30 January 2009: EU Ministers for Development Cooperation held an informal meeting from 29-30 January 2009, under the auspices of the Czech Presidency in Prague, Czech Republic. Ministers agreed that the EU's development aid should focus on Least Developed Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, which will be hit particularly severely by the world economic slowdown.
January 2009: The International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Organization for Standardization, and the International Electrotechnical Commission are organizing a workshop on International Standards to Promote Energy Efficiency and Reduce Carbon Emissions. The workshop will convene at the Organization for Economic and Co-operation Development (OECD) conference centre in Paris, France, from 16-17 March 2009.
29 January 2009: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer addressed a Seminar on Security Prospects in the High North, underscoring that the Arctic ice cap melting causes changes that will affect the whole international community, and suggested that NATO could contribute to addressing this problem through its participation in relief operations and utilizing the opportunities inherent to the NATO-Russia Council.
28 January 2009: The European Commission has released a communication entitled “Towards a comprehensive climate change agreement in Copenhagen,” which sets out proposals to achieve the EU's objective to ensure that global average temperature does not increase more than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. It addresses three key challenges: targets by developed countries and appropriate actions by developing countries; the need to address the financing of actions by developing countries (both to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change); and the need to build an effective global carbon market.
27 January 2009: The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2009 opened in Davos, Switzerland, under the overall theme “Shaping the Post-Crisis World.” Over 2,500 participants and 40 Heads of State and government are participating in the meeting, where business, civil society and government leaders have gathered to share ideas on how to shape the post-crisis agenda, from economic reform to climate change. In an article entitled “The world needs to rewrite the rules of finance and global business,” Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), writes that the Organisation is focusing on a strategic response to the crisis involving specific policy recommendations. He stresses the need for new thinking in various areas, including in tackling climate change, social exclusion and poverty, and calls for encouraging “the low-carbon innovation needed for a “green” recovery.”
27 January 2009: The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) held its founding conference in Bonn, Germany, on 26 January 2009, bringing together representatives from over 100 governments. IRENA was set up to promote renewable energy worldwide and help create conditions for renewable energy development.
6 January 2009: The Czech Republic, as is customary for the presiding country of the EU, has introduced the priorities and work programme for its six month Presidency, which will take place from January-June 2009.
January 2009: Ivan Hascic and Nick Johnstone (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Environment Directorate) and Antoine Dechezleprêtre, Matthieu Glachant and Yann Ménière, CERNA, Mines ParisTech, have co-authored a new study entitled “Invention and Transfer of Climate Change Mitigation Technologies on a Global Scale: A Study Drawing on Patent Data.”
We can be certain about one thing related to the future. The pressure on water resources will continue to increase. This is a fundamental challenge as water resources, unlike fossil fuels, are an irreplaceable natural resource for human survival. In light of climate change, and dwindling fossil fuel resources, the quest to find alternative sustainable energy sources will escalate. Eventually we will succeed, no doubt, but on the way the fundamental role of water will become even more evident, also in relation to energy security. And it is not only about hydropower – water is fundamental for cooling purposes, to grow bioenergy crops, and for storing and transporting energy.
17 December 2008: In his last press conference for 2008, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that the coming year promises to be as difficult as 2008, which he called “the year of multiple crises.” He added that 2009 will be “the year of climate change” and noted progress made in Poznań, Poland, at the UNFCCC conference.
| Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) |
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| Conference Reporting Services (CRS) |
