WWF - Climate and Business News

WWF's Earth Hour City Challenge takes flight as cities aim to create climate friendly lifestyles for urban dwellers

2013-04-30

Gland: As the UNFCCC working group tasked to discuss the scope, structure and design of the new 2015 global climate agreement convenes in Bonn this week, WWF urges delegates to recognize and gain inspiration from the key role cities are playing in the transformation toward a sustainable, 100% renewable energy future.

WWF invites cities in 15 countries to participate in the internationally acclaimed Earth Hour City Challenge 2014.

"The UN climate change negotiation process is currently seeking inputs and support from all sectors of society and from all levels of government in order to fertilize the ground for an effective 2015 global agreement and to significantly step up climate change action before the entry into force of that agreement, says Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary.

We can all be inspired by what many cities are doing to curb emissions and adapt to climate change. It is essential that these shining examples be better known so that people working in the international, national and business arenas recognize the possibilities and are stimulated to do more – and faster – to respond to the climate challenge."

Although urban dwellers currently account for over 70% of global CO2 emissions, cities also have the potential to create conditions for climate smart and sustainable lifestyles, allowing the world's population to live well within the boundaries of our one and only planet.

WWF's Earth Hour City Challenge was designed to highlight and reward cities that are prepared to make substantial long-term efforts to combat global warming. WWFs goal is to mobilize action and support from cities in the global transition towards 100% renewable energy.

"The world needs immediate and ambitious climate action on all possible levels if we are to avoid the risks inherent in increasing global temperatures," says Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International. "A global, binding climate agreement is essential, but cities also can and are playing a crucial role in getting on with the task of reducing emissions."

In 2013, 66 cities from Canada, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden and the USA participated in the first international Earth Hour City Challenge by reporting their commitments, performance, completed or ongoing actions, as well as climate action plans. In March, six cities (Vancouver, New Delhi, Forli, Oslo, Uppsala, San Francisco) were selected by an expert jury* as Earth Hour Capitals in their respective countries.

The City of Vancouver was later awarded the title Global Earth Hour Capital 2013 for its outstanding holistic and strategic approach - specifically its impressive transportation strategy, solid actions on the impact of food and progressive neighborhood energy plan, to climate action during an award ceremony in Malmö, Sweden in March.

Cities in 15 countries, including six from the previous round as well as Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea and Indonesia will participate in the upcoming round of the Earth Hour City Challenge, which will be run by WWF in collaboration with ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability and the Swedish Postcode Lottery.

"Earth Hour City Challenge has clearly demonstrated that global level of ambition can be easily raised with ambitious local leaders and actions. Now it is the responsibility of national governments to tap this potential into the new global climate regime," said Gino Van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, the focal point of local governments at the UNFCCC.

Cities will be asked to register their data on carbonn Cities Climate Registry (cCCR), an internationally recognized carbon reporting platform managed by ICLEI which will be open for reporting from May – October 2013. Strategies will then be evaluated by an international jury, and in March 2014, the city with the highest overall score will be awarded the title Global Earth Hour Capital.

*Earth Hour City Challenge Jury 2013
•Gino van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI
•Martha Delgado, General Director of the Secretariat of the Global Cities Covenant on Climate
•Amanda Eichel, Director of Initiatives and City Support, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group
•Christiana Figueres, UNFCCC Executive Secretary
•Simon Giles, Senior Principal Intelligent Cities, Accenture Global, Accenture
•Dan Hoornweg, Professor and Jeff Boyce Research Chair, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
•Pietro Laureano, architect and urban planner, UNESCO consultant
•Conor Riffle, Head of CDP Cities

The inspiration of one hour goes beyond the hour

2013-03-24

Singapore - WWF's Earth Hour has just concluded another record sweep around our planet from Samoa on one side of the International Date Line to the Cook Islands on the other, with hundreds of millions again uniting to send a clear message - we are determined to create a sustainable future for our planet.

The event was observed in more than 7000 cities, towns and municipalities in more than 150 countries and territories, with many of the world's best known human and natural landmarks going dark as the backdrop to a multitude of "beyond the hour" activities and initiatives generating outcomes for the movement and the planet on which we live.

"What is most important is the ever increasing extent to which Earth Hour's supporters are participating in or taking actions themselves," said Earth Hour CEO and Co-Founder, Andy Ridley.

"Now in its 7th year, Earth Hour is maturing from its origins as a consciousness raising event in one city, to a global movement that is not just calling for change but is engaging in it."

Russian supporters, who last year helped secure legislation against oil pollution in the seas using the I Will If You Will campaign, now have more than 100,000 signatures on a new petition calling for forest protection; while WWF and Earth Hour partners in Madagascar handed out 1000 wood saving stoves to victims of February's cyclone Haruna, passing significant savings on to families while reducing charcoal producing and wood gathering impacts on forests.

From villages in India without electricity being lit up with solar energy for the first time, to Libya where participants took part in an 80-kilometre walk from Gharyan to the capital Tripoli to celebrate Earth Hour 2013 at 8:30PM - people from all walks of life, all backgrounds went to amazing lengths to share what the planet means to them and what they are willing to do to protect it.

"In Earth Hour, people around the world, from all walks of life, have come together to express their concern about the planet's wellbeing and to take action," said Jim Leape, Director General of WWF International. "I am inspired to see their commitment. Earth Hour has created a global community, and together we really can make a difference."

Countries across the world have used Earth Hour as a tool to engage children in environmental issues, with Earth Hour organisers the Society of Wilderness (SOW) continuing to run their year-long education program on climate change in schools throughout Taiwan, engaging over 70,000 students and volunteers. Green Schools in Indonesia are also actively engaged in Earth Hour's beyond the hour campaigns, and Earth Hour was also used to promote the Low Carbon School Network, which incorporates energy-‐saving lessons in the curricula of Bangkok Metropolitan Authority-affiliated schools, in Thailand.

With a call to action to become the generation to change our planet for good, this year's event was marked by public concerts aimed at youth as a platform to share their passion for the environment.

A rap concert in Benghazi in Libya, a rock concert in Nepal's second largest city Pokhara, a band concert in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur, performances in Hanoi, Vietnam and a free reggae show in Kingston, Jamaica were among the key events that took place around the world.

In Singapore, where WWF-Singapore's "One Degree Up" initiative for l I Will If You Will has given people a tangible and simple way to help reduce the country's energy consumption, a dancefloor completely powered by kinetic energy generated enough power for an outdoor cinema against the celebrated backdrop of Marina Bay.

From Space to Sudan, participants at switch off events were connected along with unknown millions through the power of modern technologies and platforms to unite us in a common purpose.

Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield tweeted images from space in celebration of Earth Hour with his unique perspective of seeing cities and natural wonders from above.

Christchurch, NZ, taken just after Earth Hour ended. The perfect grid system of the downtown core is clearly visible. twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield/...
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 23, 2013

Russian Cosmonaut Roman Romanenko also sent a video message from space, before one of the most historic moments in the movement's history saw The Kremlin, the official residence of the President, and Red Square plunged into darkness for the first time in celebration of last year's environmental outcome that saw the passing of legislation to protect Russia's seas from oil pollution.

"The first time I stepped on the board of the International Space Station and saw the Earth from outside, I was amazed by how beautiful and fragile it was. Our planet is the most precious treasure that we have. It is our home and we fully depend on it. And its existence depends on us as well. It depends on our attitude to it and on how we use its resources," said Romanenko from the International Space Station.

Six of China's biggest social media sites with a daily reach of 200 million people also went dark to raise awareness for Earth Hour, and the official Instagram account posted a single image from Sydney's switch off at the Opera House from their Headquarters in San Francisco that generated more than 180,000 Likes. More than 36,000 Earth Hour images were uploaded to the image sharing platform at the time of this writing.

Anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela was one of the first to tweet his support, and ushered a timely message given the many reforestation projects around the world tied to Earth Hour's I Will If You Will campaign.

"The trees & forests were destroyed exactly because our people were so dependent upon them as sources ofenergy." #NelsonMandela #EarthHour
— NelsonMandela (@NelsonMandela) March 23, 2013

Countries and territories participating in Earth Hour for the first time included Palestine, Suriname, Rwanda and Tunisia; where WWF, the Tunisian National Agency for Energy Management and Tunisian Scouts focused celebrations in Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the birthplace of the Arab Spring. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki inaugurated the event.

