COP20 – Climate summit in Lima, Peru

Sustainable Innovation Forum in partnership with UNEPsustainable Innovation Forum in partnership with UNEP

Climate diplomats from over 195 countries have been expected to attend the 20th Conference of Parties (COP20) in Lima, Peru scheduled on Dec 1 – 9 to draft and formalize commitments to cap carbon emission targets which will be sealed in Paris this coming April.

The April conference (COP21)  is significant as it could be the last chance for nations to close a deal which will be culminated in Paris towards the end of 2015. Discussions will focus on limiting earth’s temperature below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), a target scientists have said could save humanity from catastrophic global warming.

The forum on Dec 9 expects to generate robust debate and sharing of ideas on technology and solutions that can turn into positive actions to climate-proof the post-2015 development. The event is organised by Climate Action, in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) alongside the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP), the forum generates

Stay tuned for more updates.

Update Here’s a breakdown of the most significant developments at COP20 , the 20th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC: highlights from the draft negotiating text; information and assessment of countries’ actions; finance; adaptation and loss and damage; pre-2020 ambition; forests and restoration, and cities.

From G20 Summit Brisbane to Road to Paris 2015

The recently-concluded G20 Summit held in Brisbane, 16-17 Nov, re-confirmed the significance of climate change and the urgency to take collective action to address the climate crisis. Twenty-one points were outlined in the communique, including energy efficiency (No. 18) and climate change (No.19).

 No.19. “We support strong and effective action to address climate change. Consistent with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its agreed outcomes, our actions will support sustainable development, economic growth, and certainty for business and investment. We will work together to adopt successfully a protocol, another legal instrument or an agreed outcome with legal force under the UNFCCC that is applicable to all parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in Paris in 2015. We encourage parties that are ready to communicate their intended nationally determined contributions well in advance of COP21 (by the first quarter of 2015 for those parties ready to do so). We reaffirm our support for mobilising finance for adaptation and mitigation, such as the Green Climate Fund.”

World leaders have made progressive steps leading to the Road to Paris, COP21, next year. During the World Climate Summit 2013, at COP19, Warsaw, Poland, a multi-sector representing businesses, finance, and governments agreed to create a bottom-up public-private initiative to provide practical and impactful solutions to address climate change.

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UN Peace Ambassador for Climate Change Leonardo Di Caprio and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Al Gore. Di Caprio confirmed his attendance for the COP21.

A clear roadmap, realistic and comprehensive targets, bottom-up initiatives and commitments, and various other aspects were being called for.  These are presented in details in the Road to Paris action statement. Visit the Road to Paris 2015 portal here.

Link to The Green Journal AU

UN Climate Summit 2014

The People’s March for Climate Action will kick off tomorrow in major cities all over the world to demand action on climate change for our common future. This is in time of the UN Climate Summit 2014 which will gather over 140 heads of state and government, alongside business leaders, activists, philanthropists, celebrities, media, and more to tackle the most pressing issues of our time.

The Climate Reality Project, meanwhile, has come up with proposed solutions and reasons for hope. On September 16-17, it broadcasted for 24 hours, exploring 24 reasons to be hopeful on the issue of climate change. Here’s a look at the good news the project has covered:

24hrs-of-reality

Rowena as a new Climate Reality presenter

0604With erratic weather conditions that challenge people’s way of life, Rowena Dela Rosa Yoon has joined hundreds of like-minded people from over 30 countries last month to receive personal training from former US Vice President Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project (CRP). The training marked the 25th since the global project was launched in 2006.

 

Frequent and more severe weather conditions have wreaked havoc on the lives of many people and communities,  destroying livelihoods, massive investments, and infrastructure. Mega-cyclones and hurricanes have become more frequent, while severe flooding and bushfires have been raging unprecendentedly. In many parts of the world, drought and famine have triggered ethnic wars resulting to massive displacement of people and influx of refugees.

 

Calamities and disasters are not merely a natural phenomenon. Scientific studies show that they are aggravated by human activities such as logging and deforestation, unabated carbon and methane emissions, irresponsible resource and waste management, and government inaction.

 

At this juncture in human history, however, a major shift is taking place, with grassroots worldwide taking the future into their hands. There are solutions to the climate crisis.

 

Mr Gore has trained leaders around the world, including small communities. He has offered to support committed leaders standing up to take action on the climate crisis. “Our goal is to provide them with the best possible tools to become even more effective leaders in their schools, businesses, houses of worship, and local and national governments,” Mr Gore said.

 

Ken Berlin, President and CEO of the CRP also said during the leadership training he is convinced that the important work being done by Mr Gore and the CRP is absolutely vital to solving the climate crisis. He added, “Now more than ever, we need a large corps of climate change leaders who can speak to and reach out to their communities with a message that develops the support needed to change the culture and politics of climate change, and which convinces our political, social and business leaders to do the right thing and embrace the solutions at our fingertips.”

 

Ms Dela Rosa Yoon has an extensive professional background in journalism and strategic communications. Her interest in climate leadership is rooted her long years of experience as an environmental writer. “People need education and empowerment to be able to look better for the planet. There must be a better, more responsible, and more sustainable way of living. It is the key to our survival,” she said.

 

She is available to speak to small organizations and communities and present the state of climate and the way forward. For more info, read her profile at: Climate Reality Presenters. Contact her here.

Nobel Peace Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore (seated, front-centre) poses with new leaders and presenters.

Website Re-design

 

APEC's Green Towns
APEC’s Green Towns
Tianjin, China eco-city is poised to become a model for sustainable urban planning and development. (Photo: Inhabitat)
Tianjin, China eco-city is poised to become a model for sustainable urban planning and development. (Photo: Inhabitat)

 

Thank you for passing by and welcome to my newly redesigned website!

I removed all the clutter and transformed this site into a minimalist portal.

I am currently working on the RESOURCES which provides links to data banks on climate change .

I will be adding a PORTFOLIO page which also offers a window to my current projects.

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