Climate Summit in Poland must ensure justice to vulnerable people, demand activists

Amidst the devastating storms in the Philippines, China and the USA, floods in Ghana, Nigeria, India and record temperatures in many parts of the world, the United Nations body to address climate change impacts met in Bonn.

The meeting addressed proposed recommendations for climate change displacement and undertook intense discussions on the scope of an important report on finance for loss and damage, amongst other issues. Civil society representatives present at the meeting were dismayed by a continued lack of progress due to blocking from rich countries on key issues.

The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage (WIM) is due to celebrate its fifth anniversary which lends itself to the question ‘what has the WIM achieved in the last five years?’ As the upcoming climate summit (COP24) will again be held in Poland, it is time for the country where the loss and damage mechanism began, to take responsibility for putting it back on track.

Climate change displacement

The meeting dealt with the findings of a year-long process mandated in 2015 at Paris to identify ways to help people displaced by climate change - whether it be people forced to move by increasingly violent storms, as we see in the Philippines, extreme floods like in Nigeria or people forced to move longer term by extreme droughts. The Task Force on Displacement, composed of a number of experts from the field of displacement, compiled a set of recommendations addressing the UN climate process, governments, UN agencies and others.

Sven Harmeling, Global Policy Lead on Climate Change and Resilience comments:
“The work of the Task Force on Displacement is the most comprehensive output on climate-related displacement under the UN climate process so far, and therefore also raises the bar for countries to take this matter seriously. Unfortunately, in three regards it fell far short from what is needed of meeting the needs of displaced people and at-risk communities. First, it misses to highlight the need to promote gender equality in actions to address displacement, despite human rights references which CARE welcomes. Second, it fails to highlight clearly the absolute need to get down with carbon emissions to limit global warming as an exacerbating factor. And third, it is almost silent on the matter of financial support to assist poor affected countries in dealing with displacement in a rights-based manner, and how developed countries and other contributors should scale up finance. Some developed countries have further resisted any meaningful discussion on raising support at the ExCom meeting.”

“While the UN committee acknowledged the rising challenge of climate induced migration, it failed to commit to concrete actions that will help the affected people. The whole world is facing unprecedented climate impacts and the urgent support is required by poor people in developing nations who are being forced out of their homes,” says Harjeet Singh, Global Lead on Climate Change for ActionAid.

Finance for loss and damage

The vulnerable people and countries facing the worst impacts of climate change urgently need more finance to help them to cope. A recent report showed that the majority of costs of loss and damage are paid by poor people and countries, including the example of Hurricane Maria, which decimated Dominica a year ago, and where only 23% of the loss and damage from the storm was provided in various forms of finance (see below*).

The loss and damage mechanism has an objective to mobilise finance for loss and damage - and it has been widely criticised for not meeting this objective.

“Even after five years of its existence, the committee has little to show in terms of providing money to the ones displaced by climate disasters. Rich countries continue to delay and obfuscate to stop vulnerable people getting the financial support they need to put their life back together after the disaster,” Singh adds.

At this meeting the Executive Committee was charged with agreeing an outline for a technical paper on finance for loss and damage.  The paper was originally commissioned by the climate summit in Marrakesh in 2016 (COP22) to inform the review of the loss and damage mechanism scheduled for the end of 2019. Unfortunately this initial preparation for the paper followed traditional lines - with rich countries blocking progress on including a genuine attempt to assess what finance is needed, and where such finance might be generated from.

“This technical paper was an opportunity to have an honest assessment of how much finance is needed by vulnerable people on the front line of climate impacts, and constructively consider new ways to generate this finance - like a Climate Damages Tax on the fossil fuel industry that is responsible for the majority of climate change.” said Julie-Anne Richards, an independent civil society expert present at the meeting.  “However, rich country delegates pushed through a plan for a smoke and mirrors report to make themselves look good. They are eager to double count all of their existing aid finance as climate adaptation finance and now it seems they want to triple count it as loss and damage finance, without any plan as to how to actually increase finance and help those suffering the worst impacts of climate change.”

Next Steps

Next month the IPCC will report on 1.5oC of warming - the severe impacts of which should provide momentum to the climate summit in Poland in December - offering the impetus to countries to reset the perspective on addressing loss and damage.

At the December Climate Summit, governments will have the opportunity to set the scene for the review of the loss and damage mechanism in 2019 and agree stronger recommendations to address climate displacement and provide finance for vulnerable people who are being increasingly hammered by extreme climate impacts.

