On Monday, June 19 2017, the Government of Czech Republic and the Government of Sri Lanka deposited their instruments of ratification, thereby becoming the 59th and 60th future Parties to the Minamata Convention.
Geneva, Switzerland will host the 1st Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP1) in September, 2017
The double ratification follows that of France, which deposited its instrument of ratification just four days earlier on Thursday, June 15, 2017 and becoming the 58th Party to the Convention.
Prior to this, nations such as Austria (Monday, June 12), Niger (Friday, June 9), Finland (Thursday, June 1), Slokavia (Wednesday, May 31) and St Kitts and Nevis (Wednesday, May 24) had ratified the Convention.
The Minamata Convention has already entered into force, thanks to the landmark rash of ratifications on Thursday, May 18, 2017 that triggered the Convention on Mercury into force, having garnered the required 50 ratifications.
On that day, the EU and seven of its member States – Bulgaria, Denmark, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden – deposited their instruments of ratification at the UN Headquarters in New York, bringing to 51 that day the number of future Parties.
As a result, on August 16 2017, the Convention, which aims at protecting human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds, will become legally binding for all its Parties.
The 1st Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP1) will gather governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations from around the world in Geneva from September 24 to 29, 2017.
The Minamata Convention is said to be the first new global Convention on environment and health adopted for close to a decade. It addresses the entire life cycle of mercury, considered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top 10 chemicals of major health concern, which threatens the environment and health of millions.
To one schooled in natural resources management, it is simply unthinkable why a farmer would cultivate crops on river banks or even farm in river beds. If you belong to the scholastic group, you understand that this kind of farming practice is unsustainable, and undermines livelihood and development.
Ghana Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng
But, for the farmer, it is an issue of livelihood survival, in a situation of irregular rainfall and degraded farm lands unable to support productivity. Consequently, most African farmers in desperation are farming on river banks and in river beds, a practice that is resulting in further degradation of the land.
Soil scientists define land degradation as the reduction or complete loss of the biological and ecological productivity of land. The process begins with the loss of vegetative cover and ends with the destruction of the soil’s fertility.
It involves the weakening of the resilience of the land: that is reducing the land’s ability to recover after a disturbance. The scientists say the disturbance might be climatic, such as a drought or a pro-longed period of absence of rain, clearing of vegetation and crop growing.
Experts also agree that land degradation eventually leads to desertification, a process by which fertile land becomes dry or scorched land through unsustainable farming practices like slash and burn in land clearing; incorrect irrigation; water erosion; and overgrazing, which removes grass cover and erodes topsoil; as well as climate change.
When a land gets to this stage, there could be absence of rainfall or little rainfall, so that the land is able to support only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all. The land has become a desert in which only few forms of life can exist.
It is worthy of note that there are natural dry lands that have and support its own form of endemic vegetation. This is different from degraded lands resulting from destructive human activities.
According to the United Nations (UN) Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), more than half of agricultural land is affected by soil degradation, while 12 million hectares of arable land, enough to grow 20 tonnes of grain, are lost to drought and desertification annually, with 1.5 billion people affected in over 100 countries – therefore, the urgent need to halt land degradation as a global action.
Africa is seen to be particularly vulnerable to desertification, because two thirds of the continent is either desert or drylands, and 73% of the continent’s agricultural drylands are already degraded. More than two thirds of the population is made up of subsistence farmers and, therefore, the impact of land degradation is immediate and devastating.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has stated that unless the spread of desertification manifesting in the “spread of arid desert like areas of land is stopped,” Africa will lose two-thirds of its arable land by 2030, just 13 years from now.
While, the economic costs of desertification and land degradation for Africa stands at $490 billion per year, the UNCCD is optimistic that sustainable land management can help generate up to $1.4 trillion of economic benefits.
It is from this perspective, that the UN System has, for 23 years now, been reminding the international community that “desertification can be effectively tackled, that solutions are possible, and that key tools to this aim lay in strengthened community participation and co-operation at all levels.”
In 1994, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, adopted the Convention to Combat Desertification in countries experiencing serious drought and or desertification, particularly in Africa. It further instituted June 17th as the International Day to promote public awareness on issues of desertification and drought, and the need to combat them.
This year’s World Day to Combat Desertification, which fell on last Saturday June 17th, was on the theme: “The land is our home, our future,” focusing on the relationship between land degradation and migration, and how local communities can build resilience to several development challenges through sustainable management practices.
