Monday 21 December 2015

COP21 Portraits: Clément and Marion, volunteers for the COY11




By Alexis Gillet

 

At the Climate Generations Area at Le Bourget, I spoke with Marion and Clément, two young French people who have volunteered for the COY11.

Marion is a young person who entered active life recently. Working as a professional consultant in the public domain, she was not predestined to work for the defence of the planet. But little by little, being sensitive to the impact of climate change, she decided to apply as a volunteer in her free time and help out in this event.

She therefore applied on the Internet and as the door to saving our planet is open to all, she was selected. She found this to be an enriching experience as it allowed her to meet other people like her, sensitive to issues that are being discussed right now and participate in a dynamic space for exchange and sharing.

It was a good experience for her and she would be willing to repeat it next year in Marrakech.

Clément, a member of CliMates, (co-organizer organization of COY) has followed the startup of this gathering since February.

He himself was more focused on the organization of writing the manifesto issued to heads of state. Prior to the COY, a first manifesto was realised by the host association for this event. This first manifesto was made to lay the foundations of the second manifesto (the largest) and show the first youth commitments to climate change.

During the COY, work on the manifesto was produced in partnership with YOUNGO (the youth group officially represented at the negotiations for the climate). The drafting of this manifesto was made during the 3 day running of the COY and different working groups were active in drafting it.

Moreover, a room was opened to the public so that everyone could state their opinions on what would be written in the manifesto and so contribute to it.

Therefore, people of different nationalities (about 150) were active in its drafting.
Alongside the COY in Paris, COYs were organized locally (in 8 other cities in the world) and could interact with people on the spot and give their opinions on the content of the document.



This event helped to launch different dynamics, the 5,000 participants present in Paris during those three days were mainly interested in what will happen after this gathering, starting with the presentation of the manifesto to the heads of state and of continuing the projects that were created or merged through this gathering.



More information here.

COY11 Portraits: KELI Simplice

 by Alexis Gillet




Keli Simplice is a self-taught Ivorian entrepreneur of 32 years of age. Uniquely through his life experiences, he has succeeded in creating his business from scratch. Little by little, he has, thanks to his perseverance, founded a security company in his country. But his actions did not stop there because, coming from a very poor background, he wanted to help young people who have no access to education.

To do this he educates youth to something that seems trivial to us but which is very important, especially in developing countries facing difficulties in medical treatment: hygiene. This seems trivial to us but a person who has never received any education cannot know, for example, that washing one's hands helps eliminate bacteria responsible for diseases.

He therefore hopes that the COP21 will launch sewer creation projects in the slums of the big cities of Côte d'Ivoire, because there the waste is not treated and garbage decomposition can be seen by everybody.


Saturday 5 December 2015

From the Portuguese delegation of "Let´s Take Care of the Planet"




The Portuguese Association for Environmental Education (ASPEA) is the coordinator in Portugal of Let's take care of the Planet! Through the Project and as a partner of the French association Monde Pluriel, ASPEA participated in the COP21 Conference in order to give visibility to the project and to collaborate with the International Youth Press Agency, a team of young journalists that give visibility to the activities taking place in COP21.

The participation of two youth of the Portugal-Galicia delegation was expected but after the November events in Paris and due to safety reasons, the presence of minors was not allowed.


This is the case of Ana Sofia (Viseu) and Pablo Romeu (Galicia), who had planned to participate but unfortunately could not. However this did not stop them to write a few lines about their expectations for COP21:


Ana Sofia : Earth is our home, let's save it!





If there is a topic right now that can unite politicians, journalists, youngsters and older people...of all cultures, races and religions of the world, it's the environment. We all know that there is still a lot to be done in order for us to be able to redeem our past actions and avoid a future possibly irreversible and profoundly damaging climate change. I know that this is the last opportunity (we are racing time) to achieve a political agreement that avoids the planet´s global warming.