 

Africa’s Environment Ministers call for action through innovative solutions

Guided by global environmental concern, ministers of environment and government representatives of African nations have committed to promote and invest in innovative solutions while implementing concrete actions to overcome environmental challenges facing the continent.

In a ministerial declaration issued today at the closing of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN), African governments agreed to enhance innovative environmental solutions and capacity building of human capital to achieve sustainable development in Africa. 

President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, in a statement read for him said ”it is important to note that environment is the foundation and the basis of the social and economic development of our countries.”

“I challenge you to come up with ways of enhancing the wealth from our rich biodiversity in forests, rangelands, wildlife and marine resources,” he added.

Under the theme “Turning environmental policies into action through environmental solutions”, the ministers came together from 17 to 19 September to mobilize political support and committed to integrate innovative solutions into their countries’ national development agendas.

“Africa needs to invest in innovative solutions to change its development pathway in a sustainable way. We need to deploy new and smart approaches to overcome the continent’s most pressing environmental challenges,” said Dr. Nezha El Ouafi Minister of Environment, Morocco and vice-president of AMCEN.

At the conference, ministers stressed the need to empower innovators, the private sector, micro-small and medium enterprises and civil society to use new approaches to address environmental challenges. They agreed to support Pan-African platforms on the environment to promote and share experiences and solutions across the continent. 

“Public-private sector partnership will have to play a key role in embracing innovation and turning environmental policies into concrete actions to achieve the objectives of the AU Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” Minister Ouafi added. 

Committing to enhance their countries’ efforts to implement policies, legislation and programmes promoting innovative solutions, the ministers called on UN Environment Assembly and UN Environment programme to increase support to African countries as well as facilitating access to innovative partnerships.

“Africa stands on the right side of history to support the environment. We have the human resources, natural wealth, and leadership to innovate and transform our region,” said Joyce Msuya, Deputy Head of UN Environment.

Addressing the Conference, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said, “Environment is central to human health; every year almost 12.6 million people die from hidden risks in the environment.” He called on African governments to put human and environmental health at the centre of policy making in all sectors.

Other key decisions made at the conference included:

Biological Diversity: African Governments recognized the urgent need to combat land degradation and restore ecosystems in Africa. A Pan-African action agenda is being prepared to respond to land and ecosystems degradation challenges. The Ministers agreed to develop common positions on various priority issues and speak with one voice during the upcoming 2018 UN Biodiversity Conference which will be held in Egypt in November 2018. The priorities will inform the post-2020 biodiversity framework and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

On Climate Change, the Ministers stressed that the outcomes of COP24 should reflect the spirit of the Paris agreement. The outcomes should balance between the Agreements elements related to action, support and transparency. Adaptation and finance should be core elements for effective operationalization of the Agreement. 

They emphasized the importance of enhancing accessibility, predictability and sustainability of means of implementation, in particular finance. They agreed to work constructively to deliver the mandate of the Paris Agreement Work Programme.

Health and Environment: Recognizing the nexus between environment and health, Ministers agreed to actively participate in the third Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa, Libreville, 9 to 12 October 2018. The theme is “Health and environment strategic alliance: a catalysis for action on the Sustainable Development Goals in Africa.” 

Ghana can have forests within its cities to fight climate change

Kenya’s Karura Forest Reserve sits on a prime land in the city of Nairobi, covering an area of over one thousand hectares.

The Forest features three natural caves and a 12m waterfall on river Karura, which attracts approximately 20,000 visitors monthly.

Through ecotourism, the forest generates enough revenue to cover its expenditure and makes good profit which is ploughed back into the management of the forest, according to forest manager, John Orwa.

The local community is also empowered under the Forest Act 2005 to demand best practices in the management of the forest – no tree is removed from the forest without community engagement.

Jacqueline Mbawine of conservation NGO, A Rocha Ghana, is inspired by the Karura story, as she shared the experience of community action in restoring degraded savanna, forest and mangrove areas in Ghana at the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum.

“I think it’s very possible to have forests within our cities,” she said. “In recent times there have been talks about urban forestry and effort being taken by many countries and organizations. In Ghana, the Forestry Commission is making efforts at establishing some urban forestry within the Weija enclave and I think this can be brought further down to Accra, the capital and other cities in the country”.

Jacqueline is however unhappy that community efforts to restore and protect landscapes are not recognized and appreciated.

