Topic: Rio+20

STATEMENT: Rio+20 Wraps Up with "More of a Whimper Than a Roar"

Michael Oko — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:09:12 -0400

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) comes to a close today. In total, more than 100 heads of state and tens of thousands of representatives from government, business, and civil society came together over two weeks to advance solutions on sustainable development in Rio de Janeiro.

[Editors’ note: You can find WRI’s experts’ analysis on specific issues and outcomes here.]

Following is statement by Manish Bapna, Acting President, World Resources Institute:

“Rio+20 closed with more of a whimper than a roar. Expectations for the conference were understandably low, but the outcomes were even more modest. The agreed upon text was simply not forceful enough to meet the environment and development challenges of our times. This was a missed opportunity to re-energize the global conversation and importantly drive greater action around sustainability.

“There were a few bright spots— the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals, support for better governance around environmental issues, and progress on sustainable transport, among others. But, still, that is not enough.

“Certainly, there are reasons why the conference fell short: economic and political crises on the global stage; the challenge of taking on complex issues; and the struggle of coming to a unanimous decision among the diverse views. These challenges are real, but they should not be an excuse for inaction.

“So then, what comes next?

“We cannot lose sight of the big picture. It would be a mistake to conflate the outcome here with what’s happening on the ground around the world. Real action is taking place on national and local levels in many countries. Just look at Germany’s shift to clean energy, Niger’s efforts to re-green its landscape, or Rio’s just launched bus rapid transit system.

“We understand the challenges. We know the solutions. What we need is to build the political will for bolder leadership.

“As we leave Rio and return to our homes around the globe, we must not give up on the vision of a more sustainable pathway. Given the urgency of the challenges, we must continue to push forward with ambitious solutions that will create a more sustainable future.”

–

Read a summary blog by Manish on where to look for key areas of progress at Rio+20.

STATEMENT: Development Banks Announce "Game Changer" for Sustainable Transport at Rio+20

Lauren Zelin — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:38:38 -0400

The world’s largest multi-lateral development banks — led by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and others — committed to provide more than $175 billion over 10 years to support sustainable transport in developing countries.

The announcement was made at the UN Sustainable Development Conference in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20) by the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, CAF- Development Bank of Latin America, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank.

Following is a statement from Holger Dalkmann, director of EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s center for sustainable transport:

“This is a game changer for sustainable transport. It will ensure that hundreds of millions of people will have cleaner air, less congested roads, and safer transportation.

“Ten years ago transportation wasn’t even in the discussion; now it’s a major outcome from the world’s preeminent conference on sustainable development.

“Banks are putting their money where it matters — on streets built for people, not just cars. The world’s population is expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050, with more than half living in Asia, mostly in urban areas. At the same time, the rate of vehicle ownership is predicted to skyrocket from around 800 million cars a decade ago to around 2 billion in 2030. These two mega-trends are coming together to create an environment where people must compete for financial, institutional, and physical resources. In response, we need better urban designs; more sustainable transportation modes, like walking, biking and mass transit; and improvements in existing vehicle and fuel technology.

“This investment is not just about improving the way people move from point A to point B; it’s also about providing access and mobility for the poor and improving road safety, not to mention reducing transport-related greenhouse gas emissions. Transport is no small piece of the climate change pie: the sector represents approximately one-quarter of global CO2 emissions.

“Today’s announcement will no doubt encourage other decision-makers, especially national governments, to consider financing transport projects based on social and environmental benefits. It will push sustainability into the core of urban development.

“At the same time, we need to make sure that the money gets invested into the right kind of projects, and that there are sound mechanisms to measure its impact. This will require full transparency and independent monitoring.

“Countries often invest in transportation and infrastructure, but much of that goes into highways. We need to be smarter about where money flows, whether that means creating vibrant public spaces, providing safer infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, or building high-tech, low-cost transit systems. Doing this would be a paradigm shift in the way we finance the growth of sustainable cities, similar to what the Asian Development Bank has done with its Sustainable Transport Initiative, a lending and technical assistance program for transport projects in Asia and the Pacific that emphasizes inclusive economic and environmentally sustainable growth.

“EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute’s center for sustainable transport, is a founding member of the Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport, which helped to catalyze this new financial commitment by the banks.

“Years from now, we may look back at Rio+20 as the moment when transport was pushed to the top of the sustainability agenda.”

-ENDS-

For more information on EMBARQ, visit: www.embarq.org.

Note: To schedule an interview, contact: Michael Oko, moko@wri.org.

RELEASE: Governments and Leaders Call for Strengthening Access to Transparency and Public Participation at Rio+20

James Anderson — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 16:51:06 -0400

More than 300 representatives from government, multilateral institutions, and civil society came together today to push for more action and commitments to support stronger governance around environmental issues.

Access to information, public participation and access to justice are core values that were embedded in the UN environmental process going back to the original Rio “Earth Summit” in 1992. These announcements show important progress toward implementing and strengthening these values at the international, national, and regional level.

Jose Luis Balmaceda, Chilean ambassador to the United Nations, attended the event, where he discussed efforts by a group of Latin American governments to strengthen their commitment to access rights in the region.

Ambassador Balmaceda said that Chile would guarantee Principle 10 and honor the original Rio Declaration. He noted that several governments are working together in Rio to explore the option of a regional approach on Principle 10. Additionally, he said that the negotiators have been working to strengthen this principle at different levels in the final Rio+20 outcome document.

“It is a fact that at the global and regional levels there is a growing recognition of the value of Principle 10, which demands to be translated into effective and concrete actions,” Ambassador Balmaceda said. “Chile is calling to reaffirm the need to achieve the commitments for the full implementation of the rights to access to information, participation, and justice.”

The call for greater access to information and justice was seconded by senior representatives from two UN agencies: Alicia Bercena, Executive Director of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC); and Sven Alkalaj, Executive Director, the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

In a statement Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations said, “My organization is committed to further advancing the application of Principle 10.” UNEP aims to improve Principle 10 “by enhancing opportunities for public participation and access to information, independent from the outcomes of Rio + 20.”

The EU has shown global leadership in embracing environmental protection and governance protection, through the Aarhus Convention, which is the largest regional effort to date to ensure people have the right to access to information, participation, and justice.

Jonas Ebbesson, Chair of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee said, “The Aarhus Convention shows that highly diverse states can agree on minimum requirements for public participation around environmental matters and they can trust an independent review mechanism in which civil society is a key actor.”

UNECE expressed its willingness to support efforts in the Latin American and Caribbean region to develop a convention on Principle 10 and to share experiences.

The announcement was made at a side event at Rio+20, “Choosing our Future: Open and Participatory Sustainable Development Governance,” organized by the United Nations Environment Programme, Fundação Getulio Vargas Rio Program on Law and Environment, the World Resources Institute, and the Access Initiative.

“In the context of the Rio Summit, where most countries have been reticent to strengthen international norms and legal frameworks, today’s announcements present an alternate and more positive approach. This demonstrates modest, but important progress toward greater governance among a number of democracies,” said Lalanath de Silva, director of the Access Initiative, an international network of non-governmental organizations that are working to advance rights and governance issues.