I wish that in COP21 it will be possible to implement a new hope in our future of the survival of all species in the planet. I know that the first victory will be to convince all countries that economic growth is possible without the intensive consumption of fossil fuels. Therefore the most important thing will be to incentive countries to use new technologies and methods that allow economic and social development, for example the use of solar panels, wind turbines, policy that involve the use of cleaner energies, ecologic life styles and the use of public transportation. An important part of this process is to inform the population about the consequences of climate change and the effects that will be seen in the future (floods, droughts, extreme climate occurrences, price rises of food, worsening life quality, more diseases and wars, reduction of drinkable water, alteration in the sea currents due to the melting of the glaciers, which can cause the modification in the habits of the aquatic species, climate changes in the surface and the acidification of oceans, among many others) in order to sensitise and change peoples' actions.

Even though I couldn't be present at COY11 and COP21 due to the lack of safety, my thoughts go to everybody that is present there, so that the world can achieve an agreement, and that we can all show union and strength to fight climate change.



I truly believe information and knowledge are the only weapon we can use to save the planet.



Pablo Romeu_ What do I expect from COP21?



What I expect from this event is to become a historical moment when humans avoid climate change.
This problem traps us in a negative, self-destructive and obscene vicious circle, and not only in the biological or climatic environment.
Rich countries are fighting over territories rich in fuel and oil, creating confrontations that only cause more violence; and poor countries suffer these consequences.
For these reasons, we can say that climate change not only causes natural disasters, this problem promotes wars, poverty, and even terrorism.
Despite everything, I would love telling the world leaders that they must worry about what is really important, what really matters.
The economic model must change. The pollution that we cause is unsustainable, and we have already exceeded the limits.

Now is the time to change, and we must change drastically. We are technologically prepared to eradicate polluting energy sources, and replace them with more clean energy.
The economy can not be an impediment to do what we must do.


It's time to save the world. Let's do it.



The World Waits for the Planet's Future


By: José Jara @josema923 and Denisse Peduzzi @denipeduzzi (Argentina)

Today the COP21 has begun in Paris, where world leaders meet to discuss the future of climate change. Since early in the morning, young people have come together to witness the first negotiations of this process that will take two weeks.

The United Nations Conference of Parties started this morning with the presence of 172 representatives of the world. The objective of these 11 days of negotiations will be to reach an agreement to reduce emissions that damage the planet.

In the corridors of the COP, there are also those who are interested in the subject, who have come to Paris looking for an answer. We thus talked with young visitors and they told us what their expectations are:

Juan Diego, Ecuador, 27 years old:
“I hope there will be a real agreement among countries and not just another meeting where no solutions are found. I hope that there will be realistic expectations where the rights of indigenous peoples and forests are also respected, especially relating to the situation in Ecuador. Presidents need to be aware about our situation because it will put the future of young people at risk.”
Ambrioggio, Italy, 23 years old:
“One of my expectations for the COP21 is that an agreement will be signed because it's a huge event for the future of our planet. We are a lot of people who work for sustainability and it would be very sad if the countries involved do not reach a deal. I also think it is a great opportunity to get to know other people who work in civil society and exchange ideas about our own sustainable projects.”


Digna, United States, 17 years old:
“I hope States can reach a new agreement and fulfil their responsibilities. I am glad that the presidents recognize that climate change affects the whole population and also recognize their own errors.
I was born in New York but my parents are from Honduras. That’s why I think that the United States, as a developed country, must fulfil its responsibilities, and Honduras, a country that suffers so much from climate change effects, needs help from developed countries to adapt.”


Aviral, United States, 25 years old:
“I hope the majority of countries reach the goal of not letting global temperature increase more than 2°C. I think that is all that young people are waiting for. I think that everybody, especially Indian people, believes it is a very ambitious objective but I hope for the best possible solution.”
The presence of young people at the COP21 was remarkable, with a strong commitment to the future of the planet and interest in a favourable agreement. The world wants a change and young people are raising their voice for it.



Discussion avec lobbyistes de l'industrie: l'autre point de vue de la négociation

Par Evelyn Araripe (Youth Press Agency)
Traduit par Mariella Foscheri




Que se passe-t-il au cours des négociations sur le climat? D'une part, il y a les gouvernements qui tentent (sans succès) de créer un document commun qui puisse permettre de minimiser les impacts conséquents aux changements climatiques; d’autre part, il y a de nombreux représentants de la société qui défendent leurs idées et leur travail et qui veillent à ce que l'accord leur soit favorable. Cependant, au milieu de ce labyrinthe appelé la «société civile», participent aussi les industries dont les activités seront affectées par ce qui sera décidé lors de la Conférence sur le climat des Nations unies.

