WWF - CW and SAP News

Climate Witness 2009 brochure

2009-10-07

Climate change is already affecting the lives of people everywhere.

Through Climate Witness, WW helps people around the world share their story of how climate change impacts their lives and wha they are doing to take action. All Climate Witness stories have had an independant scientifc review by members of the Climate Witness Science Advisory Panel who provide their time voluntarily.

Time is running out. We need political leaders to commit to an ambitious, fair and science-based deal. Climate action will be benefcial for the economy and the survival of nations and people.

Climate for Life

2009-06-25

Although being one of the countries in the world with least emissions, Nepal is one of the most vulnerable countries because of fragile ecosystems, poverty, slow economic growth and lack of resources for adaptation. For Nepal, climate change is not just an environmental phenomenon but also an economical, social and political issue.

Recognizing these factors, WWF Nepal initiated the Climate Change Program in August 2003 and later in 2006, alternative energy component was integrated in the program.

Read more about about the campaign at www.climate4life.org

Two SAP members release new publications

2009-04-03

The Climate Witness team are proud to announce that two scientists on the CW Science Advisory Panel have published new works.

Dr Barrie Pittock, a specialist in climate change and variability, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, solar-weather relations, climate impacts and adaptation.

Climate Change: An Australian Guide to the Science and Potential Impacts, ed. Barrie Pittock
http://greenhouse.gov.au/science/guide/index.html

Climate Change: Science, Impacts and Solutions (2nd. edition), Barrie Pittock, in press, 2009
http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/6010.htm.

Prof. Mark Nuttal, who specialises in anthropology of the Arctic and North Atlantic; human-environment relations, sustainability of living marine resources, climate change, locality, identity and memory.

http://www.lcoastpress.com/book.php?id=163

http://www.iwgia.org/sw29098.asp

The world must crack "The Climate Nut"

2008-12-01

Thousands of delegates streamed into the Poznan World Trade Center in Poland this morning for the opening day of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP14).

They were greeted by a blustery (zero degree) winter morning while cheerful WWF staff members handing out ‘climate nuts’ with a strong message that its time to crack the ongoing international negotiations.

Along with nuts, delegates were given the WWF Position Paper on COP14, which sets out clear points on how to reach a fair and ambitious treaty, setting a positive and optimistic tone for the long and difficult two weeks to come.

While inside the warm Trade Center, the buzz words changed from ‘climate nuts’ to ‘shared vision’, ‘global action’, ‘impacts of climate change on small states’, ‘rich countries need to act’ and ‘Obama’s climate solution to the financial crises’.

Donald Tusk, Poland’s Prime Minister, said that the financial crisis will come and go but climate change will last.

With the guiding Bali Roadmap agreed this time last year, and only 12 months to go until Copenhagen in Dec 2009, the mandate for negotiators at Poznan is to develop a concrete proposal for the new global climate deal.

Animation: Climate change, energy & action

2008-11-28

How do we change our ways when it comes to energy consumption and reducing our carbon footprint? This one minute animation from WWF-Brazil does a great job of showing the way!

Ben Namakin, a Climate Witness in action!

2008-11-25

Ben Namakin is a Climate Witness from Micronesia and Kiribati in the South Pacific. Ben recently produced a video about the impacts of climate change in Micronesia and also attended an International forum in Hawaii where he spoke alongside Pacific leaders about the need for action.

Nigel Allan, communications manager with WWF Climate Witness, spoke to Ben about his experiences.

NA: Tell us about the meeting you attended in Hawaii?

BN: I attended the United States Coral Reef Task Force (USCRTF) Meeting in Kona, Hawaii from and the Response to Climate Change (RtCC) workshop on Moku Oloe Isl.

On the first day of the USCRTF meeting I was on the panel where I talked about the impacts of climate change on our natural resources and rights to live over these resources or gifts of life we have been given from our ancestors. I gave the same presentation for Many Strong Voices in Bali.

I also spoke about our challenge to integrate climate change into the education program at the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, where I manage the Environmental Education & Awareness Program, as it is time to help our community prepare now for changes we may see in the near future.

NA: So what was the highlight of the trip?

BN: The night of the fourth day of the task force meeting was a big night for me. I had the invitation to speak on a panel titled: “Indigenous Stewardship and Conservation Initiatives Across the Pacific, A presentation by Pacific Island Leaders”.