The UN puts the figure of international migrants from 222 million in 2010 to 244 million in 2015. According to the UNCCD, the underlying element is the linkage “between migration and development challenges, in particular, the consequences of environmental degradation, political instability, food insecurity and poverty.”
In a statement released earlier to commemorate the Day, UNCCD Executive Secretary, Monique Barbut, said, “Migration is high on the political agenda all over the world as some rural communities feel left behind and others flee their lands.”
She stressed that “the problem of migration signals a growing sense of hopelessness due to the lack of choice or loss of livelihoods,” noting that “productive land is a timeless tool for creating wealth.”
Ms. Barbut called for “… a campaign to re-invest in rural lands and unleash their massive job-creating potential, from Burkina Faso, Chile and China, to Italy, Mexico, Ukraine and St. Lucia.”
She said more than 100 of the 169 countries affected by desertification or drought are setting national targets to curb runaway land degradation by the year 2030.
As a signatory to the UNCCD, Ghana has in place a National Action Plan (NAP) that acknowledges the need to maintain the integrity of ecosystems and ensure proper management of natural resources, in order to sustain high agricultural production and ensure food security and enhanced livelihoods; whilst combating desertification.
The NAP, which has been in place since 2002, was prepared under the leadership of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with other environmentally related institutions.
Some of the key action plans include the need to re-look the approach to the nation’s land use planning system. Specific actions include reviewing the Land Planning and Soil conservation (Amendment) Act of 1957; supporting a study of the structure and functions of existing land management agencies and planning of land use in Ghana; monitoring and reclamation of degraded lands; and promoting land zoning, mapping and production of land resources management plans at the national, regional and district levels.
Another key action plan is soil and water conservation under which specific actions include sustained promotion of the use of simple agronomic soil and water conservation measures such as agro-forestry, crop rotation, tied ridging, and mulching; promoting the central role of traditional rulers, landlords and earth priests (Tindanas) in mobilizing communities for Integrated Water Management activities; and assisting farmers to form common Interest Groups for the implementation of integrated water resources management.
The Plan also identifies mining as a key area for engagement with specific actions such as reclamation of degraded mined sites; institutional support for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the law enforcement agencies to enable them function effectively; sustained dialogue between EPA on one hand and traditional authorities, the miners and DAs on issues relating to sustainable mining activities and ecological stability; and sustained environmental education for all stakeholders in the mining industry.
Management of vegetative cover is also highlighted as key action area, with specific actions including assessing the degree and nature of disturbance within the various vegetative formations to aid the planning of management strategies.
Meanwhile, the national celebration of World Day to Combat Desertification in Ghana was observed with a forum organised on the theme and slogan: “Improving Land Management: Sustainable Livelihoods” – “Set the Pace: Productive Use of Dryland.”
This was the 8th National Desertification Forum organised by the EPA in Wa, Upper West region to share ideas on challenges, opportunities, and adaptation strategies to help reverse desertification in the region.
In a statement read on his behalf, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, said 65% of Ghana’s land area is prone to soil erosion and desertification, and that “It is scientifically proven that what has accounted for this present situation is the mismanagement of the ecological systems.”
The statement described the problem of land degradation in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions as becoming more pronounced with serious implications on the livelihoods of the people, such as continuous mass migration of people to the southern parts of the country or urban areas in to work.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng’s statement called for the “national adoption of very innovative ways to improve the social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being for the country’s drylands.”
Five remote Pacific islands are once again safe havens for four of the world’s rarest bird species following the success of one of the most ambitious island restoration projects ever implemented.
Rare bird species: The critically endangered Polynesian Ground Dove
Just two years after ambitious efforts by a team of international conservation organisations to rid French Polynesia’s Acteon & Gambier island groups of invasive mammals began, five of six targeted islands are now confirmed as predator-free – a ground-breaking one thousand hectares in total. Early signs already indicate that rare birds found nowhere else in the world (endemic) and other native plants and animals are recovering as the remote islands return to their former glory.
The Polynesian Ground-dove Alopecoenas erythropterus (locally known as Tutururu) is one of the rarest birds on the planet with fewer than 200 individuals left. Predation and competition by destructive, non-native (invasive) mammals in French Polynesia have driven this and other rare, endemic bird species to the brink of extinction. The species is listed by BirdLife International as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List – a category that signals an extremely high risk of extinction within our lifetimes.
