WWF - Conservation and environmental news & publications: Finland

APP's double default on creditors

2012-03-27

European, Japanese taxpayers unwittingly underwrite continued
forest and tiger habitat destruction.

Pekanbaru, Sumatra; Gland, Switzerland: Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has been accused of a "double default" on international creditors, after an investigation revealed that the company has decimated tropical forests it promised to conserve under "legally binding" debt restructuring agreements.

"APP Default on Environmental Covenant," a new report from Sumatra NGO coalition Eyes on the Forest, shows that the company in 2004 agreed to protect high conservation value forest under debt restructuring agreements it made with taxpayer-backed financial institutions in nine countries. The debt restructuring agreements were negotiated after APP in 2001 defaulted on a massive $US13.9 billion of debt and was delisted by the New York and Singapore stock exchanges.

The 2004 agreements covered the restructuring of $6 billion in debt to the taxpayer-backed export credit agencies of Germany, Japan, France, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain and Denmark. Under the agreement, APP – part of the giant Sinar Mas conglomerate - also promised to be fully sustainable by 2007, something it defined as producing all pulp exclusively from plantation wood. The company described the agreements as a "legally binding contractual obligation".

Click to enlarge (© Eyes of the Forest)

The Eyes on the Forest investigation shows that 2007 was the year APP's wood suppliers began clearing the very areas of high conservation value forest in central Sumatra's Pulau Muda that had been highlighted by APP as an example of a new "scientific basis for the sustainable development of our plantations and the management of our conservation areas".

"Despite APP's praise for the independent mapping of the high conservation value forest in the Pulau Muda rainforest, our analysis of recent satellite imagery shows a third of the identified 34,000 hectares has now been drained and cleared," said Muslim Rasyid, co-ordinator of Jikalahari (Forest Rescue Network Raiu), a member of Eyes on the Forest.

Much of this clearing was legally questionable on other grounds, being on peat of more than four metres deep which when drained gives off colossal carbon emissions.

Promises cannot be trusted

"Even in legally binding agreements with government-backed credit institutions around the world, APP has demonstrated that its promises cannot be trusted," said Rod Taylor, Director of WWF International's Forest Programme.

"In just the last couple of months, it's been revealed that APP and affiliates have cleared inside a self-declared tiger sanctuary, that the company has made claims about sustainability certifications that its certifiers reject, and that protected timber species are present in supplies to its pulp mills."

APP has missed self-imposed deadlines of 2004, 2007, and 2009 of supplying its pulp mills exclusively from renewable plantation wood. An announcement it would finally fulfil this promise by 2015 was recently amended to a new deadline of 2020 – when there is a risk there will be little forest left in Sumatra. Eyes on the Forest calls on the ECAs and other investors to not finance APP's plans to expand existing or open new pulp and paper mills in Indonesia, in China and around the world.

"WWF urges taxpayers to tell their export credit agencies to stop supporting the destruction of Sumatran and other tropical forests and driving elephants, tigers and orang-utans to local extinction," said Nazir Foead, Conservation Director WWF-Indonesia.

"This is a company that defaulted on its debts and defaulted on the environmental covenants it agreed to as a condition of restructuring its debts. Any support to its plans to expand risks history repeating itself, with any new pulp mills adding to the over-capacity driving the assault on Sumatra's natural forests and wildlife.

"This is not a business model that should be financed by any prudent financial institution or investor for replication in Borneo, Papua or anywhere else."

For further information:
"APP Default on Environmental Covenant," a report by Eyes on the Forest (www.eyesontheforest.or.id), a coalition of Sumatra NGOs including WWF Riau, can be found here

The truth behind APP's greenwash, by Eyes on the Forest, compares APP claims of sustainability and responsibility to its actual practices. See http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/?202809/Massive-APP-greenwash-campaign-is-mostly-hogwash-finds-new-report

APP certifiers distance themselves from sustainability claims http://wwf.panda.org/?203540/APP-certifiers-distance-themselves-from-sustainability-claims#disqus_thread

WWF-US last month detailed the link between APP's destruction of Sumatran rain forests and U.S. toilet paper imports. To download the report and learn more about WWF's tissue campaign, please visit www.worldwildlife.org/tp
Phil Dickie, pdickie@wwfint.org, +41 79 703 1952
Chris Chaplin, cchaplin@wwf.sg, +65 9826 3802

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. panda.org/news for latest news and media resources

Denmark tops first-of-its-kind Global Cleantech Innovation Index

2012-02-27

Denmark, followed by Israel, Sweden, Finland and the US provide the best conditions today for clean technology start-up creation, with companies in the Asia Pacific region following closely behind when it comes to commercial success, the first Global Cleantech Innovation Index shows.

In Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012, Cleantech Group and WWF looks at where entrepreneurial cleantech companies are growing today, reasons as to where they will spring-up over the coming years, and which countries are falling above and below the curve for fostering cleantech innovation.

Thirty-eight countries were evaluated on 15 indicators related to the creation and commercialisation of cleantech start-ups, generating an index measuring each one's potential, relative to their economic size, to produce entrepreneurial cleantech start-up companies and commercialise clean technology innovations over the next 10 years.

"The global macro-economic landscape is shifting; fostering entrepreneurial start-ups and growth companies with clean technology solutions will be an increasingly important part of countries' competitiveness on the world stage" said Richard Youngman, Managing Director Europe & Asia, Cleantech Group.

The four top scoring countries were Denmark, Israel, Sweden and Finland. These countries all have small economies and while they are the source of much innovation, they have less ability to scale-up companies. These small countries need innovative approaches and collaboration to compensate for the lack of large domestic markets and inconsistent availability of finance throughout a company's life-cycle.

"This index shows that several countries are on the right track, but clearly much more needs to be done if we are to properly address climate change and achieve a transition towards a global 100 percent renewable future," said Samantha Smith, leader of WWF's Global Climate and Energy Initiative.

"The overwhelming majority of capital required for making the transition to a low-carbon future will come from a variety of private sources. Developing a working recipe for strengthening the flow of public-private finance towards early as well as later stage cleantech is key for countries that want to taste the economic success of cleantech," she added.

North America and northern Europe emerged as the primary contributors to the development of innovative cleantech companies.

The US placed fifth in the Index. However in absolute terms, without factoring in economic size, the United States leads in many measures of cleantech innovation: the country has the greatest public cleantech R&D budget, the greatest number of cleantech start-ups and investors, as well as the most venture capital, private equity, and M&A deals in cleantech.

However, the Asia Pacific region performs well when it comes to scaling up entrepreneurial cleantech companies to wider commercial success and revenue creation.

While currently seeing fewer emerging cleantech start-ups and placing 13th, China leads in cleantech manufacturing, is strong in early-stage growth, and shows potential to produce more early stage innovation in the future.

The country is rapidly gaining access to funding due to success in raising money for cleantech-focused funds. Additionally, China has been home to the majority of cleantech IPOs since 2009, many of which listed on the recently established ChiNext board of the Shenzhen stock exchange.

Similarly, India scores 12th but is performing well in fund raising towards Cleantech focused funds and has much activity in later stage Cleantech companies.

Coming Clean: The Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012 is available as a free download from both Cleantech Group and WWF.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors
A free webinar, The Global State of Cleantech, discussing the findings is scheduled for February 28, 2012 at 9am GMT as well as 6pm GMT. Register at http://info.cleantech.com/CleantechIndexWebinar.html

For more information, please contact

Stefan Henningsson, Senior Adviser Climate Innovation, WWF International, +46 70 57 99 291, stefan.henningsson@wwf.panda.org, Twitter: shenningsson

Barbara Evaeus, Manager Climate Communications, WWF Sweden, Barbara.evaeus@wwf.se, +46 70 393 90 30

"Our work really starts now..."

2011-12-12

Whilst efforts to reach a global consensus on combating climate change continue, the need for effective action at the regional and national level escalates. Such action can no longer wait for global agreement. If people, economic growth, and nature are to coexist in harmony, we must act fast to ensure ecological resilience and economic sustainability.

