Though Nigeria is yet to neither sign nor ratify the Paris Agreement on climate change, the nation was ably represented at the landmark event that saw some 175 countries signing the Paris Agreement at a ceremony at the UN Headquarters on Friday 22 April that observers say far exceeds the historical record for first-day signatures to an international agreement.
Environment Minister, Amina J. Mohammed, in the company of Acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Sarki, led the Nigerian delegation at the forum, that featured numerous side events.
Environment Minister, Amina Mohammed, holds on to several SDG optionsDr Peter Tarfa, Amb. Usman Sarki and Ms Amina MohammedAchim Steiner, Rachel Kyte and Amina MohammedAmina Mohammed (right) formally inducted as a member of Troika+ of Women Leaders on Gender & Climate ChangeAmb. Usman Sarki (left) with President Mahamadou Issoufou of NigerAkon (right) with Ms Amina MohammedAkon with Ms. Amina Mohammed’s aide, Esther AgbarakweAmerican actor, film producer and environmental campaigner, Leonardo DicaprioAmina Mohammed in the company of personalities such as Rachel Kyte, Christiana Figueres and Helen Clark discuss ways to improve grassroots women participation in climate governance process
The 43-member Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) on Friday joined other Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to take forward commitments to fully implement the Paris Agreement. In a press conference held in conjunction with the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony, the leadership of the Climate Vulnerable Forum emphasised the significance of urgently translating pledges into solid and decisive actions, as well as partnership with civil society and efforts in the context of the High Ambition Coalition.
Senator Loren Legarda
The more than 160 nations present at UN Headquarters in New York for the Paris Agreement Signing Ceremony represents about 93% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“With the signing today of the Paris Agreement by over 160 countries, the time for talk is over and the time for urgent climate action is now,” said Philippine Senator Loren Legarda.
“The 1.5 degrees Celsius-cap on global temperature increase is at the core of the Paris Agreement. ‘Well below’ 2 degrees certainly cannot mean 1.9, 1.8 or 1.7 degrees. 1.5 is really the minimum deliverable and we can already take actions to achieve it well before 2020,” she added.
Legarda further commented: “We have already breached one degrees Celsius and look what has happened to countries like my country, the Philippines. We still feel the effects of Typhoon Haiyan. Our country and large parts of the world are reeling from the effects of extended drought.”
Manuel Gonzalez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica said that the successful signing ceremony should be immediately followed with domestic and international initiatives that will make sure that the Paris Agreement takes effect and is acted on as soon as possible.
He further stressed that more ambitious pre-2020 action must be aligned with the 1.5 degrees Celsius-goal: “We cannot live in a world fraught with challenges to life and human well-being. Nobody is going to come from Mars to help us. It’s very simple. Our effort here today is sending a strong signal to the world on the type of development model and public and private investments we need in the future,” Gonzalez pointed out.
Wael Hmaidan, a member of the Climate Vulnerable Forum Expert Advisors Group and International Director of the Climate Action Network, expressed confidence that the overwhelming turnout at the signing of the Paris Agreement only indicates that the world is eager and ready to tackle climate change.
“Usually, after a big political moment like Paris, the level of momentum stalls. But climate action is only growing as the events in New York today attest,” he said. “On a civil society-level we see the same momentum continuing to progress. This transformational movement will only grow. One of the key objectives for us going forward is to support the Climate Vulnerable Forum on its 1.5 degrees Celsius-advocacy and on achieving 100% renewable energy.”
For his part, Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman of the Philippine Climate Change Commission (CCC) underscored the importance of governments working hand-in-hand with civil society: “There is a lot of work to do and without civil society action and support at the local level it becomes very difficult to achieve change. In the Philippines, we are rolling out an initiative called Communities for Resilience (CORE), and we are working to mainstream emissions reductions strategies down to the very local level. We are going down to the community and engaging them on how they can contribute to achieve the Philippines negative 70% emissions,” De Guzman noted.
The Forum also released a statement with delegates also highlighting the need for all countries to already begin work to prepare new, higher ambition contributions to emission reductions (INDCs) under the Paris Agreement in order to ensure alignment with the 1.5 degrees Celsius-limit. Also highlighted were the importance of rapid progress towards achieving the $100 billion joint commitment of developed countries on climate finance in support of raising ambition, and the humanitarian priority of achieving a 50:50 balance of climate finance between mitigation and adaptation by 2020.
“Keeping the 1.5 degrees Celsius-promise, scaling up and funding increased action will help protect the 1 billion people who are most vulnerable to climate change. It will, at the same time, help lift billions of people from poverty,” De Guzman said. “The world will not be able to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, also agreed last year, without ensuring the Paris Agreement reaches its full potential.”