In addition to these announcements, a number of other governments made announcements around voluntary commitments with regard to open government and sustainability, including representatives from Mexico City and the Irish Delegation.

Correction: A previous version of the press release attributed a statement to Amina Mohammed, Deputy Director of UNEP. The correct attribution is Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.

-ENDS-

If you would like more information about the event and announcements, please contact Michael Oko; moko@wri.org; +55 (0) 21 8351 1349.

ADVISORY: Governments, UN Agencies and Civil Society to Reveal Commitments on Governance at Rio+20

Michael Oko — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:13:09 -0400

On Tuesday, June 19, 2012, more than 300 representatives from governments, UN agencies, and civil society will gather to express their support for action and make commitments around open and transparent government and environmental issues.

The event will take place at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), Priaa de Botafogo, 190, in Rio de Janeiro. The opening plenary will take place from 8:20 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.; followed immediately by a press conference from 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.

Representatives will include Ambassador Jose Luis Balmaceda, head of the Chilean Delegation, and representatives from Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Peru, along with senior officials from two UN agencies, Alicia Barcena, Executive Secretary, of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, Sven Alkalaj, Executive Secretary, of the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and Manish Bapna, Interim President, World Resources Institute.

A number of other governments are expected to make voluntary commitments with regard to open government and sustainability, including representatives of Mexico City and an NGO representative of the Irish delegation.

Speakers at the press conference will include: Ambassador Jose Luis Balmaceda, Permanent Ambassador of Chile to the United Nations; Amina Mohamed, UNEP Deputy Executive Director and Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations; Manish Bapna, Interim President WRI; and Andrew Jackson, NGO representative on the Irish delegation

Additional speakers at the morning plenary, include:

Alf Jerve, Chair of the World Bank Inspection Panel;
Georghe Salaru, Minister of Environment, Republic of Moldova;
Pierre Arcand, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development, and Parks, Quebec, Canada;
Jonas Ebbesson, Chair of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee;
Ritwick Dutta, Legal Initiative for Forests and Environment;
Ambassador M. Jean-Pierre Thébault, Representative of France;
Murilo Nunes de Bustamante, Environmental Public Prosecutor, State of Rio de Janeiro

See the full agenda for the event, here: http://www.wri.org/event/2012/06/choosing-our-future-open-and-participatory-sustainable-development-governance

WHAT
Press conference to announce commitments for stronger governance at Rio+20

Twitter hashtag: #choosefuture

WHO
Ambassador Jose Luis Balmaceda, Permanent Ambassador of Chile to the United Nations
Amina Mohamed, UNEP Deputy Executive Director and Assistant-Secretary-General of the United Nations Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI;
Andrew Jackson, NGO member of the Irish delegation

WHERE
Funacao Getulio Vargas (FGV), Priaa de Botafogo, 190, Rio de Janeiro

WHEN
Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Plenary session: 8:20 – 12:00 p.m.

Press conference: 12:00 – 12:30 p.m.

Note: Additional photo opportunity with representatives from 30 different countries: 17:00 (5:00 p.m.)

–

If you would like more information about the event and announcements, please contact Michael Oko; moko@wri.org; +55 (0) 21 8351 1349

STATEMENT: Project Launches to Measure and Manage GHG Emissions for Agriculture in Brazil

Michael Oko — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:35:54 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) and the British Embassy are launching a two year partnership to measure corporate and farm-level emissions in Brazil. Agricultural emissions account for nearly 20 percent of Brazil’s emissions, with agricultural production on the rise. The project, based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, will develop GHG Accounting Guidance for Brazilian Agriculture, filling an important gap, since Brazil does not presently have a methodology for corporate and farm-level accounting, reporting, and monitoring. This project will support Brazil in meeting its targets set in the National Plan on Climate Change, including measuring agricultural emissions, both up and down the value chain, and from land use.

“It is an honor to announce the launch of a new project that marks the continuation of a fruitful partnership between the World Resources Institute, the UK government, and Brazil, which has been contributing to measuring, reporting and managing Brazilian greenhouse gas emissions,” said British Ambassador to Brazil, Alan Charlton. “The UK Government is glad to have contributed to this initiative, which is part of an effort to establish a low-carbon economy worldwide.”

The announcement was made during an event at Rio+20 on the Green Economy: Driving Business Value and Competitiveness, hosted by WRI, which will bring together business experts, national policy makers, and global policy specialists to discuss strategic opportunities in the green economy, including tools for companies and policymakers to measure and manage their emissions impact.

Currently, more than 90 Brazilian companies voluntarily report their corporate emissions through the Brazilian GHG Protocol Program, created by Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), WRI, the Federal Ministry of Environment, and the Brazilian Corporate Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS). During 2010 and 2011, WRI and FGV conducted a series of scoping workshops with participating Brazilian companies to better understand the need for agriculture-specific guidance.

“Brazil is one of the most important countries when it comes to sustainable development, with agriculture playing a major role in its economy as well as its emissions,” said Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI. “By measuring and controlling their emissions, Brazilian companies can help lower their environmental impact, while identifying new opportunities for economic growth and cost savings.”

The event will feature a keynote address by Carlos Klink, National Secretary on Climate Change and Environmental Quality, Ministry of the Environment, Brazil.

“Today’s announcement marks an important step forward in helping Brazil to meet its emissions goals,” said Secretary Klink. “Agriculture forms the backbone of our economy, and we will continue to work with Brazilian businesses to move toward healthy, robust and sustainable future.”

The objectives of the agricultural guidance project are to:

Establish nationally-recognized methodologies for the measurement and management of agricultural GHG emissions at the farm- and corporate-level;
Build capacity among Brazilian businesses and provide methodologies to develop emissions reduction strategies for agriculture; and
Integrate methodologies for agriculture into the GHG Protocol Brazil Program and emerging mandatory (e.g., Amapá, Pará, Pernambuco, and Mato Grosso) and voluntary (e.g., Minas Gerais, Rio Grande do Sul, and Paraná) GHG emissions registries and reporting programs.

Over the next year, GHG Protocol experts will work closely with Brazilian businesses to adapt international guidance to address Brazil-specific emissions issues.

Companies interested in conducting a GHG inventory and developing and pilot testing the agricultural guidance are invited to contact GHG Protocol’s Stephen Russell: srussell@wri.org.

ADVISORY: WRI Hosts Panels on Business Strategies, Climate Change and Green Economy at Rio+20

Michael Oko — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 08:24:08 -0400

The World Resources Institute (WRI) will host a series of panel discussions, featuring leaders in business, government and civil society, that will focus on how businesses can advance low-carbon and climate goals in the context of Rio+20.

The three panels will take place on Sunday, June 17, from 1:30 – 6:00 p.m. BRT, at Copacabana Fort in Rio de Janeiro.

Topics include: moving forward with “next practices” in business strategy, developing clean technology policies, and measuring and managing greenhouse gas emissions.

Note: The third panel will include a major announcement by the British Ambassador to Brazil about a new project to manage Brazil’s agriculture sector emissions.

