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News from Earthwatch - 2005
UNEP release: African
Lakes Atlas Launched at World Lakes Event UNEP release: Desertification
Among Central Challenges to Achieve MDGs UNEP release: "Natural
Accounting" Essential for Poverty Reduction The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and more recently Hurricane Katrina in the United States and the earthquake in Pakistan and India demonstrated once again that the poor usually suffer most from disasters occuring from natural disasters, as they often live and work in highly vulnerable locations. Microcredit is a useful tool for poverty reduction, but its potential to reduce the impact of disasters needs to be further explored. UN-ISDR release: Invest
to prevent disasters World Habitat Day which is celebrated in cities around the world, was spearheaded this year from the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, to remind the world that countless thousands of homes were destroyed last December by the tsunami killer wave that so devastated Indonesia’s Banda Aceh coastline and other Indian Ocean countries. UN-HABITAT release: Global Celebrations of World Habitat Day 2005 - MEDIA ADVISORY A new assessment report finalized on 26 September by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that capturing and storing the carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by power plants and factories before it enters the atmosphere could play a major role in minimizing climate change. UNEP release: CO2
Storage May Minimize Climate Change UNEP release: UNEP Warns of Trade Liberalisation Failure if Environment Forgotten The campaign, held in conjunction with UNEP has grown steadily since the inaugural event in 1993 and has recorded an estimated 18% increase in participation this year. UNEP release: Environmental Sustainability In Action – Nations Unite for a Greener World UNEP release: Two
Decades of Protecting the Ozone Layer to be Marked Leaders of a number of countries addressing the United Nations Summit in New York called for action against global warming, urging all concerned to ratify international treaties designed to stem the problem. UNEP release: Nature’s
Capital at Centre of Poverty Eradication UNEP release: Managing Wildlife Trade & Conservation: CITES at 30 Pollution hot spots and damaged habitats and ‘ecosystems’ are to be identified. Measures will be drawn up to reduce the threats and restore the damage. Other aims include moving to harmonized laws covering the management of the Amazon Basin. UNEP release: Amazon Waters Project Gets Green Light UNCTAD launched the BioFuels Initiative in Paris on 21 June. The aim of the initiative is to help developing countries make the most of their renewable energy potential. It was presented at a press conference organized during a seminar of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on "Assessing the bio-fuels option". The BioFuels Initiative focuses on these new trade and investment opportunities for developing countries, on implications for poverty reduction, on the supply-side constraints of increasing the production, use and trade of bio-fuels. UNCTAD release: UNCTAD LAUNCHES THE BIOFUELS INITIATIVE “The goods and services delivered by nature including the atmosphere, forests, rivers, wetlands, mangroves and coral reefs are worth trillions of dollars,” UNEP Executive Director Klaus Toepfer said in Nairobi, Kenya, at a regional launch of a new report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that seek to halve many of the worlds ills, such as extreme poverty and hunger, by 2015. UNEP release: “Natural
Capital” at Centre of Poverty Eradication This year, the international community marks the 11th anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), which plays a key role in the world’s efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve sustainable development and reach the Millennium Development Goals. This year’s celebration will constitute a special occasion for awareness raising on the issue of desertification as the international community prepares for the forthcoming celebration of the "International Year of Deserts and Desertification" in 2006. UNEP release: World
Day to Combat Desertification Recognizes Women’s Role FAO release: Cattle ranching is encroaching on forests in Latin America Produced by UNEP, "One Planet Many People: Atlas of our Changing Environment" compares and contrasts spectacular satellite images of the past few decades with contemporary ones, some of which have never been seen before. UNEP release: “One
Planet Many People” Atlas Launched to Mark World Environment
Day 2005 Meeting this Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target would cost US $11.3 billion per year, a minimal investment compared with the potential to reduce human illnesses and death and invigorate economies. The report finds that every dollar invested in improved water supplies and basic toilets pays for itself many times over. . WHO/UNICEF release: Almost
2 billion more people need access to basic sanitation by 2015 to
meet millenium target The World Environment Day theme selected for 2005 is Green Cities and the slogan is Plan for the Planet! The main international celebrations of the World Environment Day 2005 will be held in San Francisco, California, USA, and UNEP is honoured that the City of San Francisco will be hosting this important United Nations day. UNEP release: The meeting's guiding document will be Secretary-General Kofi Annan's latest report, which reveals that despite substantial progress in the formulation and implementation of national forest policies, deforestation and forest degradation continue at an alarming rate. UNFF release: UN
REPORT SAYS DEFORESTATION CONTINUING AT ALARMING RATE AS FORUM ON