Celebrities endorsing action for and during Earth Hour included Lionel Messi, Yoko Ono, Amitabh Bachchan, Alejandro Sanz, Imogen Heap and more.

turning all lights out. Will be piano improvising in candlelight now for #Earthhour ustream.tv/channel/earth-... Join me? Xx @ustream
— Imogen Heap (@imogenheap) March 23, 2013

As the hour of inspiration reached Latin America, official Earth Hour organisers and WWF-affiliate Fundación Vida Silvestre in Argentina celebrated their campaign to raise support for the passing of a Senate bill to make the 3.4 million-hectare 'Banco Burwood' the biggest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the country.

Incorporating this distinctive marine plateau important to fisheries and birds such as albatross, petrels and penguins will more than triple the proportion of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone under protection.

For the first time WWF's Earth Hour City Challenge went global and produced 17 finalist cities from six countries. Announced as the first ever Global Earth Hour Capital, Vancouver was recognised unanimously by a jury of experts for its innovative actions on climate change and dedication to create a sustainable, pleasant urban environment for current and future residents. By 2020, Vancouver is aiming for all new buildings to be carbon neutral in their operations; citizens to make over 50% of trips by foot, bicycle or public transport; and the number of green jobs to have doubled.

Earth Hour participating landmarks included the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, The Petronas Towers, Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Gateway of India, The Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, The Burj Khalifa, The Church of the Nativity (Birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem), Table Mountain, Dubrovnik City Walls, Eiffel Tower, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, The Acropolis, Tower of Pisa, The Spanish Steps, Brandenburg Gate, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The UK Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Christ the Redeemer Statue, CN Tower, Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, The Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.

Earth Hour 2014 will take place on Saturday 29 March.

To relive the action of Earth Hour 2013 please visit http://earthhour.org/live

Cyclone victims in Madagascar get help with Earth Hour wood stoves

2013-03-23

Toliara – Earth Hour commemorations in Madagascar had as their highlight the distribution of one thousand wood-saving stoves to victims of the recent cyclone Haruna in the southern town of Toliara, extensively damaged in the February 22nd storm.

The initiative by WWF and the Association for the Development of Solar Energy (ADES) allows each family that receives a stove to cut their charcoal consumption in half while also protecting forest, reducing emissions and save themselves money.

"The daily use of these 1000 stoves will protect 175ha of forest and save 6,650 tons of wood per year. 4000 tons of Co2 emissions can be avoided and each beneficiary family will be able to spare some 1750m2 of forest every year," said José Randrianirina Patrick, Director of ADES' Centre in Toliara.

"Each family can save at least $3 a month by using our stoves, $36,000 per year for all beneficiaries. This is a lot in a country where 80% live on less than $1 a day," Patrick added.

Switching off the lights makes little sense for a population where the majority has no electricity at home, so the spirit of Earth Hour, in a country like Madagascar, must be in line with people's lives.

"The conservation of the environment and economic interests are not contradictory. WWF Madagascar's experience demonstrates that environmental protection always accompanies the development on a national or regional level as well as families and communities"says Richard Hughes, Regional Representative at WWF in Madagascar.

"In these difficult times when families rebuild their lives after cyclone "Haruna", we hope that the contribution of these wood-saving stoves by WWF and ADES will assist them in rebuilding their lives."

Deforestation is the main environmental threat and the demand for fuel wood and charcoal is leading to a rampant degradation of Madagascar's unique natural forests. 80% of the population cook with charcoal or fire wood and 92% of the energy used in Madagascar every day is for cooking purpose.

8000 ha of forests for charcoal each year

Toliara is no exception: its annual charcoal consumption was estimated in 2012 to be 30 000 tonnes, which means 8000ha of forests, are being decimated every year.

"If efficient, wood-saving stoves are used by all 35,000 households in Toliara, we believe that coal consumption will decrease by 50% and the area of forest lost to the exploitation of charcoal too. During Earth Hour we hope to inspire people to adopt these stoves," said Rina Andrianarivony, Fuel Wood Programme Officer at WWF.

10,000 trees to green schools in Antananarivo

In another Earth Hour event, WWF is collaborating with the school district of Antananarivo, to plant 10,000 trees around the capital.

"Through this action, we promote the idea that Earth Hour must go beyond the hour," said Rachel Senn Harifetra, Head of WWF Madagascar's Education Programme.. "Reforestation and maintenance of seedlings are among the actions that Malagasy youth should adopt at an early age."

Since Earth Hour 2012, WWF has been assisting in training the school supervisors in planting techniques and the maintenance of plants.

Earth Hour kicks off as groundswell of inspirational action for the environment builds up around the world

2013-03-23

Singapore - Earth Hour, the lights-off initiative of the WWF that has become the iconic symbol of people's concern and commitment to save the planet, kicked off in Samoa a few hours ago and is on its way across the globe as over 7,000 cities, towns and municipalities across more than 150 countries and territories go dark for an hour of expressed and inspired solidarity.

Even before it started, inspirational stories have started coming in from all over the world. In Libya where Earth Hour is only on its second year, participants have begun the 80-kilometre walk from Gharyan in Northwest Libya to the capital Tripoli to celebrate Earth Hour 2013 at 8:30PM.

Canadian Astronaut Commander Chris Hadfield tweeted from space that he would observe Earth Hour around the world today.

Good Morning, Earth! I'll try and photograph people's efforts during Eartrh Hour today. It's our planet, let's each help a bit.
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) March 23, 2013

Former South African President, anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela tweeted and hashtagged his support of Earth Hour:

"The trees & forests were destroyed exactly because our people were so dependent upon them as sources ofenergy." #NelsonMandela #EarthHour
— NelsonMandela (@NelsonMandela) March 23, 2013

Footballer Lionel Messi, who has 43 million fans on Facebook asked them to accept the challenge and join Earth Hour. Gisele Bunchen, Yoko Ono, Miranda Kerr, Alejandro Sanz, Doutzen Kroes, McFly are just some of the other celebrities asking fans to turn off their lights on March 23, 8:30PM.

Leo Messi1 day ago

Acepta el desafío. Súmate a La Hora del Planeta mañana 23 Marzo a las 20:30 estés donde estés - www.facebook.com/earthhour

Accept the challenge. Join Earth Hour tomorrow March 23rd 08:30pm wherever you are - www.facebook.com/earthhour

Earth Hour

Other celebrities to show their support for Earth Hour included X-Factor and singer Judge Dannii Minogue, True Blood star Kristin Bauer, Hollywood actor Peter Henry Fonda and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan.

#EarthHour coming right up. #dancinginthedark!!!
— Dannii Minogue (@DanniiMinogue) March 23, 2013

Join me and go lights out at 8:30 tonight for #EarthHour. wwf.to/163htcZ via @world_wildlife LET'S DO THIS.ITS GOOD 4Everybody 2 DO
— Peter Henry Fonda (@iamfonda) March 23, 2013

Join me today 8.30 pm @earthhourJoin me today 8.30 pm @earthhour youtu.be/0j1RGajlaTQ #EarthHour - show... fb.me/2crDGRwuj
— Kristin Bauer (@BauervanStraten) March 23, 2013

T 1056 - EARTH HOUR observed from 8:30-9:30 pm in our homes !! Scared Aaradhya a bit, but when told of its importance she understood ! Ha !
— Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 23, 2013

Celebrities such as Pocahontas star Q'orianka Kilcher, musician Alejandro Sanz and Yoko Ono took to Twitter to ask followers to switch off for Earth Hour.

Join me today 8.30 pm @earthhour youtu.be/0j1RGajlaTQ #EarthHour - show your love for the planet, switch off lights for one hour!
— Qorianka Kilcher (@Qorianka) March 23, 2013

Únete conmigo hoy a las 8:30pm La hora del Planeta. Apaga las luces durante una hora @earthhour youtu.be/0j1RGajlaTQ
— Alejandro Sanz(@AlejandroSanz) March 23, 2013

Switch off your lights for EARTH HOUR tonight between 8:30pm - 9:30pm soundcloud.com/yokoono/i-love... More at earthhour.org love, yoko
— Yoko Ono (@yokoono) March 23, 2013

President of Russia Vladimir Putin supported Earth Hour by turning off the lights in his presidential residence – the Kremlin. For the very first time, Moscow's Kremlin and whole Red Square complex, including St. Basil's Cathedral, Historical Museum, and the famous GUM-mall will switched off for Earth Hour at 8:30PM local time. The inaugural switch off at the Kremlin and Red Square becomes more significant given that Russia is where Earth Hour's largest conservation outcome has been achieved so far.

"Tonight is about the celebration of this amazing planet we all share. Lights off is a powerful reminder of what we can do when we work together but it has also become more than that. This year, Earth Hour is delivering meaningful results towards a sustainable future," said Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour.

Russians have shown how they can positively impact the world we live in when WWF-Russia secured 120,000 signatures which became instrumental in passing a law in Parliament to protect the country's seas from oil pollution. Fuelled by that achievement, WWF secured 100,000 signatures to petition for amendments to the current forest legislation which could be the catalyst for the return of a ban on industrial logging in an area of land twice the size of France.