WHAT
Panel discussions, with high-profile leaders in business, government, and civil society, on The Green Economy: Driving Business Value and Competitiveness

WHO

Welcome & Keynote (1:30 p.m.)
Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI

Panel #1 (2:00 – 3:15 p.m.)
Peter Madden, CEO, Forum for the Future
Kersten-Karl Barth, Director, Sustainability, Siemens
Robert ter Kuile, Senior Director Environmental Sustainability – Global Public Policy, PepsiCo
Andrew Hobday, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mars
Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate and Energy Program, WRI

Panel #2 (3:30 – 5:00 p.m.)
Jochen Flasbarth, President, German Federal Environment Agency
Michael Liebreich, Chief Executive Officer, Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Dr. Emilio La Rovere, Head of the Center for Integrated Studies on Climate Change and the Environment at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Chief Scientific Advisor to CDKN, Brazil
I.H. Reham, Director, Social Transformation, The Energy and Resources Institute, India
Priya Barua, Research Fellow, WRI

Panel #3 (5:00 – 6:00)
Carlos Klink, Brazilian National Secretary on Climate Change and Environmental Quality
Alan Charlton, British Ambassador to Brazil
Wee Kean Fong, GHG Protocol, WRI
Kaleigh Robinson, GHG Protocol, WRI

WHERE
Copacabana Fort
Espaço das Ideias Circulantes
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

WHEN
Sunday, June 17, 2012;
1:30 – 6:00 p.m. BRT

-ENDS-

Read a blog post by Jennifer Morgan on climate change and Rio+20.

To schedule interviews, please contact: Michael Oko; Tel. (local cell): + 55 21 81 710258; moko@wri.org

Rio+20: Uma oportunidade para acelerar a transição para a economia verde e tirar milhões de pessoas da pobreza

James Anderson — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:34:29 -0400

O novo relatório apresenta políticas-chave e constrói os alicerces para aumentar a prosperidade, reduzir a pobreza e apoiar a sustentabilidade ambiental.

Read text in English here

Uma transição à economia verde poderia retirar milhões de pessoas da pobreza e mudar o sustento de muitas das 1,3 bilhões de pessoas que ganham apenas USD 1,25 por dia no mundo inteiro, mas somente quando a transição tiver como base políticas fortes e investimentos dos setores público e privado.

Estes foram os resultados de um novo relatório, Construindo uma Economia Verde Inclusiva para Todos, lançado hoje na reunião de cúpula da Rio+20 pela Parceria Pobreza e Ambiente (PEP, da sigla em inglês) - uma rede bilateral de agências de suporte, bancos de desenvolvimento, agências da ONU e ONGs internacionais. O relatório aponta que muitos países em desenvolvimento e países menos desenvolvidos já estão buscando fazer uma transição para economias de baixa emissão de carbono e que sejam eficientes em seu uso de recursos.

De acordo com o relatório, o aumento significativo dos exemplos atuais postos em prática da economia verde, especialmente nos países em desenvolvimento, tem o potencial de gerar resultados tripartidos: um crescimento econômico criador de empregos, sustentabilidade ambiental e inclusão social.

Porém, os investimentos específicos e as reformas na governança são necessários para superar as barreiras atuais que previnem que muitas comunidades carentes se beneficiem de uma economia verde.

Read Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All

O novo relatório demonstra que muitos dos Países Menos Desenvolvidos, assim como muitas regiões pobres dos países com renda média, na verdade possuem alto grau de recursos naturais, que os permitem construir uma economia verde que possa reduzir a pobreza de uma forma sustentável.

“Muitos dos países menos desenvolvidos e dos países em desenvolvimento e das comunidades estão aproveitando a oportunidade para aproximar economia e ecologia para que possam gerar resultados sociais transformacionais”, diz Achin Steiner, Subsecretário Geral e Diretor Executivo do Programa das Nações Unidas para o Ambiente (PNUMA), um membro da PEP, no lançamento do relatório no Rio de Janeiro.

“O desafio para os líderes mundiais se reunindo aqui na Rio+20 é gerar e dar apoio às políticas possibilitadoras e aos pacotes catalisadores financeiros e de proteção social de forma que possa apressar estas ambições e aumentá-las exponencialmente.”

O relatório discute que um grande número de países menos desenvolvidos e das regiões pobres dos países com renda média, na verdade possuem alto grau de recursos naturais, os quais são necessários para dar sustentação à transição a economia verde como uma passagem em direção ao desenvolvimento sustentável.

“Ao abraçar uma economia verde inclusiva, os líderes na Rio têm uma oportunidade rara de melhorar as vidas de milhões de pessoas e abrir as portas a uma nova era de sustentabilidade”, diz Manish Bapna, Presidente em exercício do Instituto de Recursos Mundiais, que coordenou o estudo.

“A mudança para uma economia verde inclusiva não acontecerá por si própria. São necessárias políticas governamentais inteligentes e uma liderança forte. Este relatório apresenta uma visão ousada para uma economia verde que pode lidar com a pobreza e a desigualdade, e mais importante ele oferece alicerces práticos e concretos para a realização dessa transição.”

O relatório cita muitos exemplos fortes de países em desenvolvimento que estão mudando para uma economia verde de forma bem-sucedida. Por exemplo:

A Etiópia está desenvolvendo seis projetos de energia eólica e um projeto geotérmico, os quais aumentarão a capacidade do país em mais de 1.000 megawatts.
A Mongólia atualmente está construindo seu primeiro parque eólico de 50 megawatt, e este deve gerar um valor estimado de 5% da energia necessária pelo país, enquanto que vai reduzir a poluição do ar, que está relacionada com a geração de energia causada pela queima de carvão. A Mongólia tem o potencial de agir como uma “super rede” na região, fornecendo energia limpa para os países vizinhos.
No Uganda, a promoção da agricultura orgânica está ajudando dezenas de milhares de fazendeiros a ganharem até 300% a mais nas produções certificadas de abacaxi, gengibre, baunilha e outros produtos para exportação. Mundialmente, o mercado para os produtos orgânicos triplicou desde 2000.

A nível internacional, o desenvolvimento da Redução de Emissões por Desmatamento e Degradação de Florestas(REED ou REED+ das siglas em inglês), também oferece o potencial para a erradicação da pobreza, se acompanhada por salvaguardas sociais rigorosas, especialmente para a população indígena local. Por exemplo, a Noruega investiu USD 1 milhão na REED na Indonésia, o que gerou um ano de moratória na derrubada de árvores em Kalimantan, o que tem o potencial de salvaguardar 45% das florestas da província, ao passo que fornece novas oportunidades de sustento e renda para a população local.

Muitos países de renda baixa ou média são ricos em recursos para ecoturismo, um setor que tem a projeção de gerar uma receita de USD 240 bilhões em 2012. Uma grande parte desse crescimento se encontra nos países em desenvolvimento tão variados como Botsuana, Belize, Brasil, Costa Rica, Gabão, Quênia e Nepal.

