The Uganda POA is the first of its kind in the world, and promotes solid waste composting in urban areas, a system that, unlike landfills, returns organic matter to the soil, prevents land degradation, and significantly reduces methane emissions. The new program helps Ugandan municipalities set up waste composting facilities that are financially sustainable because of the revenues generated from the sale of both compost and carbon credits. A total of 156,889 Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) and 52,296 Verified Emission Reductions (VERs) will be sold to the World Bank’s Community Development Carbon Fund.

The programme also builds on South-South linkages by harnessing expertise and models of simple composting development in South Asia. And it was designed with the involvement of experts from India, who will also offer monitoring and training support. [World Bank Press Release]

The mayors from the Philippines join 60 other mayors from around the world already committed to the campaign. The aim of the campaign is to enlist over 1,000 local government leaders to invest more in disaster risk reduction (DRR), including by: improving urban planning, infrastructure and building safety; reinforcing drainage systems to reduce flood, storm and health threats; installing early warning systems; conducting public preparedness drills; and taking measures to adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change.

The new signatories from the Philippines include: the Municipality of Dumangas, a coastal town in the province of Iloilo, which has implemented the Climate Field School for Farmers as an innovative DDR and climate adaptation strategy for agriculture; Southern Leyte, recipient of the Gawad Kalasag Award, an annual Philippine Presidential award for the best contingency plan for disaster preparedness and DRR programme; and the Municipality of San Francisco, an area facing increasing threats to its coastal mangrove forests, seagrass belts and corals, including increasing storm surges, sea level rise, coral bleaching, overfishing and coastal encroachments.

The signing ceremony was held during the Southeast Asia Regional Consultation Workshop on Strengthening Climate Resilience, which convened from 22-23 July 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand, and was organized by Plan International, the Institute of Development Studies and Christian Aid. [UN/ISDR Press Release]

Gnacadja noted links between climate change and conflict, and challenged his audience to “pursue a decisive policy change in the way we perceive the drylands and address the issues of its people in order to avoid environmentally induced conflicts.” To do this, he called for efforts to “securitize the ground,” which he defined as “creating a wider global political awareness of DLDD [desertification, land degradation and drought] and their societal consequences. It is making combating DLDD a key international political commitment and upgrading DLDD to the security realm.” In this regard, he highlighted the importance of taking “reactive and proactive short-, medium and long-term strategies for coping with desertification (soil depletion/soil insecurity) by exposing its manifold societal, environmental and economic consequences.” [The Statement]

The grant will be used to support local authorities in creating the policy, regulatory, institutional, financial and monitoring mechanisms for the “eco-city,” which is expected to be home to 350,000 people by 2020. The project will help promote “green transport,” such as public transport, walking tracks and bicycle pathways. It will also support the construction of “green buildings” through the introduction of energy efficient building standards that are higher than the national standard.

Tianjin, China’s third largest city with a population of 11.76 million, is developing the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City in collaboration with the Singapore Government. A Framework Agreement was signed between the two Governments in November 2007. [World Bank Press Release]

The US students, who will be assisted by three Swiss students and three American landscape architecture professors, will develop a sustainable landscape design that will be implemented over a five-year period. The US Mission building in Geneva is described as the ‘Flagship Post for Energy and Sustainability’ by the US State Department. Some of its features include the largest solar energy installation ever undertaken by the US Department of State abroad, and a unique magnetic levitation (MaglevTM) chiller air conditioning system that runs a virtually friction-free compressor. In 2009, the US Mission in Geneva was the first State Department facility to earn a certificate from the US National Wildlife Federation for Wildlife Habitat as a result of their conservation efforts.[Information on the Landscape Project] [Greening the Blue Press Release]

The authors use data on migration over a 20-year period and temperature degree-days to identify agricultural risk. The findings of the paper suggest that households use migration as a risk management strategy. The authors highlight the importance of understanding how climate affects migration decisions in order to better target resources and public services to cope with climate change. IFPRI is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). [IFPRI Discussion Paper]

The brochure lays out the four goals adopted by ministers at the third high-level meeting on Transport, Health and Environment held in January 2009, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and to be achieved by 2014. It also describes the links among urban problems stemming from unsustainable transport, including: air pollution; noise emissions; climate change and energy use. The brochure sets out THE PEP approach of tackling issues of sustainable urban transport through communication and collaboration among the three sectors of transport, health and environment. It is available in English, French and Russian.