La Youth Reporter Angency a parlé avec Joachim Hein, représentant de la BDI – Groupement de l’industrie allemande - (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie). Hein nous a expliqué comment se définissent les différents points de vue dans les négociations, et nous a parlé de l’inquiétude face aux changements climatiques, de la responsabilité des industries et des difficultés de mise en œuvre de ce qui est proposé par les gouvernements.

Le BDI représente les associations des industries allemandes dans différents domaines. C’est précisément pour cette raison, nous explique Joachim, qu'il est très difficile d’avoir une position commune qui puisse vraiment représenter la vision de tous. Tout au cours de l’année, leurs associés ont tenu des réunions et des groupes de travail pour élaborer un document final contenant les arguments que l'industrie du pays estime qu'il est important de défendre dans le cadre des négociations sur le climat.

« Beaucoup de gens pensent que les industries ne se soucient pas du changement climatique, tandis qu’il est naturel qu’elles soient inquiètes parce que cela interfère dans la manière de produire et d’exister », dit-il.

Cependant, Joachim affirme que la chose la plus commune est que les citoyens accusent les entreprises sans pour autant donner de propositions efficaces sur la transition, la mise en œuvre ou sur le financement d’un modèle de production durable.

« Par exemple, la proposition de la création d’'énergie renouvelable à 100% d'ici 2050 est faisable? Bien sûr que oui. S'il y a un investissement, c’est possible. Mais comment investir? D’où viendra l'argent? Comment faudrait- il le réaliser? Comment intervenir pour que les investissements soient rentables? Il y a beaucoup de questions à traiter », dit-il.

En tant que représentant du secteur industriel allemand, Joachim explique aussi que son pays dispose déjà d'une législation environnementale stricte, qui demande déjà l’engagement des industries ; un point encore discuté pendant les négociations internationales. « Souvent, ce qui est proposé lors des COP est encore plus simple que ce qui se trouve dans la législation environnementale allemande » dit-il.

A la question sur ce qu'il pense du financement de la transition vers des modèles plus durables par une contribution des entreprises au Fonds Vert (un des débats qui prend de l'importance dans cette COP21), il nous répond qu'il est juste que le secteur privé contribue, mais il estime qu'il s’agit déjà d’une chose acquise. « En fin de compte, d'où vient l'argent public pour financer ce processus? Souvent, il provient des impôts payés par le secteur privé ». Alors Joachim suggère que les entreprises, au lieu de contribuer sur une base purement volontaire au Fonds pour le climat, soient obligées de payer une taxe dont le rendement soit entièrement attribué au Fonds.

Enfin, en parlant de la relation entre l'industrie et les organisations de la société civile, il déclare que les entreprises allemandes ont de très bons rapports avec certaines ONG, mais qu’elles rencontrent beaucoup de difficultés avec d’autres. Pour lui, la différence réside dans la capacité de se mettre à l’écoute. «Certaines ONG acceptent le dialogue, elles comprennent notre position et le fonctionnement des choses. Cela ne veut pas toujours dire qu'elles sont d'accord avec nous, mais au moins qu’elles nous écoutent .D’autres ONG protestent sans cesse, elles nous montrent du doigt pour dire que nous agissons mal, que nous sommes méchants, mais par contre, elles ne nous présentent aucune proposition efficace de solution », dit Joachim.

Pour lui, le rôle de la société civile, et surtout des jeunes, dans les négociations est extrêmement important - même s’il pense que trop souvent les jeunes sont concentrés sur l’action et non sur l’approfondissement du processus politique des négociations. « Nous avons besoin d’un plus grand nombre de jeunes intéressés par la politique, afin de négocier en profondeur les sujets qui sont sur la table », a-t-il conclu.

Friday 4 December 2015

Special COP21: Youth calling for substantial participation in the UNFCCC process





Youth was the protagonist of Day 4 at COP 21 (Thursday, Dec. 3). The “Youth and future generations day”, jointly organized by the Constituency of Youth Non-Governmental Organizations to the UNFCCC (YOUNGO) the UN Joint Framework Initiative on Children, Youth and Climate Change, and the UNFCCC secretariat, featured a series of side and special events looking at climate change issues from a youth perspective.