Os países menos desenvolvidos, com a infraestrutura menos desenvolvida, especialmente nas áreas urbanas, podem se beneficiar da economia verde inclusiva com as políticas possibilitadoras corretas e investimentos internacionais específicos em áreas de eficiência energética e tecnologias limpas para os modernos sistemas de transporte público.

Tais esforços também servem para aumentar a criação de empregos decentes verdes. Em Lagos, na Nigéria, as parcerias públicas e privadas voltadas à melhoria da infraestrutura da cidade, reduzem o congestionamento, melhoram as condições nas favelas e ajudam a criar cerca de 4.000 empregos, relacionados ao meio ambiente, para a comunidade jovem desempregada.

Com relação à saúde, os fatores de riscos ambientais são as causas de cerca de um quinto de todas as doenças nos países em desenvolvimento, e correspondem a uma grande proporção das mortes infantis.

Muitos investimentos na economia verde têm o potencial para fornecer benefícios significativos para a saúde humana. Por exemplo, o apoio aos combustíveis e veículos limpos diminuirá as emissões de gases do efeito estufa e reduzirá as doenças respiratórias. Da mesma forma, o investimento em uma energia mais limpa para o uso doméstico nos países em desenvolvimento, tais como através de fogões mais eficientes, pode reduzir a dependência da madeira como combustível e lidar com o desmatamento e ainda limitar a exposição à poluição interna do ar.

O relatório enfoca que o setor privado, incluindo as grandes multinacionais e pequenas e médias empresas, junto com as organizações não governamentais têm também um papel-chave como possibilitadores.

Por exemplo:

A Unilever está trabalhando na África Ocidental com 10.500 pequenos fazendeiros para promover as árvores allanblackia, que produz sementes ricas em óleo que é usado em margarinas sob as marcas Flora e Bercel.
No Brasil, a empresa de cosméticos Natura criou parcerias com 26 comunidades para fornecer novos cosméticos, fragrâncias e outros produtos sob um programa de compartilhamento de benefícios, que apoia os princípios do PNUMA relacionados à Convenção sobre Diversidade Biológica.
Jain, um sistema de irrigação localizado na Índia, fabrica sistemas de irrigação baseados no gotejamento e na aspersão, enquanto gera mercados para os produtos dos fazendeiros. Fazendeiros em partes da Índia tiveram um aumento de renda líquida de USD 100 para USD 1.000 por hectare como resultado da adoção de tais sistemas e também reduziram o consumo de água e os impactos ambientais.

“Existe uma grande evidência de que a transição para uma economia verde com baixa emissão de carbono e que seja eficiente em seu uso de recursos pode beneficiar muito a comunidade carente e ao mesmo tempo ajudar a preservar os serviços ecossistêmicos vitais”, disse Johan Kuylenstierna, Diretor Executivo do Instituto Ambiental de Estocolmo, membro PEP e co-autor do relatório.

“O desafio para a Rio+20 é criar compromissos fortes que assegurarão que a economia verde possa crescer e dar frutos, com o apoio dos setores público e privado. Também precisamos adotar políticas para proteger os vulneraveis enquanto as economias dos países fazem a transição, e assegurar que os benefícios da economia verde sejam distribuídos de uma forma justa e igualitária”.

“Na região da Ásia-Pacífico, o investimento paralelo na infraestrutura sustentável inclusiva e no gerenciamento sustentável dos ecossistemas críticos para o desenvolvimento econômico futuro pode causar um impacto enorme no bem-estar da população carente - tanto nas zonas urbana e rural”, disse Bindu N. Lohani, Vice-presidente da Gestão de Conhecimento e Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Bando de Desenvolvimento Asiático.

“As instituições regionais devem galvanizar os esforços governamentais para criar as políticas possibilitadoras certas e canalizar os recursos financeiros para um crescimento verde inclusivo, um tipo de crescimento que beneficia os países em desenvolvimento e os membros carentes das suas populações.”

O relatório apela para que os delegados na reunião de cúpula da Rio+20 considerem os “cinco fatores críticos para a construção dos alicerces em direção a economia verde inclusiva”. Estes podem maximizar os benefícios da economia verde para a população carente e promover uma agenda política compartilhada entre os governos dos países em desenvolvimento, os parceiros nos países desenvolvidos e outras partes interessadas.

Políticas sociais econômicas nacionais: Políticas fiscais, regimes tributários e políticas verdes de proteção social e programas que possam fortalecer a transição dos carentes;
Direitos e capacitações locais: Garantir que a população carente tenha direitos e posse sobre os seus recursos naturais, apoiados por meios e incentivos para gerenciar de forma sustentável e gerar benefícios para si próprios;
Mercados verdes inclusivos: São necessários novos modelos de negócios para construir e expandir o acesso da comunidade carente aos mercados inclusivos e redes de fornecimento para os produtos e serviços verdes, junto com o acesso ao microcrédito e serviços de desenvolvimento de negócios para empresas de pequeno e médio porte;
Políticas e suporte a uma harmonização internacional: Os países com maior renda precisam fornecer ajuda coerente, comércio e outras políticas de suporte para possibilitar que os países de baixa renda possam ser bem-sucedidos na transição para a economia verde, e;
Novos parâmetros para medir progresso: Ir além da limitação do PIB, para um indicador mais abrangente de progresso socioeconômico, social, ambiental e de bem-estar humano: esta é uma questão-chave na mesa de discussão da Rio+20.

Nota as editores:

Construindo uma Economia Verde Inclusiva para Todos: Oportunidades e Desafios para Superarmos a Pobreza e Desigualdade será lançado às 13:00 no dia 14 de junho na Sala de Imprensa no Rio Centro.

O relatório completo está disponível no site www.povertyenvironment.net/pep

A publicação foi elaborada pela equipe do Bando de Desenvolvimento Asiático, AusAid Austrália, Ministério dos Assuntos Exteriores da Finlandia, Agência para Cooperação Internacional, Alemanha (GIZ da sigla em alemão), Instituto Internacional para o Meio ambiente e Desenvolvimento, a União Nacional para Conservação da natureza, a Organização para Cooperação e Desenvolvimento Econômico, Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento, Programa das Nações Unidas para o Meio Ambiente, Banco Mundial, Conselho Mundial de Negócios para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável e Instituto de Recursos Mundiais;

A publicação informativa do PNUMA sobre a economia verde e a redução da pobreza está disponível em: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/POVERTY_REDUCTIO...

Para maiores informações, por favor entre em contato:

Nick Nuttall, Porta-voz do PNUMA; Tel: +55 11 6593 8058 or +254 733 632755, e-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org

Michael Oko, Diretor de Comunicações, Instituto de Recursos Mundiais, Tel + (202) 246-9269, e-mail: moko@wri.org

STATEMENT: Rio+20: "We Cannot Afford to Let This Moment Slip By"

Michael Oko — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:33:44 -0400

The UN Conference on Sustainable Development kicked off in Rio de Janeiro this week.