“A current challenge we have is our Atewa rain forest reserve which has a wealth of Bauxite but also key in providing water supply to about 5million Ghanaians. However this forest is under great threat and it’s currently being exploited which is going to affect the people who get their livelihood and most especially their water supply from this landscape,” she observed.

Restoring 2m hectares in Ghana

Transitional and forest zones of Ghana are being threatened by mining, charcoal production and unsustainable agricultural activities.

The country’s Northern Savannah Ecological zone is highly vulnerable to environmental degradation and climate change due its geographic location and the dependence of its population on natural resources, rain-fed agriculture and transhumance systems.

This area, rich in biodiversity, was identified as one of the priority zones which need immediate attention under the Ghana Strategic Investment Framework (GSIF) for Sustainable Land Management (SLM).

In 2015, Ghana joined the AFR100 with a restoration commitment to plant 2million hectares of trees. 

The AFR100 is in accordance with Ghana's national priorities and commitments to the three Rio Conventions; namely the UN Convention to Combat Drought and Desertification (UNCCD), the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

Losing the forests implies that about 60 percent of the Ghanaian population who depend on the forest for their source of livelihood would be challenged.

The 2012 Forest and Wildlife Policy has some significant provisions to increase the country’s forest cover whilst addressing issues of tree tenure, which is a major cause for deforestation.

“We have managed to put into policy some steps to reform tree tenure, in which case government hands over off-reserve areas to communities to manage,” observed Albert Katako of Civic Response, an NGO.

He however said “it’s about time the government puts thoughts into action,” said.

Putting commitments into action

Trees and forests sustain and improve water availability, increase harvests, make communities more resilient to weather extremes, mitigate climate change, enhance food security and combat rural poverty. 

Restoring degraded lands for agro-forestry contributes to soil fertility and enhances the availability of food, fodder, fuel wood and other products.

The 3^rd AFR100 Annual Partnership meeting in Nairobi, Kenya had the theme “Taking Restoration to Scale: From Commitment to Implementation”.

The meeting brought together leadership from AFR100 partner countries, restoration champions, private sector operators, and technical partners to share lessons and good practices to further the implementation of forest landscapes restoration.

The meeting comes at a time when momentum is growing for a UN Decade on Landscape Connectivity and Ecosystem Restoration.

According to estimates by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Africa loses three million hectares of forest annually, while 65% of land is impacted by degradation.

AFR100 not only contributes to the Bonn Challenge goal of bringing 350 million hectares into restoration by 2030, but also fulfills the African Union’s mandate to bring 100 million hectares into restoration by 2030.

To date, 27 African countries have pledged to restore 96.4million hectares through the AFR100 initiative.

Mamadou Diakhité of the AU’s NEPAD Agency points to a strong political commitment to the AFR100, but says there is the need to move to the grassroots level for investments on restoration to reach the local communities, especially women and youth.

“We know that there are a lot of economic potentials, in terms of job creation, increasing productivity while restoring and working for sustainable development goals,” he said.

Describing the environment as central to economic development, Wanjira Mathai, an advisor to the AFR100, also acknowledged the political will of African leaders to landscapes restoration.

She however says enforcement of environmental legislation is most important, adding that “we’ve got to move from those pledges to implementation” by looking at critical issues of planning, monitoring, resourcing mobilizing and financing of restoration activities.

Forests for sustainable economies

Forest landscape restoration can drive economic development in Africa and enhance human well-being through enhancing agricultural output and securing livelihoods. 

Reforestation and landscape restoration as means of combating climate change are now high on the agenda of many governments and organizations, especially in the wake of COP21 in Paris.

Wanjira Mathai says it is only prudent not to encroach on the forests but to be efficient in the management of available space and be creative about the built environment.

“The environment, the parks, the green spaces are very much a part of livable cities,” noted Wanjira, whose mother, the legendary Wangari Maathai put her life on the line to save the Karura Forest from land grabs. “If you destroy your environment, you destroy yourself; a healthy environment supports healthy people”.

Jacqueline Mbawine is hoping Ghanaian and other African leaders will take a lesson from the Global Landscapes Forum to pay more attention to efforts to restore lands and to conserve the wealth of natural resources available for the betterment of the people.

“Forests play key role in managing forest system and given the fact that there is increasing effect of climate change, the presence of forests in our cities will help people have more healthy lifestyles, would have cleaner air and a wealth of wellbeing by the way we keep our environment”.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh

Leaving No One Behind in Landscapes Restoration

Tree planting, reforestation and landscape restoration as means of combating climate change are now high on the agenda of many governments and organizations, especially in the wake of COP21 in Paris which produced the historical Climate Change Agreement.
 

