12 August 2008: On the occasion of International Youth Day,
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined that climate change is happening
and, if unaddressed, could hinder efforts towards the Millennium Development
Goals and threaten peace and security.
12 August 2008: On the occasion of International Youth Day
(IYD2008), Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), stressed the threat posed by climate change to biodiversity
and noted the relevance of the IYD2008 theme: “Youth and Climate Change: Time
for Action.”
11 August 2008: The UN Development Programme's (UNDP) Human
Development Report Office introduced the youth version of the 2007-2008 Human
Development Report on 11 August 2008. The youth version, entitled “Two degrees
of separation between hope and despair,” was prepared by young people between
the ages of 16 and 25, and offers an explanation of the climate change problem,
followed by mitigation and adaptation policies, and a call to action by young
people.
6 August 2008: The UN Resident Coordinator for the
Philippines, Nileema Noble, and counterparts in the Philippines Government,
signed a Joint Programme on ‘Strengthening the Philippines' Institutional
Capacity to Adapt to Climate Change,' with a US$8 million grant from the Millennium Development Goals Achievement
Fund (MDG-F).
August 2008: In preparation for the 29th Session of
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scheduled to take place
from 31 August-4 September 2008, in Geneva, Switzerland, the Secretariat of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) System and the
Government of Norway have submitted a proposal for an IPCC Special Report on
Managing the Risk of Extreme Events to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
8 August 2008: On the eve of the International Day for the World's Indigenous Peoples, which is celebrated on 9 August, Regina Laub, the
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) focal point for Indigenous Peoples,
noted that climate change and limited land rights increasingly threaten
indigenous peoples' livelihoods.
August 2008: The latest issue of the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Journal features, inter alia, an article by Jane Hupe, Secretary to the ICAO Council Committee on Aviation Environmental
Protection (CAEP), entitled “En Route to Copenhagen: International Aviation
Action on Climate Change,” in which she outlines the technical, economic, legal
and social implications of the various measures being considered to reduce
emissions from the aviation sector.
A number of assessments are now identifying climate change as the new great threat to biodiversity. As a result of climate change, up to 88% of reefs in Southeast Asia may be lost over the next 30 years while in the Amazon Basin, more than 40% of plant species studied could face extinction. If the projected rise in sea level occurs, American Samoa could lose 50% of their mangroves and an additional 15 Pacific islands could face a 12% reduction in mangrove cover. A projected 0.5 m sea-level rise in the Caribbean could cause a 35% decrease in turtle nesting habitat.
8 August 2008: IISD Reporting Services is pleased to
announce that the newest issue of CLIMATE-L.ORG Bulletin is now available. To
access the third issue directly, click here. To read past
issues and to sign up to receive the Bulletin, click here.
8 August 2008: In a message on the occasion of International
Youth Day, being celebrated on 12 August 2008 under the theme “Young people and
climate change: time for action,” the Director General of the UN Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Koïchiro Matsuura, stressed the
role that young people can play in addressing the challenge of climate change
and sustainable development.
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