In Russia's Far East, which has already switched off for Earth Hour, Forestry Department workers together with WWF`s experts are spending the hour in protective forests near the Bikin river, in line with this year's campaign.

"I`d like to spend Earth Hour at home all warm and cozy," said WWF coordinator of Sustainable Forestry, Dmitry Sychikov. "But I had to change the warmth of the hearth for the frosty night in Bikin Taiga. That is our work. It is worth it."

The Kremlin and Red Square join landmarks in more than 150 countries and territories for Earth Hour 2013, with Palestine, Tunisia, Galapagos, Suriname, French Guyana, St. Helena and Rwanda among those joining the global movement for the first time.

Earth Hour has also hit its founding city, Sydney, where in an unusual twist the Sydney Opera House was lit up green, in celebration of its commitment to switch on to renewable energy.

This year Earth Hour Australia is asking participants to "switch off for good" and move to renewable energy.

Other landmarks going dark include: The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, The Petronas Towers, Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Gateway of India, The Burj Khalifa, The Church of the Nativity (Birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem), Table Mountain, Dubrovnik City Walls, Eiffel Tower, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, The Acropolis, Tower of Pisa, The Spanish Steps, Brandenburg Gate, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The UK Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Christ the Redeemer Statue, CN Tower, Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, The Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and more.

In a message to the world on the eve of the seventh Earth Hour, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has set the agenda for this year's hour of inspiration.

"We participate with an undimmed determination to take action on climate change. Everyone has a role to play. Governments need to provide the political will, businesses can contribute solutions, and civil society, especially young people, can mobilise global action. Together, let's do our part and shed light on common sense answers for a cleaner, greener world," said Sec-Gen Ban Ki-Moon.

As an open sourced campaign, the WWF affiliated Earth Hour movement uses social media to connect a global community of people inspired to change the world we live in and support from these stars take the campaign to new levels of engagement with young people who will benefit the most from a sustainable planet.

For live updates on Earth Hour 2013 starting Thursday March 21, go to http://earthhour.org/live

Messi Leads World's Top Sports And Entertainment Celebrities

2013-03-22

SINGAPORE: World famous sports and showbiz celebrities are showing they care for the planet through their support of Earth Hour on social media platforms Facebook and Twitter, inspiring their fans to join in the world's largest mass participation event on the planet, for the planet.

Lionel Messi, Gisele Bunchen, Yoko Ono, Miranda Kerr, Alejandro Sanz, Doutzen Kroes, McFly are just some of the celebrities asking fans to turn off their lights on March 23, 8:30PM. Lionel Messi, who has 43 million fans on Facebook asked them to accept the challenge and join Earth Hour.

Leo Messi1 day ago

Earth Hour

Celebrities from Asia with a combined social media following of 20 million are also leading the efforts for Earth Hour this year, lending their voices of support for the campaign and taking up the challenge to inspire ongoing positive actions for the environment beyond the hour.

Nadya Hutagalung, Utt Panichkul, Pevita Pearce, Andy F. Noya, Ariel from NOAH, G.E.M., Eason Chan , Kay Tse, Shruti Hassan, Marc Nelson, Rovilson Fernandez, Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, Bathiya & Santhush (BNS), Li Bingbing, Yu Quan, Chen Yibing , Li Yundi, Li Yuchun, Harlem Yu, Sonia Sui, JJ Lin, Amber Kuo, Christine Fan and S.H.E are among the biggest names in Asia supporting the global environmental movement now in its seventh year.

It's not only sports and entertainment celebrities rallying for action. Also on the eve of the seventh Earth Hour, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the world to mobilise beyond the hour as extreme weather increasingly harms families, communities and economies.

"We participate with an undimmed determination to take action on climate change. Everyone has a role to play. Governments need to provide the political will, businesses can contribute solutions, and civil society, especially young people, can mobilise global action. Together, let's do our part and shed light on common sense answers for a cleaner, greener world," said the UN Secretary-General.

As an open sourced campaign powered by WWF, Earth Hour uses social media to connect a global community of people inspired to change the world we live in and support from these stars take the campaign to new levels of engagement with young people who will benefit the most from a sustainable planet.

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

For live updates on Earth Hour 2013 starting Thursday March 21, go to http://earthhour.org/live

Kremlin and Red Square Switch Off for the First Time for Earth Hour

2013-03-22

Moscow/Singapore: For the very first time, Russia's Kremlin, the residence of the President, and Red Square will switch off for Earth Hour tomorrow at 8:30PM to celebrate Earth Hour's largest conservation outcome so far.

Moscow's Kremlin and Red Square, the most important site of Russia's historical and political events, join a long list of the world's icons participating in the largest environmental event which itself has become the iconic symbol of people's commitment to protect the planet.

In addition to the Kremlin and Red Square, around 100 landmarks across 70 cities and towns join the switch off in Russia.

"WWF's Earth Hour in Russia has become a shining example of the incredible environmental outcomes that can be achieved when people work together and take action beyond the hour," said Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour.

Not only is Russia joining in the symbolic show of support for Earth Hour through lights off at the Kremlin and Red Square, its citziens have shown how they can positively impact the world we live in when WWF-Russia last year secured more than 120,000 signatures for a petition to pass a long-awaited law to protect the country's seas from oil pollution.

The petition, which was part of Earth Hour's 'I Will If You Will' campaign, was then presented to the government and became instrumental in the passing of that law in the Russian parliament last December.

Fuelled by that achievement, WWF's Earth Hour in Russia then looked at forest protection and has now secured more than 100,000 signatures from Russian citizens to petition for amendments to the current forest legislation for Earth Hour 2013.

This could be the catalyst for the return of a ban on industrial logging in an area of land twice the size of France, with protective forests equalling almost 18% of all forest territory in the country.

Also on the eve of the seventh Earth Hour, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on the world to mobilise beyond the hour as extreme weather increasingly harms families, communities and economies.

"We participate with an undimmed determination to take action on climate change. Everyone has a role to play. Governments need to provide the political will, businesses can contribute solutions, and civil society, especially young people, can mobilise global action. Together, let's do our part and shed light on common sense answers for a cleaner, greener world," said the Secretary-General.

Earth Hour 2013 will celebrate environmental outcomes generated by its participants beyond the hour.

In Uganda, the first Earth Hour Forest was created as an important first step in the fight against the 6,000 hectares of deforestation that occurs in the country every month.

In Botswana, former President Mr Festus Mogae has made a four-year commitment to plant one million indigenous trees as part of his 'I Will If You Will' challenge and kicked it off by planting 100,000 trees in a severely degraded area in Southern Botswana called Goodhope.

In Argentina, Earth Hour organisers and WWF affiliate Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina is mobilizing thousands of participants to help champion the passing of a Senate bill to make Banco Burwood the biggest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the country. If successful, the 3.4 million-hectare MPA will raise the level of protection of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone from 1% to 4%.

Joining the Kremlin and Red Square for Earth Hour 2013 are: Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, The Petronas Towers, Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest), Marina Bay Sands Singapore, Gateway of India, The Burj Khalifa, The Church of the Nativity (Birthplace of Jesus, Bethlehem), Table Mountain, Dubrovnik City Walls, Eiffel Tower, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, The Acropolis, Tower of Pisa, The Spanish Steps, Brandenburg Gate, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The UK Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Christ the Redeemer Statue, CN Tower, Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, The Empire State Building, Niagara Falls and more.

More than 150 countries and territories will be participating this year with Palestine, Tunisia, Galapagos, Suriname, French Guyana, St. Helena and Rwanda among those joining the global movement for the first time in 2013.

For live updates on Earth Hour 2013 starting Thursday March 21, go to http://earthhour.org/live

As an open sourced campaign, Earth Hour uses social media to connect a global community of people inspired to change the world we live in.

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

Landmarks across the world go dark to celebrate major environmental outcomes for Earth Hour

2013-03-20

Singapore - From the Sydney Opera House to Table Mountain, The Petronas Towers to The Brandenburg Gate, and The Tokyo Tower to The Empire State Building - a long list of the most recognisable icons across the globe will be participating in Earth Hour 2013 this Saturday March 23 at 8:30PM, as the world's largest movement for the planet celebrates the environmental outcomes generated by its participants around the world.

More than 150 countries and territories will be participating; Palestine, Tunisia, Galapagos, Suriname, French Guyana, St. Helena and Rwanda are among those joining the global movement for the first time in 2013.

The Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, The Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, The Bird's Nest in Beijing, The Gateway of India, the world's tallest building The Burj Khalifa, the Ancient Citadel of Erbil in Kurdistan, Table Mountain, The Bosphorus Bridge, The Statue of David, The Eiffel Tower, The Brandenburg Gate, The Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, The UK Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, The Empire State Building, Niagara Falls, Los Angeles Airport (LAX) are some of the key landmarks participating in 2013.

Not only is Russia joining in the symbolic show of support for Earth Hour with around 100 landmarks switching off across 50 cities and towns, its citizens have led the way for Earth Hour showing how they can positively impact the world we live in when WWF-Russia collected 120,000 signatures for a petition to pass a long-awaited law to protect the country's seas from oil pollution last year. The petition, which was part of Earth Hour's 'I Will If You Will' campaign, was then presented to the government and became instrumental in the passing of that law in the Russian parliament.

"Russia has considerably raised the bar for Earth Hour and has become a shining example of the incredible environmental outcomes that can be achieved when people work together and take action beyond the hour," said Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour.

Fuelled by that achievement, WWF's Earth Hour in Russia then looked at forest protection and now aims to secure more than 100,000 signatures from Russian citizens to petition for amendments to the current forest legislation for Earth Hour 2013. If successful, it will reinstate a ban on industrial logging in an area of land twice the size of France, with protective forests equaling almost 18% of all forest territory in the country. As of this writing, over 85,000 signatures have been secured.

"Through Earth Hour's 'I Will If You Will' campaign, people from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe have been empowered to do what they can – both individually and collectively – to secure a sustainable future for the planet. Russia and Russians have shown how effectively that can be done both during Earth Hour's symbolic gesture of concern and beyond the hour," Ridley added.

It's not only in Russia that conservation outcomes are being achieved through the Earth Hour movement. In Uganda, the first Earth Hour Forest was created as an important first step in the fight against the 6,000 hectares of deforestation that occurs in the country every month. WWF Uganda identified close to 2,700 hectares of degraded land, and set a goal to fill it with at least 500,000 indigenous trees as part of their Earth Hour 2013 campaign.

In Botswana, former President Mr Festus Mogae has made a four-year commitment to plant one million indigenous trees as part of his 'I Will If You Will' challenge and kicked it off by planting 100,000 trees in a severely degraded area in Southern Botswana called Goodhope.

In the US, nearly 35,000 Girl Scouts participated in Earth Hour 2012 through their Save Energy Project by installing 132,141 energy efficient light bulbs in homes and community centres, eliminating 77,553,119 pounds of CO2 emissions, the equivalent to the CO2 sequestration from planting 7,495 acres of trees per year.

And in Argentina, Earth Hour organisers and WWF affiliate Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina is mobilizing thousands of participants to help champion the passing of a Senate bill to make Banco Burwood the biggest Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the country. If successful, the 3.4 million-hectare MPA will raise the level of protection of Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone from 1% to 4%.

Landmarks switching off for the first time for Earth Hour this year include Copenhagen's The Little Mermaid and Florence's Statue of David. This is also the first year Cape Town's Table Mountain will switch off on Earth Hour since its ascendance into the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World.

The long list of visually captivating icons that will switch off for Earth Hour includes Sydney's Harbour Bridge and Opera House, the first icons to take part since the campaign's inception in 2007, before landmarks across Asia including the Tokyo Tower, Taipei 101, Bird's Nest (Beijing National Stadium) and Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, celebrate their actions for the planet.

The Indian subcontinent will have the Gateway of India switch off, at the same time as 4 villages in Madhya Pradesh receive solar lanterns, the first form of energy they will ever use. Earth Hour then makes its way through the Middle East, where the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai will go dark for one hour before Earth Hour proceeds to the ancient city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

In Palestine, Earth Hour will be the first environmental action/event taking place since the UN recognized it as a State, with switch off events taking place at Al-Jundi Square and Palestine Square in Gaza. Earth Hour is being coordinated from both Gaza and the West Bank, with switch off events taking place in Gaza City, and the cities of Nablus, Bethlehem, and Ramallah.

From Tunisia, which officially participates in Earth Hour this year right up to Vaduz Castle, the palace and official residence of the Prince of Liechtenstein, Europe and Africa will stand together. Eleven cities and towns in Tunisia will participate in the lights off event, with the main event taking place at Avenue Habib Bourguiba, the historic venue of the initial protests that triggered the Arab Spring. It will be attended by Tunisia's President Moncef Marzouki. Dubrovnik city walls in Croatia, the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Berlin's Brandenburg Gate will also join the world's largest voluntary action for the environment.

Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in London will be the main landmarks in the United Kingdom to go dark. Then Earth Hour makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean to South America, with celebrations in Peru reaching from the Pacific, to the Andes and into the Amazon River, also one of the New 7 Wonders of the Natural World - Iquitos, the city where the Amazon River begins, is taking part.

The Big Apple will also have its most famous landmarks take part with Times Square, and the Rockefeller Center switching off, alongside New York City's famous Empire State Building. The bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip will also go dark for the hour, as well as LAX and Niagara Falls.

The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada will also dim its lights for the sixth year after the city was the second to ever come on board for the campaign. Canada's Vancouver has also been announced as the Global Earth Hour Capital in the Earth Hour City Challenge, for its overall holistic and strategic approach to climate action.

As an open sourced campaign, Earth Hour uses social media to connect a global community of people inspired to change the world we live in. For live updates on Earth Hour 2013 starting Thursday March 21, go to http://earthhour.org/live

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

For more information contact:

Benjamin Vozzo, Earth Hour Global E:benjamin@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1728

Mai Tatoy, Earth Hour Global E: mai@earthhour.org Ph: +65 9017 7411

Earth Hour Seeks Law Reform For Protective Forests In Russia

2013-03-20

Moscow / Singapore: Following on from the massive success of its 120,000-strong signature petition that led to better protection of the country's seas from oil pollution, WWF's Earth Hour in Russia is launching its 2013 campaign aiming to secure more than 100,000 signatures from Russian citizens to petition for amendments to the current forest legislation.

The signature campaign was launched just a few months after the Russian parliament passed a long-awaited law to protect the country's seas from oil pollution. The passage of the sea protection law was the result of WWF Russia's 'I Will If You Will' campaign for Earth Hour 2012.

If the pending petition is successful, it could mean a return to better protection for an area twice the size of France, with protective forests equaling almost 18% of all forests in the country.

After 70 years of protection, legislation was changed several times between 2009 and 2010 allowing certain industrial logging to take place in protected forest territories.

"The timber resources of Russia's exploited forests are already exhausted because of over-logging during the Soviet era, illegal logging in recent decades and an unchanged approach in timber harvesting estimation in the last 150 years. This has forced logging companies to search for new sources of commercially valuable timber," says Konstantin Kobyakov, coordinator of WWF Russia's projects on High Conservation Value Forests.

"The recent changes to the law make these areas a prime target for commercial logging," he added.

CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour, Andy Ridley, says the campaign in Russia has become an international leading example of how Earth Hour advocates are creating massive impact beyond the hour.

"The success of WWF Russia's Earth Hour campaign in 2012 is already inspiring teams around the world to aspire to new heights to achieve greater environmental outcomes for their countries and territories. It would be extraordinary to see Russia achieve another monumental environmental outcome for Earth Hour this year, and once again inspire the world in 2013," he said.

The protective forests cover 17 different categories, including water-conservation zones, nut harvesting zones, mountain forests, tundra forests, green zones and woodland parks, urban forests and spawning zones.

Forest areas located on the waterside of rivers, creeks, lakes or seas, as well as green zones around big cities, even those of Northern Russian cities located on the areas of the tundra-forests, all fall under the definition of 'protective forests'.

These forests serve to protect drinking water, soil fertility, climate stability, clear air, as well as animals and food like berries, mushrooms and nuts. The areas also serve as ideal respites for city-dwellers escaping urban environments, and for rural-dwellers providing their families with much needed sustainable resources.

The thriving ecosystems of the protective forests protected millions of hectares of the most valuable biological territories from the negative impact of industrial human activities.

WWF considers the industrial exploitation and destruction of the protective forests as unacceptable, due to the loss of valuable qualities of the forests and the impact this has on all citizens in the country.

"For 70 years these forests protected us. Now is the time for us to protect them. Let's get the ban on industrial logging back into the forest legislation," said Kobyakov.