FORESTS MEETS AT HEADQUARTERS 16 - 27 MAY The Convention, which entered into force on 17 May 2004, targets 12 hazardous pesticides and industrial chemicals that can kill people, damage the nervous and immune systems, cause cancer and reproductive disorders and interfere with normal infant and child development. The conference established a POPs Review Committee that will be responsible for evaluating additional chemicals that could be added to the initial list of 12 POPs. UNEP release: Campaign
to Eliminate Hazardous Chemicals at Stockholm Debut Approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years. SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE: Secretary-General's
video message to launch the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment The United Nations System Chief Executive Board for Coordination (CEB), on the recommendation of its High-level Committee on Programmes (HLCP), endorsed UN Water in 2003 as the new official United Nations system-wide inter-agency mechanism for follow-up of the water-related decisions reached at the World Summit on Sustainable Development 2002 and the Millennium Development Goals. UN Water is responsible for organizing the annual United Nations World Water Day (22 March) and choosing each year's theme. SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
FOR WORLD WATER DAY: Water
is essential for life The ministers decried the state of global forest degradation and reconfirmed their commitment to sustainable forest management and to improved coordination of economic, environmental and social policies for enhanced contribution of forests to development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The committee on Forestry meets every two years in Rome to debate key global forestry issues and give advice to FAO on its work programme on forests. The State of World's Forests 2005, a biennial FAO publication, was launched during the committee meeting. FAO Publication: State
of the World's Forests 2005 UNEP, on this particular occasion is celebrating women as custodians of the environment. Women and girls have a special relationship with the environment in other ways. They are often the custodians of indigenous knowledge and promoters of biodiversity and environmentally-friendly management. UNEP release: Celebrating
Women As Custodians of the Environment According to FAO, there has been a consistent downward trend since the 1950s in the proportion of marine fish stocks with potential for expanded production, coupled with an increase in the proportion classified as overexploited or depleted. Seven of the top ten marine fish species -- which together account for about 30 percent of all capture fisheries production -- are fully exploited or overexploited, today's report said. This means that major increases in catches cannot be expected from them, and serious biological and economic drawbacks are likely if fishing capacity for these stocks is further increased. FAO release: Depleted
fish stocks require recovery efforts The report indicates that the environment was both a victim of the tsunami but also that it often played its part in reducing the impact. Where healthy and relatively intact features like coral reefs, mangroves and coastal vegetation were in place there is evidence that the damage was reduced. The report also makes it clear that handling the rubble and other wastes generated by the damage is a key issue for many of the countries concerned. UNEP press release: Rebuild
Differently After the Tsunami GEO Year Book 2004/5, is the second in the annual GEO series. The report highlights significant environmental events and achievements during the year, raises awareness of emerging issues from scientific research and presents indicators of progress towards environmental sustainability. In particular there is a chapter in response to the Tsunami disaster and the potential effects on the environment. UNEP press release: UNEP
Launches 2004/5 GEO Yearbook The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to host the next Special Session of UNEP's Governing Council. UNEP press release: 23rd
Governing Council To Focus on Environment and the MDGs On 18 November 2004, Russia deposited its instrument of ratification with the United Nations. This marked the start of the ninety day count down to the entry in force of the Kyoto Protocol, an international and legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gases emissions world wide. Japan to mark the Protocol's entry into force: www.kyoto-protocol.jp In an opening address to the world gathering, Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Humanitarian Relief Coordinator, urged conference participants to turn commitments into action in order to make societies more resilient when confronted by natural hazards. “All disaster prone countries should adopt clear, goal-oriented disaster reduction policies and actions plans underpinned by dedicated structures and resources”, he said. Conference URL: www.unisdr.org/wcdr/ Since the tragedy of 26 December, UNEP along with other UN bodies and the international community, has been assisting the countries affected including small islands such as the Seychelles and the Maldives. An initial assessment or ‘screening’ of the environmental damage, including damage to natural sea defenses such as coral reefs and mangrove swamps and chemical and waste installations, is expected from UNEP teams by mid to late February when UNEP will hold its Governing Council at its Nairobi, Kenya, headquarters. UNEP Release: Global Early Warning System Agreement Should be Focus of Kobe Conference The major outcome document of the conference, the Mauritius Strategy for further implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action, emphasizes that small island developing States, or SIDS “are located among the most vulnerable regions in the world in relation to the intensity and frequency of natural and environmental disasters and their increasing impact, and face disproportionately high economic, social and environmental consequence,” as