Science, Assessment & Monitoring

This section relates to the scientific analysis, research and predictions about the magnitude of the impact of many effects of a changing global climate. It covers issues related to climate science and the assessment and monitoring of climate variability.

WSIS Forum Recognizes Role of ICTs in Smart Climate Monitoring, Post-2015 Agenda [viewed]

ITU logo17 May 2013: Participants at the annual World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum agreed on outcome documents that highlight discussions on, inter alia: smart climate change monitoring; women's empowerment; information and communication technologies (ICTs) innovations and standards; and cyberspace security. Participants also considered ICTs and post-2015 goals, reviewed the Implementation of the WSIS Outcomes and produced a Statement on the WSIS+10 Visioning.

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UNISDR's DRR Assessment Calls on Private Sector to Reduce Risk [viewed]

UNISDR15 May 2013: The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) has released the third edition of the UN Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). This edition is subtitled “From Shared Risk to Shared Value: The Business Case for DRR,” and seeks to provide a resource for understanding and analyzing current and future global disaster risk.

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Arctic Biodiversity Assessment Report Underscores Significance of Climate Change [viewed]

CAFF15 May 2013: The Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (ABA) report, released at the Arctic Council Ministerial, emphasizes that climate change is the most significant driver in overall Arctic biodiversity change, and that it exacerbates other threats to Arctic biodiversity. Released by the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council, the report also calls for an ecosystem-based approach to management, and recommends integrating biodiversity into other policy fields.

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UNFCCC Releases GEF Report on Support for Biennial Update Reports Preparation [viewed]

GEF UNFCCC15 May 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released a report submitted by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) (FCCC/CP/2013/INF.8) containing information on the resource status approved for non-Annex I Parties to prepare biennial update reports (BUR).

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UNFCCC Releases Report on GEF Support for Non-Annex I National Communications [viewed]

UNFCCC15 May 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released an information document on financial support provided by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) for the preparation of national communications by non-Annex I Parties (FCCC/SBI/2013/INF.7).

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UNFCCC Publishes Workshop's Report on Ecosystem-Based Approaches [viewed]

UNFCCC10 May 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has published a report on the technical workshop on ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation to climate change (FCC/SBSTA/2013/2), which was held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, from 21-23 March 2013. The workshop sought to enhance parties' and expert organizations' understanding of ecosystem-based approaches for adaptation, share best practices and lessons learned, and identify areas for further work.

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Observed Carbon Dioxide Concentrations Reach 400 Parts Per Million Threshold [viewed]

WMO9 May 2013: Observed concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have reached the 400 parts per million (ppm) threshold at several stations of the World Meteorological Organization's (WMO) Global Atmosphere Watch network.

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Workshop Analyzes Total Costs of REDD+ Activities in the Congo [viewed]

Forest Carbon26 April 2013: Participants at a recent workshop in Kinshasa, assessed the total costs of REDD+ activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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Workshop on Tracking Mitigation Actions Strengthens Interactions Among African Countries [viewed]

Partnership on Mitigation and MRV9 May 2013: The South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), with support from GIZ and the International Partnership on Mitigation and Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV), organized a regional workshop on tracking mitigation actions in Africa. The event aimed to encourage the sharing of actions that individual African countries are taking and encouraging more countries to take early actions on climate change.

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UNFCCC Releases LDCs Views on LULUCF for the Kyoto Protocol's Second Commitment Period [viewed]

UNFCCC7 May 2013: The UNFCCC Secretariat has released an advance version of an addendum containing the views from Nepal, for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), on proposals or elements of proposals to address the implications of the implementation of decisions 2/CMP.7 to 4/CMP.7 and 1/CMP.8 on the relevant decisions adopted for the first commitment period and on any supplementary reporting required for the reporting of land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) activities for the second commitment period (FCCC/SBSTA/2013/MISC.1/Add.2).

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