“The Acteon Gambier island group is home to the last viable population of Polynesian Ground-dove, a species once much more widespread in the Pacific,” said Steve Cranwell, BirdLife International’s Invasive Species Manager. “This bird’s remaining predator-free habitat was so small that without this intervention, a cyclone, prolonged drought, or accidental rat or avian disease introduction could trigger extinction.”
Introduced mammalian species alone are believed to be responsible for 90% of all bird extinctions since 1500. Early human explorers introduced invasive species such as rats to the remote Acteon & Gambier islands (and thousands more around the world), upsetting the natural balances of the islands and threatening the native plants and wildlife that evolved without defences against land predators.
Operation Restoration
Combining resources, expertise, equipment, and logistical skills, a coalition of NGOs, BirdLife International, SOP Manu (BirdLife Partner, French Polynesia) and Island Conservation – together with the support of the government of French Polynesia, landowners, other partners and local volunteers – voyaged over 1,500 km to six of French Polynesia’s remote islands of Vahanga, Tenarunga, Temoe, Kamaka, Makaroa and Manui to complete the challenging project in 2015.
The project required years of planning and fundraising (including a partnership with Rovio’s Angry Birds), involved nine permits, 165 helicopter flight hours, three ships transporting hundreds of tonnes of equipment and donated bait from key partners Bell Laboratories and Tomcat, as well as 31 personnel from six countries (from three continents) who endured extraordinary weather and sea conditions during 12-day journeys to and from the islands. The prospect of a brighter future for the Tutururu and other native island species made the operations well-worth the effort.
“After extensive monitoring, a survey in April has confirmed great success on five of the six islands,” reported Dr David Beaune, Director SOP Manu. “This is a tremendous achievement that will provide a permanent solution to the alarming declines of native species on these islands due to predation and competition from invasive species.”
Double benefits: safe habitat and local coconut production
“The project has more than doubled the secure habitat for both the Polynesian Ground-dove and the Tuamotu Sandpiper Prosobonia parvirostris (locally: Titi), a globally Endangered landbird,” said Cranwell. “The islands look vibrant with new native vegetation, and both bird species have now established and are increasing on the island of Tenarunga – something that has not been possible for decades.”
The benefits extend beyond nature alone. “Without rats, local land managers reported a doubling of their copra (coconut kernel) production in 2016 – a major source of income for these isolated communities,” said Pere Joel Aumeran Vicar General for the Catholic Church. “Safeguarding our islands’ natural value is a foundation of Polynesian culture and important to the Catholic Church. This tremendous contribution to the lives of local people ensures these islands fully recover and remain predator-free; a legacy the Puamotu people leaves for generations to come”.
“While the success of this project is vital to securing the future for these globally threatened birds, it also provides important safe habitat for other endemic species in a region where there is very little invasive-predator-free habitat,” explained Richard Griffiths, Island Conservation’s Project Director. “The success also serves as an indicator that invasive-species-driven extinctions on other remote islands can be avoided if this operation is replicated at scale.”
Next steps
“We now need to increase the habitat range of these species by translocating small populations to islands where they were previously found – a conservation technique proven highly effective in Polynesia,” said Dr. Beaune. “Plans are underway to re-introduce the Tutururu andTiti to Temoe, and to attract other endangered seabirds such as the Polynesian Storm-petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa to these predator-free islands.”
To inform future restoration efforts for complex islands with challenging terrain, the team is conducting an analysis of the Kamaka effort, which did not succeed. With invasive mammals now eradicated from the five islands, the coalition’s attention is shifting to biosecurity – preventing re-invasion through monitoring, education (brochures and signs for tourists), and stringent inspections of incoming vessels.
“French Polynesia can be immensely proud of completing this project, which, for its scale and complexity, is a first for the region,” Griffiths said. “The government of French Polynesia is well positioned to capitalise on this success and become a leader within the Pacific to rid Oceania’s islands of damaging invasive species.”
Part of the world’s longest cross-desert highway is set to open at the end of June 2017, with the rest of the road scheduled to open in 2019.
An intersection at the cross-desert highway in China
The road links the Chinese capital Beijing to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Stretching 2,540 kilometres, the highway passes through six regions and provinces.
The landmark highway, which cost 37 billion yuan ($5.55 billion) to build, is part of the Jingxin Expressway.