highlighted by the tragic impacts of the 26 December Indian Ocean tsunami and the recent hurricane/cyclone/typhoon season in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Strategy proposes to use the opportunity of the Conference on Disaster Reduction in Kobe (Japan) to consider the specific concerns of SIDS, including in the areas of insurance and reinsurance arrangements. Conference URL: www.sidsmauritius2005.mu Countries in West and Northwest Africa have made great efforts in controlling the swarms coming out from the Sahel, but only in March-April 2005 will it be possible to have clear indications on what scale breeding will occur and on what scale the Sahel will be reinvaded in summer. Hatching and the formation of small hopper groups and bands are expected to occur in some places along the Red Sea. In order to review the locust situation in the countries affected by the upsurge, Senegal organized an international Scientific Locust Seminar in Dakar from 11 to 13 January 2005. Its main objective is to identify strategies for a sustainable management of Desert Locust populations. FAO Release: Desert locust: FAO recommends continuing control actions and vigilance Natural
and man-made disasters among emerging issues challenging the health
and wealth of small islands
Some small islands, such as the Comoros in the Indian Ocean, are also facing serious freshwater shortages partly as a result of contamination and over exploitation. Unique animal and plant species are also under threat from habitat clearance and the introduction of alien, invasive species from other parts of the world. Dominica and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean are small islands with high levels of potentially damaging ‘invaders’. These are among the findings from reports released on 6 January by UNEP in advance of an international meeting on small island developing states (SIDS) taking place 10 to 14 January in Mauritius. The reports were written before the devastating tsunami, which hit coastal areas and small islands in the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. UNEP Release: Natural
and Man-made Disasters Threaten Stability of Small Islands Fisheries and aquaculture are the sectors most seriously hit by the disaster with a devastating effect on many millions of mostly small-scale fishers who are dependent on a daily fish catch for food and sale. FAO Release: FAO calls for $26 million to help tsunami victims UNEP support echoes directly the requests from national authorities for environmental experts to assess and mitigate the urgent problems. UNEP Release: Environmental
Issues Emerging from Wreckage of Asian Tsunami Figures released at the international climate change conference, show that for the first 10 months of 2004 natural disasters cost the insurance industry just over $ 35 billion, up from $ 16 billion in 2003. In the face of growing evidence that climate change impacts can already be detected, the conference adopted the Buenos Aires Programme of Work on Adaptation and Response Measures. UNEP Release: Climate
Change Convention, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 6-17 Dec. 2004 The new report notes that the Tsiza river basin ecosystem is regenerating itself after the cyanide accident, with wildlife largely recovering. But, it says more concerted action is needed to address environmental threats or “insecurities”, and recommends an “Integrated Sustainable Development Strategy” for the entire catchment area of the river Tisza, which includes Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia and Montenegro. UNEP Release: New
Environmental Assessment Launched at Danube Ministerial Meeting
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Global Environmental Headlines
The
dramatic and, in some cases damaging environmental changes sweeping
Africa’s lakes are brought into sharp focus in a new atlas launched
at World Lake Conference, which took place in Nairobi from 31
October - 4 November. The Atlas of African Lakes will
be published in book form in 2006.
The
Seventh Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 7) which also
comprised the seventh session of the Committee on Science and Technology
(CST 7) and the Fourth Session of the Committee for the Review of the
Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 4) of the United Nations Convention
to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) was held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 17
to 28 October. COP7 aimed to take further concrete
steps towards the implementation of the Convention.
The
High-Level Brainstorming Workshop on Creating Pro-Poor Markets for
Ecosystem Services, held on 10-12 October,
was one of the follow-up activities to the Workshop for MEAs on Mainstreaming
Environment Beyond MDG 7 held in July 2005, in Nairobi, Kenya. Participants
at this Workshop included heads of various MEA Secretariats, senior
representatives of UNDP, the UN Millennium Project and internationally
recognized experts in the field of environment and development. They
agreed on concrete short-, medium-, and longer-term activities to help
ensure that the objectives of the environment and development communities
mutually support each other on the ground as well as at the international
level.
On
the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Reduction, to held
on 12 October, and to
mark the International Year of Microcredit, the Secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) launched a global
debate on how microfinance can reduce the impact of natural disasters
on vulnerable communities.
The
United Nations has designated the first Monday of October each year
as World Habitat Day to reflect on the state of human settlements,
especially the living conditions of the urban poor and their basic
right to adequate shelter. This year the theme of World Habitat Day
on Monday 3 October is
The Millennium Development Goals and the City.
