WWF - Environmental News

Tuna commission urged to add fishing halt to trade ban to save bluefin

2009-11-07

Recife, Brazil – WWF, the global conservation organization, is urging countries meeting in Brazil this week to agree urgently on a temporary fishing ban for the beleaguered Atlantic bluefin tuna, as an essential measure to avoid imminent stock collapse.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is gathering in Recife, Brazil for its annual meeting, where the 48 contracting parties are under pressure to decide on measures that will ensure the long-term survival of a species that has long been the victim of illegal and over-fishing, disregard for rules and science, and being targeted by far too many boats.

“WWF wants to see Atlantic bluefin tuna surviving long into the future – both the amazing species and the fishing industry it has supported for thousands of years,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.

“This is ICCAT’s role, to ensure the sustainable commercial exploitation of bluefin tuna, but it has failed spectacularly in this mandate and there is no option left but to stop fishing and let this wild animal recover. It is the only way forward, there is no possible Plan B.”

ICCAT’s own analysis shows that a moratorium will give the best chance of recovery to the seriously overexploited bluefin tuna stocks in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean.

The organization’s scientific committee analysed fish stocks at a special meeting in October, demonstrating with their data that Atlantic bluefin tuna fulfils the criteria to be listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as proposed by the Principality of Monaco and to be voted on next March – a step that would ban all international commercial trade.

WWF sees the trade ban as a necessary parallel measure to a moratorium on fishing. ICCAT’s scientific analysis also shows that a suspension of fishing is the only measure with a chance of ensuring Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks no longer meet the criteria for CITES Appendix I by 2019.

the tuna commission astonished the world with a scheme
for continued overfishing that it labeled a recovery plan

“Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks are sadly collapsing even faster than ICCAT’s reputation,” added Sergi Tudela of WWF. “For ICCAT to justify its existence and show the world it is capable of responsible fisheries management, how can it do anything but stick to the best available science, close the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery now and give the fish a breather?

"Anything else would be a slap in the face to science, a slap in the face to those who care about sustainable seafood, and a slap in the face to ICCAT’s own survival – if there’s no more fish, there’s no more fish to manage.”

The latest science shows that Atlantic bluefin tuna’s spawning population has declined to below 15 per cent of pre-fishing levels – and may even have dropped to under 10 per cent.

Meeting just a year ago, ICCAT’s members ritually tossed overboard the advice of their own scientists and did not even put the fishing closure supported by its own review on the agenda. The tuna commission astonished the world with a scheme for continued overfishing that it labeled a recovery plan but that WWF named a “collapse plan”. In response, increasing numbers of global retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumers are stopping buying, selling, serving and eating this endangered species.

For more information: Gemma Parkes, +39 346 387 3237, gparkes@wwfmedpo.org

Notes to editor
 Footage and photos available on request
 For more on WWF’s tuna campaign, see www.panda.org/tuna

G20 finance ministers fail to reach green on climate financing

2009-11-07

St Andrews, Scotland – Finance ministers of the world’s dominant economies failed to reach agreement on the financing required for a global agreement to stave off catastrophic climate change, WWF said today as the G20 finance ministers meeting here broke up with no resolution to issues dividing developed and emerging economies.

The lack of progress made by the G20 in St. Andrews, follows another week of inconclusive negotiations in UN climate talks in Barcelona as the world heads towards the crucial UN climate conference in Copenhagen in a month’s time.

With the G20 now having considered the climate financing issue three times without reaching common ground, WWF remains sceptical about today's promise to make further progress before Copenhagen.

“The G20 Finance Ministers meeting turned out to be a mostly irrelevant sideshow on the way to the talks in Copenhagen in a months’ time," said Dr Richard Dixon, Director of WWF Scotland.

"Failure to come to agreement here is a major disappointment.

“This is a group that can throw money at collapsing banks but cannot find adequate figures for the far worse challenge to the global economy of a collapsing climate system."

In detail, the G20 ministers acknowledged the need to increase significantly and urgently the scale of funding but failed to make any reference to the sums required, estimated to be around $160bn a year of public financing.

They also failed to agree on new sources of funding for a climate deal, such as auctioning emissions credits and levies on aviation and shipping.

"Talk of a financial transaction tax which has the potential to raise hundreds of billions in new funding every year turned out to be a red herring without solid political support," Dr Dixon said.

The G20 agreed some principals on a mechanism to administer and distribute these funds but failed to turn these into concrete proposals and - despite last week's pledges from Europe - no new money was put on the table to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to a changing climate.

It is estimated the immediate need for the most vulnerable nations is around $10bn a year.

WWF endorsed the G20s continuing professed interest in winding back fossil fuel use subsidies, but said the group needed to focus its main attention on getting an effective global deal on climate.

“If we are to keep the planet below the danger threshold of a 2ºC temperature rise, the rich nations of the world are going to have to help developing countries follow a low-carbon development path and help them cope with the impacts of current and future climate change," Dr Dixon said.

"We wanted to see solid proposals on how the money would be raised, managed and distributed and an indication of how soon the countries most vulnerable to climate change will receive assistance. The G20 has failed to deliver and the real work will now have to be done at Copenhagen.”

Famed climate change researcher snags WWF award

2009-11-06

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – WWF Brazil has given a special award to Dr. Carlos Nobre, who has conducted pioneering research on the impacts of climate change on the Amazon and helped deepen the world’s understanding of global warming.

WWF Brazil last month awarded Dr. Nobre with the 2009 WWF Brazil Environment Personality Award for his research.

Dr. Nobre currently serves as Head Researcher and General Coordinator of the Scientific Centre of the Brazilian National Space Research Institute -INPE's Terrestrial System.

He received the award on Oct. 13, during the visit of the Darwin Expedition to Rio de Janeiro, with a ceremony on board the clipper 'Stad Amsterdam' moored at the Mauá Pier. The exhibition is retracing the journey made by naturalist Charles Darwin to the Southern Hemisphere during the 19th century.