In the Himalayas WWF-UK, WWF-US and WWF-Finland have joined forces with the WWF offices of Bhutan, Nepal and India, to create a regional initiative aimed at ensuring such action is taken. The Living Himalayas Initiative recently played a key role in the successful outcome of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas – a role Dr. Liisa Rohweder, the CEO of WWF-Finland is extremely proud of, but said, "Our work really starts now..."

"The Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas was extremely successful for two reasons", said Dr. Rohweder speaking outside the summit in Bhutan. "The first is that the summit process and its outcomes are fully owned by the four governments" – something WWF played a pivotal role in making happen, "but more significantly is the fact that this is the first time that India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh, have come together to join forces to combat the impacts of climate change."

From WWF's perspective, the Summit marks a major milestone – taking us one step closer to our vision for a Living Himalayas; 'where nature and people live in harmony'. It also provides us with a well needed success story in terms of tackling the issue of climate change. A point Dr. Rohweder was keen to stress. "What the world needs right now are climate change success stories – especially as we wait for the results of the Durban climate talks", which she admitted to feeling "very pessimistic about".

WWF will now support the 4 governments in their efforts to build on this positive outcome, and create further success stories for the people and biodiversity of the Himalayas. "We must reinforce our support, and increase our regional adaptation work. This will help make the eastern Himalayas a showcase for the rest of the world".

When asked about WWF's role at the summit, Dr. Rohweder cited the message that she had received whilst speaking with government leaders at the summit; "WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative has been working effectively, and with great passion now for a year and a half to make this summit a success, and to create regional level action on adaptation to climate change." She added that the fact that "the WWF team had provided vital assistance, background information, and guidance in keeping the process focused on creating a regional 'Framework of Cooperation', is a matter of pride for WWF".

Whilst WWF has a strong country-level presence in Bhutan, India and Nepal, WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative has been focusing on regional level work, particularly in regard to climate based issues; as Dr. Rohweder said, "The impacts of climate change are not restricted by political boundaries". They also tend to be interconnected with issues of biodiversity, water availability and human livelihoods; so any effort to address these issues must 'look beyond borders' and deal with them at a regional scale.

The leaders of the 4 countries have acknowledged this, and agreed that if they are going to have any success in terms of preparing their countries for the adverse effects of climate change, they must work together at a regional level. The agreement at the summit underscores this, and highlights the vital role played by WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative.

The work really starts now though – a point emphasized by various participants at the summit, including Dr. Rohweder, "While it has been heavy going in the lead up to the summit, our work really starts now. Our role as a solutions-based organization with decades of experience in the region puts us in a position where we can really make a difference, and help make real the outcomes of the summit".

Claiming the summit as a big success for the Living Himalayas Initiative, Dr. Rohweder said that the regional context of the Living Himalayas Initiative has increased the effectiveness of WWF's in-country investments - specifically WWF-UK, WWF-US and WWF-Finland's. One of the great challenges at WWF is the constant need to produce success stories that provide models to be shared and replicated, as well as lessons learned, but these three WWF offices working alongside the Living Himalayas Initiative have been doing so effectively.

The key for the Living Himalayas Initiative now is to realign itself with the outcomes of the summit, and look for further support from the WWF network so it can continue to work effectively and diligently on issues linked with securing the freshwater systems of the Himalayas, and the sustainable use of its biodiversity. An increased focus is also needed on protecting some of the iconic species of the region (such as the snow leopard and red panda), as well as increasing the role of local communities in conservation, and establishing a network of community conservation areas across the eastern Himalayas.

All of which pose challenges, but as Dr. Rohweder said, "We have succeeded in the past and we will succeed in the future too". It was unthinkable a couple of years ago that that the eastern Himalayan nations would come together to combat the impacts of climate change. A challenge that was taken up by WWF's Living Himalayas Initiative and made a reality. Proof that WWF has a vital role to play in the future of the Himalayas and the fight against the impacts of global climate change.

Eastern Himalayan nations reach base camp on regional climate deal

2011-11-19

Thimphu, Bhutan – The nations of Bhutan, Nepal, India and Bangladesh have signed a regional climate change adaptation declaration that will see wide-ranging collaboration on energy, water, food and biodiversity issues, a deal that could lead the way to similar climate adaptation plans being implemented to cover other threatened ecosystems.

