9 December 2008: The ninth National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment, organized by the US National Council for Science and Environment under the theme of “Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World,” took place in Washington DC, US, from 8-10 December 2008. Addressing the Conference, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), provided an overview of the CBD and its programmes of work, and called for ratification by the US.
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3 December: UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella and UN System Resident Coordinator for China Khalid Malik have launched a joint UNIDO-UNDP programme titled “Industrial Climate Change Compacts - A United Nations-Business Partnership for Sustainability.”
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9 December 2008: The High-level Regional Policy Dialogue on “The Food-Fuel Crisis and Climate Change – Reshaping the Development Agenda,” organized by the Government of Indonesia and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is convening in Denpasar, Indonesia, from 9-10 December 2008. The dialogue aims to identify strategies to address the impact of the food, energy and financial crises on Asia and the Pacific in the context of climate change, and prevent the triple crises from becoming a development emergency.
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9 December 2008: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) have announced the completion of the nearly US$1 million Joint Geophysical Imaging project in Kenya. The project tested new seismic and drilling techniques to tap steam from hot underground rocks, and found wells of steam able to generate 4-5 MW of electricity, with one well yielding 8 MW.
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6 December 2008: A new report released by the World Bank suggests that forecasting improvements in Europe and Central Asia can play a critical role in improving the economy and mitigating the impacts of disasters in the region. The report “Weather and Climate Services in Europe and Central Asia: A Regional Review” explains why improving weather monitoring systems can help mitigate damaging economic impacts of weather disasters, support increased productivity of agriculture, conserve energy, and promote safe aviation and transport by road and rail.
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December 2008: The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Government of Oman are co-sponsoring the International Conference on Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones and Climate Change, which will take place from 8-11 March 2009, at the Sultan Qaboos University, Oman.
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8 December 2008: On 2 December 2008, the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) promulgated its first 2008-2009 Climate Neutral Policy and Strategy, which was formulated in response to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s call and the 2008 decision of the UN Chief Executives Board to move the UN System towards climate neutral operations over the coming years.
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8 December 2008: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and three solar companies have issued a joint statement calling for widespread and rapid implementation of policies supporting solar energy as a major contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction.
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8 December 2008: In a press conference held during the 14th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, taking place in Poznan, Poland, Nobuo Tanaka, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), noted that the financial crisis presents an opportunity to tackle climate change by investing in energy efficiency and clean technologies. He added that this ‘Clean Energy New Deal’ will not only generate economic growth, but also enhance energy security.
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