Among them, the Intergenerational Inquiry event provided young delegates with the opportunity to share experiences, initiatives and ideas being implemented worldwide as well as to reflect on the role of youngsters in the UNFCCC process. The event featured the participation of the UN Envoy on Youth Alhendawi, the French Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Segolene Royal, and the UNFCCC Secretary Christiana Figueres. The Secretary thanked young people for being active part in the fight against climate change, which she defined as the “biggest intentional shift” in the history of human development.

Young leaders shared the main results of the “Conference of the Youth”, which paved the way to COP21 from Nov 26 to 28, and led to the production of a Manifesto with proposed strategic points and guiding values for climate action. The Manifesto, which was handed to the French President Holland, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Fabius and the special UN envoy for youth Alhendawi ,called inter alia for a reform towards an enhanced inclusiveness of youth in the decision making process. The event also provided opportunities to share the experiences of the UNESCO Youth Forum and of several NGOs projects undertaken in Ghana, Canada, Australia and Nepal. Finally, some words of discomfort were expressed by YOUNGO activists because of Secretary Figueres leaving the room before the end of the event.


The day was also marked by non-official initiatives. Among them was the flash- mob organized by YOUNGO to protest against the proposal by some developed countries to cancel reference to human right is Article 2 of the draft Paris agreement. Dozens of youngster lied down on the floor of the civil society pavilion, symbolizing the attempt to cancel the youth, indigenous people and women from the Paris agreement.

Written by Elisa Calliari in Paris, France. In collaboration with Agenzia di Stampa Giovanile sulla Cooperazione allo Sviluppo, Sostenibilità Ambientale e Cambiamenti Climatici  (Youth Press Agency on Climate Change, Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development).

December 4: Education Day at COP21




 By Laura González  ASPEA (ww.aspea.org) & Youth Press Agency




The first COP was held in 1995 in Berlin, and since then different ways of how to challenge climate change towards sustainable development has always been debated. But it was only last year, at the COP20 in Lima, when they decided that in the following COP, there should be a time for education. But not education as we have seen it so far, but inclusive education across the board in all parts of the curriculum in formal and non-formal environmental education.
In COP20 last year, in Lima (Peru), the Ministers and heads of delegation adopted the Declaration of Lima on Education and Awareness. The Declaration urges governments to include climate change in school curricula and "climate" awareness in national development plans.


The opinion of the President of the COP20, Manuel Vidal, is that "education is the key and the new development paradigm ".


More and more governments follow this call and have integrated education strategies, tools and objectives in national sustainable development policies and issues of integrated sustainable development, including climate change in their policies and education plans. Countries such as Uganda, Dominican Republic, Peru and Morocco have already taken concrete actions.
It does not mean that education and awareness were not important in other conferences, but many years have gone since Berlin (COP1, 1995), until one day (or thematic day, as they say here) was dedicated to education, with the goal that Education for Sustainable Development will become a topic for all the present and future conferences on climate change.





For this day, a document entitled "Manifesto for Education towards planetary citizenship" was created. The text, with almost 80 pages, shows the reasons why the transition to sustainable development will not be achieved without action at the level of life long education, working together, with the participation of all generations The Manifesto was presented at one of the round tables in the Generation Area.







During the morning, the 15-year-old young activist, Xuhtezcatl Martinez, (Earth Guardians) in one of his speeches said that "it is necessary to change the way we educate."
As part of the COP21, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research of France, with the presence of Segolene Royal, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in France, Rachid Belmokhtar, Minister of National Education and Vocational Training from Morocco (host of COP 22) and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, hosted the conference "Good practices in education for sustainable development: how to drive change to educate the challenges of climate change". The debate was organized around two round tables:
• States and best practice guidance of educational change for sustainable development in the educational system: Quebec, France, Japan, Finland.
• The partners of education systems, actors in change management for sustainable development

At the end of the Conference, the youngsters Jules (France), Frederikke and Boel (Denmark), intervened to call the attention of the ministers of education to the importance of a change in the educational system, not only for sustainable development, but also as a way to be adapted to the new social, economic and environmental circumstances, highlighting the importance of including the issue of climate change in the educational program. This young group is part of the Network of Youth "Let's Take Care of the Planet", a project coordinated by the French association Monde Pluriel. With this project young people from all across Europe highlight the importance of co-responsibility for the environmental problems.





