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50th ratification triggers entry of Minamata Convention into force

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May 18, 2017

History was made on Thursday, May 18, 2017 when the Minamata Convention on Mercury effectively came into force, having garnered the required 50 ratifications.

Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The first COP to the Minamata Convention on Mercury will take place in September 2017 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo credit: OECD/Michael Dean

With the number of ratifications standing at 44 (courtesy of Norway, the 44th nation to ratify the Convention) as at Wednesday, Thursday however ushered in a “surprise” as 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 the current 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 updated list of Parties may be found here.

Similarly, the 1st Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention (COP1) has now been confirmed and it will gather governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations from around the world in Geneva from September 24 to 29, 2017.

According to the Convention Secretariat, the conference will play a key role in the future of the Convention as, according to the Secretariat, it will consider and adopt decisions covering technical, administrative as well as operational and financial matters. The President of Switzerland will host a high-level segment on “Making Mercury History” on September 28 and 29, adds the Secretariat.

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.

According to Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment (UNEP), there are alternatives to almost all of mercury’s current applications, such as newer, safer industrial processes, adding that all countries, big and small, can play a role – “as well as all of us, just by changing what we buy and use”.

In a statement, Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson, Global Environment Facility (GEF), said: “Today is a pivotal moment in the fight against harmful chemicals and their negative impact on health and the environment. On behalf of the Global Environment Facility, I am delighted to join others in the international community and celebrate the 50th Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. The Convention, which has been signed by 128 countries, will now come into force in 90 days.

“From the tragedy in Minamata in the 1950’s, to the decision of the UNEP Governing Council in 2009 to develop a global legally binding instrument on mercury, it has been a long journey to get us to this point.

“I want to thank UN Environment, all the governments, non-governmental organisations and others for their hard work and dedication to make this happen. I also want to take this opportunity to remember and honor the victims of mercury pollution in Minamata, Japan, that inspired this global action.

“Like other heavy metals, mercury persists in the environment forever. It can be transported over distances far removed from its original emission source, contaminating the food we eat, the water we drink and the air that we breathe.

“The Minamata Convention focuses on the entire life cycle of mercury, including controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries where mercury is used, released or emitted.

“As part of the Financial Mechanism of the Convention , the GEF has been charged with raising and disbursing grants for projects and programs to reduce and eliminate mercury pollution. GEF grants support a wide range of activities including inventories, implementation plans, and investments in technology for reduction and elimination of mercury.

“Over the last four years, the GEF has provided over $130 million to support early action and ratification of the Convention. More than 90 countries have already received funding.

“We are also supporting countries to take even bolder steps in seeking a sustainable way to phase out the use of mercury in the largest mercury consuming sector, artisanal and small scale gold mining. The Global Opportunities for Long-term Development (GOLD) GEF funded program supports miners, governments and the private sector to work together to bring transformational change in that sector.

“Today is a day for celebration, but there is still a huge task ahead of us. Mercury use and emissions are tied to many of our key economic activities including the production of power in many countries, manufacture of plastics and industrial processes. Addressing these challenges will require us all to work together to find viable solutions.

“On behalf of the GEF, I want to encourage all countries to ratify the Convention as it will require all countries to come to the table to make this a truly global effort.

“We look forward to the first Conference of the Parties to the Convention in September this year and continuing to work with and support governments as we move into the implementation phase of this critical Convention.”

Plans for COP23 said to be on track, but…

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May 18, 2017

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Organisers of the 23rd Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have said that preparations for the two-week event scheduled to hold in Bonn, Germany from November 6 this year are well underway and on track to deliver the infrastructure and arrangements needed for a successful meeting that can play its role in advancing the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement.

COP23-Bonn-UNFCCC — UNFCCC, Germany and Fiji officials unveil COP23 plans and programmes during a session in Bonn on Thursday, May 18, 2017

Officials of the UNFCCC disclosed on Thursday, May 18, 2017 that delegates would, during the global gathering, be able work in state-of-the-art conference facilities, and benefit from an array of services, exhibitions, concerts and other cultural events, which the citizens of Bonn can also enjoy.