In addition to his work as an INPE researcher, Dr. Nobre is the executive secretary of the Brazilian Climate Change Research Network (Rede CLIMA), executive coordinator of the Global Climate Change Research Programme run by the FAPESP and President of the Scientific Committee of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP).

Dr. Nobre was also one of the authors of the Fourth Assessment Report of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2007 along with former US Vice-president Al Gore. In 2007 he received the Conrado Wessel Foundation Environment Award. In 1991 Dr. Nobre formulated his pioneering hypothesis on possible savannization of the Amazon which today is an important reference theory worldwide.

"The award is a way of recognising and paying homage to personalities that have carried out consistent, systematic work in the environmental field in alignment with the terms of WWF Brazil's mission and with the organization's ideals" said Álvaro de Souza, president of WWF Brazil’s board.

"The choice of Dr. Carlos Nobre is the fruit of a scientific career that has made a great contribution towards a better understanding of the relations between tropical forests and climate, the effects of deforestation on climate change and the potential impacts on the Amazon stemming from global warming" said Álvaro de Souza.

The WWF Brazil Environment Personality Award is given bi-annually for outstanding work in the conservation of nature and in fostering the country's sustainable development. The first edition of the Award went to Marina Silva, at that time, Brazil’s Minister for the Environment.

The Darwin Expedition is an initiative of the Dutch Public Television Network VPRO, the Darwin Expedition is part of the commemorations for the 150th anniversary of the publication of "The Origin of Species". With support from the WWF Network, the expedition is re-tracing the route of HMS Beagle in its voyage to the Southern Hemisphere with Darwin aboard. By May 2010, the vessel will have visited 12 countries altogether.

The expedition, with the participation of biologist Sarah Darwin, the naturalist's great-great-grand-daughter, left England at the end of August and arrived in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil on Sep. 30th. The expedition then went to Salvador, Bahia where it stayed from Oct. 5-7, and on the 12th arrived in Rio where it tied up at the Mauá Pier. It remained there until Oct. 17, and then continued around the southernmost tip of the continent towards Chile.

Climate talks: Saying all the wrong things but chance remains to do the right things

2009-11-06

Barcelona, Spain - An ambitious climate treaty can still be achieved in Copenhagen despite most policy makers’ focus on what they cannot achieve rather than what they can do to prevent the worst consequences of runaway climate change, WWF said at the inconclusive ending of climate negotiations in Barcelona.

“Politicians seem to be obsessed with expressing what they cannot achieve, rather than setting a high bar for how they will save the world from catastrophic temperature rises,” said Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF’s global climate initiative. “They are saying all the wrong things but they still have a chance to do all the right things.”

While rich nations have lost their voice in Barcelona, developing countries started to speak in a more united and stronger way.

“Barcelona didn’t achieve much spectacular, but it kept the pace of slow, steady progress. The key issue is not time, but political will and that can be shown in a matter of seconds,” Carstensen said. “While developed countries were trying to lower expectations, the world’s expectations were actually rising.”

In WWF view the Danish Presidency has been an active participant in playing down expectations for a legally binding and enforceable outcome. This needs to stop. “The Danish Presidency must create a level of ambition that corresponds with climate crisis and the will of the major part of the world. “Trying to please the US and other developed countries with vague language will not give us the climate deal the world needs”

Over the past week some developed countries suggested they no longer believe a comprehensive and legally binding treaty can be signed in Copenhagen in December. Suggestions that Copenhagen would end with an agreement that countries could not be held accountable for anyway are completely unproductive, Carstensen said.

“We need a climate treaty which will survive recessions, elections, and natural disasters. Not a piece of paper that will be forgotten after the next change of power in London, Tokyo or Washington.”

Palm oil roundtable breaks emissions logjam

2009-11-05

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil this week agreed to consider implementing voluntary measures to encourage producers and buyers of palm oil to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Roundtable’s 7th annual conference came to a close Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Titled “Moving Ahead in Challenging Times,” the three-day conference drew more than 800 people from inside and outside of the palm oil industry, including buyers and producers.

After several rounds of heated discussion this week, the Roundtable’s Executive Board reached a compromise in which some emissions reduction requirements will be directly incorporated in the Roundtable’s certification standards.

They agreed to further address the issue and hammer out emissions measures related to land use change before the next Roundtable conference in 2010. To this end, they will develop a voluntary framework within which companies will work together to reduce emissions.

This objective received considerable support by producers from outside Malaysia and Indonesia who said they will use this voluntary standard as soon as it becomes available, while committing to stop the expansion of plantations on peat lands.

“This is a move in the right direction,” said Adam Harrison, WWF’s representative on the RSPO Executive Board. “We encourage companies to embrace emissions reduction standards once they become available and do their part to avoid the catastrophic effects of climate change.”

The conference also focused on the frustration by producers concerning the slow uptake of certified sustainable palm oil by buyers. The sluggish market prompted WWF to publish the Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard on Oct. 28, a project that assessed the performance of 59 European retailers and manufacturers buying palm oil.

The Scorecard showed that the majority of European palm oil buyers are failing to buy certified sustainable palm oil, despite its availability and the previous commitments by many companies to purchase it.

The Scorecard was presented and widely discussed at the conference. It was praised by producers and buyers alike as a positive vehicle for bringing much needed transparency to this growing market and showing companies buying palm oil that they are expected to do their part in transforming the palm oil market.

The growing demand for palm oil is adding to the already severe pressure on remaining rainforest areas of the world. The loss of forest in Indonesia is threatening the survival of species such as the orang-utan, the Sumatran tiger, rhino and elephant. Forest loss and the draining of peatlands for palm oil plantations is also contributing to climate change and displacing local people who rely on the forest for food and shelter. Palm oil is one of the world’s fastest expanding crops in Southeast Asia as well as West Africa and South America.

It is because of threats like this that WWF worked with other NGOs and the palm oil industry to set up the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2003. Since then WWF has worked with the industry to ensure that the RSPO standards contain robust social and environmental criteria, including a prohibition on the conversion of valuable forests. Certified Sustainable Palm Oil has been available since November 2008 and provides assurance that valuable tropical forests have not been cleared and that environmental and social safeguards have been met during the production of the palm oil.