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

-ends-

Images of Russia's Protective Forests can be downloaded for media at http://www.flickr.com/photos/earthhour_global/sets/72157632814967336/

See the Earth Hour 2013 Official Video at www.ehour.me/2013ViD

Press images can be downloaded at http://earthhour.org/media-centre/images

Downloadable video footage of the global event will be available in four B-rolls for media, covering major regions at http://www.earthhour.org/media-centre/videos

Media enquiries:
Benjamin Vozzo, Earth Hour Global E: benjamin@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1728
Mai Tatoy, Earth Hour Global E: mai@earthhour.org Ph: +65 9017 7411
Darya Kudryavtseva, WWF-Russia E: DKudryavtseva@wwf.ru Ph: +7 (495) 727-09-39

To join the global community head to:
Earth Hour www.earthhour.org
Facebook www.facebook.com/earthhour
Twitter www.twitter.com/earthhour
YouTube www.YouTube.com/EarthHour
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+EarthHour

About Earth Hour
Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with WWF. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 23, 2013 at 8:30 PM to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. In 2013, Earth Hour's I Will If You Will concept invites individuals and organisations to challenge others to an ongoing environmental commitment beyond the hour. Earth Hour began in one city in 2007 and by 2012 involved hundreds of millions of people in 152 countries across every continent, receiving reports as 'the world's largest campaign for the planet'.

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with almost five million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Uganda unveils the world's first Earth Hour forest

2013-03-14

Kampala, Uganda / Singapore: Preparations across the globe kick off for Earth Hour 2013 with the creation of the world's first Earth Hour Forest in the East African nation of Uganda, to fight against the 6,000 hectares of deforestation that occurs in the country every month.

WWF Uganda identified close to 2,700 hectares of degraded land, and set a goal to fill it with at least 500,000 indigenous trees as part of their Earth Hour 2013 campaign. Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm on Saturday 23 March.

"We cannot afford to ignore this critical environmental threat we are facing today. So, we are calling upon every individual, business, government agency, friends and family members to join us in planting this new landmark for Uganda's environment," said David Duli, Country Director, WWF Uganda Country Office.

Businesses, government officials and individuals are quickly heeding the call and taking up the challenge set by WWF Uganda to reach their 2013 goal. Leading the way is Standard Chartered Bank - Uganda, which has already committed to plant close to 250,000 trees, and the Ugandan Minister of State for Water and Environment who has personally pledged to plant 1,000 trees.

"Earth Hour 2013 is the rallying point for millions of people in 152 countries and territories across the world to address the climate change challenge. It illustrates that it's within our reach and power to work together for a sustainable future," said Andy Ridley, CEO and co-founder of Earth Hour.

This tree planting initiative is one of thousands of Earth Hour's I Will If You Will challenges taking place worldwide. I Will If You Will is a campaign that encourages everyone to take a positive action for the environment, beyond the Earth Hour hour. In 2012, nearly 10,000 challenges were posted on YouTube.com/EarthHour driving more than 4.6 million people to interact with the challenges and 200,000 to accept challenges on the platform alone.

The action might be a simple lifestyle change or something that leads to political change. It might require 10 people to do something, or 10,000. I Will If You Will allows anybody – from a kid in a classroom to a President of a nation - to become the inspiration to their friends, family, colleagues and communities by sharing what they're willing to do to protect the planet.

Uganda's Earth Hour Forest is the second huge environmental outcome of the I Will If You Will campaign. In December, the Russian Parliament passed a strengthened law to better protect the country's seas from oil pollution after a petition carrying the voices of 122,000 people was successfully presented to the State Duma.

Join the Earth Hour global community and help save the planet at www.earthhour.org/signup.

Earth Hour 2013 will take place at 8.30pm – 9.30pm on Saturday 23 March

-ends-

For further information please contact:

Benjamin Vozzo, Earth Hour Global E:benjamin@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1728

Mai Tatoy, Earth Hour Global, E: mai@earthhour.org Ph: +65 8223 1654

To join the global community head to:

Earth Hour www.earthhour.org

Facebook www.facebook.com/earthhour

Twitter www.twitter.com/earthhour

YouTube www.YouTube.com/EarthHour

Google+ plus.google.com/+EarthHour

Actress Jessica Alba Announced as Earth Hour 2013 Global Ambassador

2013-03-13

SINGAPORE/LOS ANGELES, USA: Hollywood star and Co-Founder of The Honest Company, Jessica Alba is the newest global ambassador for Earth Hour, the world's largest mass participation event that has become the iconic symbol of people's commitment to protect the planet.

Alba along with the other co-founders of eco-friendly family brand The Honest Company, Christopher Gavigan, Sean Kane and Brian Lee, are lending their support to the cause through a fun 'I Will If You Will' challenge, in line with the company's focus on promoting health and sustainability.

"Christopher, Sean, Brian and I, founders of The Honest Company, will let our kids dress the whole Honest team, including us, for work for one day if 10,000 people commit to switch to using non-toxic products in their home," Alba said.

As global ambassador, Alba is also encouraging those who accept their IWIYW challenge to participate in Earth Hour's monumental lights off event on Saturday, March 23 at 8:30PM.

"The choices we all make in our daily lives can have a massive difference, not only to our children, but also to the very planet on which we live," she said.

Alba joins a long list of celebrity eco-advocates who have taken part in the I Will If You Will campaign, including international supermodel Miranda Kerr, actress Isabel Lucas and Asia's Next Top Model host Nadya Hutagalung.

"Earth Hour is about the power of an interconnected global community coming together to drive real action for the sustainable future of our planet. It's an honor to have Jessica and The Honest Company founders step up to this pivotal role, inspiring their fans and colleagues to join the global community," said Andy Ridley, CEO and Co-Founder of Earth Hour.

Christopher Gavigan hopes the challenge will help parents make better choices for their families and for the planet.

"It's important to consider where our products come from, what's in them and the impact they have on the environment - before they reach our shelves, during their time in our homes and after we're done with them. I believe Earth Hour is a movement that empowers people to make a difference, and I'm excited to be a part of it," he said.

Earth Hour, which was co-founded by WWF in 2007, has grown from a one-city initiative to a 7,001-city/town global movement. Last year it reached an estimated 2 billion people in 152 countries and territories across all seven continents.

Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 23 2013 at 8:30PM.

First Chinese Company Joins WWF's Climate Savers Programme

2013-01-29

BAODING, China – WWF today announced that Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (Yingli), one of the world's largest manufacturers of solar panels, has become the first Chinese company, and the first photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer, to join WWF's Climate Savers programme.

Yingli is also the first Chinese company to set a company-wide renewable electricity consumption target. By the end of 2015, at least 4% of the electricity that Yingli consumes will come from renewable sources, specifically solar.

Renewable energy currently comprises 1% of China's energy consumption portfolio; renewable energy sources include solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, waves and tides, but not nuclear or large-scale hydropower.

"WWF's Climate Savers programme is a very exclusive club," said Peter Beaudoin, CEO, WWF-China.

"Only industry leaders that agree to challenge themselves and set ambitious goals in cutting CO2 emissions, and support growth of clean, renewable energy are accepted as members. China has global manufacturing leaders, is beginning to have global innovation leaders, and now is beginning to have global leaders in the fight against climate change as well," he added.

"We're very pleased to become the first Chinese company and the first solar manufacturer to join the Climate Savers family," said Liansheng Miao, Chairman and CEO of Yingli.

"At Yingli, we work on the mission of providing affordable, green energy to the world every day. We have also been dedicatedly carrying out our corporate social and environmental responsibilities through constantly reducing our energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in our production and operations. We look forward to working more broadly with WWF and joining hands with other Climate Savers to lead the world's transition to a low carbon economy."

Yingli's renewable electricity consumption target is possible because it has been a practitioner of solar energy application. Currently, the company operates more than 20 Megawatts (MW) of solar systems in its manufacturing campuses to power the production of PV modules. It plans to continue to increase its consumption of renewable electricity by installing more solar systems in the future.

"Yingli demonstrates that companies operating in China are willing to take action to support the growth of renewable energy," said Donald Pols, Director of WWF's China for a Global Shift Initiative and a member of Yingli's Climate Savers application review committee. "Companies can follow Yingli's example and develop their own clean and renewable electricity generation systems, whether in terms of solar panels installed on company real estate or utility-scale operations in the case of Yingli."

In addition to its renewable electricity consumption target, Yingli has also agreed to a number of aggressive CO2 emission reduction targets.

By the end of 2015, Yingli commits to reduce GHG emissions intensity per MW of PV module production by 13% compared with 2010 levels. Further, also by the end of 2015, Yingli expects to reduce GHG emissions from purchased goods and services per MW of PV module production by 7% compared with 2010 levels. Yingli also targets to reduce GHG emissions intensity from upstream transportation by 10%, compared to 2010 levels, by the end of 2015.

Finally, Yingli also plans to launch a Global Green Solar PV Manufacturing Standard with the support of WWF by the end of 2015. This standard aims at promoting energy consumption reduction in the PV industry, increasing utilization percentage of renewable energy and reducing GHG emissions.