The UNFCCC secretariat, as host of the Conference, stated that it is working with the Government of Germany, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the City of Bonn and the incoming Fijian COP23 Presidency to ensure a dynamic and successful Conference.

Speaking on the last day of the May UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, which is in preparation of COP23, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said: “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the incoming Fijian Presidency for its leadership, Germany for its excellent support, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia for its backing and the City of Bonn for its efforts to make the conference a success.”

“We are extremely honoured to be hosting COP23 and are determined to ensure strong and positive outcomes that will advance climate action across the globe. We are also determined to make the conference environmentally-friendly and a place where the atmosphere of positivity permeates throughout the negotiations and the many events planned,” she added.

The Chief Negotiator for the COP23 Presidency, Ambassador Nazhat Shemeem Khan, expressed Fiji’s gratitude for the support and encouragement it has received in the process so far, including from the UNFCCC, the German Government and the current Presidency of the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech (COP22), held in November last year.

“Following our consultations at the May UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, it is clear that the desire to keep up the momentum on the implementation of the Paris Climate Change Agreement is widespread. Working with our partners, we want to harness this collective enthusiasm to strive for ambitious goals at COP23 and beyond,” she said.

“We are particularly encouraged to see that the concept of ‘talanoa’ – meaning storytelling and dialogue – has already begun to take root in the negotiations and consultations. We truly believe that this inclusive, respectful and participatory approach will lead to decision making that moves the global climate agenda forward,” she added.

Talanoa is a process of inclusive, participatory and transparent dialogue that builds empathy and leads to decision making for the collective good. The name of one of the two main conference zones on the Rhine reflects Fijian culture.

A “Bula Zone” will be composed of the World Conference Centre Bonn, UN Campus and an extended area behind the Deutsche Welle building in Bonn. The word Bula originates from the Fijian culture and means hello as well as a blessing of health and happiness.

The “Bonn Zone”, which will be located in Bonn’s park area known as the “Rheinaue”, will accommodate climate action events including some high-level events, side events and exhibits organised by both UNFCCC and the Government of Germany. It will also include some media activities as well as events in the delegation pavilions.

There are however concerns being raised by observer groups that they (observers) will not be visible in the Bula Zone (formerly known as Blue Zone) anymore as there will be no more side events and exhibitions in the Bula Zone.

The question whether the constituency offices and the rooms for the constituencies’ meetings will be located in the Bula Zone or in the Bonn Zone (formerly know as Green Zone) has also been a ground for apprehension.

The civil society players are also in doubt if access to meetings in the Bonn Zone will be restricted, as well as if constituencies’ morning meetings will take place there.

A source said: “Important for us is also that all side events will be thematically clustered with all side events on a specific topic taking place on one day only. What the thematic clusters are has not yet been decided. But it would be unfortunate for us if all gender events take place at the same time.”

The groups are basing their concerns on the premise that, while the Bula Zone encompasses the plenary halls, meeting rooms, delegations’ offices, media centre and press conference rooms, the Bonn Zone, where all side events will take place, will host the exhibition area and delegation pavillions.

“This means, parts of the former Blue Zone will be moved to the Bonn Zone/Green Zone,” said the source, adding that people with a badge for the Bula Zone will also have access to the Bonn Zone. There is a seperate registration process for the Bonn Zone and people with a badge only for the Bonn Zone won’t have access to the Bula Zone. Both zones are 1.4 km apart, which is approximately nine minutes per shuttle bus or 15 mins walk.”

Nonetheless, Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the German Federal Environment Ministry, said his country is honoured to be hosting or supporting three global conferences which focus on climate change – the Petersberg Climate Dialogue, the G20 Summit and COP23.

“As President of the G20, we are pushing to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and focus particularly on the vulnerability of small island developing States. It is our great pleasure to support Fiji, the first ever small island developing state to hold the COP presidency, in its efforts by serving as technical host of COP23. We are pleased to have this opportunity to present the new and innovative concept for a global conference – one conference, two zones. With this concept we are highlighting the importance of climate action by having multiple non-state actors complement the formal negotiations.”

Bonn has already attracted a total of around 20 UN entities which link to the issue of sustainability. And it already has experience in hosting major meetings, although not yet one of this size.