Following is a statement by Manish Bapna, Interim President, World Resources Institute:

“Rio+20 should serve as a wake-up call for our planet. Leaders in Rio need to make sustainability a global priority, placing it at the very center of political and economic agendas. We can no longer afford to view environmental issues as being apart from, or in conflict with economic growth– but rather see sustainability as an integrated, pro-growth path forward.

“Despite our best efforts and some progress over the past 20 years, too many environmental trends are heading in the wrong direction. We need less talk, and more action; fewer promises, and more concrete steps for government policy and business practices.

“We urgently need government, business, and civil society to work together to make sure we have clean water, healthy ecosystems, livable cities, and a stable climate.

“Let’s seize this opportunity to protect our planet and ensure that people have a safer, more prosperous, and healthier future. The eyes of the world are on us. We cannot afford to let this moment slip by.”

-ENDS-

Read Manish’s new post: Rio+20: Seizing the Opportunity for a Sustainable Future

Find out more about WRI events and activities in Rio.

Note: Manish Bapna will be in Rio starting on Friday, June 15. To schedule an interview, contact: Michael Oko, moko@wri.org.

PRESS RELEASE: Rio+20: Opportunity to Fast Track Transition to Green Economy, Lift Millions Out of Poverty

James Anderson — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 10:23:35 -0400

New Report Presents Key Policies and Building Blocks to Unlock Prosperity, Reduce Poverty and Support Environmental Sustainability

Ver texto em Português

A transition to a green economy could lift millions of people out of poverty and transform the livelihoods of many of the 1.3 billion people earning just a US$1.25 a day around the world, but only when supported by strong policies and public- and private-sector investments.

These are the findings of a new report, Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All, launched today at the Rio+20 summit by the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP), a network of bilateral aid agencies, development banks, UN agencies and international NGOs. The report finds that many developing and least developed countries are already pursuing a transition towards low-carbon, resource efficient economies.

Scaling-up current examples of the green economy in action – particularly in developing countries - has the potential to deliver a ‘triple bottom line’ of job-creating economic growth, environmental sustainability and social inclusion, says the report.

But targeted investments and governance reforms are needed to overcome current barriers that are preventing many poor communities from fully benefiting from a green economy.

Read Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All

The new report finds that many Least Developed Countries, as well as many poor regions of middle income countries, are actually richly endowed with the natural resources that would allow them to build green economies that can sustainably reduce poverty.

“Many least developed and developing countries and communities are seizing the opportunity to bring economy and ecology together in order to generate transformational social outcomes,” said Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), a PEP member, at the launch of the report in Rio de Janeiro.

“The challenge for world leaders meeting here at Rio+20 is to forge and to back the enabling policies, catalytic financing, and social protection packages in order to fast forward these ambitions and to take them to scale.”

The new report argues that large numbers of least developed countries and poor regions of middle income countries are actually richly endowed with the natural resources needed to underpin a green economy transition as a pathway towards realizing sustainable development.

“By embracing an inclusive green economy, leaders in Rio have a rare opportunity to improve the lives of millions of people and usher in a new era of sustainability,” said Manish Bapna, Acting President of the World Resources Institute, which co-ordinated the study.

“Shifting to an inclusive green economy will not happen on its own. It requires smart government policies and strong leadership. This report presents a bold vision for a green economy that can tackle poverty and inequality, and, importantly, it offers concrete and practical building blocks to make this transition.”

The report cites many strong examples of developing countries that are already successfully shifting to a green economy. For example:

Ethiopia is developing six wind energy projects and a geothermal project, which will increase the country’s capacity by over 1,000 megawatts.
Mongolia’s first 50 megawatt wind farm is currently under construction and is set to generate an estimated five per cent of the county’s electricity needs, while reducing air pollution linked with coal-fired generation. Mongolia has the potential to act as a “supergrid” in the region, supplying neighbouring countries with clean energy.
In Uganda, the promotion of organic agriculture is helping tens of thousands of farmers to earn up to 300 percent more from certified pineapple, ginger, vanilla and other exports. Globally, the market for organic food products has increased three-fold since 2000.

On the international level, the development of Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD or REDD+) also offers potential for poverty eradication if accompanied by rigorous social safeguards especially for local and indigenous people. For example, in Indonesia, a US $1 billion REDD+ investment by Norway has led to a one year moratorium on logging in Kalimantan, has the potential to safeguard 45 per cent of the province’s forests, while providing new livelihood and income opportunities for local people.

Many low and middle-income countries are rich in resources for ecotourism; a sector that is projected to generate revenues of US $240 billion in 2012. Much of this growth is in developing countries as diverse as Botswana, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, Gabon, Kenya and Nepal.

Least developed countries with less developed infrastructure, particularly in urban areas, can benefit from an inclusive green economy with the right enabling policies and targeted international investments in areas from energy efficiency and clean technologies to modern public transportation systems.

Such efforts can also serve to boost the creation of decent, green jobs. In Lagos, Nigeria, public-private partnerships to improve the city’s infrastructure, reduce congestion and upgrade slums have helped create around 4,000 environment-related jobs among unemployed youth.

Regarding health, environmental risk factors are the cause of around one-fifth of the total disease burden in developing countries, and a large proportion of childhood deaths.

Many green economy investments have the potential to deliver significant benefits for human health. For example, supporting clean fuels and vehicles will lower greenhouse gas emissions, while also reducing respiratory diseases. Similarly, investing in cleaner energy for households in developing countries, such as through more efficient cookstoves, can reduce dependency on wood fuel and tackle deforestation, while limiting exposure to indoor air pollution.

The report underlines that the private sector, including large multinationals and small- and medium-sized enterprises, along with non-governmental organizations have a key enabling role too.

For example:

Unilever is working in West Africa with 10,500 small-scale farmers to promote allanblackia trees, which produce seeds rich in oil for use in spreads under the brand names Flora and Bercel
In Brazil, the cosmetics company Natura has forged partnerships with 26 communities to source new cosmetics, fragrances, and other products under a benefit sharing project that supports the principles of the UNEP-linked Convention on Biological Diversity
The Indian-based Jain Irrigation System makes drip and sprinkler irrigation systems while providing markets for farmers’ produce. Farmers in parts of India have seen net incomes rise by US $100 to $1,000 a hectare as a result of adopting such systems while also reducing water use and environmental impacts.

“There is strong evidence that a transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy could hugely benefit the poor while helping preserve vital ecosystem services,” said Johan Kuylenstierna, executive director of the Stockholm Environment Institute, a PEP member and co-author of the report.

“The challenge at Rio+20 is to make strong international commitments that will ensure the green economy can grow and flourish, with both public- and private-sector support. We also need to adopt policies to protect the vulnerable as their economies make this transition, and to ensure that the benefits of the green economy are fairly and equitably distributed.”

“In the Asia-Pacific region, the twin tracks of investing in sustainable inclusive infrastructure and the sustainable management of critical ecosystems to support future economic development can make a huge impact on the welfare of the poor – in both urban and rural settings,” said Bindu N. Lohani, Vice-President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank.

“Regional institutions must galvanize efforts by governments to create the right enabling policies and channel financial resources into inclusive green growth - the kind of growth that benefits the developing countries and the poorer members of their populations.”