Children With Nature has taken the lead in mobilizing the youth and children of Africa with a clear focus to harness the demographic dividend for the environment, with focus on Tree Planting, E-Waste Management, Clean Oceans and Plastic Pollution Awareness.

The organization's Mission is to influence the youth to actively and sustainably protect the environment to help attain the Global Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union's Agenda 2063 and Kenya Vision 2030.

In ‘leaving no one behind’, the Organization also works with persons who are differently abled for inclusiveness in attaining the global goals.

At the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, Kofi Adu Domfeh gauged the participation of Children With Nature.

Watch report...

People Rise for Climate in creative global mobilization

This weekend people are joining over 735 actions in 90 countries under the banner of Rise for Climate to demonstrate the urgency of the climate crisis.

Communities around the world will shine a spotlight on the increasing impacts they are experiencing and demand local action to keep fossil fuels in the ground.

There will be hundreds of creative events and actions that challenge fossil fuels and call for a swift and just transition to 100% renewable energy for all.

The African continent will be teeming with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets in various cities from Cape Town to Cameroon participating in a range of activities from mini-summits to youth groups rallies, as part of the lead up to the Global Climate Action Summit to be held in San Francisco.

“Climate change is a matter of survival for millions of Africans already confronted with prolonged droughts, recurrent floodings, food insecurity, forced migrations and deadly conflicts due to water scarcity. By organising and joining Rise for Climate Mobilisations, Africans are calling their local governments and institutions to step up their efforts and do their utmost now to stop fossil fuels and develop 100% renewable energy for all,” said Landry Ninteretse, 350 Africa Team Leader.

A delegation of African leaders from 3 countries will be representing the continent where they will learn how to phase out fossil fuel extraction from countries who have committed to 100% Renewable Energy and begin a just energy transition that focuses on social and economic justice.

Ghanaian activists will be pushing the Energy Minister to increase the RE part into the national’s energy mix.

People are rising to support urgent action before 2020 to accelerate to the rapid phase out fossil fuels and a just transition to clean and fair energy systems for all.

This weekend Rise for Climate will demonstrate the growing strength and diversity of the climate movement and the people who won’t wait for governments to act, but will lead by example and hold them to account.

“As part of the earth community, human beings are deeply connected to the environment. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our existence on earth. As people of faith, our earth-centred spirituality provides a foundation on which we take action in healing earth and stopping climate change. In the face of earthly destruction, we need to continue to share the message of hope and to take action to respect and heal the earth and each other,” stated Francesca De Gasparris, Director of Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute.

Restoring degraded lands for sustainable development and climate resilience

Participants at the Global Landscape Forum (GLF) Nairobi 2018 have reignited the drive to restore at least 12 million hectares annually simply to reach land degradation neutrality.
 

Speakers from across Africa discussed their experiences and successes restoring forests, farms and coastlines for sustainable development, climate mitigation and adaptation.

“Unless urgent and concerted action is taken, land degradation will worsen in the face of population growth, unprecedented consumption, an increasingly globalized economy and climate change,” said Robert Nasi, Director General of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR). “We must restore at least 12 million hectares annually simply to reach land degradation neutrality. And if we want to rectify errors from the past, then we need to run twice as fast.”

Degraded landscapes each year cost 10 percent of the global economy, affecting the livelihoods and wellbeing of some 3 billion people across the world, many in developing countries. The global landscapes community aims to restore more than 2 billion hectares of degraded land worldwide – a footprint larger than South America. For progress to take place, the private and public sectors must invest $350 billion annually.

“We have the necessary technical knowledge to restore landscapes; what is missing is stronger political commitment and better rural governance,” said Stefan Schmitz of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. “This includes decentralizing decision-making, administrative capacities and financial resources; putting in place adequate territorial and tenure policies.”

Initiatives big and small, from the AFR100 to local efforts such as mangrove restoration, are demonstrating the potential for greater agricultural yields, ecosystem services and climate protection. At the same time, now is the time to convert commitments to restore hundreds of millions of hectares of land into action by involving communities, women and youth, the speakers said.

“In a degraded landscape, if a woman doesn’t have the firewood, it will be difficult for her to get the water,” said Mukasa. “We managed to bring together six communities using an adaptive collaborative management approach. That vision is over restoration of degraded landscapes. These communities have been able to produce community trees.”