One stretch of this new highway is a 930-kilometre section from Linhe and Baigeda in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It passes through the Gobi and Badain Jaran deserts, making it the longest cross-desert highway in the world.
This length is almost the same distance between Beijing and China’s former capital, Nanjing, in eastern Jiangsu Province.
The highway project is part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to improve connectivity and increase trade among countries along the ancient Silk Road from Asia to Europe and Africa.
China has announced that the largest floating photovoltaic (PV) facility on earth has finally been completed and connected to the local power grid. Long reviled for its carbon emission record, this appears to be the Chinese government’s latest achievement in its ongoing effort to lead the world in renewable energy adoption.
The floating solar power plant
Located in the city of Huainan in the Anhui province, the 40-megawatt facility was created by PV inverter manufacturer Sungrow Power Supply Co. Ironically, the floating grid itself was constructed over a flooded former coal-mining region.
Floating solar farms are becoming increasingly popular around the world because their unique design addresses multiple efficiency and city planning issues. These floating apparatuses free up land in more populated areas and also reduce water evaporation. The cooler air at the surface also helps to minimise the risk of solar cell performance atrophy, which is often related to long-term exposure to warmer temperatures.
This is said to be the first of many solar energy operations popping up around China. In 2016, the country unveiled a similar 20MW floating facility in the same area. China is also home to the Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, a massive 10-square-mile, land-based facility touted as the largest solar power plant on earth.
This transition to solar is in large part due to the rapidly plummeting cost of the technology itself. By 2020, China could reduce prices offered to PV developers by more than a third with solar power plants projected to rival coal facilities. The nation has also announced plans to increase its use of non-fissile fuel energy sources by 20 percent.
That said, the U.S. is no slouch when it comes to renewable power innovation. The University of Texas professor who pioneered the lithium-ion battery technology recently pushed the envelope on batteries again, and Google claims its data centers operate on 100-percent renewable energy.
An annual report released by NASA and NOAA determined that 2016 was the warmest year on record globally, marking the third year in a row in which a new record was set for global average surface temperatures. That said, if we as a species hope to reverse this dire trend, initiatives like this and others will need to be adopted around the globe. And small changes at home may help: Solar chargers for your smartphone are just one way to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels.
Real Madrid President, Florentino Perez, says he has not spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo about the player’s future, but will do so after the FIFA Confederation Cup in Russia.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The 32-year-old is said to have indicated interest to leave Real Madrid after being accused of tax fraud.
The forward, who is with the Portugal squad in Russia, signed a new five-year contract in November 2016, but has been linked with a move to Manchester United.
Spanish prosecutors have accused Ronaldo of defrauding the authorities of millions of euros in tax, which he had denied.
Meanwhile, Portugal will face host Russia, Wednesday, in their second Group B match at the ongoing Confederation Cup.
The European Champions started their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Mexico, while Russia defeated New Zealand 2-0 in its first game.
Mexico will clash with New Zealand in one of the fixtures slated for Wednesday, while African Champions, Cameroon, who fell 0-2 to Chile in their first game, battle it out against Australia on Thursday.
World Champions, Germany, began their campaign Monday, with a 3-2 victory over Australia.
Australia midfielder, Aaron Moore, said the team is disappointed to have lost to the world champions, but hopeful for a better result when it faces Cameroon on Thursday. German’s next Group B game is against Chile on Thursday.
FIFA has defended the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) in the Confederation Cup, saying the technology is the future of football.
The system was used five times so far in Russia, causing confusion atimes for spectators. FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, says the VAR has helped referees to make the correct decisions.
Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, has said that Nigeria will benefit by signing up for the African Development Bank (AfDB) funded Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment (ENABLE Youth) Programme.
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Director General, Nteranya Sanginga (right), welcomes Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to IITA, Ibadan. Photo credit: O. Adebayo, IITA
Nigeria’s signatory to the ENABLE youth programme, according to her, will make the country the third African country coming behind Cameroon and Sudan to benefit from funds under the AfDB Feed Africa initiative.
The ENABLE youth programme is modelled after the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Youth Agripreneur (IYA) programme, which is said to have seen a lot of success.
The programme is expected to create business opportunities and decent employment for 1,000 young women and men along priority agricultural value chains of various enterprises (aquaculture, crops farming, marketing and processing) per state, including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, according to the Director General of IITA, Dr Nteranya Sanginga.