The report calls on delegates meeting for the Rio+20 Summit to consider “five critical building blocks” towards an inclusive green economy. These can maximize the benefits for the poor of a green economy, and foster a shared policy agenda between developing country governments, developed country partners and other stakeholders.

National Economic and Social Policies: Fiscal policies, tax regimes, and ‘green’ social protection policies and programmes can strengthen a pro-poor transition;
Local Rights and Capacities: Ensuring poor people have rights and tenure over their natural resources backed by the means and the incentives to sustainably manage and benefit from them;
Inclusive Green Markets: New business models are needed to build and expand the poor’s access to inclusive markets and supply chains for green products and services, together with access to micro-credit and business development services for small and medium-scale enterprises;
Harmonized International Policies and Support: Higher-income countries need to provide coherent aid, trade and other policies to enable low-income countries to succeed in a green economy transition; and
New Metrics for Measuring Progress: Going beyond the narrowness of GDP to a broader indicator of economic, social and environmental progress and human well-being: this is a key issue on the table at Rio+20.

Note to Editors:

Building An Inclusive Green Economy For All: Opportunities and Challenges for Overcoming Poverty and Inequality will be launched at 1pm on 14 June at the Press Centre at Rio Centro.

The full report is available on WRI’s site, or here: www.povertyenvironment.net/pep

A UNEP Briefing Paper on the green economy and poverty reduction is available at:

http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/Portals/88/POVERTY_REDUCTION.pdf

The publication has been prepared by staff from Asian Development Bank, Australia (AusAid); Finland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Germany’s GIZ; the International Institute for Environment and Development; the International Union for the Conservation of Nature; the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development; the UN Development Programme; the UN Environment Programme; the World Bank; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute.

UN Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 (Rio+20): http://www.uncsd2012.org/

For more information please contact:

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson; Tel: +55 11 6593 8058 or +254 733 632755, E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org

Michael Oko, Media Director, World Resources Institute, Tel + (202) 246-9269; email: moko@wri.org

ADVISORY: New Report Outlines Key Steps to Reduce Poverty in a Green Economy

Michael Oko — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:21:48 -0400

Despite global development progress, some 1.3 billion people are living on less than US $1.25 per day, with 900 million facing hunger. Efforts to tackle poverty are being compounded by the continued degradation of ecosystems and the effects of climate change, to which poor communities are often most vulnerable.

A new report from the Poverty-Environment Partnership, a network of bilateral aid agencies, development banks, UN agencies and international NGOs, will set out the major opportunities for reducing poverty, promoting economic growth and ensuring environmental sustainability through the transition to a green economy.

Using case studies primarily from developing countries, Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All, will outline the key building blocks towards creating a shared agenda for more inclusive and sustainable human development.

Developing and middle-income countries are home to many growth industries such as ecotourism and organic agriculture. The report will demonstrate how strategic investments in these sectors, and in the ecosystem services that account for up to 89 percent of the so-called ‘GDP of the poor’, can reduce social inequity, boost employment and promote environmental sustainability.

Members of the Poverty-Environment Partnership, including the World Resources Institute and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), will present the main findings of the report.

For more information on the Poverty-Environment Partnership, visit: http://www.povertyenvironment.net/pep

WHAT
Report launch on green economy at Rio+20

WHO
Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP
Kitty van der Heijden, Ambassador for Sustainable Development, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Netherlands
Peter Hazlewood, Director of Ecosystems & Development, World Resources Institute, and a lead author of the report

DATE
Thursday, June 14, 2012

TIME
1:00 - 1:30 p.m. BRT (12:00 - 12:30 p.m. EDT)

WHERE
UN Media Centre, Pavilion 3, Rio Centro
Rio de Janeiro

For more information, contact:

Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson; Tel: +55 11 6593 8058 or +254 733 632755, E-mail: nick.nuttall@unep.org

Michael Oko, Media Director, World Resources Institute; Tel: +(202) 246-9269, E-mail: moko@wri.org

Building an Inclusive Green Economy for All

Christine Potochny — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:07:17 -0400

Foreword

While significant development progress has been achieved over the past two decades, with almost 650 million people moving out of extreme poverty in developing countries between 1990 and 2008, nearly 1.3 billion women, men and children have been left behind living on less than US$1.25 per day. Even greater numbers suffer other forms of poverty and deprivation, and inequality both within and across countries has increased. Looking ahead, the challenge of overcoming poverty and inequality will be greatly compounded by ecosystem degradation, climate change and economic disruption, which disproportionately impact the poor and most vulnerable. These increasingly interlinked crises threaten hard-won development gains and prospects for continued progress. While calls for action have multiplied, the world’s collective response has fallen far short of what is needed.

At the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, the Poverty-Environment Partnership (PEP) launched the influential publication Linking Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management, with the core message that sound management of the environment is vital to fighting poverty and inequality and to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A decade later, as the global community prepares for the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, moving toward an inclusive and green economy is receiving growing political attention as a promising path to sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Examples of the green economy in practice show great potential for delivering a “triple bottom line” of job–creating economic growth coupled with environmental protection and social inclusion. However, there are significant barriers to realizing this potential on a large scale. To build an inclusive green economy that is equitable and sustainable will require carefully designed policies and targeted investments that enable low and middle-income countries and the poor to contribute to and benefit from the transition. Of particular importance is the need for governance and policy reforms that extend to poor people secure rights over the environmental assets that underpin their livelihoods and well-being, and that ensure a greater voice in decisions affecting how these assets are managed. At the same time, policies and measures such as green protectionism and aid conditionality that could adversely impact low and middle-income countries and people living in poverty must be avoided if the benefits of an inclusive green economy are to be realized.

This joint Poverty-Environment Partnership paper aims to stimulate a dialogue among developing country policymakers, development partners and other stakeholders on how best to support country-led efforts to build inclusive green economies. Through a shared commitment to putting into place the building blocks of a green economy for all, real and lasting progress can be made towards overcoming poverty and inequality and achieving sustainable human development.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Hope or Hype? WRI Experts Host Press Call on Rio+20 Summit

James Anderson — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:28:05 -0400

As leaders in government, business and civil society prepare to head to Rio de Janeiro for the UN Sustainable Development Summit, known as Rio+20, experts from the World Resources Institute will host a press call to discuss issues and expectations for the meeting.

WRI experts will discuss issues, including the green economy, governance, climate change, role of business, and more. WRI will provide an update on the state of play and on possible outcomes for the global summit.

Listen to the audio recording of WRI’s press call below:

WHAT:

Press call to discuss expectations for the Rio+20 Summit.

