“More meetings does not mean success,” de Boer, who steps down from his UN post on July 1, said today at the Carbon Market Insights conference in Amsterdam. “We need to get down to business.”

The Copenhagen summit in December 2009 was a failure even though it was preceded by many meetings, de Boer said. While about 150 nations agreed to submit plans or targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the meeting failed to produce a global treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which lapses in 2012.

“Going back from Copenhagen, I was extremely disappointed,” de Boer said. “My first feeling was it had been an absolute disaster.”

via UN Climate Process ‘Needs a Good Spanking,’ Yvo de Boer Says – BusinessWeek.

Scientists in Eastern Washington are at the forefront of research into an ancient practice that shows promise as a clean fuel source, a way to improve soil condition and to capture carbon that otherwise would be released into the atmosphere.

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the federal Department of Agriculture's research station in Prosser and Washington State University have been integral figures in studies of biochar and its potential uses.

Biochar, a charcoal-like material, is produced when biomass — including wood, plant and animal waste — is burned in the absence of or under low oxygen conditions so the material doesn’t combust.

via Scientists see biochar as promising fuel source | Northwest News – The News Tribune.

Despite pressure from farm state politicians, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken an important step to ensure that biofuels help rather than hurt the environment. Under new guidelines, biofuels produced at new facilities — including ethanol from corn, sugar, plants and other sources — must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional gasoline.

via Editorial – Sensible Rules for Ethanol – NYTimes.com.

Despite pressure from farm state politicians, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken an important step to ensure that biofuels help rather than hurt the environment. Under new guidelines, biofuels produced at new facilities — including ethanol from corn, sugar, plants and other sources — must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional gasoline.

via Editorial – Sensible Rules for Ethanol – NYTimes.com.

Biochar has multiple potential environmental benefits, foremost the potential to sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years at an estimate. Studies suggest that crop yields can increase as a result of applying biochar as a soil amendment. Some contend that biochar has value as an immediate climate change mitigation strategy. Scientific experiments suggest that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly with biochar application to crop fields. Obstacles that may stall rapid adoption of biochar production systems include technology costs, system operation and maintenance, feedstock availability, and biochar handling. Biochar research and development is in its infancy. Nevertheless, interest in biochar as a multifaceted solution to agricultural and natural resource issues is growing at a rapid pace both nationally and internationally.

via Environmental Legislation: Biochar: Examination of an Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change.

Eight million Ethiopians could need food aid this year, agencies say

Oxfam has launched an emergency appeal for £9.5m ($15m) to reach millions of starving people in Ethiopia and other East African countries.

The UK-based agency says thousands of animals have already died because of a drought which is the worst in 10 years.

Warning signs indicate that the lives and livelihoods of 23 million people are threatened – twice as many as the last serious crisis in 2006.

Seven countries are affected, with half of those threatened living in Ethiopia.

Developed countries must address global warming to prevent disease, hunger in developing world

7. July 2009 20:54

Pollution from the world’s wealthiest countries is spreading disease and hunger in developing countries, according to a new Oxfam International report, which calls on developed countries to address global warming when G8 leaders meet in Italy, the Globe and Mail reports.

The report, titled “Suffering the Science: Climate Change, People and Poverty,” says, “It is in the tropics where the bulk of humanity lives – many of them in poverty – that climate change is hitting now and hitting hardest” (Bailey, 7/6).

via Developed countries must address global warming to prevent disease, hunger in developing world – Udongo.

“There is no reason why Africa cannot be self-sufficient when it comes to food” Barack Obama, President of USA- July 2009.

Agriculture has proved more resilient to the global crisis than other sectors, according to the annual Agricultural Outlook report, published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Although the scenario varies by commodity, the sector as a whole is expected to be relatively better off because of the recent period of high incomes and income-elastic demand for food.

Downstream sectors are still having difficulties to access credit, liquidity is low, and trade finance remains constrained, the report says, but the agricultural sector seems to be withstanding the recession fairly well.

For the next 10 years, average prices for agricultural products are projected at or above levels of the decade prior to the 2007-08 peaks. Prices for vegetable oils, for example, are expected to increase by about 30%, and crop prices by 10% to 20%. While meat prices are not expected to surpass the average, dairy prices are expected to be only slightly higher.

Prospects for the biofuel markets remain uncertain, mainly because of unpredictable factors such as the future trend in crude oil prices, changes in policy interventions and developments in second-generation technology. As long as crude oil prices remain between $60 and $70 per barrel, the report says, biofuels will also be struggling against fossil fuels.

PAN AFRICAN CLIMATE JUSTICE ALLIANCE

Nairobi, Kenya, 29 May 2009

by Mithika Mwenda, PACJA Coordinator

Your Excellency the President of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment;

Distinguished Delegates;

The able Secretariat of UNEP/ROA;

Ladies and Gentlemen;

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance is delighted to have the opportunity to address this important Forum in such a historic and important year as we marshal our troops to win a climate change deal in Copenhagen that assures vulnerable people in Africa descent livelihoods.