At the end of the afternoon the event "Non-Formal Education in climate change" took place, where there was an explanation of how new technologies, such as video games, music and social networking tools can be used to educate. They also emphasized the importance of young people and children, as being part of the solution.
During their speeches, Yoka Brandt (UN Alliance) said that "schools have a very important role in creating paper stewards of the land" and highlighted the role of youth in the change. Nick Nuttall (UNFCCC), said that "education is the transition to sustainable development", and that it is not only necessary to "educate" young people but also" re-educate" adults.

During the conference, as an example of how to raise awareness of climate change, they showed a campaign called "We are angry for Climate Change" which leverage the known Angry Birds game to send a message to sustainable development.

We can conclude that an effort must be done to improve teaching methodologies, concepts and content that we want to communicate and how to do so to adapt to the new social, economic and environmental scenarios that we currently have.

Thursday 3 December 2015

Climate change and water adaptation. Different ways to manage the water problematic all around the world


 

José Jara(Argentina), Giulia Motta Zanin (Italia)*

 

Nowadays, adapt to climate change is necessary. Some realities are more fragile as others and the impacts range from extreme rainfall, droughts, rising sea levels and flooding is raising and affecting them more and more.

To better understand what is happening, is useful to speak through three significant examples being part of the C40 Cities: Amman (Jordan), São Paulo (Brazil) and Stockholm (Sweden). The C40 Cities is a network of 82 megacities working together to tackle climate change.

Firstly, Akel Biltaji, from Amman, Jordain, spoke about the last flood on 2014. He said  "We received the highest possible density of rainfall in the shortest time-span and in a concentrated area, infrastructure managed to drain the flood within 2-3 hours so we can say it works, but it just couldn't cope with the volume of this storm.  The Quran says: God has created everything in the right proportion" meaning that there should be an equilibrium, it is us human beings that have unbalanced that equilibrium, how to be prepared for another heavenly disaster"? Sadly, they don't have solution to that, because the weather is unpredictable.

 

Also Joao R. Capobianco, that represents the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, spoke about the problem of the water production system because they are suffering from droughts on that areas. In 2014 they had the below minimum level of water on the system production, he said “level below zero on the production, how it's possible to have level below zero of water? “  Actually, the level at which the reservoir with pumps are placed.  For this, the government of Sao Paulo decided to create the Water Alliance to build a water security. He said that the water it´s a human right, not a commodity. Some of the main goals of this alliance are: collaborate with experience and efforts the water problem system, promote the public debate, connect organizations and promote the dialogue among the government, public sector and private sector.

“On water crisis, drought is not only a reason, there are others causes like poor sanitation services, high levels of pollution, mismanagement by authorities at all levels and deterioration of water resources...and this can be become in a vicious circle” told Capobianco. The principals that the organization believe can be resumed in three main aspects: water is a human right, it is not a commodity, all levels of governments share responsibility and water resource must be recovered and protected.

 


At the end, Gustav Landhal rightly started saying: “Stockholm is built on water”. The city development and management took ever into account the problem of flooding since it was born. The sea level rise and the extreme rainfall put the attention on new way to regulate the water of the lake. On the same time, the city of Stockholm starts to develop ecosystem services adapting to climate change. Vegetations play a really important role, in general because vegetation reduces stress and increases well-being and in the specific case of flooding can result in fewer flood events.

Amman (Jordan), São Paulo (Brazil) and Stockholm (Sweden) are among megacities that represent the 11% of the global population and the 25% of the global GDP. Mandy Ikert, head of the adaptation and water initiative C40 cities climate leadership group, gives some significant numbers about the impacts of climate change. She said “98% of C40 Cities say that climate change presents a significant risk to their city”. Floods are the single most common expected climate hazard and over 70 of C40 Cities anticipate substantive risks to their water supply in short or long term. Speaking about the adaptation actions, 90% of C40 Cities have collectively undertaken over 1000 actions to adapt work on flood mapping, stormwater capture systems and flood defense.