My fellow panelists during this evening were Mr. Tommy Esang Remengasau, Jr, the President of Palau and Mr. Nainoa Thompson, a Master Navigator and Director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society. President Remengasau told his story about establishing the Micronesia Challenge and Mr. Thompson shared his great experience of bringing back the knowledge and skills in navigation and the importance of natural resources in the region.

It was with an honour to speak alongside these two very important men. I talked about becoming a youth activist on climate change from the Pacific Region. I shared the struggles I went through to campaign around the world and particularly in the US to get support for SIDS (small island developing states) on the issue of climate change and also my fight for the seat of the youth to negotiate in the international climate negotiation process.

NA: What was your message when you presented?

I made it clear to the audience, which also included President Bush's senior environmental advisor, that climate change may have a great impact on our natural resources and indigenous knowledge, such as our ability to use traditional navigation methods, if nothing is done to slow down the negative impacts of climate change.

It was a great experience to be on a tough panel and I was very thrilled that my message was strongly supported by the audience and the Palauan President, Master Navigator, Governor of Guam and other leaders along with environmentalists and scientists who presented during this important event.

On the road in Bulgaria

2008-11-06

One of the greatest potentials for energy conservation lies in construction of energy efficient homes and buildings. A huge boom in construction is currently taking place in Bulgaria, especially in major cities like Sofia and in beach and mountain resorts.

by Konstantin Ivanov, Communications Coordinator, Danube-Carpathian Programme (Bulgaria)

Yet few if any buildings are being built with an eye for limiting energy consumption, let alone taking into account climate change impacts, including higher temperatures and more severe weather events.

Get on the climate truck

The WWF climate change tour travelled through Bulgaria in September, promoting awareness among the general public and opportunities to conserve energy.

The mobile exhibit included a colourful blow up tent and a truck with solar powered appliances which stopped in major cities including Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Bourgas. Kids spent some time drawing polar bears, while their parents tested their production of electricity on a specially developed version of a gym bike.

Taking action in the home

The tour underlined the many practical actions that Bulgarians and others can take to save energy, from changing light bulbs to purchasing energy efficient appliances. Turning off stand-by functions on appliances can save as much as 40% of energy used.

Supported by...

The main sponsor for the climate tour is the Toyota Europe Foundation. The tour included opportunities to see and test drive Toyota's hybrid technology. Other sponsors provided energy saving light bulbs or demonstrated solar panels and energy saving appliances.The WWF climate tour was preceded by an advertising campaign developed pro bono for WWF by Ogilvy & Mather, including a TV spot as well as print, outdoor and internet ads.

Next stops

The WWF climate change tour is covering many countries of Central and Eastern Europe, including Hungary, the Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.

Watch the Bulgarian TV ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdSRHghzlbg

Watch the Romanian TV ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQzGigqeG1w

Climate Witness in Nepal selected as one of the Top Five Young Conservationists in the World

2008-10-30

Dawa Steven Sherpa, a Climate Witness from Nepal, has been selected as one of the Top Five Young Conservationists in the World by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) and the International Rangers Federation (IRF).

And it doesn't stop there...

Dawa Steven was also in Calgary, Canada in October to receive the Special Achievement Award from the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation, Canada for his double summit of both Mt. Everest (Eco Everest Expedition 2008) and Mt. Lhotse (8516m), as well as for his Environmental initiatives.

The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA) has awarded him the Award for Contributions to UIAA for efforts to promote conservation ethics in the mountains and to draw international attention to the high risk in the Khumbu due to climate change. This award encourages youth of the world to work for a better environment, and also encourages further steps to protect mountain environment.

Dawa Steven has also been invited to present his video report of the Eco Everest Expedition 2008 at the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festivals.

Congratulations to Dawa Steven and Asian Trekking for their great work and well deserved recognition.

New Climate Witness promo video

2008-10-01

We have just released a new video for the WWF Climate Witness Programme.

If you have somewhere to post the video online or can forward it on to family and friends that would be great!

No Car Day (Radio Ads)

2008-09-19

Thousands of people will be taking to the streets in cities around the globe on Sept. 22 to celebrate the annual World Carfree Day.

WWF-China and Ogilvy have created some great radio ads for the event. Click on MP3 to the right to play or play them all video the YouTube player below.

50 years of climate, culture, and landscape change on Mt. Everest (audio slideshow)

2008-09-18

Alton Byers is a mountain geographer, mountain climber and WWF Climate Witness who has spent many years in the Himalayas and Andes. He has taken a number of photos of glaciers from the exact same spot as mountain climbers of 50 years ago.

