne3Mte-GEWbxs8FChO8501Kbpm6b7Fdnad2Vhsb5Q8j8r0A%3D%3D
http://www.planetearthinstituteworldwide.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Planet-Earth-Institute-African-Union-side-event-23rd-September1.pdf Headquarters 49 Berkeley Square Mayfair, London W1J 5AZ T +44 (0) 20 34900899 M +44 (0) 7711378992 valentina@
- http://uncsd.iisd.org/sd-update/2013-09-16/
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2013EO370002/abstract
- http://dialogueslive.kofiannanfoundation.org/
- http://www.eco-gstm.org/
tamraraven/ - http://www.ids.ac.uk/news/uk-government-must-help-ensure-coherent-and-ambitious-vision-for-development-post-2015
- http://youtu.be/
wz8craTfLz0 - www.eco-gstm.org/tamraraven/ TWEET @tamraraven
- http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference/sponsor
- http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference/
- http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities
International Women’s Earth and Climate Summit, September 20th-23rd.:http://www.iweci.org/
————————————————————————————————- Job Announcement: EECapacity Program Coordinator Cornell University seeks an individual to assist in the planning, delivery, and development of the Expanding Capacity in Environmental Education Project funded by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Education. This project is EPA’s National Environmental Education Training Program and is housed at Cornell University. For more information about the position and to apply online visit: https://cornellu.taleo.net/
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Terms of reference – Youth Coordinator- UN Millenium Campaign.pdf 459 kB UN Terms of reference – Youth Coordinator- UN Millenium Campaign PDF |
African Perceptions of Chinese businesses operating in Africa. Please find attached French, English and Portugu
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MY World Awards Rules.pdf 244 kB MY World Awards Rules PDF |
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Annex I. MY World Award Nomination form.docx 17 kB Annex I. MY World Award Nomination form |
Young migrants, between opportunities and risks
- http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2011/summary/
- http://post2015.iisd.org/news/ecosoc-launches-beijing20-review-process/
- http://unfccc.int/meetings/war
saw_nov_2013/meeting/7649.php - Global Fund for Women share this video “Ready to Change the World?”
- http://www.globalfundforwomen.
org/take-action/share-this- video?utm_source=housefile& utm_medium=email&utm_campaign= Email - http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=84285436aa6613a4dc8c2d737&id=14f0c183a2&e=57d8ea3878
- http://www.iisd.ca/csd/escap/
- http://www.unescap.org/speeches/asia-pacific-implementation-rio20-outcomes
- UN INTERNATIONAL DAYS
- http://www.un.org/en/events/
observances/days.shtml - http://www.iisd.ca/post2015/water/hlcw/
- WATER Netherlands POST 2015 AGENDA PDF
- Worldview Mission (WM), Netherlands/EU, Workshop on 2015-Post Millenium Development Agenda Involvement (PDF
- Ms. Hélène H. Oord with Worldview Mission (WM) Youth Participates at the 7th Annual Youth Ambassador Assembly, at the UN, New York (PDF)
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities
- http://www.odi.org.uk/events/3148-should-inequality-feature-post-2015-agreement#.UVQ2mcsitgk.twitter
- MY World Results Report of BALI final PDF
- UN RIO+20 Questionnaire Post 2015 Rio-Edu Caucus Outcome PDF
- http://unfccc.int/2860.php
- UN FCCC TEC BULLETIN UN FRAMEWORK CLIMATE CHANGE PDF
- http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/mar/27/post-2015-agenda-coherent-global-framework
- http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/unga-holds-third-informal-consultation-on-hlpf/
- http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/untaskteam_undf/glob_dev_rep_2013.pdf
- UN Globe Dev Rep 2013 PDF
- http://www.unep.org/documents.multilingual/default.asp?documentid=78&articleid=1163
- http://www.iisd.ca/csd/unece/65s/
- Final PDF MY World Newsletter Issue 2
- http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/untaskteam_undf/them_tp2.shtml
- http://www.escuelapnud.org/en/
- http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1211
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UNICEF KENYA
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE
TRAINING OF TRAINERS https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JNrVpQTia7frGZY-cqAe0wYcfMrVQW5fnD01uyM-9xI/edit http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/State_of_World_Mothers_2013.pdf ————————————————————————————————-
- The 4th University Scholars Leadership Symposium which will be in Manila, Philippines this August 1 to 7, 2013.