"The success of our initiative will not only have direct and immediate benefits for our own people, but we could be setting a worthy precedent for other countries that share similar conditions," said Bhutan's Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinley.

The declaration was signed at the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas – Bhutan 2011, a two-day summit that brought high-level government officials, NGOs, leaders of civil society, and youth ambassadors from the four Eastern Himalayan nations to Bhutan's capital, Thimphu to work out a deal on energy security, natural freshwater systems, food security, and biodiversity across the region.

Energy framework

The four nations broadly agreed to combine powers to increase access to "affordable and reliable" clean energy resources and technology through a regional knowledge sharing mechanism. This would include diversification of energy supply, improved regional connectivity for electricity and natural gas, as well as efforts to enhance energy efficiency across the Eastern Himalayas.

Natural freshwater systems

Agreements on water security – the most contentious are of the Summit declaration – were somewhat diluted, but the four nations did manage to see eye to eye on future activities including collaborative ecosystem and disaster management, knowledge sharing in water use efficiency, and improving understanding of impacts of climate change on water resources across the region.

Food and livelihoods

Consensus was also reached on food security and securing livelihoods, with the deal covering adaptive approaches to improving and sustaining food production, promoting systems that help vulnerable communities gain better access to nutritious food, as well as regional knowledge sharing and capacity building.

Biodiversity and sustainable use

"The framework of cooperation will see the creation of an interconnected mosaic of conservation spaces across the Eastern Himalayas, crucial for communities that rely on the region's natural resources for their survival and the protection of endangered species such as the snow leopard," said Liisa Rohweder, CEO of WWF Finland

"These kinds of regional initiatives are really needed - we should take this as a positive example for COP 17 in Durban, and for the upcoming Rio + 20 conference," she added.

New economic paradigm

Bhutan's Prime Minister also made an urgent call to create a new global economic paradigm that takes the value of natural capital, ecosystem services, and social well-being into account for a sustainable future.

"We need to adopt a full course natural accounting system which will in all probability show us clearly that our economy is only as healthy as the ecosystem services and natural resources that sustain our life on earth and power our economies," Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y. Thinley said during his keynote address.

He added that solutions to the broader issues of climate change, global warming and sustainability were unlikely to emerge from the upcoming climate talks in Durban later this month, instead saying the way forward lies with the Rio + 20 summit in 2012:

"With COP 17 unlikely to yield any earth-shaking results, our hopes are pinned on the Rio +20 Summit. It is at this event that every nation and region must be prepared to play an active and committed part," the Bhutanese Prime Minster stated.

Working together to build climate resilience

2011-11-01

By Seth Jackson

Whilst efforts to reach a global consensus on combating climate change continue, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh will hammer-out a regional climate resilience roadmap at the upcoming Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas on the 19th of November. For the 4 nations involved this is an absolute necessity - the time for action is running out. Nowhere is this more evident than the mid-hills of Nepal.

The mid-hills of the Himalayas

The mid-hills of the Himalayas is a region of dramatic landscapes. Steep sloped terrace-striped hills link silver-washed river valleys with the high-Himalayas. Life here, however, is not quite so picturesque. A combination of unpredictable weather conditions, melting glaciers, deforestation, and poor natural resource management has led to water scarcity becoming a dominant issue.

"The weather these days is quite unpredictable," says Upendra Bastakoti a vegetable farmer from the region. "Erratic rainfall and high flooding washes away our lands, and then no rainfall and droughts destroy our crops - even when the weather is OK there are too many people. What little water we have is being used too quickly."

And it is not just the farmers that are suffering, he says, "every person when you speak to them has the same opinion - each year the water we need is becoming scarcer and scarcer."

WWF working in partnership

In order to address this situation WWF, in partnership with the government of Nepal, is working to better integrate conservation efforts in the region, starting with the Indrawati River Basin.

The project is run from a ramshackle old house overlooking the mid-hills of Nepal. From here Harris Chandra Rai, the WWF Field Project Officer, leads the Indrawati Sub Basin Project with 6 members of staff.

He says, "The major goal of the project is to enhance local livelihoods through the sustainable use of water resources, whilst maintaining the environmental balance."