“Not funding adaptation would be the worst kind of false economy as it would only drive up the costs of humanitarian emergencies,” De Guzman also asserted. “We are looking forward to seeing real progress on this front, as much remains to be accomplished.”
In an extraordinary show of support for the Paris climate agreement adopted last December, 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement at a ceremony at UN Headquarters on Friday 22 April that far exceeded the historical record for first-day signatures to an international agreement.
The ceremony, held the first day the Paris Agreement was open for signature, marked the initial step toward ensuring the agreement enters into force. Photo credit: UN /Mark Garten
The ceremony, held the first day the Paris Agreement was open for signature, marked the initial step toward ensuring the agreement enters into force. The agreement can enter into force 30 days after 55 countries accounting for 55 per cent of global emissions deposit their instruments of ratification.
“The world will have met the requirement needed for the Paris Agreement to enter into force,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, “if all 175 countries that have signed today take the next step at the national level and join the Agreement.”
Fifteen countries submitted their ratifications during the signing ceremony, including small island developing countries that are on the frontlines of climate impacts.
Several countries announced plans to join the agreement in 2016, including Australia, Argentina, Cameroon, Canada, China, France, Mali, Mexico, Philippines, and the United States. Other countries, including Brazil, the European Union, and the Russian Federation, pledged to swiftly work to complete the necessary steps for joining the agreement.
“I am very pleased to see so much support and political momentum to move the Agreement forward,” said the Secretary-General. “The spirit of multilateralism is strong.”
He added that the participation by so many countries today, and the attendance by 55 world leaders, along with leaders from civil society and the private sector, leaves no doubt that the world is determined to take climate action.
French President François Hollande, who hosted the Paris climate conference, said his country would take the lead to set a price on carbon.
There was strong business engagement at the Signature Ceremony, and United Nations Global Compact Executive Director Lise Kingo called on companies around the world to set an internal carbon price at a minimum of $100 per metric ton over time.
“The Paris Agreement sends a clear signal that business and investors must put climate at the heart of decision-making,” said Ms. Kingo. “We believe that setting a $100 internal price on carbon is one of the most effective ways to drive climate deep into corporate strategy and investment. While leading companies have taken steps to price carbon, we need to see an ascent in ambition and price across the board.”
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “Today is a remarkable, record-breaking day in the history of international cooperation on climate change and a sustainable future for billions of people alive today and those to come.”
Figueres added, “The urgency now is to implement the Paris Agreement’s visionary pathways at a speed and scale that can deliver the next crucial steps; namely a swift peaking of global emissions, a climate neutral world in the second half of the century and the building of resilient countries and communities for every man, woman and child.”
The Paris Agreement marked a watershed moment in taking action on climate change. After years of negotiation, countries agreed to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, while pursuing efforts to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
Even as the agreement was adopted, countries recognised that present pledges to reduce emissions were still insufficient to reach these goals. The Paris Agreement mandates regular meetings every five years, starting in 2018, to review progress, and to consider whether it is necessary to increase ambition.
Earth Day is believed to be the largest secular event in the world. It has been described as the power of a contagious people’s movement that returns each year. This year, world leaders united in New York City to sign the Paris Agreement, a landmark achievement in the fight against climate change.
Honduran prize-winning campaigner Berta Caceres was slain by gunmen this year weeks after opposing a hydroelectric dam project. In Puerto Cortes, Honduras, dozens of people participated in a tree planting and educational event on Earth Day this year in her memory
According to the Earth Day Network, Earth Day is people standing up for an environmental problem they are passionate about.
“It’s creating learning experiences in schools so that our next generation will be environmentally informed global citizens. It’s recognising an opportunity for your community to become more sustainable. Small green acts add up. Mobilising people creates change. Earth Day is being engaged, being responsible, and being part of a movement,” stresses the Earth Day Network.
Eleven stand out events that happened around the World to mark Earth Day are worthy of note.
Tree-planting in Lagos. Four-year-old Miss Fagekemi Kolawole was among a gathering of Lagosians that planted trees on Friday 22 April to mark the Earth Day in Nigeria. At the event held along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ketu axis, youth groups called on the Lagos State Government to address the rapid depletion of green areas in the state, informed by the development of housing estates, which the youths say are not environmentally sustainable. They made a case for Nigerians of all age brackets to hugely get involved in tree planting efforts so as to replace lost tree covers and protect the earth.