WWF opted to grade palm oil buyers after releasing figures in May showing that only a small percentage of the sustainable palm oil available on the market had been bought. Since then, the situation is starting to improve. Over the last year, RSPO certified plantations have produced over 1,000,000 tonnes of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO), and over 250,000 tonnes have been sold to date. While this still represents only 22 percent of the available supply on average, the RSPO has reported that CSPO sales have been growing in recent months.

WWF clasifica las políticas de lucha contra el cambio climático en los países del G-20

2009-11-05

WWF ha presentado hoy en la Conferencia sobre Clima de la ONU, que se celebra en Barcelona durante esta semana, un ranking sobre las medidas de lucha contra el cambio climático desarrolladas en los países del G-20. Este documento constata que las buenas políticas climáticas no sólo reducen las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y traen beneficios ambientales, sino que también mejoran y diversifican la economía.

El informe: ‘Las mejores y peores políticas para el clima y la recuperación económica’, realizado por Ecofys y Germanwatch para WWF y E3G, evalúa las herramientas utilizadas por los países del G-20, es decir, aquellos que suman las tres cuartas partes de las emisiones globales de gases de efecto invernadero, identificando los mejores y los peores ejemplos, así como las lecciones aprendidas.

WWF pide a los ministros de economía del G-20, que se darán cita este fin de semana en Reino Unido, que den los pasos necesarios para asegurar que la próxima ola de se rija por criterios ecológicos. Esto incluye propuestas concretas en financiación para ayudar a los países emergentes a desarrollar una economía baja en carbono y adaptarse al cambio climático, tal y como se acordó en la Cumbre de los líderes del G-20 en Pittsburgh el pasado mes de septiembre.

Una de las principales conclusiones de este análisis de WWF es que las medidas para combatir el cambio climático aplicadas en Europa, EE.UU. y Japón figuran a la cabeza de la lista, al igual que las de algunos países emergentes como México, Brasil y China.

En el primer puesto de la clasificación se encuentran los programas de ‘Eficiencia energética en edificios’ implantados por el gobierno alemán y las primas que este país ha aprobado para las energías renovables. Este sistema garantiza a los productores de renovables una ayuda económica durante 20 años. Además, el plan de edificación alemán reduce las emisiones, crea puestos de trabajo en la construcción y es emulado en otros países.

Asimismo, un sistema de transporte de autobuses en México ha demostrado que las soluciones ecológicas tienen un fuerte potencial para aumentar el confort y la calidad de vida – aspectos importantes en los países de crecimiento económico acelerado. Igualmente, el programa chino, basado en objetivos de eficiencia energética para las 1.000 empresas más intensivas en consumo, ha logrado mejoras permanentes en su gestión de la energía.

En el caso de España, el nuevo Código Técnico de la Edificación se encuentra en el séptimo lugar de las medidas más eficaces. Su objetivo principal es instalar energía solar térmica y fotovoltaica en edificios residenciales y comerciales de nueva construcción. Sin embargo, el sistema de primas para energías renovables en España no se ha considerado como una de las mejores herramientas por los recientes cambios en la legislación que han supuesto un freno al desarrollo de la energía solar fotovoltaica.

“Este informe muestra que los gobiernos que aplican medidas para combatir el cambio climático tendrán éxito y ocuparán una posición de liderazgo”, ha manifestado Kim Carstensen, líder de la iniciativa global de cambio climático de WWF. Y concluye: “Hacemos un llamamiento al G-20 para liderar una estrategia de inversión en economía verde”.

Por otra parte, el informe también expone un número de malas políticas, que suspenden a la hora de generar beneficios económicos, y, además, impiden un futuro bajo en carbono. Esto incluye medidas como la subvención a la minería de carbón, el tratamiento preferencial de industrias con un uso intensivo de energía y la falta de gestión integrada del agua.

WWF considera que los gobiernos de los países industrializados necesitarán aporta r 160.000 millones de dólares al año para adaptación y mitigación en los países en desarrollo, especialmente, en los más vulnerables al cambio climático.

Según la organización, mientras que los ejemplos individuales pueden marcar la diferencia, existe una necesidad urgente de una mayor integración de todas las políticas y, sobre todo, coherencia. Por ello, WWF solicita planes de acción de carbono cero para los países desarrollados.

Listado de las mejores medidas analizadas en el estudio de WWF:

Eficiencia energética en edificios (Alemania)
Sistema de primas a las renovables (Alemania)
Sistema de tránsito rápido de autobuses (México)
Programa de ayudas para el aislamiento de edificios (EE.UU.)
Incentivos fiscales para las energías renovables (EE.UU.)
Programa de reducción de emisiones por deforestación (Brasil)
Instalaciones solares obligatorias en nuevos edificios residenciales y comerciales (España)
Sistema de mejoras de estándares de eficiencia energética (Japón)
Obligación de consumo de combustibles GNL (India)
Compromiso de eficiencia energética (Reino Unido)
Sistema de Comercio de Emisiones de la UE
Programa de Objetivos de eficiencia energética para 1.000 empresas (China)

Water evaporates from the climate change negotiating text

2009-11-04

Barcelona, Spain – The Stockholm International Water Institute joined governments, NGOs and United Nations agencies this week in calling on negotiators working to develop a climate change deal in Copenhagen later this year to recognize the critical role of water in climate change adaptation.

Participants in a special Water Day event on Tuesday called for recognition that water is the primary way that climate change will impact people, society and ecosystems, due to predicted changes in its quality and quantity.

The way that water is managed in and between countries will be a critical component for the success of any efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, according to the Stockholm International Water Institute. It will also be a vital consideration for many mitigation activities, including hydropower, agriculture and forestry projects.

However, negotiators meeting this week in Barcelona for the last round of UN climate talks before a big conference in Copenhagen next month are working on negotiating texts that have no reference to water and its management as tools for climate change adaptation.