WWF's Climate Savers programme began in 1999, and now counts 30 member companies. To become a member, a company works with WWF and an independent technical expert to set and agree to new CO2 emission reduction targets that are more aggressive than existing targets.

The company then formulates a plan to achieve these targets, and WWF and the independent technical expert will monitor to ensure the plan is followed and the targets are achieved.

For more information please contact:

Qiu Wei, Senior Communications Officer, WWF-China, wqiu@wwfchina.org, +86 10 6511 6272

Miao Qing, Vice President of Corporate Communications, Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited, ir@yinglisolar.com, +86 312 892 9787

About WWF Climate Savers
Climate Savers is a business initiative organized by WWF to mobilize companies to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Cutting-edge partnerships with these companies provide solutions to climate change, as targets agreed with WWF must be demonstrably more ambitious than previously planned or communicated by the company, placing the companies at the forefront of emissions reductions in their sectors. A Climate Savers agreement involves negotiations between WWF, the company concerned, and independent technical experts who later monitor and verify compliance with the agreement.

As part of its Climate Savers Program, WWF has agreements with major corporations from around the world, such as: Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Nike, Hewlett Packard, The Collins Companies, Xanterra Parks and Resorts, Sagawa, Sony, Tetra Pak, Lafarge, Catalyst, Novo Nordisk, and Nokia Siemens Networks. All of these companies have pledged to reduce their global warming emissions considerably. www.panda.org/climatesavers

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. www.panda.org

About Yingli Green Energy
Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Limited (NYSE: YGE), which markets its products under the brand "Yingli Solar," is a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers. Yingli Green Energy's manufacturing covers the entire photovoltaic value chain, from the production of polysilicon through ingot casting and wafering, to solar cell production and module assembly.
In August 2012, Yingli Green Energy reached a balanced vertically integrated production capacity of 2,450 MW per year at its production facilities located in Baoding, Haikou, Tianjin and Hengshui, respectively. Yingli Green Energy distributes its photovoltaic modules to a wide range of markets, including Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, France, South Korea, China, Japan and the United States. Headquartered in Baoding, China, Yingli Green Energy has more than 20 subsidiaries and branch offices worldwide. Yingli Green Energy is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: YGE). For more information, please visit www.yinglisolar.com.

Planet-friendly tomatoes

2012-11-16

Pasta with tomato sauce – for many it's the taste of home, and the epitome of comfort food. Did you know that this worldwide favorite has a water footprint? Everything we eat does. And it's not just the water we use to cook in our home kitchens. It's the water used to grow the ingredients in the pasta and sauce we savor.

WWF has helped Mutti, market leader in the production of tomato purée, pressed tomatoes and tomato pulp, calculate the water footprint of its production, from tomato cultivation to finished product. Mutti is the first Italian company, and one of the few in the world, to undertake such a study.

"The world population has reached 7 billion, and our consumption habits are not sustainable," says Gianfranco Bologna, scientific director of WWF-Italy. "This is why WWF supports individual, institutional and business efforts to significantly reduce our footprint on natural systems. We are working to transform the markets, to minimize the impact of the products we enjoy and depend on."

The calculation of water footprint for the whole production cycle considered the quantity of water contained in each Mutti product. The water footprint analysis has led Mutti to commit to reduce its water footprint by 3 per cent by 2015.

Given that 83 per cent of Mutti's water footprint comes from the cultivation of tomatoes, the company is focusing most of its attention on its producers, with a campaign of awareness and support to improve efficiency of water use in cultivation.

This year, thanks to the partnership with the WWF, 20 Mutti suppliers located throughout the Emilia Romagna region have tried an innovative method of irrigation management to limit of the use of water to volumes that are strictly necessary.

A team of experts using probes and sensors to measure soil humidity has been able to quantify the minimum effective volume of irrigation water, thus guiding farmers toward an optimal use of resources. A water-savings of up to 30 per cent was shown in "guided" agricultural enterprises, compared with those "not guided". With the right guidelines, producers can easily analyze their own cultivation and irrigation practices to better manage water resources.

"The water saving of 30 per cent as a result of simply optimizing field irrigation represents an important step toward achieving the ambitious objective, agreed upon in collaboration with WWF, of reducing the water footprint by 2015 throughout the Mutti business network, from the cultivation of tomatoes to the final product," said Francesco Mutti.

As part of its annual Pomodorino d'Oro award for production of exceptional tomatoes, Mutti has introduced the Special Mention "Ideas for Water", to be given to farmers who are demonstrating innovation and commitment to sustainable cultivation.

"Mutti is part of the vanguard of companies using water footprint as a tool to measure impact and set challenging reduction targets," said Stuart Orr, Freshwater Manager at WWF International. "It is an innovative project that has identified efficient solutions and shown how the agricultural sector can reduce its environmental impacts."

Decision makers must follow scientific advice and not increase bluefin tuna quotas

2012-11-12

Agadir, Morocco: WWF calls on decision makers and the fishing industry to follow the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Scientific Committee`s advice to ensure the bluefin tuna quota in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean remains the same and does not exceed 12,900 tonnes annually.

At the 18th Special Meeting of the Commission in Agadir, Morocco, ICCAT`s contracting parties, which include Japan, the US, Canada, China and the European Union will again determine management measures for a range of tunas and tuna-like species.

"ICCAT must keep recovery ambitions high for the fragile bluefin tuna. Big achievements are long in the making but in only an instant can be lost," said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries, WWF-Mediterranean.

While recognizing the positive steps that have been made thanks to measures to improve Atlantic bluefin tuna management, contracting parties and the fishing industry must commit to building on this momentum and to follow scientific advice.

Current signs of a stock increase are cautiously encouraging and show that good management pays, even in the most hopeless among fisheries. It has been a long and hugely concerted effort from all stakeholders to reach this starting point and it's in the interest of the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery, ICCAT and the global fisheries governance system to make this a management success story after being the unfortunate icon for overfishing during the last decade.

"ICCAT scientists are clear this year that the fishing quotas must not increase to enable Atlantic bluefin tuna to fully recover over the next decade. WWF calls on ICCAT contracting parties to stick to this recommendation," said Tudela.

ICCAT first adopted a plan to reduce the fleet capacity for the Atlantic bluefin tuna in 2008, which was further refined in 2010. The current plan ends in 2013, when it is assumed to have phased out all fishing overcapacity in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean.

However, a recent assessment shows the current plan is based on catch rates of fishing fleets that were strongly underestimated resulting in continued overcapacity.

"There are still too many boats for too few fish to be sustainably caught," said Tudela.

"We call on ICCAT to extend the capacity reduction plan for the next three years using updated and accurate estimates of potential catch rates to ensure overcapacity is fully removed within the next three years,"

"We will also be watching ICCAT on measures decided to fight illegal, unregulated, unreported catches (IUU),"

The strong commitment by ICCAT to fight IUU has been one of the main pillars behind the initial stock recovery.

Poor decision making on this matter risks taking this fishery back to the dark ages and destroying the achievements of years of productive collective work.

"Serious investigations on all potential infringements and adequate measures to tackle IUU catches are still crucial", said Tudela.

Poorly managed fisheries impact food security and livelihoods

2012-10-30

Gland, Switzerland: A report released by the UN's independent food expert, Olivier De Schutter, "Fisheries and the right to food" highlights the devastating impacts of industrial overfishing on coastal communities, small-scale fishers, the marine environment, and the right to food of millions.

"Yet again we have an authoritative report which shows us that overfishing and the damaging effects of poorly managed fisheries is seriously impacting vulnerable communities' food security and livelihoods" said John Tanzer, Marine Director, WWF International.

"The fact that the number of boats and fishermen has increased eight fold between 1970 and 1990 yet they are not seeing anything like the equivalent increase in catch numbers speaks volumes about the consequences of overfishing and the effects this will have on food security in the near future."

"Yet we are still seeing relatively wealthy governments putting public funds into subsidising boat building and industrial fishing activities. It makes no sense because we are essentially mining the oceans instead of nurturing their capacity to support people's ongoing needs." he said.

Fish accounts for 15 per cent of the animal protein consumed worldwide, over 20 per cent in Asia and the fishing sector provides over 54 million people with jobs. In developing countries many of these jobs are as small-scale fisheries employing a high proportion of women.

Weak governance and capacity gaps mean the current approaches to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing are failing. The lack of investigation and prosecution of irresponsible distant water fleets by the flag states also contributes to this.

Coastal communities are limited in their contribution to reduce overfishing or IUU fishing without adequate social protection, fair prices and having fair access to fish resources. The report points out the importance of sound management and early and ongoing involvement of local artisanal fisher's in the management of local fisheries and the need to support them in maintaining improved market access for their catch.