Setting the bar high for cities. Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado is helping make Miami green. His Earth Day proclamation sets Miami apart as an American city that is taking climate change seriously. Mayor Regalado announced that Miami will be going 100% renewable energy by 2050. As one of the hottest cities on the map, it is hoped that their action will inspire others to follow suit.
A clean sweep in Europe. The “Let’s Do It” campaign is making headway in cleaning up the world. The movement started in Estonia and has engaged 13.8 million people over the past seven years. In celebration of Earth Day 2016 Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Ukraine, and Lithuania held massive clean-ups across Eastern Europe. Four-10% of their populations are anticipated to help pick up trash after mapping it first.
Students for a greener China. China is the world’s top carbon emitter. University students there have taken note and are stepping into environmentalist shoes. Universities in Beijing are spreading awareness about recycling and helping plant trees. Students will now receive seeds in return for their recyclables.
One islander, one tree. Down in the Caribbean, St. Kitts and Nevis made a bold move and planted a tree for each of its citizens this Earth Day. A nation of 55,000 people, they are taking Earth Day Network’s Trees for the Earth goal head on and will plant 55,000 trees over the next five years.
India pedals towards a greener Earth. Cyclists in India kicked-off an environmental awareness rally in Bangaluru, Kranataka. A parade had over 20,000 environmentalist cyclists. In addition to their cycling awareness campaign, the contributed to the #Trees4Earth campaign by planting 60,000 tree saplings in public spaces at all of the district headquarters.
Morocco is (royally) committed to fighting climate change. The hosts of COP22 in Fall 2016, demonstrated their sincere commitment to a sustainable future by sending Princess Lalla Hasnaa to sign the Paris Agreement. Following a successful COP21 in Paris, this is a positive indication that Morocco will pick up where France left off.
Vietnam gets in rhythm with Earth Day. A flash mob dance performance grabs attention. In Ho Chi Minh City a creatively choreographed flash mob had 1,000 dancers. Young students and hearing-impaired members of the local Deaf Community Organisation (source: http://bit.ly/1VxuOHd) were among the dedicated participants. The theme of their Earth Day celebration was water conservation.
Honduras Remembers Berta Cáceres. In Puerto Cortes, Honduras, dozens of people participated in a tree planting and educational event on Earth Day this year in the memory of the Lenca activist Berta Cáceres. Coral Tree seedlings were given out and organisers of the event described who Berta was, as well as the important role trees play in the hydrological cycle in Honduras. Berta Cáceres was an indigenous Goldman Environmental Prize-winning environment and land defender who was assassinated last March. She co-founded an indigenous people’s campaign against the Agua Zarca dam. Earth Day is the perfect day to remember and be inspired by the memory of someone such as her. ¡Viva Berta!
Kiribati builds its resilience. Islands feel the devastating effects of climate change first. Kiribati islanders are working as hard as possible to protect their home. They have responded to the #Trees4Earth call for action campaign by planting trees that will benefit their native ecosystems. Mangroves are essential for Kiribati as they can thrive in salinised water, boost fish populations, and ultimately help stabilise the coastline and prevent further erosion from rising Pacific seas.
North American fans of the sci-fi classic Independence Day. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is offering a special 99 cent Digital HD purchase of the film via Google Play today through Monday, with all of Fox’s net proceeds benefiting Earth Day Network and our Trees for the Earth initiative!
On Earth Day April 22, 2016, with a record number of countries signing the Paris climate agreement in New York, Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility looks ahead at the G7 meetings next month and outlines why safeguarding the global commons is the wisest investment we can make.
Naoko Ishii, GEF CEO and Chairperson
For the first time in seven years, environment ministers from G7 countries are meeting as part of the preparations for the G7 Summit itself. This is a clear recognition that environmental issues are increasingly being mainstreamed into economic decision-making.
There are very good reasons for world leaders to take the global environment seriously.
Scientists tell us that the biophysical processes that determine the stability and resilience of Earth, our “planetary boundaries” that allowed our societies to thrive during the past 10,000 years, are being pushed to their limit. Evidence is mounting that the miraculously, favourable Earth conditions that scientist call the Holocene – the only ones we know can support a human population of 7.4 billion and more – risk coming to an end.
We are at a defining moment for the future of our planet and its peoples.
The greenhouse gases that cause climate change are at higher levels than at any time in at least 800,000 years. 2015 was the hottest year on record, and 2016 may be hotter still. Globally, species are being lost at a rate only seen before during mass extinctions. The health of our oceans is declining rapidly.