“It is imperative that negotiators recognize the crucial importance of wetlands and freshwater as key factors in any climate adaptation plan,” said Denis Landenbergue, WWF International’s Manager of Wetlands Conservation. “To ignore the role of water is to cripple any climate change adaptation plans.”

Landenbergue said he encouraged negotiators to follow in the steps of their colleagues from the Conference of the Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Last year, they adopted a resolution promoting the conservation and proper management of wetlands and their natural resources – including water – as key requisites in national climate change mitigation and adaptation plans.

Previous negotiating texts discussed in Bonn and Barcelona contained clear references to proper land and water resource adaptation as key to stemming the effects of climate change. However, a streamlined text being discussed this week lacks any direct reference to water, even in sections about climate change impacts.

"Let me be very clear. There is no development without water,” said Pasquale Steduto, Chair, UN-Water and Service Chief, Food and Agriculture Organization. “There is no food security without water. There is most likely also no energy security without water. Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earth's ecosystems and therefore people's livelihoods and well-being. If water is not further recognized in adaptation strategies and plans, we are making a big mistake."

"Even with the best mitigation strategies, water related effects of climate change will come,” said Anders Berntell, Executive Director, SIWI. “The challenge for many nations is how to adapt. Climate Change is in effect Water Change, since it will be through water that the changes will be realized first and foremost."

Many developing countries already are beginning to experience the devastating impacts of climate change on the water cycle.

If precautions are not taken, this may lead to an increase in conflicts related to water availability and distribution. Extreme weather events leading to drought and floods, as recently witnessed in Kenya and the Philippines, are predicted to increase in frequency and intensity as a result of climate change, and are likely to become the norm' in coming decades.

New recipe for a fast acting Europe to profit from going it alone on climate action

2009-11-03

Berlin, Germany – A major new European study of the costs of climate protection shows that avoiding dangerous consequences of climate change at manageable costs is only possible with early action – but Europe would profit from taking a leadership role even if other countries continued to hesitate.

RECIPE – a Report on Energy and Climate Policy in Europe, conducted by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and four other European research institutes and supported by global financial services provider Allianz and WWF, also found that distributing the costs of climate protection would not overburden any region of the world.

“Climate protection is economically manageable and feasible,” said Professor Ottmar Edenhofer, chief economist at PIK. “For Europe, getting an early start on comprehensive climate protection, even unilaterally, will pay for itself through significantly lower costs.”

Professor Edenhofer, also Chairman of the Response Strategies Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said globally a key mechanism for keeping overall costs of climate protection down would be financial transfers to emerging nations.

“The key to affordable climate protection is to create binding political conditions to take effect immediately for the coming decade,” Professor Edenhofer said..

Wasting the next decade would increase costs by nearly half

The scientists compared three energy economy models and used them as a basis for climate policy recommendations for Europe. RECIPE drew up pathways to reduced emissions for the major CO2-intensive sectors of energy, cement & steel, transportation and agriculture, finding that effective climate protection measures would cost just one year of delayed economic growth by 2050.

Delays in implementing such measures would decrease the likelihood of avoiding dangerous climate change further by having to accept overshooting emissions concentrations. It would increase the costs of mitigation, with wasting the next decade to take meaningful action on climate change resulting in an increase of mitigation costs of at least 46 % compared to early action.

These scenarios also did not take into account the massive costs of damage due to climate change caused by not implementing climate protection measures, making climate protection measures look even more manageable.

The study estimates that the window for ambitious climate action would close completely by 2020.

Convinced of the overwhelming importance of investing in the transformation to a low-carbon economy, Allianz and WWF formed a climate partnership on climate change in 2007 after two years of joint activity globally and at regional levels which included significant studies of climate risk and costs in the US. The company noted that the fact that in global industry some 40 percent of insured losses were now attributable to climate effects was a compelling reason for it to be involved in climate protection.

“There is no other market that needs and will experience such a sudden and sustainable growth in investments in the next ten years as the market for climate protection and the decarbonization of the economic processes,” said Joachim Faber, member of the Allianz SE Board of Management and CEO of Allianz Global Investors.

“But the willingness of our customers to invest depends upon reliable conditions. It is now up to governments to provide these conditions. This includes no t only reliable paths toward reduction targets but market-based economic elements such as the auctioning of all CO2 certificates, the establishment of global cap and trade systems, rapid implementation of the EU Directive to promote renewable energies that guarantees investors reliable feed-in tariffs, and stronger subsidies for research into low carbon technologies.”

Significantly, as countries shape up to the Copenhagen UN climate change conference in December unwilling to move themselves in the absence of commitments from others, the report finds that Europe has little to lose from bold and unilateral climate action.

Important not to give carbon intensive industries a break

One interpretation from the report is summed-up by Allianz and WWF: “The real world requires real first-movers and RECIPE demonstrates that Europe has every reason to move first,” they said. “By moving first in implementing ambitious carbon reduction targets, Europe’s economy benefits as it foregoes investment into carbon intensive infrastructure that otherwise would have to be dismantled well before the end of its economic life.”

Central to avoiding dangerous climate change was a global carbon price, best achieved by integrating regional carbon markets. However, it was important not to give carbon intensive industries a break from carbon pricing as this distorted crucial investment decisions by both industry and financial investors. Full auctioning of permits was the preferred option.

To link developing countries into such a global carbon market, clear incentives for decarbonization and financial transfers not immediately based on binding reduction targets for developing countries need to be developed. One possible framework were Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions which need to be supported by capacity building, technology transfer, financial investments, and reporting requirements that help encourage mitigation efforts.

Of the largest emitters, the USA would minimize its costs with an immediate introduction of carbon targets while China would face expensive costs in replacing costly infrastructure unless it significantly diverted from its current carbon intensive pattern of development.

The study also examined various options for distributing the greatly reduced global carbon budget required to keep the world below the threshold of unacceptable risks of catastrophic climate change.