Mrs Adeosun said that she was inspired and impressed with the concept and the testimonials of the young agricultural entrepreneurs.
“We came here – IITA – to assess a project (ENABLE Youth) being considered by the Federal Government. From what I have seen today, I am extremely impressed and inspired! We should work on how we can roll out this project nationally,” the Minister said during a visit to IITA in Ibadan, Oyo State, on June 10.
Like several other African nations, Nigeria is caught in between rising youth employment and food insecurity. In 2012, Dr Sanginga initiated a youth-in-agriculture programme to serve as a model for African nations to emulate and prosper. Under the model, youths are trained – both in theory and practice – and mentored with a view to changing their mindsets towards agriculture. In the end, they key into startups in the agricultural value chains.
Dr Sanginga described the IYA model as a template that would help African countries tackle the challenge of unemployment on the continent and create wealth.
“We have tested it in IITA, Nigeria, and several countries and it is working,” he said.
Testimonials on how the IYA programme is creating jobs, wealth, and transforming agriculture abound. For Mercy Wakawa from Biu, Borno State, the training provided by IYA through N2Africa project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation two years ago had helped her establish a medium scale groundnut oil processing industry that provides employment for seven other youths and supports the local groundnut industry.
Ajibola Olaniyi leads a team of two other young people who ventured into catfish farming. Without prior knowledge about fish farming but with support from IITA, Ajibola and her team resuscitated four abandoned ponds and later expanded to 17 with a capacity of 150 tons of fish production per year. The expansion of the business also created jobs for short-term staff who work with the team in managing the ponds. The business is growing with clients coming from the various geo-political zones in Nigeria to patronise the products.
TOFAN Foods is a subsidiary of IITA Youth Agripreneurs. The business, which is owned by three young people who were trained under the processing unit of IYA, is producing Tidbit. The snack is made from high quality cassava flour and cowpea. TOFAN Foods has been established in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, and will be scaling out the technology learned during the incubation period in IYA.
Oyindamola Asaaju, another Agripreneur, used to serve tables at a restaurant, but after getting involved with IYA, she now leads a group of Agripreneurs in Onne, Rivers State. The group is using the IITA Station in Onne to develop new agribusiness enterprises in poultry, catfish, and micropropagation of plantain, and serve as an incubation centre for young people.
The Civil20 (C20) Summit concluded in Hamburg, Germany on Monday, June 19, 2017 with over 300 civil society groups from around the world urging the world’s largest and richest countries, the G20, to commit to firm and immediate action on global challenges like climate change, inequality and regulation of financial markets.
Wael Hmaidan, International Director, CAN
This comes three weeks ahead of the G20 Summit on July 7-8 when Heads of State will be hosted by the German Presidency.
The two-day C20 meeting, under the theme “The World We Want”, produced a Statement to advise governments on priority issues that require their joint attention.
Climate Action Network (CAN), a global network of non-governmental oganisations (NGOs), says it welcomes the focus on climate change. The Statement reiterates that the global civil society rejects the recent decision of the United States government to withdraw from the historic Paris Agreement, a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from outside and within the US. It calls on the remaining 19 countries to reaffirm and strengthen their commitment to the Paris goals by taking steps to implement it wholeheartedly.
“They must do this by submitting ambitious long-term climate strategies, phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, setting effective and fair carbon price signals, shifting the finance flows to promote transformation and resilience and sticking to the promises to ramp up climate financing,” stresses CAN.
Calling for a radical transformation of the current neoliberal economic system, it says: “We can no longer treat the environment, oceans and the atmosphere as though they were limitless sinks for pollution and greenhouse gases.”
Wael Hmaidan, International Director, Climate Action Network, notes: “Climate change has been at the top of the agenda across the Civil 20 Summit here in Hamburg over the last two days, where civil society groups have made it absolutely clear that they expect an ambitious outcome from this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit.
“The case for acting on climate change is incontestable for the future of our planet and people, but also to make the most of the opportunities of transitioning to a sustainable future that include creating jobs, making economies more resilient and promoting security.”
Recently, the engagement groups of the G20, representing civil society, think tanks, foundations, women, labor and business also put out a joint statement asking countries to stand by their climate commitments despite the US withdrawal and step up ambition in the years to come.
The C20 main objective is to facilitate a structured and sustained exchange of critical reflection and political perspectives amongst civil society in G20 countries and beyond on the G20 agenda.