The alarm bells are ringing. On the current trajectory, the worsening global environment will be an ever increasing threat to our global aspirations for economic growth, jobs, security and prosperity. There is an enormous amount of work to be done, and success remains far from certain, but now is the time to tackle the world’s most pressing environmental and social problems
Our fate is in our own hands. As the world moves out of the Holocene into what is being gradually recognised as a new Anthropocene epoch – an epoch where humans are the largest driving force of change on planet Earth – it is our common responsibility to change our ways of operating to ensure that this vital system continues as our essential global commons.
The world’s Governments took the firsts steps in that direction last year. In September, nearly 200 nations, gathered in New York, pledged their commitment to 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to guide growth over the next 15 years in ways designed to end poverty and ensure prosperity while respecting planetary boundaries. Three months later in Paris the same governments adopted an agreement to combat climate change, committing to achieving zero net emissions of greenhouse gases in the second half of the century.
Shifting to a low-carbon and resilient trajectory will require coordinated, integrated solutions to catalyse the transformation of three key economic systems: energy – how we power our homes, offices and industry, and move goods and people; urban – how we live in cities and build new ones; and land use – how and where we produce food, and what we eat.
As an institution dedicated to ensuring the health of the global environmental commons, we at the Global Environment Facility recognise that while we have won some battles the war to maintain the conditions for future prosperity and well-being is still being lost. There have been many good individual actions, but they have not added up to the systemic changes that are needed.
Transformational change will require actions on multiple fronts and at all levels of society. It will require political and social mobilization and bold leadership.
It is our hope that this new effort will lay the foundation for a new paradigm for the global commons. We need a new way of thinking that enables transformational change, new alliances, social and economic opportunities, and provides the stable conditions necessary for sustainable growth, poverty reduction, peace and security.
It will be a journey not just to avoid disaster, but to build lasting prosperity. Operating within the planetary boundaries is not just the only way to ensure healthy economies, but has the potential to provide much greater and better shared growth than sticking to business as usual. Safeguarding and enhancing the global commons is therefore the wisest investment we can possibly make. The G7’s renewed focus on the global environment could not be more timely.
Representatives from more than 150 countries, including nearly 60 Heads of State, on Friday 22 April gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York to sign the historic Paris Agreement as governments take their first collective step from ambition to action after forging the new, global climate treaty in December.
Michael Brune, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club
The event, hosted by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on Earth Day, became the largest signing ceremony of its kind in the history of the UN, demonstrating the political momentum behind the global plan to tackle climate change and end the fossil fuel era.
Civil society experts have commented on the significance of the signing and what needs to happen next to accelerate the just transition to 100% renewable energy and boost the resilience of climate vulnerable communities.
Michael Brune, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club: “Today’s signing of the Paris Agreement is truly one for the history books, marking a turning point for humanity and a permanent shift toward a 100 percent clean energy economy. Following on the historic momentum from Paris, we’ve seen remarkable climate action both at home and around the world. The victories are numerous, from states like Oregon and New York committing to eliminate coal, to the wave of announcements from cities and businesses pledging to go 100 percent renewable, to India committing to 100 gigawatts of solar power by 2022. In Paris, the world gave fossil fuels their expiration date, and today’s signing has set that process in motion.”
Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International: For so many countries to sign at the first opportunity is a real indication of the overwhelming support to turn the Paris Agreement into accelerated climate action. The decisions in the Paris Agreement now need to be incorporated into government and corporate decisions by breaking free from fossil fuels.
Bunny McDiarmid, Executive Director of Greenpeace International: “More people than ever before mobilised for the public good and our climate in 2015; this global wave of people power helped deliver the agreement in Paris. The people will stay vigilant until fossil fuels are history and climate justice is delivered,”
Mohamed Adow, Senior Climate Advisor at Christian Aid: “The signing of this agreement reminds us just how far we’ve come. Just a few years ago the world was divided on how to respond to climate change and progress was slow. But this agreement shows the world is now united in tackling its biggest threat and the path towards a low carbon world is set. It is vital that countries ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible so that we can turn it into reality. The sooner it comes into force the stronger the signal is to investors and the faster the global transition will be, as money shifts to clean technologies. We’re already seeing this happen with coal as the market turns its back on companies like Peabody Energy.”
May Boeve, Executive Director of 350.org: “The formal signing of the Paris Agreement could be the next nail in the coffin of the fossil fuel industry if governments actually follow through on their commitments. The growing and vibrant climate movement is forcing governments to bow to the pressure to break free from fossil fuels. However, there is still a dangerous gap between what the governments are signing up to, what they are doing and the real ambition we need to avert the worst impacts of climate change. The only way to achieve this is by keeping coal, oil and gas in the ground. As a movement we will continue to hold governments accountable, ensure they ratify the treaty, go well beyond their current targets and accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy.”