Bonn’s Mayor Ashok Sridharan said: “Bonn was the venue of UN Climate Change Conferences in 1999 and 2001, and Bonn is proud to be the venue of another COP. This time, however, the challenge is far bigger: the expected number of participants will be higher than anything Bonn has seen to date. For us, this is a fantastic opportunity: for two weeks, Bonn’s name will be in the news across the globe. And we must not forget the positive economic effects of such a conference. At the same time, it is a challenge: we will do everything to warmly welcome the delegates from all over the world here in Germany’s United Nations City.”

“Moreover, the conference will also be a fine opportunity to demonstrate that the City of Bonn takes the issues of sustainability and climate protection seriously. We intend to reach out to our local citizens and raise awareness for the topics of the conference. And we will involve the local public wherever this is possible. After all, our citizens will have to deal with some restrictions during this time. Our Federal President has recently referred to Bonn as the world capital of sustainability. I am very confident that our city will live up to this reputation,” he added.

The City of Bonn and the entire region are undertaking a number of measures to boost sustainability. For example, in addition to an already well-functioning and integrated public transportation system, the municipality will make available additional trams and buses to accommodate access to the COP. Deutsche Bahn (German railway), with funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, is building a “UN Campus” train stop close to the conference venue.

In order to achieve the overall goal of climate neutrality, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated in connection with the conference will be reduced to the extent possible.

Unavoidable emissions – as those associated with travel, which is responsible for the lion’s share of the overall footprint – will be offset, including through the UN’s Climate Neutral Now Initiative.

Federal varsity urges commitment to agriculture, inaugurates farm

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May 18, 2017

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Federal varsity urges commitment to agriculture, inaugurates farm

The Faculty of Agriculture of the Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State on Thursday, May 18, 2017 inaugurated its farm, even as it called on the various stakeholders in the country to show greater commitment to agriculture and allied activities to end hunger and poverty in the land.

FUNAI-university-farm — L-R: Director, Centre for Development Assistance Management, Partnership and Training, Mr. Chris Uwadoka; Registrar, Mrs. Odisa Okeke’ DVC, Prof. Sunday Elom; Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Prof. Dr. Jonny Ogunji; and Director, Centre for Human Resource Development, Prof. Chinyere Nnorom, posing with some of the cucumbers from the university farm

Declaring the event open, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Chinedum Nwajiuba, who was represented by his Deputy, Professor Sunday Elom, noted that the varsity’s farm would be productive and self-sustaining, as well as devoid of bureaucratic bottlenecks that have negated the success of many university farms in Nigeria.

Professor Elom reiterated the university’s determination towards grooming people with hands-on experience, saying: “We don’t just want to run and operate a normal Faculty of Agriculture, but one with a difference.

“We are determined to make a difference that is why we decided to make the University farm productive and self-sustaining. The products (cucumber) are organically produced and it’s different from the ones you have in the market.”

Earlier, the Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor Johnny Ogunji, blamed the nation’s economic woes on the discovery of oil at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State which, according to him, triggered a paradigm shift away from agriculture.

Decrying the nation’s overreliance on crude oil, Ogunji said agriculture was the surest way out of the economic woods facing the nation, and called on Nigerians to return to farming for food security.

He invited members of the university community to be co-owners of the farm by buying at least 400 units of its shares at N50 each. This, he said, would increase the capital base of the farm and enable them embark on other commercial farming activities.

The inauguration was witnessed by members of the university community that include some Management staff.

The highpoint of the event was the sale of cucumbers which were produced in the university farm.

Global CSOs rally to defend AREI from France-led ‘hijack’

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May 18, 2017

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Global CSOs rally to defend AREI from France-led ‘hijack’

Over 100 international civil society groups on Thursday, May 18, 2017 in Bonn, Germany launched a statement in solidarity with their African counterparts who are concerned about the role of France and the European Commission in undermining the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI).

Malian Seyni Nafo (right) is the new head of the Independent Delivery Unit, Africa Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI)

The statement asserts that France and the European Commission abused their position as donors to rush through the endorsement of 19 projects which were not subject to the initiative’s own evaluation criteria or social, environmental, and gender safeguards – against the wishes of several Africans on the AREI Board. Neither France nor the European Commission is formally a Board Member.

