28 February 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released the report of the 18th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 18), which was held in Doha, Qatar, from 27 November-7 December 2012. The report (FCCC/CP/2012/8) contains details on the COP proceedings. The Secretariat also released addenda (FCCC/CP/2012/8/Add.1 and 2) with the decisions and action taken by COP 18.
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22 February 2013: The UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UN-REDD) has released the final working version of its Guidelines on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
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4 February 2013: The Government of Norway has announced that it has signed a "Framework for Energy+ Cooperation" with the Government of Bhutan and the Asian Development Bank, with the objective of supporting Bhutan's efforts to increase access to sustainable energy services and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through enhanced promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
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The third meeting of the UNFCCC Standing Committee will take place on 8-10 March 2013, in Bonn, Germany. The Committee was created to assist the Conference of the Parties (COP) in exercising its functions in relation to the financial mechanism of the Convention in terms of improving coherence and coordination in the delivery of climate change financing, rationalization of the financial mechanism, mobilization of financial resources and measurement, reporting and verification of support provided to developing country parties.
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25 February 2013: A new technology roadmap by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Cement Sustainability Initiative (WBCSD CSI) presents a path for nearly halving India's carbon emissions from cement production projected for 2050. The “Technology Roadmap: Low-Carbon Technology for the Indian Cement Industry” outlines how these cuts could be achieved through an array of technological levers and financial and policy support.
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25 February 2013: The UN Office for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) has announced it is assisting the Government of Palestine in establishing its first national disaster loss database. UNISDR is conducting disaster assistance training with 100 government, non-governmental, and UN agency participants.
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25 February 2013: The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has announced that it has signed a funding agreement with the Government of New Zealand for NZD4.5 million. The funding package will support programmes in Pacific Countries to improve the management of solid waste, protect biodiversity and encourage economic development through ecotourism, and assist Pacific countries in responding to climate change.
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22 February 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA) on the second part of its 15th session, which was held in Doha, Qatar, from 27 November-7 December 2012.
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22 February 2013: The latest e-bulletin of the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) highlights: efforts to integrate externalities into electricity supply decisions; a new online ESMAP activity database; and a report on extending access to energy in Rwanda.
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The world is already in the grip of environmental and social megaforces including climate change, water scarcity, population growth and ecosystem decline. These megaforces portend economic, social and ecological disaster unless a dramatic change of course can be engineered.
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