Wael Hmaidan, Director at Climate Action Network International: “The signing ceremony is a historic and important step forwards for the Paris Agreement but today isn’t just about the UN process and governments. There is a colourful pick’n’mix variety to the groups gathered here in New York, with activists, faith groups, representative of climate vulnerable countries, city mayors and business leaders forging partnerships to accelerate the shift to 100% renewable energy and tackle the climate crisis, either by leading the way themselves, or by raising the pressure on governments, financial institutions and of course, the fossil fuel industry. The end of the fossil era is now inevitable and what we are seeing develop here in New York means exciting times are ahead.”
Tina Johnson, Policy Director of US Climate Action Network: “The signing of the Paris Agreement is historic. It is a crucial step in a journey that began a long time ago. This day did not arrive without a tremendous amount of support from people around the world, from all walks of life marching, getting arrested, writing their congressmen, and signing petitions demanding that world leaders to take action on the global threat of climate change. As we celebrate this great achievement it is clear that greater ambition is required. Civil Society will continue to engage with and to push world leaders to do their part.”
Krishneil Narayan, Coordinator of Pacific Islands Climate Action Network: “After the signing the Agreement, governments around the world have to roll up their sleeves and get to work aligning national climate and development policies with the 1.5oC degree warming threshold – which requires a swift and just transition from fossil fuels to 100% renewable energy as well as concerted efforts to bolster the global climate agreement itself.”
Sven Harmeling, Climate Change Advocacy Coordinator at CARE International: “Although we have seen a great amount of global commitment to tackle climate change, current national action plans are not ambitious enough to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. This is a question of survival for many poor and climate vulnerable communities and nations that need much more support to withstand increasing climate shocks. There’s no room for delay, now is the time to turn the Paris Agreement into meaningful action.”
Bernd Nilles, Secretary General at CIDSE: “The signature of the Paris Agreement is a strong signal forward, but the provisions of the agreement alone will not keep the planet away from dangerous climate change. Countries must therefore urgently get to work to increase their ambitions and turn them into swift, concrete actions if we are to keep temperatures well below the 1.5C (degrees Celsius) threshold stated in the agreement. This is particularly crucial for communities around the world who are experiencing first-hand the effects of climate change at this very moment. It is therefore a moral duty to end the fossil fuel era now.”
Sanjay Vashist, Director of Climate Action Network South Asia: “Governments must urgently turn these commitments into action by ratifying and implementing the Paris Climate Agreement at a national level while ratcheting up their ambition towards climate action, as the current commitments are not enough to avoid a world that is 3°C warmer. The first three months of 2016 are already recorded as warmest in hundred years and effects of which can be seen across the subcontinent reeling under unprecedented heat waves that has already claimed hundreds of lives.”
Vositha Wijenayake, Policy & Advocacy Coordinator at Climate Action Network South Asia: “Now more than ever developed countries have to ensure that adequate climate finance is in place to help millions of vulnerable people to respond to the worst impacts of climate change. The current Paris agreement is still unclear on how climate action will be implemented equitably and fairly. This should be the key priority for negotiators meeting at Bonn next month to pick up where the Paris climate meeting left off.”
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director at Oxfam International: “The signing of the Paris agreement today marks a critical step forward towards building a more resilient, low-carbon future. But there is still much unfinished business left from Paris on adapting to the dangerous impacts of climate change. If all of today’s public climate adaptation finance were to be divided among the world’s 1.5 billion smallholder farmers in developing countries, they would get around $3 each a year to cope with climate change.”
Harjeet Singh, Climate Policy Manager at ActionAid: “What we need now is clear milestones on how rich nations will raise the $100 billion they promised, as well as ambitious roadmaps from all countries to show they are taking practical steps to address the crisis. The Paris Agreement needs to make sure that events like the current drought and other severe weather caused by El Niño can be effectively tackled in the future.”
Germany is the latest country to ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation, bringing the total number of ratifications to 74. This includes 73 countries and the European Union (EU), which ratified the Protocol in May 2014.
Barbara Hendricks, German Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety. Photo credit: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images
“I congratulate the Government of Germany and look forward to more ratifications from the EU group and other developed countries and emerging economies in the coming months,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). “The recent action by Germany also moves us closer to reaching our goal of 100 ratifications before the important meetings of the Convention and its Protocols to be held in Mexico later this year.” He recalled that the European Union has been very supportive of the Nagoya Protocol, both during the negotiations and now in its implementation phase. In particular, the financial support of the EU has been instrumental in making the ABS Clearing-House operational.