Achieving a deal that is fair, equitable, ecologically just and adequate will not be easy, but it is almost indispensable. Copenhagen, thus, must be a key turning point for climate justice – a crucial milestone on the journey to stabilizing the Earth’s climate and securing the rights and aspirations of all people.

The injustice of climate change in Africa

The global impacts of, and responsibilities for, climate change are unequally shared. The tragic irony is that those with the least responsibility for climate change stand to suffer most from current and future consequences. Without intervention, climate change is likely to exacerbate existing global inequalities. The developmental gains secured in Africa are at risk of being wiped out and the challenge of achieving sustainable development, particularly the Millennium Development Goals, will become even more difficult and urgent.

The 53 African countries are responsible for less than 4% of global emissions and have over 15% of the global population. The developed countries have emitted almost three quarters of all historical emissions but they represent less than one fifth of the world’s population. Africa is not historically responsible for climate change, but must all take responsibility for responding to its impacts and demanding climate justice from developed nations.

Gender

Climate change impacts men and women differently. The majority of the poor in Africa are women, and we believe that women are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It is our submission that climate change response strategies need to take the specific needs of women into account – this must go beyond rhetoric and become a fundamental and practical element of all African climate change response strategies and actions.

Calling on Annex 1 Mitigation action

PACJA believes that the proposals by developed countries in the climate negotiations, on both mitigation and adaptation, are inadequate. They seek to pass on the costs of adaptation and mitigation, avoiding their responsibility to finance climate change response efforts in Africa. As the basis of a fair and effective climate solution, we call on Annex 1 countries to acknowledge and repay the full measure of their climate debt to African countries. We also call on Annex 1 countries to collectively agree to cut their emissions to at least 45% below 1990 levels by 2020 and at least 90% by 2050 – with all reductions to be achieved within those countries, not through carbon offsetting.

We note with concern that the draft declaration for this AMCEN meeting only refers to emissions cuts that are “towards the upper end of the 25-40% range”, once more leaving a loophole to be exploited by those who are not interested in taking action.

Adaptation

PACJA would like to highlight the following points:

• Adaptation finance must be additional to existing ODA commitments and in the form of grants and not loans.
• Adaptation should foster the realisation of fundamental human rights and should build social, economic and environmental resilience.
• The financial governance of adaptation funds must be representative, robust and accountable and under the auspices of the UNFCCC. The governance structure should include civil society representation.

Furthermore, Africa is one of the world’s most important reservoirs of soil and other terrestrial carbon, estimated to account for at least 20% of the world’s entire stock of forest carbon and a  great share of its agricultural carbon with very large potential for additional sequestration and other mitigation efforts.

We recommend that the programmmes and the structures currently being developed, including the proposed mechanism for crediting reduced emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) be suited to the conditions that prevail in Africa. It is essential to ensure synergy between REDD and the full range of agriculture, forestry and other land uses (AFOLU). Further more, deforestation and other land uses change are currently estimated to account for over 30% of green house gas emissions.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF)

PACJA realises that while new funding mechanisms are being put in place, some interim measures will have to exist. If the GEF is to be used as one of the interim financing mechanisms, its governance must be given a significant and rapid overhaul to make it more efficient and easier to access. There is widespread frustration with, and distrust towards, the GEF in Africa. One member of our alliance related that in his country, people joke that it is easier to get a camel through the eye of a needle than it is to get money out of the GEF.

African Governments’ support for climate change negotiations and national action

The recent global financial crisis and enthusiasm with which the developed nations responded with generous bail outs and other rescue measures demonstrate their capacity to deal with emergencies. However, their reluctance to exhibit similar response to the climate-induced catastrophes in Africa clearly shows their lack of good faith. Our negotiators must not fail to bear that in mind while dialoguing for a post-2012 climate change agreement.

Recognizing that African governments are the primary duty bearers for our peoples, PACJA urges them to demonstrate leadership on climate change by:

• Developing an international engagement strategy that puts pressure on the industrialized countries primarily responsible for historic emissions to repay their adaptation debt to developing countries by committing to full financing and compensation for the adverse effects of climate change on all affected countries, groups and people;
• Ensuring that our climate change negotiation teams are well supported and resourced, both financially and in terms of skilled experts.
• Ensuring consistency and continuity of skilled African negotiators at UNFCCC meetings.
• Urgently establishing and implementing national climate change strategies in a consultative, multi-stakeholder manner, ensuring buy-in from all ministries. These strategies must be gender sensitive.
• Ensuring that climate change is mainstreamed in all national developmental agenda.

Madam President, distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, PACJA thanks AMCEN and the African Group of negotiators for their continued effort and leadership in consolidating a common negotiating position, which, no doubt, will tilt the scale towards a pro-people agreement once the community of nations gather in Copenhagen later in the year. We have the numbers, and this is the time to put them into use. The African civil society, and indeed the people of Africa, will be watching the run up to Copenhagen and the work of our delegations and Governments with keen interest and expectation. PACJA is willing to constructively engage with you, and continually contribute to this effort wherever possible, and wherever called upon to.

Thank you.