 

*Youth Press Agency

 

Technology in COP21: Dance to Save the planet


 

Domenico Vito
How to take the climate change adaptation with the right spirit?  C’mon let’s dance.
We are at the Climate Generation Areas, , where a total of 360 French and international civil society organizations, through 120 stands, are all together for the first time  in the COP history in a space  of almost 3 football pitches, organized by the French government.
Here , the Solar Sound System is presenting its project of a radio station that takes the energy from solar panels and bikes.
Solar Sound System (3S) is a self-contained set-up with turntables and powerful speakers, powered by solar and muscle power (bicycles).
The systems consist of turntables for djs, and a powerful sound system that can cover from 50 to 500 people.The result is the production of music at completely zero emissions!!
It is equipped with batteries for a non-stop party.
The system adapts to all types of configurations, a it is a modular support,that can used in the  context of concerts, educational workshops etc...
It can also supply other multimedia installations.
Solar Sound System (3S) is active since 1999, with its first office at Lausanne.
After some years, the activity expanded with a second office in Paris in 2010.
The mission of Solar Sound System (3S) is to propose to to share an energetic and participatory experience.
In short, 3S offers an innovative ecological and participatory, performance, with high quality material and energy technology.
But the 3S team doesn’t’ stop here.
Thanks to the completely  independence from the grid  connection and the low costs of installation, the Solar Sound System is particularly fitted to be used for streaming in remote villages or emergency situation.
In addition to the 7 existing systems in France and Switzerland,in fact the project has built also solidarity projects in Haiti, Brazil, India, Taiwan and Cameroon.
More about 3S can be found in the website http://paris.solarsoundsystem.org/ and on the facebook page
The party has just started  here at COP21, with new generation technology for the new climate generation.
“Dance to save planet” is the motto!
So keep on dancing for a better future!!
 
 

Indigenous People and climate change issues


 

Giulia Motta Zanin (Italia), Jhoanna Cifuentes (Colombia) and José Jara (Argentina).

 

Indigenous peoples have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for the development of their lands or territories and other resources

Art. 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)

On COP21 are happening many side events about the role of the Indigenous Peoples’ in Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies. During the event “Strengthening Indigenous Peoples’ Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies and Food Security through direct access to the Green Climate Fund” was underlined the importance of the active role that these populations should have.

Jo Ann Guillao, researcher of the Indigenous Peoples’ International Centre for Policy Research and Education (TEBTEBBA) from Philippines, spokes about the strong interrelationship between Climate Change, Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge. For him “Traditional knowledge is an inseparable part of indigenous and local communities’ culture, social structures, economy, livelihoods, beliefs, traditions, customs, customary law, health and their relationship to the local environment” and this is fundamental to achieving sustainable development and key contributor to addressing climate change.

Speaking about climate change impacts and interventions, indigenous peoples’ will remain at the centre stage. But the Climate Green Found (CGF), founded by the UNFCCC as a mechanism to assist developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change, does not provide they with any active role.

Kimaren Ole Riamit, executive director of the Indigenous Livelihood Enhancement Partners (ILEPA) from Kenya and Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples explained which are the key Indigenous Peoples’ asks. First of all, the Indigenous Peoples should have direct access to financial resources, under the GCF - through their representative organizations, building on the experience and precedents of other climate funds. Furthermore, GCF will need to develop its own capacity to fully assess and ensure compliance with international human rights standards and obligations relevant to indigenous peoples.


Another side event was about the relations between the indigenous people and the access to climates funds for climate change mitigation and adaptations policies. The main focus was in a project for Amazonian indigenous peoples called REDD + Indigena Amazonia RIA finance by Forestal Investment Program (FIP). The most interesting thing in this discussion was that the debating table was sharing by indigenous leaders, people from Peruvian Government, WWF, and one represent from the World Bank.

Firstly, Plinio (Represent of indigenous people) spokes about ownership, resources management and territorial governance because there are pressures due the development of oil activities, the planting oil palm, the construction of hydroelectric plants and affecting 75% of the area. 