Out of the 28-member countries to the European Union, seven have now ratified it. They include: Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Barbara Hendricks, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, deposited the instrument of ratification of Germany with the Secretary-General of the United Nations in New York, on 21 April 2016. As provided for in its Article 33, the Nagoya Protocol will enter into force in Germany on 20 July 2016.
Hendricks with Amb Braun at the handover of the Nagoya Protocol ratification instrument
Nigeria is yet to ratify the international treaty.
The 2010 Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the CBD and a key element in the global framework for sustainable development. It builds on the access and benefit-sharing provisions of the CBD by establishing predictable conditions for access to genetic resources and by helping to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of these resources.
The commitment of the EU and Germany to the Nagoya Protocol represents a big step in advancing the fair and equitable sharing of benefits. The Nagoya Protocol provides a legal framework which can contribute to transparency and clarity for the various stakeholders involved in access and benefit-sharing agreements. In Germany and the European Union, these stakeholders can include research institutions, botanical gardens and collections, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, biotechnology companies, and the agriculture and horticulture sector.
Climate Vulnerable Forum leaders on Thursday urged a ministerial gathering of the “High Ambition Coalition” in New York to take the concrete steps needed to accelerate global climate action, on the eve of the signature ceremony for the Paris Agreement on climate change at UN Headquarters where over 165 countries are expected to participate.
Emmanuel M. De Guzman
Speaking at the gathering, Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines said: “We agreed in Paris to work together to limit warming to no more than 1.5 degree, a temperature limit that represents the very foundation of the accord. Ambition must translate into concrete steps to meet the 1.5-degree objective, which means all countries must resubmit far more ambitious contributions under the Paris Agreement by 2020, at the latest. Swifter progress to reach the $100 billion mark while respecting additionality with ODA commitments is equally urgent for enabling ambition globally.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica Manuel Gonzalez said: “The new 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and SDGs cannot be achieved if we fail at the 1.5-degree temperature goal. Ambition in climate policy clearly will be crucial to enable ambition in sustainable development goals and enhance enjoyment of fundamental human rights globally. Furthermore, ambition is not only confined to emissions controls, because we also need ambition to achieve early a clear balance in international climate finance, and to increase funds available to support poor and vulnerable groups to adapt to climate change.”
The High Ambition Coalition emerged at the UN Climate Change Conference at Paris (UNFCCC COP21) as an alliance of developing and developed countries that together demanded strong outcomes at COP21, including inclusion of the ambitious 1.5-degree Celsius limit in the Paris Agreement. On 22 April, member countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, currently chaired by Philippines, many of which have led on ratification of the Paris Agreement, with Fiji, Palau, Marshall Islands and Maldives the first nations to ratify, are also actively participating in the High-Level signing ceremony at UN Headquarters.
As the world marks this year’s Earth Day on Friday 22 April, government at all levels as well as private individuals and organisations have been urged to vigorously pursue tree-planting initiatives so as to check the myriad of environmental challenges.
Tree planting
Concerned environmental experts made the call in separate interviews while commenting on the annual event which is marked on April 22 as coordinated by the Earth Day Network to draw global attention to the protection of the environment.
The 2016 Mother Earth Day , which is expected to be celebrated in 193 countries, is significant as it is coming shortly after the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, which produced a widely accepted agreement.
This year’s celebration is also unique as the landmark Paris Agreement is scheduled to be signed by the United States, China, and 150 other countries.
The ceremony satisfies a key requirement for the coming into force of the historic climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations that attended the conference in Paris.
An environmentalist, Prof. Olukayode Oladipo, explains the essence of the celebration as it applies to Nigeria.
He said: “The Mother Earth Day is meant to make people be aware of the need to take care of the earth without which we will all be gone. It is a day when more than one billion people celebrate the earth and a lot of activities are normally planned by each country, individuals, corporations or organisations.
“Some decide to clean up areas that have been polluted. All efforts are to make sure that the earth upon which all of us depend, is protected so that it can protect us. Every Nigeria should plant at least a tree. That is one way that we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is causing the type of excessive heat.”
The theme for the celebration, “Tree for life”, seeks to get governments across the world, public and private sectors, non-governmental organisations as well as public-spirited individuals, to intensify tree-planting efforts, in order to meet the goal of 7.8 billion trees within the next five years, when the Mother Earth Day would clock 50 years.