France and other developed country donors have pledged to provide funds to support “new and additional” renewable energy capacity, but African and international civil society groups say these promises are being broken as some already existing projects are being rebranded as AREI projects.

The first director of the Initiative’s “Independent Delivery Unit” resigned in the aftermath of the Board Meeting, and on the sidelines of the climate change negotiations in Bonn, Ségolène Royal announced the nomination of a new head, Mr. Seyni Nafo of Mali.

Many in the civil society community are familiar with Mr. Nafo, have worked productively with him in the past, and look forward to engaging with him in his new role. They stress, however, that he must be set up for success by ensuring the AREI does not become donor-driven, but instead sticks to its principles of African ownership and transparent, inclusive governance.

“Decades of experience with development and climate finance show us that letting rich countries make decisions for people living in developing countries is a surefire path to failure. The AREI is an exciting and innovative initiative exactly because it is African-owned and African-driven. France and the EU are to be commended for contributing to the AREI, but only if their contributions are actually new and with additional money and come with no strings attached. By trying to use their status as donors to push through pet projects and take control away from Africans, they are doing far more harm than good. The AREI is too important for us to allow rich countries to get their way at the expense of African people once again,” said Brandon Wu of ActionAid USA.

“Support for renewable energy in Africa was a major commitment made at the Paris Climate Summit, but now it seems that some in the French government and European Commission think this makes it okay to support projects without assessment against stringent social and environmental criteria. European governments need to ensure space for African leadership on renewable energy,” said Susann Scherbarth of Friends of the Earth Europe.

“As an African I am deeply worried how some African board members helped push through projects proposed by the Europeans, despite objections from other African board members. The Europeans must own up to their role in this mess and must stop trying to deflect the blame. They must put their money where their mouths are and genuinely support the initiative’s African ownership. Looking forward, donor countries need to back off and both African board members and the new Head need to ensure AREI’s original vision and integrity is restored,” said Mohamed Adow of Christian Aid.

“Donor countries cannot bypass the AREI’s safeguards and screening process and simply use it to rubberstamp their pre-existing projects. Doing so invalidates a crucial goal of the Initiative – to break free from old and outdated development models, and instead give African people control of their future.

“The AREI is meant to do much more than just generate renewable energy, it’s about making sure that the 630 million Africans that don’t currently have access to electricity are able to reap the benefits that clean, reliable energy can provide. We urge the EC and others to help it succeed,” said Annaka Peterson of Oxfam International.

“The AREI has become so popular because, at its core, it is about putting the needs of people and the planet first. This vital, precedent-setting initiative must be protected by ensuring that civil society players are present. AREI needs to remain people-centred in order to ensure a just energy transformation, and that requires strong criteria to avoid any corporate malfeasance in the operationalisation of its projects,” said Lidy Nacpil of the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt & Development.

“In recent years, we have seen some inspiring examples of South-South cooperation on climate and energy, with both China and India emerging as key players in the renewables field. By trying to claim both non-African seats on the AREI Board, France and the European Commission are stunting the potential for further cooperation between Africa and the rest of the developing world,” said said Sanjay Vashist of Climate Action Network – South Asia.

The AREI was launched in 2015 in Paris during COP21 as an African-led initiative with the goal of providing at least 10 GW of new renewable energy to Africa’s peoples by 2020, and put the continent on course to add at least another 300 GW and achieve universal access to energy for all Africans by 2030.

It was supported by $10 billion in pledges for 2015-2020 by developed countries in Paris, and has been hailed as a groundbreaking effort to bring clean, affordable, and reliable energy to millions of people in a democratic, human rights-focused approach.

Planting trees can’t replace cutting CO2 emissions, says study

Climate Change

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May 18, 2017

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Planting trees can’t replace cutting CO2 emissions, says study

Growing plants and then storing the carbon dioxide (CO2) they have taken up from the atmosphere is no viable option to counteract unmitigated emissions from fossil fuel burning, a new study shows.