Six
case studies on the rice sector, released by UNEP on 20
September, underline that free trade without environmental
considerations can lead to negative impacts on developing countries.
The reports, published in advance of the crucial World Trade Organization
(WTO) meeting to take place in Hong Kong, argue that economically costly
soil degradation, water pollution, loss of biodiversity and destruction
of forests can be the consequences of environmentally-insensitive trade
liberalization.
Millions
of volunteers around the world took to their local parks, waterways,
streets and forests in a bid to clean up the environment and promote
sustainable living. 625 members, mobilising over 35 million volunteers
from 115 countries, took part in this year’s Clean Up the World
Weekend, celebrated globally on 16-18
September.
The
signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone
Layer on 16 September 1987,
is now celebrated every year as the International Day for the Preservation
of the Ozone Layer. This year’s Ozone Day
theme is “Act Ozone Friendly – Stay Sun Safe”. Although
levels of ozone depleting substances in the stratosphere now seem to
be at or near their peak, the ozone layer will remain particularly
vulnerable during the next decade or so. People must therefore be reminded
to protect themselves and their children against the increased ultraviolet
radiation reaching the Earth’s surface, which can cause skin
cancer, cataracts and other illnesses.
The
2005 World Summit, taking place on 14-16
September in New York, aims to deliver a new and strengthened
United Nations in areas from the security to human rights. It also
takes stock of how we are faring on the 2015 Millennium Development
Goals. These cover poverty eradication and the supply of safe and sufficient
supplies of drinking water to the empowerment of women and reversing
the spread of infectious disease.
Two
years after its adoption in Washington DC, CITES entered into force
in 1975 with a challenging mission: to ensure that the international
trade in thousands of plant and animal species is sustainable and does
not lead to population declines or extinction. As CITES celebrates
30 years of action on 1 July,
it has proven itself to be up to the task. But in today’s rapidly
changing world, CITES will need to continue evolving in order to adapt
to 21st century needs and maintain its dynamism over the next 30 years. 
A
new project aimed at helping the Amazon Basin and its 10 million inhabitants
conserve and better manage the region’s economically important
waters, forests and wildlife was announced on 25
June.
Sound
and solid investment in the environment will go a long way towards
meeting international targets on poverty reduction, the supply of drinking
water and fighting the spread of infectious diseases the head of UNEP
said on 17 June.
"Women & Desertification" is
this year's theme to celebrate the World Day to Combat Desertification
on 17 June. The theme
recognizes the unique role played by women in regions affected by desertification
and drought.
Expanding
livestock production is one of the main drivers of the destruction
of tropical rain forests in Latin America, which is causing serious
environmental degradation in the region, FAO said on 8
June. For the first time, FAO published a map showing
the projected expansion of crop and pasture land use into tropical
forests in the region up to 2010.
The
dramatic and, in some cases, damaging environmental changes sweeping
planet Earth are brought into sharp focus in a new atlas launched to
mark World Environment Day (WED), on 5
June.
Basic
sanitation must reach 138 million more people every year through 2015 – close
to 2 billion in total - to bring the world on track to halve the proportion
of people living without safe water and basic sanitation, WHO and UNICEF
warn in a new report: "Water for life: Making it happen",
launched on 3 June.
World
Environment Day, commemorated each year on 5 June, is one of the principal
vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness
of the environment and enhances political attention and action.
The
UN Forum on Forests (UNFF) will review the effectiveness of the International
Arrangement on Forests (IAF) and deliberate on next steps at its fifth
session, from 17 through 27 May. The Forum was established in 2000
and is the IAF's convening body. More than 300 government officials,
including 40 ministers responsible for forests are expected to attend
the meeting.
The
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) made its
debut on the world stage in Punta del Este, Uruguay from 2-6
May at a meeting of 800 government officials and observers
committed to ridding the world of some of the most dangerous chemicals
ever created.
Four
years ago, a truly inspiring group of scholars and environmental leaders
embarked on an unprecedented effort: the first comprehensive global
evaluation of the world’s major ecosystems. The report launched
on 30 March, the work
of over 1,300 experts, claims that intact and healthy ecosystems are
often worth more than altered, damaged and degraded ones. 
The ‘Water
for Life’ Decade, launched on World Water Day (22
March 2005), calls upon the international community
to strengthen efforts to increase access to water and sanitation
for all. This is the second international decade on water-related
issues under the auspices of the United Nations.