UNECE has also published on THE PEP website the report of the June 2010 workshop on sustainable and healthy urban transport policies, which recommended, inter alia, that international, national, regional and local actors work collaboratively to: establish a supportive national policy framework fully integrating air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, noise and other health and environment targets into transport and land-use policy; and adopt technical standards for vehicles and fuels, and rigorously monitor their implementation in public and private vehicle fleets. THE PEP is serviced by the joint secretariat of the UNECE and the World Health Organization ( WHO)/Europe. [The Brochure] [THE PEP Website] [Workshop Report]

Wujin submitted three initiatives it has undertaken in its bid to join. “Help migrant workers, and plan a harmonious future” has provided affordable housing with a decent and dignified living environment for nearly 50,000 migrant workers in the past ten years. In addition, Wujin is taking part in the “The co-development of low-carbon construction and economy” initiative. Despite the fact that economic activity in Wujin has doubled in the last three years, carbon emissions were reduced by 57%. In 2009, carbon dioxide emission intensity was reduced from 5.14 kg in 2005 to 2.30 kg. [UN-HABITAT Press Release]

The Summit focused on the challenges related to urban planning, infrastructure financing, public housing, waste management, urban biodiversity and climate change. Participants discussed how to mitigate risks and build inclusive and harmonious cities. Partners of the Summit included the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The Summit attracted 25 ministers, as well as 45 mayors and governors from 20 countries, including China and Australia.

At the opening ceremony, Anna Tibaijuka, UN-HABITAT Executive Director, acknowledged that 227 million people have moved out of slum conditions since 2000, but warned against the challenges posed by rapid urbanization, the financial crisis and climate change. She noted that vulnerable cities will need to prepare their infrastructure for the impacts of climate change, adding that one meter sea level rise will threaten major cities in Asia, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Shanghai, Osaka-Kobe and Tokyo. She argued for better financing capacity of municipalities to provide for adequate infrastructure in many developing countries and encouraging access to innovative urban infrastructure financing schemes.

On 30 June,  the World Cities Summit (WCS) Mayors’ Forum was held. The Forum was attended by over 40 mayors and governors, and aimed to provide a strategic platform for mayors to discuss challenges faced by cities, share lessons learned, and deliberate possible joint solutions. The forum addressed leadership and governance in turbulent times, eco-friendly and liveable communities, and promoting communities of best practices among cities.

During the Summit, the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize was awarded to the Bilbao City Hall, Spain, in recognition of its commitment towards a holistic approach to sustainable urban transformation. The main organizer of the Summit, the CLC, is expected to partner with the World Bank, UN-HABITAT and the ADB to develop the WCS Mayors’ Forum into a global network that promotes best practices and peer-to-peer learning among cities to support urban sustainability. [UN-HABITAT Press Release] [World Cities Summit Website]

The report recommends urgent action to assist pastoralists cope with the rising impacts of climate change, including strategies by governments to facilitate safe passage across borders in the Horn and East Africa region. Key findings include that the effects of climate change and its impact on pastoral communities are now more conspicuous than ever, with evidence pointing to increasing levels of migration and conflict over often scarce resources. According to the report, vulnerability, a lack of preparedness, and appropriate, timely and relevant responses to natural disasters have left millions in need of humanitarian assistance.

The Security Mobility Initiative is an inter-agency partnership among the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Institute for Security Studies. [IISD RS Sources] [UN Press Release] [Link to Synthesis of the Report]