In this short audio slideshow Alton talks about climate change in the Mt. Everest area and some of the solutions needed for local people to adapt. (NB. Best viewed by clicking on 'full screen' button at bottom right of slideshow)

Climate change in Keti Bunder, Pakistan

2008-09-01

Emily Woodhouse spent 2 weeks in the small coastal community of Keti Bunder, Pakistan talking to the locals about the impacts of climate change on their home.

Approaching the coastal community of Keti Bunder on the Indus river delta in Pakistan, it is hard to imagine that this area was once a thriving mangrove ecosystem, rich with agriculture, and boasting a busy port. The landscape now appears barren, thatched houses dotted precariously on mudflats, waterlogged and saline from the intruding sea which has swallowed whole villages in recent years.

Safaran, an elderly local woman reminisced: “When I was a child, my family were so fortunate. We had all the natural resources…cultivated lands, livestock and fishing too. Now we can only fish, the sea is coming into our lands and the water is all around us.”

On top of all these changes, the community of Keti Bunder is now faced with the escalating threat of storms and cyclones associated with global climate change.

Reports show that the frequency and intensity of these cyclones have increased significantly in the last 30 years along the Sindh coastline of Pakistan, and this is supported by community experiences in Keti Bunder.

Another local man described the current situation: “Nowadays we are experiencing more and more cyclones and storms, each and every year and within each year, the number and intensity has increased.”

Coastal areas are especially vulnerable to climate change with rising sea surface temperatures and atmospheric water vapour causing an increase in cyclone intensity and rainfall.

In Sindh, there appears to be a particular increase in the last 10 to 15 years, with the largest cyclones occurring in 1999, and 2007. These caused extensive damage to houses and boats, in addition to a number of deaths, injuries, and health problems. The impacts are proving to be long term and many families report that they are still feeling the effects of the cyclone of 2007, as they do not have the resources to cope with the damages.

The prospect of global warming raises particular concern in delta regions, many of which are already experiencing severe environmental strain as the result of human activity.

For Keti Bunder environmental problems originate further upstream of the Indus. Beginning in the mid 19th century a huge irrigation infrastructure was developed drawing water from the river and its tributaries, and since then a series of barrages and dams have been built leading to over-extraction of water for agriculture, leaving very small and irregular flows at the mouth. The result is a lack of nutrient rich silt that the water brings with it, and growing sea intrusion destroying mangrove ecosystems and causing land erosion. Community have experienced a dramatic decline in agriculture, extreme shortages of drinking water and thousands have been forced to migrate away. As the natural resource base has declined, there are few livelihood options and the community is now almost entirely dependent on fishing.

These environmental changes have only served to increase the vulnerability of Keti Bunder to extreme weather events.

Due to lack of freshwater and human deforestation, mangrove forest cover in the Indus delta has reduced from 260,000 hectares to only 80,000. But evidence suggests that mangrove forests provide the best natural protection against the effects of extreme events. The community of Keti Bunder describe how they used to move into the thick patches of mangroves when a storm threatened as they know that these could withstand the pressure. In most villages, these patches no longer exist.

Other traditional protective measures are also breaking down. As many of the tribal groups of Keti Bunder have historically inhabited the coastal belt, they can read the environment to predict storms. A man named Haji Hamza Jat explained: “…our forefathers always predicted the storms correctly. Now we cannot - it is beyond our knowledge and understanding”. The community understandably feel that the rapid changes associated with global climate change are beyond their comprehension and control.

There is often a sense of powerlessness in the face of these devastating events. The community are using local coping strategies, like communication to warn neighbouring villages, and temporary migration, but lack of resources and alternative livelihoods limit these efforts. These methods need to be strengthened to increase the resilience of the community to environmental threats through restoration of the natural ecosystem and community development work.

As in other communities already facing the effects of climate change, there is vital and urgent for the people of Keti Bunder to adapt effectively.

Outside institutions are beginning to work in Keti Bunder, and the area is one of the four prioritised sites of WWF-Pakistan’s Indus for All Programme which is working to address poverty and natural resource degradation in the Indus Ecoregion.

The project in Keti Bunder aims to restore the degraded mangrove ecosystem and provide sustainable livelihoods for the community, helping the community and ecosystem of Keti Bunder thrive once again. Despite the difficulties and environmental threats, Keti Bunder remains the home to approximately 2000 families, connected to their ancestral lands. As one local women said: “In the safe times and during storms, we will stay here. Under every condition, better or worse we will always live here.”

