May 17, 2012
- FAO and partners have launched the "Organic Soils and Peatlands Climate Change Mitigation Initiative" at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. At the launch event, FAO released the initiative's first publication on guidance for mitigation from peatlands, which includes summaries of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions quantification methodologies.
- The FAO soil survey project for Tanzania was presented at the UNFCCC Climate Talks in Bonn, Germany. FAO noted that while soil carbon models are available for Europe, the US, Canada and Japan, the assessment will allow the testing and calibration of soil carbon models for applicability in East Africa.
- The registry is meant to record both NAMAs seeking international support and NAMAs seeking recognition. It aims to facilitate matching of finance, technology and capacity-building support with these actions. On the basis of comments received from governments on how to improve the design of the prototype, the UNFCCC Secretariat will deploy a first version of the prototype registry by mid-July.
- The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and SAAB, a defense and security company, agreed to undertake joint activities to support IDB's sustainable cities platform. The initiative seeks to develop long-term environmental, fiscal and urban management strategies and to account for the various negative impacts of climate change.
- The Government of Peru has formally requested the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to take on the role of coordinator of all projects and initiatives involved with the forestry sector in that country. Since 2011, FAO has worked closely with Peru's Environment and Agriculture Ministries, on a project called "National Inventory of Forests and Sustainable Forest Management of Peru in the Face of Climate Change."
May 15, 2012
- The UN Pavilion highlights the work of 24 UN bodies and international organizations, to raise Expo visitors' awareness on: marine pollution from oil; marine litter; deep seabed marine biodiversity; over-fishing; and the impacts of climate change on oceans and coasts. International Exposition 2012 (Expo 2012) is taking place in Yeosu, Republic of Korea, under the theme "Oceans and Coasts: Connecting Our Lives, Ensuring Our Future—The Choice is Yours."
- The recognition of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) by the Knowledge Center on Cities and Climate Change (K4C) provides new opportunities for the exchange of best practices and innovative initiatives on climate change issues in large cities.
May 14, 2012
- The World Bank presented the results of the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) project, a programme that designed an insurance facility to allow countries to receive rapid access to emergency financing based on the occurrence of severe weather events, rather than on measuring damages.
May 10, 2012
- In partnership with the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI) launched a 2012-2015 campaign to improve vehicle fuel economy around the world. The 2012-2015 targets include the completion of in-country assessments and development of new outreach materials for governments and industry.
May 9, 2012
- The World Bank approved a loan to the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul to strengthen public investment through green growth-oriented initiatives. In addition, as Rio Grande do Sul lacks a disaster risk management system, despite being increasingly affected by extreme weather patterns, part of the funding will also support a more comprehensive disaster risk management program and monitoring system.