Secondly, Luis Tayori Kentero from Harakbut tribe spokes about the bases and the process that ten communities have developed for Peruvian Government. This was about studies of indigenous technical people focus on archaeological and cultural richness, and sacred places, and also the damage on them. “ The region of Madre de Dios is a biodiversity territory  and in five years  will be a desert region because the human ambition only want to satisfice their needs without thinking about others” told Tayori Kentero.
 
In general, during the first three days, COP21 gave a lot spaces of participation to indigenous people to express their demands towards governments and international financial organisms for the urgent need of care on their territories.

Wednesday 2 December 2015

Les changements climatiques et le problème hydrique - Différentes façons de gérer le problème de l'eau dans le monde



par José Jara (Argentine), Giulia Motta Zanin (Italie) - Youth Reporter Agency
Traduit de l'italien par
Mariella Foscheri

 

La prise de conscience que l'adaptation au changement climatique est devenue une nécessité est toujours plus urgente. Certaines réalités sont plus fragiles que d'autres en ce qui concerne l'impact environnemental, elles sont plus touchées par des précipitations extrêmes, par la sécheresse, ou par l’élévation du niveau de la mer ou par les inondations.

Pour mieux comprendre de quoi on parle, il peut être utile de rapporter les paroles prononcées au COP21 par les représentants des trois villes: Amman (Jordanie), Sao Paulo (Brésil) et Stockholm (Suède). Il s’agit de réalités très différentes, mais qui partagent l'appartenance aux «C40 Cities», un réseau de 82 villes qui travaillent ensemble pour mieux gérer les changements climatiques.


Le sénateur Akel Biltaji, d'Amman, se référant à la dernière inondation qui a frappé la ville en 2014, a déclaré: '' Nous avons eu la plus forte densité de pluies dans le plus court laps de temps sur la même zone. Les opérations de drainage de l'eau ont bien marché, mais le volume d’eau qui est pénétré était excessif. Le Coran dit: « Dieu a tout créé dans les bonnes proportions » ce qui signifie qu'il devrait y avoir un équilibre, mais c’est uniquement nous, les êtres humains qui avons brisé cet équilibre. Comment pouvons-nous nous préparer à faire face à de telles catastrophes? Malheureusement, il n'y a pas de solutions parce que le temps est imprévisible. "

Le représentant du Brésil, Joao R. Capobianco, a parlé d’un système de production de l’eau pour régler le problème de la sécheresse à Sao Paulo. Joao R. Capobianco a déclaré que « l'eau est un bien de première nécessité, donc un droit inaliénable pour l’homme, non une marchandise »

La ville de Sao Paulo a décidé de créer une société de gestion de l'eau afin d'assurer la sécurité d'approvisionnement. Les objectifs que cette société s’est donnée sont: de travailler dur avec détermination pour résoudre le problème de la disponibilité de l'eau, de proposer des débats publics sur la question et de promouvoir le dialogue entre les secteurs public et privé.
Les piliers sur lesquels devrait être fondée la compagnie pour la gestion de l'eau devraient être essentiellement trois: l'eau est un droit, tous les gouvernements doivent partager la responsabilité et les ressources hydriques doivent être récupérées et protégées.

En ce qui concerne la crise de l'eau, la sècheresse n’est pas le seul problème, il y en a d'autres non moins importants, tels que la dégradation des ressources en eau, l'augmentation de la pollution, l’insuffisante efficacité des autorités ... et cela pourrait devenir un cercle vicieux duquel il est difficile de sortir, a conclu Joao R. Capobianco.



Enfin, Gustaf Landhal a abordé le cas de la ville de Stockholm, en déclarant que "Stockholm est construite sur l'eau." Le département du développement et de la gestion de l'eau a donc pris en main le problème des inondations, depuis sa naissance. L’élévation du niveau des mers et les fortes précipitations ont mené par conséquent à inventer de nouveaux systèmes de régulation des eaux.

En même temps, la ville de Stockholm est en train de développer des services écosystémiques pour une meilleure adaptation aux changements climatiques.

La végétation joue un rôle important car elle contribue à augmenter la sensation de bien-être et elle peut aussi contribuer à réduire les inondations.



