UNFCCC headlines

Source: Forbes - Author and global sustainable development leader Felix Dodds has been working with sustainable development for more than two decades observing and participating in international development meetings, including the 2012 Rio+20 Conference and the original Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the Conference on Human Settlements in 1996, the Johannesburg Summit in 2000, and the Millennium Development Goal meetings in 2005.

Source: Christian Science Monitor - A warmer and drier climate is causing wild Appalachian salamanders to shrink, according to a new paper titled "Widespread rapid reductions in body size of adult salamanders in response to climate change" published March 25 in the journal Global Change Biology.

Source: Reuters - A little-known technology that may be able to take the equivalent of China's greenhouse gas emissions out of the carbon cycle could be the radical policy shift needed to slow climate change this century, a draft U.N. report shows.

Source: AP - Global warming must not be forgotten, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday after visiting Greenland to get an up-close look at the consequences of climate problems.

Source: Daily Trust - It was former President Olusegun Obasanjo who proposed the Great Green Wall project to the African Union as a way of checking the effects of desert encroachment and desertification affecting countries bordering the Sahara desert.

Source: SciDev.net - The Nordic Development Fund (NDF) that helps facilitate climate change investments in developing countries has started discussing several new project ideas with the World Bank — as the small fund celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Source: GreenBiz - You've heard the statistic: The world installed more new solar generating capacity than wind for the first time in 2013, 36.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar versus 35.5 GW of wind.

Source: Reuters - China has approved two wind farms to be the first clean energy projects to supply offset credits to its fledgling carbon markets, providing low-cost emission reduction options to big polluters.

Source: Economic Times - Angel investors who have preferred to watch over technology startups in India so far are now looking to include young companies from other sectors under their wings. As a rising tide of entrepreneurship spreads across the country, networks of investors are backing companies that provide clean technology, healthcare, food and education services

Source: Le Monde - La biodiversité sera le premier grand sujet environnemental dont débattront les députés depuis le début du quinquennat de François Hollande. Le projet de loi adopté, ce mercredi 26 mars en conseil des ministres, devrait être présenté à l'Assemblée nationale le 24 juin.

Source: Guardian - Apocalyptic images of melting ice-caps, dying polar bears and dried-up river beds are all pretty frightening, but are shock tactics really the best way to encourage our young to care for the planet? The best medicine may not be the usual prescribed guilt trip but rather a healthy dose of fun and games.

Source: AlertNet - Moving from one point to another is a nightmare for most Dar es Salaam residents who have no other choice than to endure agonizingly hot days and long hours stuck in traffic jams.

Source: Voice of Russia - Government representatives and scientists on Tuesday opened a five-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to finalise a report assessing the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems, options for adaptation,and the interactions among climate changes, other stresses on societies, and opportunities for the future.

Source: AP/Kyodo - Along with the enormous risks global warming poses for humanity are opportunities to improve public health and build a better world, scientists at a climate change conference in Yokohama said Tuesday.

Source: NewScientist - The European Union is considering steep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The EU only accounts for a fraction of total global emissions, but its actions could nevertheless have a big impact on future warming.

Source: RT - Solar energy now costs the same as conventionally generated electricity in Germany, Italy and Spain, a report has revealed.

Source: NY Times - Siemens, the German power and industrial giant, said on Tuesday that it would build facilities for offshore wind turbines on the east coast of England, as Britain rapidly expands into wind power.

Source: Huffington Post - Coffee, almonds and apples are just a few foods whose continued production is under threat due to climate change. But the implications of a changing climate have a much broader impact on global food supply, according to a new report.

Source: AsianScientist - A new collaborative report has provided practical recommendations for greater cooperation between China and India in addressing climate change.

Source: mongabay.com - Safeway has become the latest company to establish a policy that excludes deforestation-linked palm oil from its products.