“Based on the RECIPE results, Allianz and WWF conclude that a per capita allocation that gives developing and emerging economies some headroom for development with a subsequent participation in the reduction efforts represents one possible compromise accommodating most of the negotiation asks on the table prior to Copenhagen,” the report said.

Red List update shows up global failure to slow biodiversity loss

2009-11-03

Gland, Switzerland: The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species should cause alarm over the continuing unprecedented loss of species and the failure so far of mechanisms to arrest biodiversity loss, WWF said today.

The 2009 Red List update, issued today by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, shows more than one-third (36 percent) of the 47,677 species assessed are threatened with extinction. The assessment featured a special focus on freshwater species, which are being hit hard by pollution, loss of wetlands and water diversions.

The Red List ranks species according to their population status and threat levels. It shows the effects that habitat loss and degradation, over-exploitation, pollutants and climate change are having on the world’s species.

“As crucial climate talks in Copenhagen draw near and with the International Year of Biodiversity around the corner, this is a wake-up call for world leaders.” said Amanda Nickson, Director of the WWF International Species Programme. “We are a world away from meeting the globally endorsed 2002 commitment of the Convention on Biological Diversity to deliver a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.”

“This failure and the mechanisms to overcome it will need to be the dominant agenda item on next year’s meeting of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.”

Growing threat of climate change

Through its global initiatives, WWF is pursuing major efforts to arrest biodiversity decline in some of the most spectacular and highly diverse places on the planet, and to recover populations of some of the most endangered species, such as tigers.

It is estimated that less than 3200 tigers exist in the wild in a wide arc of countries from far eastern Russia to India and Indonesia. Tigers - a top predator residing at the top of its food chain - occupy less than seven percent of their original range, which has contracted 40 percent from 10 years ago.

As tigers require a large home range, protection of the species and its habitat bring huge benefits to thousands of other species. An international summit scheduled for 2010 in Vladivostok in Russia is a critical opportunity to reverse the decline in tiger numbers and ensure their survival in the wild.

“Tigers are a symbol of what is happening to many species across the globe, and demonstrate the urgent need for the world to come up with the political will, policies, resources and incentives to maintain a living and diverse planet.” said Ms Nickson. “The IUCN is frank that its assessments are likely to understate the real extent of the loss of species.”

Significant international meetings next year to address biodiversity loss and the threats to planetary life support systems include a major Conferences of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Ms Nickson noted that the CBD’s 2010 target had probably underestimated the growing impact of climate change, which is now being increasingly recognised as an additional threat leading species of animals and plants towards extinction. Polar bears earned US endangered status last year on the basis of climate change and the Red List notes more.

The Queen of the Andes, largest of one the world’s cactus families which dies on flowering and setting seed after an average 80 year growing span, may be having its ability to flower impaired by climate change.

Alarm on freshwater species

The assessment of freshwater species continued to alarm, with more than one third of assessed freshwater fishes under threat of extinction and approaching half of all molluscs. In Lake Dianchi in China, the assessment found all seven freshwater snails and 12 of the 13 freshwater fish species new to the Red List were threatened by overharvesting, pollution and introduced fish species.

The planet’s amphibians are the most threatened of all species with 1895 of 6285 species assessed in the Red List threatened with extinction.

However, in a rare ray of hope in the new assessment, one freshwater fish, the Australian Grayling has been moved from being listed as Vulnerable to being listed as Near Threatened as a result of conservation efforts which included putting fish ladders on dams, improving streamside vegetation and policing anglers.

Too many A-Grades lead to failure on European appliances

2009-11-03

Brussels, Belgium: Negotiations between Europe’s Presidency, Parliament and the European Commission have failed to reach agreement on new energy labeling requirements for electrical appliances.

The debate on the energy label has been very heated so far, with the European Parliament strongly voting in favour of a simple closed scale from A to G to grade the energy efficiency of the products, which was the option supported by WWF. The Commission favoured a complex, open scale and introduced percentages to the A grades, i.e. A-20%, A-40%. This proposal was rejected by the European Parliament, as well as consumer and environmental organizations for its confusing layout.

These opposite positions mirror the clashing interests of the industry on one hand, and consumer and environmental groups on the other hand.

The Swedish Presidency, leading what was supposed to be the last Trialogue on the new Energy Labelling Directive for appliances to have the new statndards ready for adoption in early December, published a compromise text suggesting the introduction of additional A grades (A to A++++).

WWF felt the proposal took into account most of the industry-driven demands, would confuse consumers and would make an A-grade accessible to products with low energy efficiency.

“Not everybody deserves an A-Grade. That’s why WWF is very pleased with the European Parliament’s determination to find a solution which serves the best interests of consumers and the environment,” said Mariangiola Fabbri, Energy Policy Officer at WWF's European Policy Office.

A new Trialogue on Energy Labelling is yet to be scheduled.

Also upcoming is the last Trialogue to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on 17 November. Currently, Europe’s buildings account for 40% of EU final energy use - which they waste in large proportion.

This energy warms the climate instead of homes, wastes money in the family budget, and increases the EU’s dependence on foreign energy supply for absolutely no benefit to Europe or its citizens.

Improving energy efficiency is a relatively cost effective way of reducing energy related emissions that are a major contributor to climate change, and can also help reduce the need for expensive and often environmentally damaging new power infrastructure.

Barcelona must pave the way for global deal

2009-11-02

Barcelona, Spain – The UN climate talks in Barcelona, the last ahead of the big conference in Copenhagen, will be a litmus test of whether government leaders have given their delegates a mandate to move towards a legally binding deal that has the potential to save the world from climate change.

Signals from some politicians suggesting the climate deal would not be sealed in Copenhagen but in an unforeseeable future are irresponsible and could trigger a domino effect where one country after another will try to give up and lower the level of ambition.

Countries who will not take action will be responsible for climate chaos, the weakening of the authority of public institutions and finally loss of trust of their populations around the world who believe that these negotiations must have an ambitious and binding outcome.

“Delegates who gathered here must show the rest of the world, their leaders and voters back in their countries that a deal can be made and that an understanding between rich and poor nations is possible,” said Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative. “We ask them to show unity on key issues including finance, legally binding character of the treaty and ambitious emissions reductions.”