Amman, Sao Paulo et Stockholm sont parmi les méga villes, celles qui représentent le 11% de la population mondiale et le 25% du PIB global.



Mandy Ikert, chef du programme de gestion du problème hydrique dans le cadre de l’association « C40 Cities » présente quelques données sur l’impact au milieu ambiant pour ce qui concerne les changements climatiques. 98% des adhérents au C40 affirment que les changements climatiques peuvent être considérés comme un grand risque.

Les inondations sont le problème commun à toutes les villes adhérentes mais entre elles, plus du 70% déclarent être en mesure de pouvoir anticiper le risque lié à l’approvisionnement hydrique sur le court ou sur le long terme.

En parlant des action d’adaptation, 90% des adhérents sont engagés dans plus de 1000 actions comme par exemple : la carte des inondations et la construction de barrières de protection

The COP21 begins with the conviction to achieve the long-awaited climate agreement







By: Agostina Herrera @agoshb (Argentina) y Jhoanna Cifuentes @jhoabastet (Colombia)*


With a plenary meeting involving more than 150 heads of state and government, chaired by the President of France, Francois Hollande, the General Secretary of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon and the President of the COP21 Laurent Fabius, this great event was formally launched which seeks to establish a global agreement to tackle climate change and avoid exceeding the limit of 2 degrees temperature increase which will affect the ecological balance of the planet, bringing catastrophic consequences for humanity


What is it about?


The United Nations Conference on Climate Change in this 21st edition is seen as one of the most important in recent times because there is a widespread urge to join efforts to respond effectively to the challenges of climate change, whose consequences are increasingly severe.


The COP21 will be happening between November 30th and December 11th at the Exhibition Park in Le Bourget (Paris) and is expected to house more than 40,000 people including Heads of State, government representatives, civil society, NGOs, Newspapers and companies. They will be able to access multiple meetings and plenary sessions where various topics will be discussed such as: Forests, Adaptation, Health, Climate Finance and many others. In addition there will be meetings of the different negotiating blocs including the European Union, the African Group and the Independent Alliance of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC).




Looking for an ambitious and binding deal!


The president of France who opened the conference, identified three conditions for the success of the cop21: believe there exists a way to not exceed a 2°C temperature increase on the planet, to provide a supportive response, understanding that no country should act alone in this commitment, and finally understand that this transformation is a moral obligation and a global opportunity. "We are here to take care of the entire planet, there are millions of victims and no country or region is exempt from the disasters of climate change and therefore we need to talk about climate justice" Hollande said in his speech.


For his part, the General Secretary of the United Nations, began his speech by making a parallel with the recent terrorist attacks, recognizing the presence of the leaders of many countries in spite of what happened and extending condolences to the Parisians. Ban Ki-Moon said: "The agreement should preserve the balance between developed and developing countries", also expressing the need for an agreement as quickly as possible with a view towards a world with fewer emissions.


Laurent Fabius also stressed that climate change effects need a commitment from all and emphasized the importance of a common interest to achieve the success of the COP21. He said that delegates have a great challenge and although the decision to come here is crucial, responsibility is not only governmental, but that solidarity should come from everyone. He further stated "Let us make the Paris Climate Conference the historic success the world is waiting for."



Other recognized leaders expressed their opinion and position on the matter, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said "The agreement should be comprehensive and effective, but also equal". Meanwhile, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that a clear mechanism is needed to measure the goals regularly and said "We need to promote a decrease in toxic emissions considering other approaches, such as transport and energy. We have to play a leadership role, the damage to our climate is a responsibility, and Germany will participate in numerous research programs on renewable energy and will help countries with fewer resources."


Xi Jinping, China's president, said: "The Paris agreement should focus on reinforcing our actions beyond 2020. This agreement will help ensure that more resources are made available to fight global warming". Also, he said that China intended to pave the way for a new era of modernization that allows harmony between man and nature. “By 2030, we would have reduced emissions of greenhouse gases per unit of GDP." Jinping said.


Barack Obama, President of the United States, places greater emphasis on the terrorist attacks "We will stand together in solidarity. We want to greet the people of Paris, and insist that this conference will be held, we want to defy the terrorists and what better way to do it than saying we want a better world for our children. "




*Agencia Joven Internacional de Noticias.