Emily Woodhouse is a Visiting Researcher from Imperial College, London who is carrying out research on the vulnerability of the social-ecological system of Keti Bunder to the effects of climate change. The project has been coordinated through the Pakistan Field Research Programme of Government College University, Lahore which brings students to Pakistan annually for collaborative research with institutions in the field of conservation and development. Email: emily.woodhouse@imperial.ac.uk

WWF Pakistan Indus for All Programme www.foreverindus.org

Video: Students impacted by Hurricane Katrina take action on global warming

2008-08-26

The WWF-US Allianz Southeast Climate Witness Program selected 24 high school students from to engage in vulnerability research on the Southeast Rivers and Streams Ecoregion.

These students earned the opportunity to work with scientists on their research and learn about climate change from some of the most active scientists in the field today.

In Washington, D.C., the students had the experience to speak in a briefing on Capitol Hill in which Chairman Markey of the Select Committee on Energy Indepence and Global Warming greeted them as the Green Generation and encouraged them to continue to take action on climate change.

Ghana and climate change

2008-08-20

Watch a short slideshow (01:48 mins) about the people living in the Nandom Traditional Area in northwest Ghana who rely heavily on what they can grow on their land. In recent years many people struggle to harvest enough food in a climate where rainfall has become unpredictable. (All images courtesy: Kees van der Geest)

Ghana itself is experiencing the effects of climate change as a shift in rainfall patterns in recent years has made life very difficult for communities that rely heavily on subsistence farming for their survival. Read the Climate Witness testimony of Augustine Yelfaanibe.

The next round of UN climate change talks are now taking place in Accra, Ghana. WWF are hoping that these talks will signal a positive shift in climate negotations as more and more nations start to recognise the shift in public opinion and the growing thirst for real action from our leaders. More on what WWF would like to see from the talks in Accra.

NASA: warmer Indian Ocean linked to drought in East Africa

2008-08-10

The findings of a recent NASA study that connects the decline of rainfall in East Africa with warmer sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean are consistent with the experiences described by Climate Witnesses in the region.

Rainfall in the region has decreased by around 15 percent since the early 1980s according to the study.

Excerpts from the NASA article:

"The last 10 to 15 years have seen particularly dangerous declines in rainfall in sensitive ecosystems in East Africa, such as Somalia and eastern Ethiopia," said Molly Brown of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., a co-author of the study. "We wanted to know if the trend would continue or if it would start getting wetter."

To find out, the team analyzed historical seasonal rainfall data over the Indian Ocean and the eastern seaboard of Africa from 1950 to 2005. The NASA Global Precipitation Climatology Project's rainfall dataset provided a series of data covering both the land and the oceans. They found that declines in rainfall in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe were linked to increases in rainfall over the ocean."

Climate Witnesses in Eastern African countries Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have described the impact that declining rainfall has had on their region.

"Continuing along a "business as usual" scenario -- with current trends in declining rainfall and agricultural capacity continuing as it is currently to 2030, the team found that the number of undernourished people will increase by more than 50 percent in eastern Africa.

WWF's East Africa Regional Programme Office is working with farmers and other affected groups in the region to help them adapt to the changes. Globally, WWF is working with governments and other organisations to come up with a new global deal that will adequately address the climate change threat.

Expect the price of maple syrup to go up!

2008-07-17

Climate change will have many unexpected consequences and will play out in ways that we cannot predict. There are many social and environmental variables that shape the reality in which we live, and the climate is just one of them — albeit a very big one!

So as climatic conditions continue to change we will start to experience small changes in our everyday lives that we will probably not register as an effect of global warming. Such as the price of maple syrup!

You could say there is a goldilocks factor at play when you are trying to farm maple syrup. The conditions need to be “just right”. Too cold or too warm and the sap from the maple trees will not run.

Burr Morse is a maple syrup farmer in the Montpelier area of Vermont, a US state renowned for its maple syrup. Burr recently agreed to become a WWF Climate Witness to share his story with us. His family have been farming maple syrup since the late 1700s, but in the last 20 years they have had some bad seasons.

Burr says: “I think that we sugar farmers are the fussiest farmers in the world about the weather that we need. We need the perfect weather. We can’t live with 31 degrees Fahrenheit at night. In the springtime, when we want sap to run, we need 25 degrees F, which is well down below freezing. Then we got to have in the 40s during the day, and anything warmer than that is too warm. We have got have a west wind. We have to have predictable weather patterns. So when things change around and the weather comes from the east or comes from the south, the sap is not going to run.