A cross-section of government officials and environmental advocates wants all stakeholders not only to embark on aggressive tree-planting but also to preserve the nation’s remaining forest reserves because, according to them, trees help to clean up the atmosphere and sustain life.
“If 155 Nigerians should each plant a tree, we can be sure that our goal of creating a green environment free of pollution, erosion and other natural disasters will be achieved. Trees help the planet by taking carbon dioxide into animal food and give out oxygen for humans to breath. Planting tree is the best,” added Prof. Oladipo.
To tackle desertification, which is reported to be affecting about 33 per cent of Nigeria’s land mass, as well as to key into global afforestation programmes, including the Billion Tree Campaign by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2006, the authorities have launched various tree-planting initiatives in the country.
These include the “Eko Green Dream Initiative” aimed at planting 6,000 trees in three Local Government Areas in Lagos State and “The plant a million trees 2020” by the African Centre for Environmental Protection.
Nigeria is also pursuing the Great Green Wall (GGW) programme that is creating a wall of trees along the desert front-line states in the North to check further encroachment of the Sahara Desert down South and recover land already destroyed by the phenomenon.
Desk Officer for the GGW in Kano State, Alhaji Garba Sale, who is a tree-planting campaigner, explains the benefits of the programme for the country.
“The wall itself is a plantation of trees that is 7,500 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide, which runs across the sub-Saharan Africa. It enters the country from Kebbi State passing through 11 desert-prone states. It is a programme that has the socio-economic benefit for the country, the environment and the general public,” he said.
Many Nigerians believe that the idea of tree-planting has not yielded the desired result which is buttressed by the fact that the nation has not been able to replace its trees the way they were at independence decades ago.
According to them, tree-planting has been sabotaged by factors such as discontinuity in government policies, the ignorance on the part of the people on the importance of trees, as well as the heavy use of land for physical development at the expense of the provision of green areas.
The loss of tree covers has been blamed for most of the nation’s environmental problems, such as global warming, erosion, increase in the number of diseases and the reduction of life expectancy which currently stands at about 40 in the country.
An environmentalist, Desmond Majekodunmi, says that in order to protect future generations, the way to go is “tree-planting”.
His words: “What we need now is to plant trees, a lot of trees which will absorb the carbon dioxide and keep us alive. The whole essence of human existence is under threat by climate change due to too much carbon dioxide we introduced by yourselves. We have to come to the realisation that this is a serious issue and we have to avoid the crisis from growing worse. That is the best legacy we can leave behind for the coming generation.”
Humanity derives immense benefits from trees such as absorbing excess carbon dioxide, which destroys the atmosphere and causes global warming. Trees also make the air clean for people to breathe while also helping communities to achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability by providing them with food, energy and income.
One of the main bodies under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB) is set to meet next week to discuss issues that will accelerate progress in implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and achieving its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. At the 20th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, to be held in Montreal, Canada, from 25 to 29 April 2016, delegates will address a wide array of topics, including mainstreaming of biodiversity into key production sectors, marine biodiversity, invasive species, synthetic biology, threats to pollinators and food production, protected areas and ecosystem restoration.
Montreal, Canada will host the 20th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) to the Convention on Biological Diversity
Mainstreaming biodiversity
Mainstreaming biodiversity is aimed at integrating the value of biodiversity in key decisions that impact it, thereby aligning sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity with the economic interests of relevant actors. Many economic sectors, particularly primary sectors such as agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, depend on biodiversity and yet often have adverse impacts on the very biodiversity that helps sustain their long-term viability. Mainstreaming therefore consists of making economic sectors more aware of the values of biodiversity, the importance of well-functioning ecosystems, the opportunities that biodiversity provides, as well as the possible risks of biodiversity loss to their operations.
Parties to the CBD and other participants will consider issues related to mainstreaming with a focus on landscape approaches that integrate the natural functions of biodiversity and ecosystems in production systems for food and other resources. This topic will also be linked to discussions in the first meeting of the CBD’s Subsidiary Body on Implementation, being held from 2 – 6 May 2016, on strategic actions that can be taken to further implementation of the Convention and its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Marine and coastal biodiversity
Marine and coastal environments contain diverse habitats that support an abundance of marine life. At this meeting, countries will consider several key issues threatening marine and coastal biodiversity, as reflected in Aichi Biodiversity Targets 10 (coral reefs), 11 (protected areas) and 12 (threatened species).
Countries may decide to review the scientific assessment criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs), and to use the information collected in the EBSA process to support ocean planning and management activities.
On marine spatial planning specifically, countries will examine draft guidelines and a toolkit to support countries’ efforts to conserve and sustainably use marine and coastal biodiversity.