WHO:

Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI

Craig Hanson, Director, People & Ecosystems Program, WRI

Lalanath de Silva, Director, The Access Initiative

Jennifer Morgan, Director, Climate & Energy Program, WRI

Followed by a Q&A session

WHEN:

Tuesday, May 22, 10:00a.m. EDT // 11:00a.m. BRT

CALL-IN:

United States (Toll free): (866) 803-2143

Brazil (Toll Free): 0800-8911992

Other international locations (Toll): +1 (210)795-1098

Passcode: Callers should ask for “RIO”

You can read more about WRI’s work at Rio +20 at: http://insights.wri.org/topic/rio20.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Michael Oko: Tel. + 1 (202) 729-7684; email: moko@wri.org; or

James Anderson: Tel. +1 (202) 729 7608; email: JAnderson@wri.org

Rio+20

Camilo Ramirez — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:05:00 -0400

WRI at Rio+20

WRI top Rio press coverage
WRI Experts at Rio
WRI e Rio+20 em Português
WRI Blog Posts on Rio+20

WRI’s experts were deeply engaged at Rio+20 in promoting a renewed urgency around sustainable development and the need for concrete and accountable steps to achieve this goal. WRI staff in business, climate, energy, food, forests, governance, and transportation participated in Rio+20, leading discussions and sharing WRI’s analysis.

Outcomes from Rio+20

Read WRI Interim President Manish Bapna’s summary statement on Rio+20: Rio+20 Wraps Up with “More of a Whimper Than a Roar”

WRI experts have also weighed in on a number of the summit’s outcomes in our WRI Insights series,
Rio+20 In The Rear View:

Read Now

Rio+20 Wraps Up with “More of a Whimper Than a Roar,” by Manish Bapna, Interim President, WRI

Countries Commit to Improve Environmental Governance
by Joseph Foti

More Progress from Business Needed
by Kirsty Jenkinson and Manish Bapna

Getting Business on Board with the Green Economy
by Samantha Putt del Pino

A Missed Opportunity for Climate Change Action
by Jennifer Morgan

Companies Call for Better Water Governance
by Betsy Otto

A Look at Rio de Janeiro’s New Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program
by Wee Kean Fong and Stacy Kotorac

What’s the Road Ahead for Sustainable Transportation?
by Holger Dalkmann

Promises Kept: Ensuring Ambition and Accountability through a Rio +20 “Compendium of Commitments”

Kevin Lustig — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:59:56 -0400

Introduction

In an effort to ensure that the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) generates meaningful outcomes, governments and other stakeholders increasingly support using the Conference to announce specific and time-bound commitments, and to agree on a “framework” to hold each other accountable for results. This so-called “Compendium of Commitments” has been criticized as suggesting a “bottom up”, “pledge-and-review” approach that will lead to business-as-usual outcomes that don’t meet the sustainable development challenges ahead of us. In the few months remaining, proponents of the Compendium of Commitments will have to demonstrate that this approach will lead to ambitious actions and that the accountability framework is sufficiently robust to incentivize and track performance. Rio+20 participants can learn from the range of experiences with past pledge-and-review initiatives and focus on ways to improve the quality of the content of pledges and of the institutions and procedures designed to review them.

Background

Rio +20 takes place in the context of a wider debate on the future of multilateralism and on the role of international law and international institutions in addressing global environment and development challenges. The 1992 Rio Earth Summit generated a variety of internationally agreed guidance and principles (Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development), spurred the adoption of three major, binding multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) (the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)).

The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) focused on “implementation and compliance” rather than the development of new binding rules and obligations. To this end, it provided a platform for announcing “public private partnerships,” negotiated “bottom up” among interested parties (Brack 2000; Speth 2002; WRI 2004). But few of the more than 300 partnerships launched at WSSD have survived and the vast majority never resulted in significant change, due, at least in part, to the lack of any meaningful process for monitoring and review of performance.

The international climate change negotiations have, until recently, marked a similar trend away from “top down” treaty obligations contained in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, towards “pledges” proposed by each party in the 2010 Cancun Agreements. Others suggest that the more recent (2011) agreement by climate negotiators in Durban to aim towards a “protocol, another legal instrument or an outcome with legal force” means that an interest in negotiated, binding commitments remains. They also point to recent international agreement on new binding protocols to the CBD, and progress on a treaty to reduce mercury emissions.

In any case, it has been clear from the onset of the current negotiations that this Rio process is unlikely to lead to a new set of legally binding treaties. Until recently, it has, however, been unclear what alternative form of outcome would justify holding a global conference on sustainable development at time of heightened concern about the future of the planet.

Yet there is some promise in the concept of pledges. Paragraph 128 of “The Future We Want - Zero Draft of the Outcome Document” states:

We welcome the voluntary commitments made at Rio+20 and invite the Secretary-General to compile them in a registry/compendium that will serve as an accountability framework.

A process that invites participants to come forward with “voluntary commitments”, rather than negotiating them collectively, raises a set of design challenges that will confront proponents of a compendium in Rio:

How do we ensure a common level of quality of commitments to be specific, time-bound, measurable, and ambitious beyond business as usual?
How do we ensure that commitments related to challenges requiring collective action, involving transboundary pollution, damage to the global commons, equitable access to scarce resources, are ambitious enough, in the aggregate, to make the needed difference?
How do we ensure that commitments that address fundamental rights and basic needs, such as information, participation and justice, and clean water, food, shelter, and health, are ambitious enough to respect individual human dignity?
How do we ensure that, in the absences of the force of law, there is an accountability framework robust enough to hold participants accountable to their constituencies and to each other to fulfill their commitments?

Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, Communities and Climate Change

Maggie Barron — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 13:54:43 -0400

A Caring for Climate report by the United Nations Global Compact, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Oxfam, and World Resources Institute (WRI)

Executive Summary

Drawing on the results of a 2010 survey of corporate signatories to the United Nations Global Compact and the United Nations Environment Programme Caring for Climate initiative, as well as on existing literature, this report makes the business case for private sector adaptation to climate change in ways that build the resilience of vulnerable communities in developing countries. It then offers actions that companies and policymakers can pursue to catalyze and scale up private sector action on adaptation. It is ultimately the responsibility of the public sector to meet the critical climate change adaptation needs of the poor and vulnerable; thus private sector engagement cannot substitute for critically needed public investment and policies. However, private sector investment can serve as a pivotal part of a comprehensive governmentled approach to addressing climate impacts.

This report is a resource for companies with a national, regional or global reach that are interested in increasing their strategic focus on adaptation in developing countries where they have operations, supply chains, employees and current or potential customers.

While many companies are focused on climate change mitigation — slowing the rate of climate change through reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and other strategies — most have yet to develop strategies for dealing with the immediate to long-term consequences of climate change. This report is also aimed at national and international policymakers involved in climate change and sustainable development dialogues and decision-making, including those who will participate in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 (Rio+20). It is hoped that the report’s findings will be useful for a much wider range of actors as well, including small, local businesses in developing countries that are on the front line of climate impacts; civil society organizations seeking to strengthen their work around climate change and sustainable development; and subnational policymakers, who are in a key position to shape a productive interface among government, communities and businesses.

Private Sector Adaptation, Sustainable Development and the Green Economy

The challenges that communities in developing countries face as a result of climate change — such as more frequent and intense storms, water scarcity, declining agricultural productivity and poor health — also pose serious challenges for businesses. Community risks are business risks. Both local and global companies depend on community members as suppliers, customers and employees. They also depend on local resources, services and infrastructure to be able to operate. It is difficult to separate community well-being from companies’ viability and, in turn, overall economic growth.