Lena Boysen of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany

The plantations would need to be so large, they would eliminate most natural ecosystems or reduce food production if implemented as a late-regret option in the case of substantial failure to reduce emissions, the survey says, adding however that growing biomass soon in well-selected places with increased irrigation or fertilisation could support climate policies of rapid and strong emission cuts to achieve climate stabilisation below 2 degrees Celsius.

CO2 is a colorless, odourless and incombustible gas present in the atmosphere and formed during respiration. It is usually obtained from coal, coke, or natural gas by combustion; from carbohydrates by fermentation; by reaction of acid with limestone or other carbonates; or naturally from springs. It is used extensively in industry as dry ice, or carbon dioxide snow, in carbonated beverages, and in fire extinguishers.

“If we continue burning coal and oil the way we do today and regret our inaction later, the amounts of greenhouse gas we would need to take out of the atmosphere in order to stabilise the climate would be too huge to manage,” says Lena Boysen from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Germany, lead-author of the study to be published in a journal of the American Geophysical Union, Earth’s Future.

Plants suck CO2 out of the atmosphere to build their woody roots, stems and leaves, a venture described as a low-tech terrestrial carbon dioxide removal that could be combined with high-tech carbon storage mechanisms, for example, underground.

Three scenarios: Business as usual, Paris pledges, or ambitious CO2 reductions

“Even if we were able to use productive plants such as poplar trees or switchgrass and store 50 percent of the carbon contained in their biomass,” says Boysen, “in the business-as-usual scenario of continued, unconstrained fossil fuel use, the sheer size of the plantations for staying at or below 2°C of warming would cause devastating environmental consequences.”

The scientists calculate that the hypothetically required plantations would in fact replace natural ecosystems around the world almost completely.

If CO2 emissions reductions are moderately reduced in line with current national pledges under the Paris Climate Agreement, biomass plantations implemented by mid-century to extract remaining excess CO2 from the air still would have to be enormous. In this scenario, they would replace natural ecosystems on fertile land the size of more than one-third of all forests on the planet, scientists say. Alternatively, more than a quarter of land used for agriculture at present would have to be converted into biomass plantations – putting at risk global food security.

According to them, only ambitious emissions reductions and advancements in land management techniques between 2005-2100 could possibly avoid fierce competition for land. But even in this scenario of aggressive climate stabilisation policy, only high inputs of water, fertilisers and a globally applied high-tech carbon-storage-machinery that captures more than 75 percent of extracted CO2 could likely limit warming to around 2°C by 2100. To this end, technologies minimising carbon emissions from cultivation, harvest, transport and conversion of biomass and, especially, long-term Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) would need to improve worldwide.

Drawing upon all possible measures instead of waiting for first-best solutions

“As scientists we are looking at all possible futures, not just the positive ones,” says co-author Wolfgang Lucht from PIK. “What happens in the worst case, a widespread disruption and failure of mitigation policies? Would plants allow us to still stabilise climate in emergency mode? The answer is: no. There is no alternative for successful mitigation. In that scenario plants can potentially play a limited, but important role, if managed well.”

The scientists investigated the feasibility of biomass plantations and CO2 removal from a biosphere point of view. To this end, they used global dynamic vegetation computer simulations.

So far, biomass plantations as a means for CO2 removal have often been considered as a comparatively safe, affordable and effective approach. “Our work shows that carbon removal via the biosphere cannot be used as a late-regret option to tackle climate change. Instead we have to act now using all possible measures instead of waiting for first-best solutions,” says co-author Tim Lenton of the University of Exeter, UK. “Reducing fossil fuel use is a precondition for stabilising the climate, but we also need to make use of a range of options from reforestation on degraded land to low-till agriculture and from efficient irrigation systems to limiting food waste.”

“In the climate drama currently unfolding on that big stage we call Earth, CO2 removal is not the hero who finally saves the day after everything else has failed. It is rather a supporting actor that has to come into play right from the beginning, while the major part is up to the mitigation protagonist,” says co-author Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of PIK. “So this is a positive message: We know what to do – rapidly ending fossil fuel use complemented by a great variety of CO2 removal techniques. We know when to do it – now. And if we do it, we find it is still possible to avoid the bulk of climate risks by limiting temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius.”