“We call on the delegates to kill the rumors about delaying the deal. They must show that they can do it and show willingness to agree the legally binding climate deal.”

According to WWF the argument that a Copenhagen treaty would not be legally binding is unacceptable.

“After all these months spent in talks and negotiations we cannot come out now and say that all this was just informal chat, can we?” Carstensen said. “A lot of political momentum has been built up around Copenhagen, and the world expects leaders to show courage and cut the deal in Copenhagen. Any talk about delaying the deal is extremely dangerous because it takes pressure off the negotiations.

European Council on climate change: Vague messages, no concrete measures

2009-10-30

The European Council opted for vague messages on most of the essential issues blocking international climate change negotiations today, further diminishing hopes on strong European leadership in the global fight against climate change.

“It is especially frustrating that no clear European financial offer to developing countries has been agreed, and that the increase in CO2 emission reduction targets is made conditional upon comparable efforts by other developed countries“, says Jason Anderson, Head of EU Climate and Energy Policy at WWF.

"Europe is being particularly relaxed on mid-term emissions reductions - in order to reach its current 20% reduction pledge, it would actually have to slow the current pace of emissions reductions. What kind of signal about being ambitious on climate is Europe sending to the rest of the world ahead of Copenhagen?"

“We do welcome the new goal of CO2 emission reductions in Europe of 80-95% by 2050: the upper end is in line with what’s needed. To meet that goal, however, we have to pick up the pace.“

The EU’s emphasis on the need for a legally binding agreement is a step in the right direction as is introducing language around innovative financing. This can give impetus to the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Negotiation in Barcelona from 2-6 November as well as the EU-US summit on 3 November which also has climate change as one of the main items on its agenda.

Tiger experts call for urgent action to save species

2009-10-30

KATHMANDU, Nepal – More than 250 experts, scientists and government delegates from 13 tiger range countries this week called for immediate action to save tigers before the species disappears from the wild, citing the urgent need for increased protection against tiger poaching and trafficking in tiger parts.

WWF welcomes the recommendations from the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop 2009, where organizers on Thursday stated in closing remarks that “without immediate, urgent, and transformative actions, wild tigers will disappear forever.”

The recommendations from the workshop include support for implementing a resolution related to tigers in the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES), and to avoid financing development projects that adversely affect critical tiger habitats.

“These are a good start but the momentum from Kathmandu needs to be carried forward all the way to the Tiger Summit during the Year of the Tiger 2010 and beyond,” said Mike Baltzer, head of WWF’s Tiger Initiative. “The tiger range countries are clearly committed to saving their wild tigers and the world needs to extend unstinting support to this mission because once tigers are gone, they’re gone forever.”

There are only about 3,200 tigers left in the wild and WWF’s goal is to double that number by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger. Tiger populations are declining in face of massive poaching for illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and fragmentation, and conflict with humans.

“I am convinced we are on the right road to saving tigers,” said Dr. Eric Dinerstein, WWF’s Chief Scientist, in his closing remarks to delegates from 20 countries at the conclusion of the meeting. “We will look back on this meeting as the dramatic turning point for conserving this magnificent species, its habitats, Asian biodiversity, and the billions of people who depend upon healthy natural landscapes for which tigers are the talisman.”

The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop is the first in a series of political negotiation meetings occurring throughout the year and leading up to a final Heads of State Tiger Summit in September 2010, which is the Year of the Tiger.

The workshop was hosted by Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, and co-organized and co-sponsored by the CITES Secretariat, Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative, Save The Tiger Fund, and the World Bank.

Can we make a climate deal is not the right question. We must make it.

2009-10-29

Gland, Switzerland – Every day of delay in taking action against rapidly progressing climate change would have severe consequences for us and future generations.

Delegates gathering for yet another round of climate talks in Barcelona next week should show their leaders back home that progress can be made and a safe and ambitious climate deal not only can but must be sealed.

Signals from some politicians suggesting the climate deal would not be sealed in Copenhagen but in an unforeseeable future are irresponsible and could trigger a domino effect where one country after another will try to give up and lower the level of ambition.

Leaders who will not take action will be responsible for climate chaos, the weakening of the authority of public institutions and finally loss of trust of their voters around the world who believe that these negotiations must have an ambitious and binding outcome.

“Asking whether we should strike an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen now or later is comparable to debating whether to move out of the way of a fast and heavy lorry that is driving straight towards us immediately or wait and see what happens,” said Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative.

“If we don’t agree on an ambitious and binding treaty we will be remembered as the generation which spent billions on credit cards, spread environmental vandalism and did nothing to confront the most intractable problem of our times.”

“I am sure none of the leaders would want to be remembered this way.”

When delegates gather in Barcelona next week it will be a litmus test of whether their political leaders have given them a mandate to move towards a political deal in Copenhagen that has the potential to save the world from climate change.

A fast moving, open and ambitious progress on the political essentials of the deal at this meeting would send a strong signal back to the world that yes, a climate deal can be done.

“We call on the delegates to kill the rumors about delaying the deal. They must show that they can do it and show willingness to agree the political essentials.”

WWF also calls on leaders to get together ahead of Copenhagen and give new, honest and powerful political impetus to bring the talks forward. In the United States the domestic legislation process must be moved forward and the US and other major players need to live up to their roles and inspire the rest of the world with ambitious greenhouse gas cuts and generous financial commitments.

The debate whether the agreement should be legally binding is not helpful. We need a strong climate agreement, and Copenhagen has to set the direction by agreeing the necessary political substance.

“After all these months spent in talks and negotiations we cannot come out now and say that all this was just informal chat, can we?” Carstensen said.

“A lot of political momentum has been built up around Copenhagen, and the world expects leaders to show courage and cut the deal in Copenhagen. Any talk about delaying the deal is extremely dangerous because it takes pressure off the negotiations.