(The USLS is one of the 3 Youth in Action Programs endorsed by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York.) Aattached the event materials (Application Form, Poster, Rates). For further information, the brochure can be accessed here: http://tiny.cc/
- http://www.universityscholars.org.uk/
- Innovate your future :
- Show your support on Thunderclap:
- https://www.thunderclap.it/
InnovateYourFutureShare your ideas on ECOSOC’s Facebook - Forum: http://bit.ly/
InnovateYourFutureFollow @UNECOSOC and #InnovateYourFuture on Twitter - http://www.un.org/en/
development/desa/newsletter/ desanews/dialogue/2013/04/ index.html#6653
- EU THE WEEK AHEAD AT THE UNITED NATIONS 14-13_doc
- http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=42
- WM SL REPORT JOINED SUMMIT MARCH 2013, 19-21th PDF
- WM SL March 19-21 Africa Youth Development Declaration 2013 PDF
- WM SL March 2013 PDF Progr Summit Ad Momoia NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
- http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/world-bank-establishes-post-2015-mdg-working-group-appoints-special-envoy/
- http://www.unicef.org/
adolescence/index_67966.html# sthash.Hgccw1CU.dpuf - http://ccetyw.cyponline.org
- http://www.stakeholderforum.org/sf/index.php/news/510
- Edu StakeHolders Forum full briefing note Governing for the Future – HLPF
- http://webtv.un.org/search?term=2013-02-28
- http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=91
- http://climate-l.iisd.org/daily-feed/2013-02-27/
- UN My World (1 ) How…. to give a heads up on MY World website going live
- UN My World (2) A Global survey for citizens
- WM PDF Doha Cop 18 South Centre Bulletin
- WM SL March 2013 Progr Summit Ad Momoia NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT
- http://www.post2015hlp.org/
- http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/desanews/2013/03/index.html
- http://song.unwomen.org/
- HLP POST 2015 FINAL REPORT MONROVIA-LIBERIA Communique-1-feb-2013
- http://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/topics/millennium-development-goals-mdgs/
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/en/openhome
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/node/287225
- http://www.post2015hlp.org/outreach/
- MyWorld-SocialMediaPack-English-Finalrev1 (2)
- http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/desanews/2013/03/index.html
- http://www.smartbrief.com/servlet/wireless?issueid=84FBC1AE-333D-4A6E-A327-95D4FD676357&sid=2a61fa9c%2d82b5%2d473c%2db6cb%2d8e25b41c03fb
- http://www.unicef.org/
southafrica/resources_9001. html -
http://www.oneyoungworld.com/
- Post 2015 ENG_-OPEN-CALL-FOR-CSO-APPLICATION-FOR-HLP-BALI-MEETING1
- http://www.unwater.org/watercooperation2013/celebrations_wwdnetherlands.html
- http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/water_cooperation_2013/index.shtml
————————————————————————————————- The formal Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers Holland Co-founder of The Earth Charter UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Afican Union: Application Dead line!!! Dec 15th, 2012 APPLICATION FORM FOR ELECTION INTO THE ECOSOCC GENERAL ASSEMBLY http://www.au.int/en/content/application-form-election-ecosocc-general-assembly http://www.kenyayouthnetwork.blogspot.nl/ http://www.unicef.org/policyanalysis/index_67742.html http://www.unhabitat.org/list.
- UNICEF 2012.03.22 INFO PARTICIPACION ADOLESCENTE version final_con fotos_ ENGLISH AMO GH
- UNICEF YOUTH EDU 2012.03.22 INFORME PARTICIPACION ADOLESCENTE version final_con fotos_ ENGLISH AMO GH
- Ms. Hélène H. Oord with Worldview Mission (WM) Youth Participates at the 7th Annual Youth Ambassador Assembly, at the UN, New York (PDF)
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/Post2015HLP
- Post 2015- Guidelines for Country’s Consultations
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/
- http://www.worldwewant2015.org/en/openhome
- UN Events: http://www.undppc.org.fj/pages.cfm/events/
- WM – EU : Mr. WORKU, APPLICATION, UNAOC ViennaYouth
- Worldview Mission – EU : Mr. WORKU, UNAO ViennaYouth Event Guidelines, FINAL
- http://faf.org/main/youth-assembly-at-the-un/participation-annual/apply-here-annual/
- The New York Global Young Leaders Summit International MUN
New York, 26th to 29th March 2013 REGISTRATION DEADLINE:15 JANUARY 2013 http://www.newyorkmun.org/styled-22/index.html
Earth Charter – For a Better World – Video 2012
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnQb7mrl3yA&feature=player_embedded#at=58
- Please join! OCT 29th-30th 2012, Africa Works! The 21st Century Trends (HOLLAND-ZEIST) http://www.africaworks.nl / http://www.fmo.nl/
- UN World Hunger Map
- Current World Population: http://www.un.org/en/events/unday/2011/
- http://www.womendeliver.org/ (CONFERENCE 2013)
- http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=7cb693b1ff74930e9a30de788&id=2cc6807670&e=bd24d65e07
———————————————————————————————— Registration for the Youth Assembly at the UN New York, YA+11B to be held on January 29 to February 1, 2013 is now OPEN.
————————————————————————————————- “Get It Done”: Urging Climate Justice, Youth Delegate Anjali Appadurai Mic-Checks UN Summit
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- http://www.wfuna.org/
- http://www.qatar-in-brussels.org/travelling-to-and-finding-accommodation-in-brussels/
- http://www.un.org/en/peacebuilding/
- WM Ghana ECOWAS CSO FORUM PROGRAM INFORMATION SHEET
- WM Ghana INV LETTER 2 ECOWAS CSO CONSULTATIVE FORUM 26TH OCT 2012
- http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/videos/mdg-countdown-2012
- http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/10/20121014112448139460.html
- WM SL Application Youth Summit Sierra Leone _application_form
————————————————————————————————- The fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/57sess.htm ————————————————————————————————- The 2013 Call for Africa-India Fellowship Programme http://www.au.int/en/dp/hrst/
New York, 26 – 29 March 2013
http://www.newyorkmun.org/slideshow/page21.html ————————————————————————————————- African Union
————————————————————————————————- Deadline to apply: 20 December 2012
————————————————————————————————- THE WORLD WE WANT IN 2015 UK Beyond2015 Bulletin 3_Updated TURKEY: 2015 WORLD WE WANT UGLA_Habitat_Video_Basin Bülteni TURKEY: 2015 WORLD WE WANT IYLA_Habitat_Video Press Release
————————————————————————————————- Sidewalk University Gives the Gift of Sight to Children Trip in Antigua and Barbuda : Press Release
————————————————————————————————- Netherlands Water Parnership – Waterproof and Waterproof –
————————————————————————————————- https://sites.google.com/site/youthmdgambassadors/ 
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————————————————————————————————- Risk management – Principles and guidelines ISO 31000:2009 provides principles
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*Worldview Mission is Standing Up ,* Taking Action* , **Making Noise for the United Nations MDGL’s !!!**