UN Environment Executive Director, Erik Solheim, reiterated his support for a U.N. decade devoted to promoting the rehabilitation of degraded, damaged and destroyed ecosystems to help speed up the race against climate change and biodiversity loss. He urged participants to support the proposal for a U.N. Decade for Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030, which was first floated by El Salvador.

“Ecosystem restoration can counter climate change, poverty and biodiversity loss,” said Solheim. “A U.N. Decade for Ecosystem Restoration would give us an opportunity to accelerate restoration action and UN Environment supports El Salvador and the many other countries who are champions of this idea.”

GLF Nairobi 2018 also held discussions about ‘The Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative’, and there was a launch of a documentary and a concert by musician Rocky Dawuni.

Ghana’s Rocky Dawuni rocks the environment as UN Goodwill Ambassador

Rocky Dawuni, Ghanaian afro-roots artist and environmental activist, has been designated a UN Goodwill Ambassador for the African region to help drive the messages and goals of the UN Environment.

The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter performed at an electrifying concert to end the 2018 Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) at the UN Environment, Nairobi, Kenya, which highlighted opportunities for landscape restoration in Africa through community engagement.

Rocky has been lending his voice to amplify issues of poverty, environmental degradation, water and sanitation issues and women's rights.

He is passionate about the environment and loves to inspire others to appreciate the importance of caring for the earth.

“I believe in music activism,” he told 3news.com. “Protecting the land is important to me because that is what gives us sustenance…People should step up their responsibility to protect, preserve and sustain the environment”.

As a Regional UN Goodwill Ambassador, Rocky is uniquely positioned to generate considerable support and publicity amongst his audience for UN Environment’s goals through engaging, organizing, and leading activities specifically targeted to his audience.

“Dawuni’s eloquence, cultural diplomacy and successful melding of music and activism have led him to become a passionate spokesperson for various global causes” said Erik Solheim, Executive Director of UN Environment. “We are delighted to share the stage with another Goodwill Ambassador, Suzanna Awiyo, who, like Rocky, is a passionate humanitarian and environmentalist”.

United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors volunteer their time, talent and passion to raise awareness of UN efforts to improve the lives of billions of people everywhere.

“There is so much positive energy in Africa and many opportunities to protect and restore the environment across the continent,” said Rocky. “And music is a powerful force that brings people together and inspires action. I want to work with communities and help them share their successes and encourage them to keep moving forward to make the future brighter for generations to come.”

He has a mission to create the space for a movement of artistes and other stakeholders to advocate for the environment.

“I want to start finding the musicians around the continent who are passionate about the environment and even those who are not passionate to understand their responsibility of leveraging their platform to help achieve the goal of planting 100million trees by 2030,” said Rocky.

Rocky’s infectious grooves and dance-inducing anthems have consistently excited fans across the globe. A galvanizing performer, Dawuni has shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Jason Mraz, Janelle Monae and John Legend, among many others. Named one of Africa’s Top 10 global stars by CNN, he has showcased his talent at prestigious venues such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Rocky Dawuni joins an illustrious line-up of UN Environment Goodwill Ambassadors including Don Cheadle, Gisele Bundchen and Ellie Goulding.

By Kofi Adu Domfeh

Could Bangkok climate talks unlock the ‘Paris Rulebook’ stalemate?

As the last round of climate change negotiations start in Bangkok, Thailand, ACT Alliance joins other climate justice movements to call for significant progress in the development of the rulebook to guide the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“Major decisions on the implementation of the Paris agreement will be made at COP24 in Poland later this year, and this will depend on how much progress is made in the Bangkok negotiations. We want to see significant steps forward in all the negotiations to enable governments to make the necessary decisions when they meet at COP24,” says Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance General Secretary.

The rulebook, which elaborates the modalities, procedures and guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement, is extremely important because it determines how and whether the agreement can be implemented in a manner that is ambitious and equitable or not.

“The goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees, to build global resilience to the impacts of climate change and to provide financial resources to support the efforts of developing countries to respond to climate change can only be achieved if the rulebook reflects the necessary transparency, accountability, and ambition  and deliver climate justice that respects human rights and contributes to sustainable development,” says Martin Vogel, Chair of the ACT Alliance climate change group.

As an official observer to the UNFCCC, ACT Alliance has sent a delegation of policy experts to engage with the Bangkok negotiations and to support the efforts of most vulnerable developing countries while holding government accountable to the decisions they made in Paris in 2015.