Stopping climate change can no longer be dependent on which political party you belong to, how many lobbyists you have waiting in front of your door and how many banks you need to bail out. We need a worldwide political climate coalition to prevent the worst.”

Shipwreck an ecological disaster for southern Madagascar

2009-10-28

Faux Cap, Madagascar – Toxic waste from a ship which went down off the coast in southern Madagascar in August has had severe impacts on the health of local people and on the rich coastal and marine environment, according to a study supported by WWF.

The Turkish vessel Gulser Ana grounded near Faux Cap in the very south of Madagascar The ship carried 39000 tons of raw Phosphates, 568 tons of fuel, 66 tons of diesel and 8000 litres of lubricant, most of which was slowly released into the Indian Ocean. The accident occurred in a whale reproduction and migratory corridor zone during the migratory season.

The report, co-funded by WWF was prepared by an interdisciplinary team of eight scientists which went to Faux Cap shortly after the accident.

While one to three whales normally beach in the area each year, nine whales beached in September alone, and some beach stretches seem to be real death zones, the report found. Villagers suffer from diseases such as respiratory problems, skin diseases and diarrhoea.

“WWF is very concerned about the possible negative impacts on biodiversity especially marine and coastal species, the threats to the ecosystems and the loss of people’s livelihood options. That’s why we decided to fund this mission,” said Harifidy Olivier Ralison, WWF Western Indian Ocean Marine Programme Coordinator.

Oil clumps cover the beach 30 km to the east and even further to the west of the shipwreck. People who were hired to clean up the area are not equipped properly and lack clothes protecting them. The collected oil clumps land in plastic bags on the beach where they are likely to burst and cause further damage, the report founds.

Almost half the 40'000 people in the area have been affected by consequences of the shipwreck, the study found with a key impact being the banning of fishing for three months.
Some 25 to 40 percent of the inhabitants depend on fishery as their source of income.

The impacts on marine species are also tragic.

"Like human beings, whales suffer from respiratory problems due to diesel odour. They come to the surface from time to time to breathe, so if they happen to surface through an oil film, this might result in the animal’s death,” Yvette Razafindrakoto, WCS (World Conservation Society) marine mammal specialist said.

Although raw phosphate is not poisonous, a huge amount of it being suddenly released into the ocean can be problematic. The expert team found signs of eutrophication in front of the shipwreck. « Phosphate acts like fertilizer, which leads to an extensive algal bloom. This depletes the oxygen in the surrounding marine environment and could cause the disappearance of species such as fish and molluscs» said Ralison.

Some common species of sand crabs were also only found sporadically and other species, such as various gastropods contained a very high amount of heavy metal, which is connected to higher mortality.

There are signs that the food chain in the area around Faux Cap is severely harmed. What this means for the coastal ecosystem and the villagers on the contaminated beaches can only be definitively estimated after the passage of some years, the report said.

For more information please contact:

Martina Lippuner, +261 20 22 348 85, mlippuner@wwf.mg

Atlantic bluefin tuna trade ban supported by fishery’s scientists

2009-10-28

Madrid, Spain - Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a ban on international trade, according to global scientists of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). This official assessment of bluefin’s extreme stock decline has been welcomed by major environment groups WWF and Greenpeace.

The scientists met in Madrid, Spain (21-23 October) to assess current stock status of Atlantic bluefin tuna against the specific criteria necessary to list a species under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

ICCAT’s scientists estimate that the current spawning biomass is less than 15 per cent of what it once was before fishing began – meaning Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a CITES Appendix I listing.

Further, the scientists’ analyses confirmed that a suspension of commercial fishing is the only measure with a substantial chance of ensuring that the stock no longer meets the criteria for CITES Appendix I by 2019.

“What’s needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade – this is the only possible package that can give this fish a chance to recover,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. “We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place.”

On 14 October the Principality of Monaco submitted a CITES Appendix I listing proposal to temporarily ban international commercial trade and allow the species to recover from years of ineffective fisheries management and control.

“The ICCAT scientists have made formal what we have been saying all along – that Atlantic bluefin tuna is balancing precariously on the edge of collapse, and only drastic measures can now ensure this endangered species gets a fighting chance of recovery,” added Sebastian Losada, Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace International. “The extent of the failure by ICCAT members to act responsibly and preserve our marine environment can no longer be ignored. Atlantic bluefin tuna has been subject to decades of massive overfishing and overexploitation and time is running out to save this species”

“Independent of what ICCAT decides to do in November, the science is undeniable that Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a suspension of trade through a CITES Appendix I listing – and if ICCAT stops the fishing too, so much the better for this species,” added Sergi Tudela of WWF.

WWF and Greenpeace urge ICCAT to impose a zero quota at the organization’s next annual meeting on 6-16 November in Recife, Brazil. Interest will focus on what ICCAT does with the advice of its own scientists; in the past, the advice of ICCAT’s scientists has been largely disregarded.

The verdict from ICCAT’s scientific committee will be submitted to the 48 Contracting Parties when they meet in Recife. The next Conference of the Parties of CITES, meanwhile, is in Doha, Qatar, in March 2010, when WWF and Greenpeace are calling on the 175 CITES member countries to vote in favour of an Atlantic bluefin tuna Appendix I listing.

Bulgarian natural icon turns 75 under threat of dubious construction activities

2009-10-28

Sofia, Bulgaria – A massive expansion of skiing infrastructure is threatening the essence of Vitosha Natural Park, one of Bulgaria’s most famous and popular protected areas, on the eve of it’s 75th anniversary.

Right at the edge of national capital Sofia, Vitosha mountain is a much loved destination for those wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy city. Trekking routes and skiing facilities attract between 2,5 and 4 million people each year.

However, three years after acquiring a monopoly on skiing facilities in the area in an already dubious manner, Vitosha Ski, is planning to boost the current 19 ha ski area more than seven fold to 142,5 ha, adding eight new ski pistes and 18 ski lifts.

If the construction goes ahead, it would destroy the habitats of the species including bears, wolves, wild cats and chamois for which Vitosha was designated a European Natura 2000 site.