Regarding marine debris, SBSTTA will recommend practical guidance to mitigate the impacts of plastics and other persistent marine debris on marine species. Countries will discuss measures to avoid, minimise and mitigate the adverse impacts of underwater noise caused by human activities, taking into account the most recent scientific and technical information available on this issue.
As a final point, SBSTTA will study the draft work plan on the issue of biodiversity and acidification in cold-water areas, in order to advance the CBD’s work on the physical degradation and destruction of coral reefs (including cold-water corals), in collaboration with other competent organisations.
Invasive alien species
A major driver of biodiversity loss and extinction, invasive alien species threaten the natural equilibrium of ecosystems and increasingly pose risks to human health. In line with Aichi Biodiversity Target 9, which calls for several measures to tackle this global problem, countries will discuss the trade of alien species, as accelerated by internet-based commerce; the use of biological control agents against invasive alien species; and decision support tools intended to help assess and evaluate the social, economic and ecological consequences of invasive alien species.
On the issue of biological control, specifically, countries can be expected to discuss the global experience with regards to the safe and effective release of alien species to control populations of invasive alien species in environments where these cause damage.
Synthetic biology
Synthetic biology is multidisciplinary field closely linked to developments in science, biotechnology and engineering. In the context of SBSTTA, countries will consider an operational definition of synthetic biology, examine relevant information pertaining to potential benefits and adverse effects of the components, organisms and products resulting from synthetic biology techniques, and whether or not recent developments in synthetic biology are sufficiently covered by current frameworks, including the CBD and its Protocols.
Pollinators, pollination and food production
More than three quarters of major food crops rely on animal pollination. Due to various pressures, including inappropriate pesticide use, agricultural practices and climate change, populations of wild pollinators have been declining. Recently, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) issued a thematic assessment on pollinators, pollination and food production. The assessment found that an estimated 16 per cent of vertebrate pollinators, such as birds and bats, are threatened with global extinction – increasing to 30 per cent for island species – with a trend toward more extinction.
Based on national and regional information, the assessment also found that approximately 40 per cent of insect pollinators are currently endangered. At this meeting, countries will discuss how the findings of the IPBES assessment relate to the work of the Convention, including the need for policies and strategies related to the conservation of pollinators, the promotion of pollinator-friendly habitats, ways to improve the management of pollinators and to reduce the risk from pests, pathogens, invasive species and pesticides and ways to promote research, monitoring and assessment on pollinators.
The deliberations at SBSTTA will help to support the coordinated management of pollinators and ultimately contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.
Protected areas and ecosystem restoration
During the meeting of the SBSTTA, countries will follow-up on relevant work undertaken on the issue of protected areas and ecosystem restoration. Ecosystem restoration involves rehabilitating and restoring degraded ecosystems and promoting the recovery of threatened species – it is therefore vital to achieving Aichi Biodiversity Targets 5 (to halve the rate of loss of natural habitats), 14 (ecosystem services are restored and safeguarded) and 15 (to restore at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems and enhance ecosystem resilience).
On this issue, countries will discuss key elements of a short-term action plan on ecosystem restoration and will examine draft guidance for the integration of biodiversity considerations into ecosystem restoration. Countries will also review the outcomes of the Convention’s collaboration with competent organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
During SBSTTA, countries will also discuss the current status of Aichi Biodiversity Target 11, which calls for the protection of 17 per cent of terrestrial land and inland water and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas by 2020. Since 2004, protected areas have increased by three per cent in terrestrial and inland water environments, and by six per cent in marine and coastal environments. However, other elements of Target 11, including the ecological representativeness and effective and equitable management of protected areas, need more efforts in order to be achieved by 2020. Countries will therefore discuss priority actions to be undertaken in the next five years to address all these elements.
On other topics, countries will discuss issues related to biodiversity and climate change, sustainable wildlife management, the fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook, countries’ sixth national reports, indicators for assessing progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and new and emerging issues.
Some 500 delegates, including representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, are expected to attend the twentieth meeting of the Subsidiary Body held from 25 to 30 April 2016 at the headquarters of the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal, Canada. SBSTTA is an intergovernmental body responsible for providing scientific, technical and technological advice related to the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The scientific body plays a key role in assessing the current status of the world’s biodiversity and in bringing emerging issues related to the conservation of biodiversity to the attention of the global community.
Recommendations emanating from SBSTTA 20 will be considered by the Conference of the Parties at its 13th meeting, which will be held from 4 to 17 December 2016 in Cancun, Mexico.