International
cooperation on forest fires, combating deforestation and the role of
the forest sector in post-tsunami rehabilitation and in achieving the
Millennium Development Goals were among key issues discussed at the
FAO Ministerial Meeting on Forests and the Committee on Forestry in
Rome from 14-19 March. 
The
International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8
March. This year marks a milestone
in the movement for gender equality and the advancement of women --
the 10-year review of the Beijing Conference and Platform for Action.
In 1995, women gathered in Beijing and took a giant step forward on
behalf of humankind. 
Rebuilding
depleted wild fish stocks is a "challenging necessity" says
the newest edition of FAO's biennial report, The State of World Fisheries
and Aquaculture (SOFIA), released on 7
March.
The
destruction caused by the Asian tsunami to the environment offers
an opportunity to rebuild in a manner that preserves natural resources
for the benefit of the local communities who were hardest
hit by the disaster, a new report by UNEP on 22
February says.
Dramatic
environmental changes now sweeping the planet, such as the loss of
forests and the spread of cities are promoting conditions for a rise
in new and previously suppressed infectious diseases, including malaria
and bilharzias, according to the UNEP latest yearbook, released on 21
February. 
The
importance of a healthy environment for realizing the Millennium Development
Goals took centre stage at the UNEP's 23d Governing Council, where
more than 100 environment ministers met in Nairobi, from 21-25
February. Well over 1,000 delegates attended from close
to 140 countries including Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize
winner and assistant environment minister of Kenya. Action
on heavy metals were among key GC decisions. Governments also agreed
to strengthen UNEP’s finances and work in areas from water and
gender equality to disaster preparedness and scientific assessment. 
The
Kyoto Protocol will enter into force on 16
February 2005. To mark this date, some Parties
to the Kyoto Protocol, as well as institutions and organizations, are
planning events and other activities. Japan
will hold a commemorative symposium and a global video conference to
celebrate the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. These events
will take place in the historic city of Kyoto where the Protocol was
originally adopted in 1997.
Ten
years after an earthquake killed nearly 6,500 people and injured
40,000 in 20 seconds in Kobe, Japan, 4,000 delegates from 150 countries
have gathered at ground zero this week for a United Nations conference
on disaster reduction, its deliberations given added urgency
by nature's latest assault, the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami.
Making
operational a tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean must
be one of the key outcomes of an international disaster reduction
conference taking place in Japan, UNEP announced on 15
January.
The International
Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for
the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States,
which concluded its works on 14 January in
Port-Louis, Mauritius, was attended by 18 Presidents, Vice-Presidents
and Prime Ministers, some 60 ministers and nearly 2000 delegates,
civil society representatives and journalists from 114 countries,
and by 15 UN or multilateral agencies. This five-day conference hosted
by the Republic of Mauritius was held in an impressive new conference
centre built with the assistance of India.
Despite
recent improvements, the Desert Locust situation remains serious
in Western Africa where vigilance and intensive control operations
are still needed, according to FAO, as announced on 7
January.
Vulnerability
to natural and man-made disasters including tsunamis and cyclones
is among a range of emerging issues challenging the health and wealth
of the world’s small island developing states. Other
issues include pollution and discharge by ships in the Caribbean,
over-fishing in the Pacific and the rising tide of household and
other forms of waste on the Atlantic and Indian Ocean islands. 
FAO
launched on 6 January an
urgent appeal for $26 million for farmers and fisher folk hit by the
South-Asian tsunami disaster, the agency said on the occasion of the
international disaster summit in Indonesia. Funds are needed to finance
emergency rehabilitation projects over the next six months.
UNEP
decided to create a Task Force in Geneva to coordinate all inputs from
the UNEP system to identify and alleviate the environmental
impacts of the Asian Tsunami disaster and to support the efforts
of the affected countries and the UN. Urgent environmental concerns
that threaten human health must be addressed, as announced on 30
December.
The
Tenth Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 10), in Buenos
Aires on 6-17 December,
marked the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
which served as a central theme for the meeting. In addition to the
accomplishments of the past ten years and future challenges, discussions
at COP 10 highlighted a range of climate-related issues including,
the impacts of climate change and adaptation measures, mitigation policies
and their impacts, and technology.
Despite
the lessons learned from the Baia Mare catastrophe in January 2000,
the Tisza river basin, its people and nature remain threatened
by environmental insecurity, in particular from floods and
accidental pollution risks, according to a new report from UNEP, released
on 13 December. The report,
Rapid Environmental Assessment of the Tisza River Basin, was presented
to the first Ministerial Meeting of the Danube River Protection Convention,
in Vienna .