The new ski zone would rise on territory owned by the state, for which the Forestry Agency is responsible and although the Forestry Agency has not yet approved the plans the threat must be taken seriously.

“From the very beginning the ski zone expansion has been planned and pushed through in a way that is quite obviously in breach of a number of Bulgarian laws, not only environmental” , Vesselina Kavrakova, Program Manager of the WWF Danube - Carpathian Program in Bulgaria, said.

Worryingly, this is yet another case in Bulgaria of illegal or semi-legal construction of ski and tourism infrastructure. Among others, many of the skiing facilities of the well known resort of Bansko in south-west Bulgaria were unlawfully built in the heart of Pirin National Park.

The European Commission has initiated penalty procedures against Bulgaria because of violations of environmental law in the case of Bansko.

Earlier this month environment minister Nona Karadjova abolished a non-transparent decision by the Regional inspectorate of environment and water that would have given a go-ahead to construction work.

“We welcome the Minister’s decision”, Toma Belev, Director of Vitosha Nature Park administration, said. “The interest in protected areas in Bulgaria and Romania by private investors is huge as these areas are part of the nations’ natural treasure, emblematic for these countries and therefore easier to ‘exploit’.”

In an opinion poll conducted by Alpha Research in 2008, 73.6% of respondents said that destruction of nature is the greatest environmental problem in Bulgaria; 58.3% said that illegal construction was the greatest problem.

In 2007, over 145,000 people signed a petition calling on the Bulgarian authorities to take action.

Europe's choice: fall behind or forge ahead on climate

2009-10-28

Brussels, Belgium - Europe can choose a path to prosperity on a new economic footing or continue to fumble along the dead end track of propping up fading industries, WWF said today in advance of tomorrow’s key European Council meeting which is expected to largely shape the EU position heading into the UN climate summit in Copenhagen in December.

“The choices on climate change in front of Europe’s leaders on Thursday and Friday are not complicated,” said Jason Anderson, Head of EU Climate and Energy Policy, WWF European Policy Office.

“In a world where other countries are counting the economic costs of climate catastrophe and assessing the economic benefits of new clean energy sources, Europe can either fall behind or forge ahead on the basis of this week’s decisions.

“Europe can support and play a fair role in financing a legally binding climate deal in Copenhagen or it can be a spectator to others taking the opportunities.”

It has been estimated that the global market for environmental goods and services will more than double to around EUR 1.4 trillion by 2020. In the EU, jobs in the environmental sector have already overtaken sectors such as car manufacturing, but this growth is influenced by regulatory certainty globally, regionally and nationally.

“Europe’s dilemma is clearly illustrated by the wildly differing outcomes of the ministerials running up to the Heads of State gathering,” Anderson said. “Economics ministers couldn’t agree on the vital question of helping the developing world adapt to climate change and create its own low carbon economy.

“Environment ministers were the ones out laying the basis of a new economy and a future less fraught with costly climate chaos. It was the environment ministers who pointed out that the European way of handing out carbon pollution permits to big polluters is continuing to stifle the fledgling carbon markets. And it is the environment ministers who are starting to edge towards the binding emissions reductions targets that are going to be necessary.

“WWF – and the world – would prefer that Europe’s leaders go with the clarity of the environmental advice rather than the confusion of the economic advice,” Anderson said.

“Otherwise the bloc that once considered itself the leader on climate and the environment will just slip further and further behind. If they mirror their economics ministers in not being able to make a decision, Europe will end up not even following in any satisfactory way.”

Once upon a time in a far away land there was a forest…

2009-10-28

Frankfurt, Germany – Significant amounts of destruction of tropical forests could be involved in producing books for German children, an investigation by WWF-Germany has shown.

With fewer childrens’ books being produced in Germany and even fewer being produced from German paper pulp, WWF Germany subjected 51 German children’s books produced in south east Asia to analysis for the presence of tropical timbers not associated with plantations.

More than a third of the books tested positive for significant traces of tropical wood, including one which ironically commenced with the words “We are writing this in the year 2805. The human race has left the planet earth… nothing grows here anymore…”.

The results are likely to understate the problem, as much plantation pulp comes from cleared areas of tropical forest with well documented impacts on species which can include endangered tigers, elephants and rhinoceros, human rights violations and massive contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.

“We chose children’s books as a striking amount of the production has been relocated to Asia, with nearly two thirds of German children’s books imports now coming from China alone. The relocation of the book production from Germany to Asia has grown nearly tenfold during the last ten years” said Johannes Zahnen, Forest expert WWF Germany.

“There is also the irony that it is children who have the most stake in the future and who will be most impacted by unsustainable book production.”

Risks that wood used is from illegal logging is high as the Chinese paper industry has close and increasing ties with companies active in areas of Indonesia, where forest clearing is destroying large areas of peat forest shielding vast sources of carbon.

Forest draining and destruction in the Sumatran province of Riau alone results in greater emissions than the industrialised nation of the Netherlands, with 40 per cent of the destruction being tied to the company Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) and its suppliers.

APP, in turn, is increasing its inroads into the Chinese pulp and paper industry, through associated companies such as Gold East Paper which provides paper for books printing and Yalong Paper Products, which includes direct production of picture and drawing books for children among its activities.

WWF Germany is calling on German publishing houses to use paper certified as coming from sustainable sources, used recycled paper and give priority to paper bleached without the use of chlorine products.

“We supply scorecard to find the most environmentally friendly alternative for a given product.”

Monte Rosa - melting glaciers and changing borders in the Alps

2009-10-28

Monte Rosa, Italy / Switzerland - High alpine areas are feeling the impacts of climate change harder and faster than many other areas.

The Monte Rosa massif, one of the highest montains in Europe which sits between Italy and Switzerland, is seeing it borders beeing thrown into confusion.

There are nine glaciers in the massif, including the Gorner glacier, second largest in the Alps but also the glacier that is shrinking the fastest losing 290 metres during 2007 to 2008.

Glaciers might seem remote, but hundreds of millions of people worldwide depend on them for water supplies.