The CAN says it works to promote government and individual action to limit human-induced climate change to ecologically sustainable levels.
“We are asking for clean waters, we are asking for safe food, we are asking for the right for fishermen to carry out their craft – employment, because the fishing sector employs far more Africans than the structive sector.”
Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) (left) and Desmond D’sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), with fishermen during the launch of the Fish Not Oil project in Durban, South Africa
Those were the passionate words of Nigerian activist Nnimmo Bassey on Monday, June 19, 2017 at the Durban beachfront, by the Snake Park in South Africa, venue of the launch of the Fish Not Oil project.
Bassey, Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), says fishermen want the right to fish, have a sufficient catch and to fish according to the law.
Bassey was in the company of a group of fishermen who had gathered in solidarity for the project. Fish Not Oil is an initiative which calls for the government to listen to the plight of fishermen and how oil exploration negatively impacts on the sea.
Durban has a large fishing community and a few fish for recreational purposes, while many fish to provide food for their families.
The fishermen were also provided with books that will aid them in becoming better fishermen. One book teaches you everything you need to know about how to fish, especially issues linked to the law, while the other book teaches about the importance of fish and the nutrients contained in it.
“It teaches them about housekeeping, it teaches them about the size of fish they should catch – if they catch smaller fish, what should they do? Throw it back – it teaches them about the equipment – how it should be left, how it should be dealt with, but more importantly, it teaches them to be role models as fishermen,” says Desmond D’sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance.
It was gathered that, in future, the fishermen will engage with the city of eThekwini as well as Transnet, facilitated by the Durban University of Technology.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017 appears to symbolise a special day in the history of global climate action as it marks the day when the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened for signing by Governments at the UN in New York.
Flashback: US President George W. Bush signing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on behalf of his country. Photo credit: UN
This followed its adoption a few weeks before in 1992 by world leaders at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), otherwise referred to as the Rio Earth Summit.
According to the UNFCCC, it signaled a key milestone on the journey to a better, more secure world that, 23 years later, would see the birth of the universal Paris Climate Change Agreement of 2015.
“Over the intervening years, many remarkable foundations were laid and pillars erected that provided the impetus and building blocks towards what became the Paris Agreement. These include the Kyoto Protocol, the establishment of carbon markets under the Clean Development Mechanism and increasing efforts to bring adaptation and resilience to the fore alongside emission reduction measures,” discloses the UN body.
It believes that the world has changed a lot since 1992 – geo-politically, economically, technologically, socially and environmentally, but that the vision established 25 years ago has endured despite many ups and downs and bumps along the way.
It adds: “Today, record amounts of renewable energies are being installed world-wide and costs are tumbling; new kinds of carbon markets are expanding; investors are shifting funds into more sustainable investments and issuing new kinds of instruments like green bonds.
“Electric vehicles are starting to take off and storage of electricity, generated from clean energies, is perhaps on the cusp of a technological breakthrough.
“Increasing numbers of projects and initiatives are factoring the climate but also the wider sustainable development of the natural world into national and global action – from improved management of forests, soils and river systems to coastal ecosystem such as mangroves and sea grasses.
“Support by cities, regions, territories and states, alongside major companies; insurers; pension funds and citizens is unprecedented with so many aligning behind the Paris Agreement.”
The UNFCCC entered into force some two years later – in March 1994. Paris’s entry into force appeared to be more rapid – a development observers say underlies a higher level of urgency but also optimism to address a phenomenon that will define the future of development and perhaps the human race itself over the coming decades and centuries.
Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, says: “In marking this 25th anniversary, we are paying tribute to all those leaders from the worlds of politics, science, civil society, local authorities, the private sector and communities who recognised the threats emerging from climate change and laid a fundamental foundation to address this challenge”.
“Over the next 25 years, through the implementation of the Paris Agreement, we must together complete or substantially complete their work and increasingly transform a threat and a major risk into an unprecedented opportunity for every man, woman and child,” she said.
“I also look forward to welcoming as many people as can attend the UN climate conference in Bonn, Germany in November 2017, where we can write the next historic chapter on cooperative climate action,” Ms Espinosa adds.
The UNFCCC says it is marking the 25th anniversary of the opening for signature in New York with the publication of archival images and other communications products.
Similarly, it is urging governments, sub-national governments, business, investors, NGOs and citizens to join in on Tuesday with their own memories, thoughts, pictures and forward-looking statements.