“This year the bad season, which is going right up into Canada, is causing the price of maple syrup to go really high. This price increase has to do with the bad year and also that there is no longer a surplus in Canada, which used to keep the price artificially low.”

I can live without maple syrup (my wife can’t — she’s Canadian ;-)), but the livelihood that has sustained generations of maple syrup farmers in the north-eastern US could start to disappear within one generation.

Burr adds: “I worry about future decline of maple trees in this part of North America where maple sugaring has been so important to our way of life for so long.”

But never mind the maple syrup if you have nothing to put it on

Of course this is just one example of one agricultural industry that will suffer. Wheat farmers in Australia, rice farmers in Japan and subsistence farmers on small Pacific Islands all rely on predictable climatic conditions to grow food to feed themselves and to feed us. We are already starting to see the consequences of declining wheat and rice crops as recent months have seen a surge in world food prices, which is hitting the poorest in Africa and Asia the hardest.

Burr and his fellow syrup farmers are adapting, like many other farmers throughout the world. But their ability to adapt is limited and beyond a certain temperature rise many farms will become economically unsustainable.

We can protect our food security

At a meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009 our global leaders will strike a new global deal that will decide how we respond to climate change. We can limit the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and avoid far more dangerous levels of climate change and protect the future of our farms and our food. There are many ways to take action, but the most important thing is that your voice is heard. Talk to your decision makers and talk to your local media.

Nigel Allan, communications manager, WWF Climate Witness Programme.

If you have a climate change story to tell, let us know!

Climate Witnesses send a message to G8 leaders

2008-07-07

G8 leaders are now meeting in Hokkaido, Japan, and WWF Climate Witnesses have urged them to take strong leadership on climate change. You can download copies of the letters here.

Japan also officially launched its Climate Witness project with 2 new Witnesses as well as a report on climate change impacts in Japan. The 2 new Climate Witnesses from Japan Asami Tetsuo, an ice carver and Dr Shinzo Waku, a medical doctor both tell very different stories of how climate change is impacting them and their communities.

WWF has also published scorecards that rate each of the G8 countries (US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Russia) on their climate performance. The research also includes an analysis of the 5 emerging economies (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa). You can download the publication here.

- Nigel Allan

Climate Campers discuss experiences of climate change

2008-06-30

At the 2008 Climate Camp in San Francisco, Miriam Elizondo put together this great video of the participants talking about the experience of climate change and a few thoughts on how we address it. Big questions indeed!

What are your experiences of climate change? In what way are you trying to reduce your "footprint" or adapt to climate change?

- Nigel Allan

Extreme weather linked to climate change

2008-06-20

Millions of people throughout North America, the Caribbean and Pacific are witnesses to extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and severity as a result of climate change.

A new report, Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate, issued by the US Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) is the first to specifically assess observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes for North America. It states that the greatest impacts of climate change on society and wildlife will be experienced through changes in extreme weather events as global temperatures increase.

These extreme weather events include floods, hurricanes, and droughts.

Dr Richard Moss, WWF-US’s vice president for climate change, who previously headed up the CCSP coordination office under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, said today’s report illustrates the US’s economic vulnerability to climate change and reinforces the need to implement a national preparedness strategy.

The US Midwest is currently experiencing devastating flooding which has severely affected corn crops and other agricultural production and put further pressure on global food distribution.

Moss said: “To fully grasp the ramifications of the surge in extreme droughts and floods that are forecast in this report, one need only look at the widespread devastation across the Midwest. Levees are being breached, tens of thousands of residents have been displaced, and President Bush is asking the US Congress for $US 1.8 billion in emergency aid to help the region recover – that is roughly the entire annual federal budget for climate change research programs. Simply put, climate change is a problem we cannot afford to ignore.”

Claire Carlton, manager of WWF’s Climate Witness Programme, said: “As the floods in the Midwest demonstrate these events can have far reaching effects because of our global interdependence. The impact of drought on Australian wheat and rice crops is already affecting millions of people in need of food and the floods in the US will only make things worse.

“We will continue to document the impacts of climate change on people and communities around the world and remind governments that if left unchecked climate change will continue to destroy lives and increasingly strain our global economy.”

Moss added: “As this report shows, climate change is directly affecting each and every one of us and threatens significant physical and economic harm. While no single storm can be directly attributed to climate change, the scientific evidence clearly shows that as the climate warms, extreme weather events will become more intense and more frequent.

Nigel Allan
Communications Manager
WWF Climate Witness Programme