Increased globalisation of the fishing industry has meant in 2010 the value of traded fish products was estimated at US$102 billion, up from US$8 billion in 1976. Many developing countries have benefited from this increase in the form of export revenue and state revenue from selling access to their fishing ground to distant water fleets.

"Without any safeguards and in the absence of effective fisheries management, these access agreements could prove harmful to local communities in the form of loss of fish for people, especially in places where food shortages occur" said Alfred Schumm, Leader of WWF's global Smart Fishing Initiative.

WWF: Agreement on finance key to success at Hyderabad biodiversity meet

2012-10-15

Hyderabad, India - The first week of negotiations at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Hyderabad closed with governments from developed and developing nations locked in difficult discussions on critical issues including setting clear finance targets, conserving valuable ocean areas and its relationship with the UN climate convention, the UNFCCC.   

Summarizing the key challenges facing the CBD in the week ahead, WWF International's Coordinator for Biodiversity Policy Rolf Hogan said:

"So far, the biggest hurdle we've seen emerge are differences of opinion between developed and developing nations on finance issues. Developed countries do not want to commit more money to reach resource mobilization targets, and developing countries are saying that if no money is made available, then they will 'walk away' from their Nagoya commitments."

"We need countries to agree on how to increase financing for biodiversity. This means agreeing to increasing public biodiversity funding by 20% as well as increasing national budgets and developing new and additional financing mechanisms that can support the achievement of the 20 Targets of the CBD's masterplan up to 2020."  

"We also need to engage the private sector and ensure development and foreign direct investments do not destroy biodiversity."

"An agreement on finance is the key to success of COP 11. The stakes are high: if counties don't find a way to move beyond the hurdles they encountered in the first week, it could derail the commitments made in Nagoya two years ago."   

Encouraging signs 

"In spite of the challenges in some areas, WWF is encouraged to see signs of progress, and believes that success can still be attained if nations step up to match the level of ambition we saw two years ago in Nagoya."

"There are also positive signs that many countries, including emerging economies, will commit to new funding, but only if other nations reciprocate."

"It is important for Parties to get things right at Hyderabad. Success here means a clear path forward to the 2020 Aichi Targets."  

Conserving ocean biodiversity   

Negotiations on protecting important ocean areas are also facing difficulties, with a block of nations opposing the 'endorsement' of reports that identify important areas for conservation in ocean areas beyond national jurisdictions.

"Over 50 percent of the world's oceans fall outside of national boundaries. WWF encourages delegates to commit to clearly identifying ocean areas of value that fall beyond national jurisdictions," said Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, Conservation Director of WWF Madagascar.   

"Establishing marine protected areas are part of the broader package of solutions that can help governments and businesses safeguard our oceans' enormous ecological, social, and economic benefits," she added.

  Climate and REDD+  

Negotiations on REDD+ are becoming root bound with some countries pushing to maintain a clear separation between the CBD and UNFCCC. Meanwhile, other countries are fighting to avoid any additional burden for monitoring and reporting under REDD+ programmes.

"Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss – it is also responsible for up to a fifth of global carbon emissions. It is extremely important that all nations recognize and work to better integrate REDD+'s massive biodiversity benefits," said Rolf Hogan.   

For further information:

Chris Chaplin, WWF-International, cchaplin@wwf.sg, Hyderabad: +91 96522 36722 or Singapore: +65-9826-3802

Aarti Khosla, WWF-India, akhosla@wwfindia.net, +91 98 1119 9288

Value Chain Climate Resilience

2012-08-21

The climate is changing and impacts on businesses and communities are already being felt. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and more severe weather events are being observed. Nine out of ten companies have suffered weather-related impacts in the past three years, and most have seen an intensification of such impacts. Meanwhile, communities on which businesses depend for their supplies, workforce, sales, and more are also being affected. A change in climate will lead to a changing business environment and changing community relationships.

This guide has been developed by companies and organizations engaged in the Partnership for Resilience and Environmental Preparedness (PREP) — a pilot partnership formed to address the risks and opportunities that climate change impacts pose to businesses and the communities on which they depend. One of the primary goals of PREP is to engage and inform good practice in companies as it relates to building climate resilience in partnership with communities. This guidance has been developed on behalf of the PREP member companies Calvert Investments, Entergy, Levi Strauss & Co., Earth Networks, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., Starbucks, and Swiss Re.

This report was prepared by Jean-Christophe Amado and Peter Adams (Acclimatise). Heather Coleman (Oxfam America) and Ryan Schuchard (BSR) were lead contributors.

For more information click here.

Green Economy to Help Make Poverty History in Mozambique

2012-06-29

Maputo, Mozambique: Following squandered opportunities at the Rio+20 talks in Brazil, Mozambique has created a national roadmap towards a Green Economy.

Within two months of a regional conference on Green Economy organized by Mozambique's Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Action (MICOA) and WWF in Maputo in April this year, the roadmap was approved by Mozambique's Council of Ministers and rapidly found its way to Rio de Janeiro, the stage for the International Conference on Sustainable Development.

During a side event organized by MICOA, with the cooperation of WWF and the African Development Bank, Mozambique joined the likes of South Africa, Cambodia, United Kingdom, Indonesia, Guiana, Vietnam and South Korea in launching concrete initiatives moving towards a Green Economy.

The Green Economy Roadmap outlines how the country will move towards economic development and poverty eradication through laying down an institutional, policy and legal framework that will create an environment where sustainable development thrives.

Speaking during the launch of the roadmap, the President of the Republic of Mozambique, Armando Emílio Guebuza emphasised the importance of Green Economy as one of many approaches designed to extinguish the scourge of poverty.

"In Mozambique, the Green Economy model forms part of the body of approaches designed to make poverty history. This is the future that we, Mozambicans, want. This is also the future that the rest of Humanity dreams about," he said.

President Guebuza added that working together in the future will be essential in saving the earth and its biodiversity.

"The conditions that allow all of us the right to development and to provide for the sustainable use of our resources must be strengthened and protected, at all cost. Working together, as the international community, to save the earth and its biodiversity is imperative. It is an ethical duty, a moral obligation."

Donald Kabaruka, President of the African Development Bank committed his institution's support to Mozambique as they embark on this important initiative. The Director General of WWF, Jim Leape, lauded Mozambique achievement following a disappointing outcome at the Rio+20 talks.

"It is heartening to see that some countries are taking responsibility in their own hands, by preparing bold plans and implementing measures to better manage the natural capital that is in their hands, reduce their dependency on non-renewable resources and by making the choices that protect the lives and wellbeing of their population," said Mr. Leape

Fishermen fishing off the coast of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique. ©Frederick J. Weyerhaeuser

The Green Economy plan for Mozambique is the result of months of intense work by the Ministry for the Coordination of Environmental Action (MICOA), with the Ministry of Planning and Development, WWF and other partner organizations. The approval and launch of the roadmap is an important milestone in a planning process that aims to make socio-economic development in Mozambique more sustainable and more resilient to climate change by protecting, restoring and rationally using natural capital and its ecosystem services to guarantee inclusive and efficient sustainable development for the benefit of present and future generations of Mozambicans.

Mozambique's population is highly dependent on the availability of basic natural resources such as land, water, forests and fish. The high dependency on such resources and the unsustainable rate and methods of their use and extraction is destroying the very basis of their existence. The pressures are rapidly rising as the population is expected to double by 2030, putting even more of a strain on the already stressed natural resource base in the region.

Mozambique's roadmap to a Green Economy will be implemented over a period of 18 years through to 2030. Key provisions of the Green Economy plan include a thorough evaluation of the opportunities provided by its rich national natural capital base, including mapping and quantification of ecosystems, an assessment of current and future risks and an assessment of the role of ecosystems in the local economy and the wellbeing of the population.

By John Kabubu

Rio+20 should adopt an approach to making sustainability reporting standard practice say leading business organizations

2012-06-20

The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) are urging heads of delegations, ministers and heads of state to act now to make sustainability reporting standard practice – in particular, to encourage all listed and large (public and private) companies to report their sustainability performance on a report or explain basis.

Business plays a vital role in speeding up the transition towards a green economy. Realizing that there are risks and potentially competing impacts to consider, the transparent measurement and reporting of sustainability impacts of corporate activities must become standard business practice.

Ernst Ligteringen, Chief Executive of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): "For the past 15 years, leading companies have been reporting on their sustainability performance, benefiting the companies themselves, as well their diverse stakeholders and society. Today, thousands of companies release a sustainability report, and the number continues to grow year on year. At the 2002 Johannesburg conference, this practice was commended; the opportunity in Rio is to adopt policy to make this standard practice."