Businesses that make these connections and adapt to climate change with community needs in mind can gain a competitive edge. Businesses that respond to climate change in ways that undermine communities’ efforts to adapt may face reputational and brand risks, and they may even lose their ability to operate in certain locations. Through responsible, strategic approaches to addressing climate change risks and opportunities, in consultation with people in affected communities, companies can:

Avoid costs, manage liabilities and build resilience to climate change impacts by addressing climate risks throughout their operations and value chains, while at the same time increasing community resilience.
Expand market share and create wealth in communities by developing and deploying new products and services that help people adapt.
Access new opportunities to collaborate with the public sector, as developing country governments seek corporate partners who can effectively deliver goods and services that support high-priority climate change adaptation efforts.
Build corporate reputation and exercise good corporate citizenship by showing commitment to decreasing climate vulnerability and promoting long-term resilience in places where it is needed most.

Investment or other private sector actions taken to adapt to climate change can also have the benefit of promoting a transition to a “green economy”, which has been identified by governments as one of the anchoring themes of Rio+20. In its simplest expression, a green economy is one that is low-carbon, resource-efficient and socially inclusive. In a green economy, growth in income and employment can be generated by strategic public and private investments in developed and developing countries that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve resource efficiency and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services (that is, the benefits of nature to people). Businesses can accelerate the transition to a green economy by taking advantage of the natural synergies that exist between green economy initiatives and climate change adaptation opportunities. When businesses work with communities to restore mangrove forests as natural barriers against storms, or develop affordable drip irrigation equipment that can be used by small-scale farmers facing water scarcity, they are also greening the economy.

Business Perspectives and Action on Adaptation

The Caring for Climate survey revealed that 83 percent of 72 responding companies believe that climate change impacts pose a risk to their products or services. A slightly higher percentage of companies (86 percent) think that responding to climate change risks, or investing in adaptation solutions, poses a business opportunity for their company. Many Caring for Climate companies surveyed have employees and operations in developing countries, which are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change and have limited resources with which to adapt. Not only are companies that operate in, have markets in or source in developing countries exposed to risk, but they can also play a critical role in building climate resilience in these countries.

However, beyond planning for the most obvious or immediate threats — increasingly unreliable access to key inputs like water and energy, for example, or damage to assets from flooding — most companies are not yet taking concrete steps to address climate change risks and to respond to new opportunities in a comprehensive, integrated way.

There is not yet widespread understanding among Caring for Climate signatories of what climate adaptation is and what it means for them or for the markets they serve. Uncertainties about the location, magnitude, potential timing and consequences of climate change impacts make it risky for them to tackle adaptation on their own, and few good tools exist to help businesses assess climate risks and opportunities. The survey revealed that companies find it difficult to incorporate scientific climate change data, which typically cover a large geographic area and span a long-term time frame, into practical business decision-making, which tends to be shorterterm in nature and location-specific. Information about the full range of adaptation costs and benefits is often not available as an input to companies’ investment analyses. Companies may see few economic and policy incentives to make significant up-front investments that bolster long-term climate resilience, for the company and for communities that will be most affected by climate change impacts.

These factors can make it difficult for businesses to make adaptation a strategic priority. Even if key internal stakeholders have prioritized adaptation, it can be hard for them to find the capacity to consult and communicate with a wide range of key external stakeholders, including suppliers and customers. Few Caring for Climate signatories are engaging with suppliers around the issue of climate risk, and few are exploring how their customers’ needs may change as a result of climate change impacts, and what the corresponding business implications — and possible missed opportunities — may be of shifting demands and preferences. Companies also reported challenges in analyzing the connection between their own adaptation needs and community needs; only half of the companies that responded to the Caring for Climate survey said that they have recognized the possible social consequences (positive or negative) of their adaptation strategies. In the end, very few Caring for Climate signatories have been able to design comprehensive adaptation goals with corresponding business indicators to track economic performance and progress towards those goals.

Although business adaptation to climate change is clearly at a nascent stage, approximately one-third of companies surveyed reported having a strong emphasis on addressing climate risks, and about the same percentage reported a strong emphasis on responding to adaptation opportunities.

The survey revealed some emerging best practices in how companies are responding to complex climate change challenges and opportunities while contributing to sustainable development. This report provides several case studies that not only serve as models for other companies, but also provide evidence that private sector adaptation at the nexus of company needs and the needs of vulnerable communities in developing countries makes good business sense.

Strategic private sector adaptation to climate change must be a purposeful process: It will not happen by chance. Companies must prioritize adaptation and take action to address risks and pursue opportunities. Governments can assist companies to overcome barriers to investment and harness the resources and innovation of the private sector to contribute to the public good.

Practical Measures for Companies

Companies will find that addressing the impacts of climate change necessitates a departure from business as usual; traditional approaches are insufficient. Adaptation champions within the company will want to focus their colleagues’ attention on three key questions: 1) What does climate resilience mean for the company? 2) What will position the company to navigate risks and lead markets in a warming world? and 3) How will the company engage partners to minimize risks and seize opportunities? Effective, comprehensive responses to these questions will require companies to…

Connect climate “adaptation” and “resilience” to the company and corporate culture, building on existing mitigation initiatives.
Integrate climate adaptation into core strategic business planning processes.
Align business objectives with adaptation priorities.
Build a portfolio of climate-resilient goods and services.
Build mutually beneficial strategies with stakeholders; build communication channels.
Partner with internal and external decision-makers.

Practical Measures for Policymakers

Governments have a central role to play in catalyzing private sector provision of goods and services that support climate change adaptation and in encouraging climate-resilient business practices. Some public sector efforts to incentivize business contributions to adaptation must be developed and implemented through agreements at the international level. Policy focus at the national and local level, however, is essential, because adaptation challenges and solutions are specific to each locality, and business barriers and opportunities will be countryspecific. To create a facilitating environment for private sector investment in climate change adaptation, policymakers can…

Demonstrate policy and finance commitment to adaptation.
Engage businesses as stakeholders in planning and implementation.
Stimulate the market for adaptation through financial and risk-reduction incentives.
Develop policy and regulatory frameworks to guide corporate practices.
Provide businesses with the information and tools they need to make investments that support climate resilience in vulnerable communities.
Consider new forms of public-private partnerships to tackle the most complex challenges to sustainable development and climate resilience.

Conclusion

Addressing the adaptation needs of vulnerable communities at the scale that is necessary will require unprecedented levels of cooperation, collaboration and resource mobilization among governments, businesses, civil society groups and communities themselves. The private sector has much to contribute to the development and implementation of climate change adaptation solutions, including sectorspecific expertise, technology, significant levels of financing, efficiency and an entrepreneurial spirit. The key is to find the nexus of shared interest where business incentives align with communities’ adaptation needs. Companies that rigorously assess climate change risks and opportunities and implement creative solutions that build long-term resilience will create business value while making important contributions to sustainable development and equitable green growth.