Peter Bakker, president WBCSD: "Sustainability reporting is a strategic tool for companies big and small. What gets measured gets managed. The combination of the ever growing pressures on the availability and price of resources and the necessary move towards pricing externalities means that smart companies will want to understand their impacts. The question in Rio+20 is how can governments help accelerate the development and adoption of these tools and practices."

Mrs. Marina Grossi, executive president of CEBDS: "We are convinced that reporting will trigger a strong multiplying process. The weight of big companies on their supply chain will spread this practice among its suppliers, providing benefits to a wide stakeholders network – that are also encouraged to follow their steps. Also, 'Report or Explain' presents an extra layer of accountability to those stakeholders and easiness to companies to adapt to this new scenario."

Call for global policy framework

GRI, WBCSD and CEBDS are also calling for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to develop a process and a timeframe to establish a global policy framework to create the appropriate enabling conditions for more widespread sustainability reporting. In February this year, Ban Ki-moon stated that business and investors have a true opportunity to show leadership and contribute to the goal of mainstreaming corporate sustainability: "Let us work together to forge a global policy framework for disclosing such information – and for explaining why companies do not."

This policy framework can be built on existing reporting initiatives. GRI produces a comprehensive sustainability reporting framework that is widely used around the world. WBCSD is the leading organization on sustainable development in business, and CEBDS is the Brazilian branch of the WBCSD network. Many WBCSD and CEBDS member companies are among the thousands worldwide already reporting their sustainability performance using the GRI Guidelines. In addition, the WBCSD has (co)developed reporting standards for Greenhouse Gases and Water, and the International Integrated Reporting Council has begun work on the linkages between an organization's strategy, governance and financial performance and the social, environmental and economic context within which it operates.

Stock exchanges respond

As well as governments, stock exchanges have a role as regulators in encouraging more companies to be transparent and report their sustainability performance. Sao Paolo stock exchange BM&FBOVESPA and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) are already working with their member companies to help business be more transparent, and have responded positively to today's call.

Sonia Favaretto, Director Sustainability at BM&F BOVESPA, said: "BM&FBOVESPA understands how transparency in the provision of information is fundamental for markets to function well. Sustainability reports play a crucial role in this context. Our point of reference for this type of report is the GRI methodology. For this reason, at Rio+20 and in partnership with GRI we shall launch 'Report or Explain' in sustainability reports and similar. We believe that the publication of sustainability reports is a powerful instrument for the transformation of corporate management and culture."

"Companies and investors face a new value reality given the challenges of sustainability. The JSE aims to positively influence our clients to build resilience and longevity, and to encourage increased transparency through our listing requirements and tools such as the SRI Index Series, and we support global efforts to promote transparency on material issues across financial, environmental and social dimensions, including through a report or explain approach to reporting," said Corli Le Roux, Head of the SRI Index and Sustainability at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

WWF Climate Savers companies cut 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases

2012-06-06

Gland, 9 May 2012 - Corporate members of WWF's Climate Savers programme cut their carbon dioxide emissions by more than 100 million tonnes over the period 1999 to 2011, according to an independent review of the programme released today. The figure is equivalent to double the current annual emissions of Switzerland.

The review, conducted by the international energy consultancy Ecofys, also finds that as Climate Savers companies continue to deliver on their commitments up to 2020, overall emissions savings since 1999 could exceed 350 million tonnes. This is roughly equivalent to the current annual emissions of Spain.

Current Climate Savers members include Alpro, Arjowiggins Graphic, Catalyst, The Coca-Cola Company, Collins Companies, Diversey, Elopak, Eneco, Fairmont, HP, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, KPN, Lafarge, National Geographic, Natura, Nike, Nokia Siemens Networks, Novo Nordisk, Resolute Forest Products, Sofidel, Sprint, Tetra Pak, Sagawa, Sony, Supervalu and Volvo. Commitments by former members Nokia, Polaroid and Spitsbergen were also included in the analysis.

"The leadership shown by Climate Savers confirms that companies in diverse sectors can do good business and take a bite out of climate change," says Alexander Quarles van Ufford, Senior Partnerships Manager at WWF International. "Resource efficiency and the goal of a low-carbon economy have to become part of the corporate DNA, particularly given high fuel and commodity prices."

WWF is releasing the results to coincide with three days of meetings it is holding in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where it will encourage existing Climate Savers companies and other corporations to further boost industry efforts against global warming.

The Ecofys analysis points up the potential for achieving far greater emissions cuts. It finds that were other major corporations to follow the Climate Savers' lead in only the current 16 business sectors where the programme is active, between 500 and 1000 million tonnes of emissions could be avoided annually in 2020, an amount roughly comparable to the current annual emissions of Germany.

Ecofys says these reductions could contribute up to 9% to closing what UNEP calls the 'emissions gap'. The gap is the difference between rising greenhouse gas emissions and what is needed to put the world on a path to limiting global warming to the maximum acceptable level of 2 degrees Celsius.

"Greater voluntary efforts by industry are possible and essential. But the size of the task means it cannot be accomplished solely by voluntary business action. Governments have to strengthen the international policy framework to mandate deeper emission reductions," says Alexander Quarles van Ufford, of WWF.

Ecofys gathered emissions data from Climate Savers companies and then forecast emissions for the period after 2011 based on each company's commitment. They developed a 'business-as-usual' scenario showing emissions levels if companies had not taken on commitments. Annual savings in emissions were the difference between business-as-usual and real and forecast emissions.

The emission calculations include direct emissions from a company's operations (so-called 'scope 1'), indirect emissions (scope 2) from use of purchased electricity, heat or steam and other indirect emissions (scope 3) from the supply chain but not under the company's control.

Kornelis Blok, Director of Science at Ecofys, who was closely involved in the analysis says: "We have seen many corporations pledge emissions reductions. The Ecofys analysis shows that there are not only good intentions but also that a tangible impact is being achieved."

WWF concerned Rio talks may collapse

2012-06-05

Gland, Switzerland: Two weeks out from the 20-year reprise of the Rio Earth Summit, and two years after negotiations started, global conservation organization WWF issued a World Environment Day warning that failures of commitment, failures of process and failures of leadership could lead to the collapse of talks on achieving a long-term sustainable world.

"Currently we are a long way from where we need to be in these negotiations," said WWF Director General, Jim Leape. "Heads of State still have a unique opportunity in Rio to set the world on a path to sustainable development – but they need to step up their game dramatically. As things currently stand, we are facing two likely scenarios – an agreement so weak it is meaningless, or complete collapse. Neither of these options would give the world what it needs."

An extra week given over to negotiations fell into disarray over the weekend as the talks fractured into 19 separate dialogues with internal disagreements on the processes to be followed. "Country positions are still too entrenched and too far apart to provide a meaningful draft agreement for approval by an expected 120 Heads of State," said Leape.

The most recent text was a significant weakening of previous drafts, particularly in the areas of valuing natural wealth, energy and ocean protection, and even that was privately rejected by a number of delegations.

"When they gather in Rio, governments must restrain the flow of weasel words that is threatening to emasculate any agreement," said Leape. "They are not helping their people or the planet by 'noting', 'recognising' or 'emphasising'. We need to see time-bound commitment and action words like 'will', 'must' and 'deliver'," said Leape.

"These talks about our common future risk being strangled by short-term views focused on national interests that are to nobody's long-term benefit. Governments must come out of their corners, and together embrace a bold vision for a better future for all – and do what it takes to get there."

WWF's recent Living Planet Report warned that the world currently consumes 1.5 planets worth of resources, with Rio+20 being one of the most immediate and potentially influential opportunities to equitably bring consumption to sustainable levels.

While rescuing the Rio talks will be difficult, leaders need to deliver a clear political mandate to ensure food, water and energy security for all by 2030. Concretely, this means agreeing to integrate the value of nature into national and corporate accounting standards, eliminating harmful subsidies, agreeing to Sustainable Development Goals and strong regimes to protect oceans.

Heads of State can deliver concrete outcomes by instructing foreign ministers and delegations to focus on points of agreement rather than points of difference. "This is a matter of urgency – and we need our political leaders to show they mean business by quickly coming to agreement on the fundamental changes in the way economies are managed to protect our future," said Leape.

For more information:
Gemma Parkes, WWF International, gparkes@wwfint.org, +41 79 253 6386
Natalie Boudou, WWF International, nboudou@wwfint.org, +41 79 820 2898

Notes to editor:
-Follow updates from WWF at Rio+20 on Twitter: @WWF_Media
-See WWF's Living Planet Report 2012 at wwf.panda.org/lpr
-More on WWF's work at Rio+20 on panda.org

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

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