The key to the project's success, however, lies with the development of local water resource management committees. The committees consist of representatives from different villages with different vested interests such as drinking water, agriculture, irrigation and forestry.

The committee members work together to develop targeted sustainable water resource management projects based on priority; such as maintaining spring sources, reforestation, rain water collection, and developing drinking water reservoirs. The committee also oversees the raising and distribution of funds, and ensures equitable usage and participation. This approach allows different water users to have a say in the projects actions, and creates a sense of ownership and therefore responsibility among the community members.

"Before [WWF's intervention] we had a big need for irrigation," says Upendra the vegetable farmer, "but the only source of water was the river a long-way-away using an electric pump and pipes that cost money, and didn't bring much water."

With financial and technical support from the Indrawati Sub Basin Project, Upendra, along with other members of his community, built an irrigation reservoir. Rain water is now collected during the wet season to be used in the dry season. This allows Upendra and his neighbours to diversify the types of crop they grow, and increase the quantities they produce.

Successes

So far 4 committees have been developed, representing over 50 villages; 28 of which have benefited from integrated resource management interventions. The project is only in its second year though, and there are many more communities that could benefit from its intervention.

The projects greatest achievement so far has been in spreading the idea of 'working together to overcome water scarcity' to the ground level communities. Providing a platform for different community members to communicate, and through completed projects, demonstrating the benefits of different parties working together to develop solutions to a common problem.

An accomplishment Upendra highlights when asked of why he joined his local committee. He says "I observed other water management activities in my area and realized they were helping people's lives – alternative agriculture, drinking water, irrigation and education. So I joined the committee and organized an intervention in my own village. Our knowledge of water management is now improved and is being passed on to other villages."

Trial and error

This is a new approach for Nepal so there are no tried and tested techniques. Instead WWF is relying on the involvement of different water users, right from the start, to implement interventions for their own benefit, but with guidance and education. This method should ultimately enable local water users to sustain the interventions, even after the WWF project has ended.

This integrated approach brings its fair share of challenges though. As Harris explains, "not only are we dealing with different members of local communities, but also government line agencies and partner NGOs. No one party is used to dealing with another, so maintaining proper coordination and communication is a struggle."

This is not the biggest challenge though, he says, "The biggest challenge is the desperate need of the people - the project cannot cater for the demands of everybody."

Water scarcity is an issue that affects almost every rural community in Nepal, and the impacts of climate change, combined with rapid population growth, are predicted to decrease water availability in coming years, and worsen the situation. Harris says, "The issue is so bad that at times it feels like a development project, focusing on infrastructures such as reservoirs and irrigation. It could be easy to lose sight of the environmental goals."

When asked of whether or not water resource management can be called conservation, Harris chuckles, he says, "That is perhaps the biggest point. Water resource management may not at first feel like conservation, but once we bring all the components together from different project areas such as reforestation, sustainable land management, and species protection, it will definitely become more obvious - conservation of ecosystems, conservation of forests, conservation of species.

Bhawani Dongol, WWF-Nepal's Freshwater Programme Officer agrees. He says, "This is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 60% of the population relying on agriculture to survive. You cannot go straight into biodiversity conservation. In the beginning you need to first address the needs of the people."

He says, "For now WWFs focus on sustainable resource management and communities is vital. We are able to provide communities with the education and training they need to make informed decisions on how best to address the issue of water scarcity in the face of climate change, together."

Setting an example

The Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas aims to address the issue of water scarcity in the region by also fully integrating sustainable livelihoods with climate adaptability, and will be looking to existing successful projects for examples. The Indrawati Sub Basin Project could therefore be seen as a pilot project and representative of not only the situation in Nepal, but across the rest of the Himalayas.

Sweden unleashes 6747 hunters onto 20 wolves

2011-01-14

Stockholm, Sweden: Another storm of protest is set to engulf Sweden's second cull of endangered wolves tomorrow, which has seen 6,747 hunters register to kill 20 of the total Scandinavian wolf population of about 250.

WWF-Sweden was one of four Swedish nature conservation organisations to approach the European Union in March 2010, after a first cull of 27 wolves last year was justified on the basis that the hunt would create acceptance for the wolf in Sweden.

"It is doubtful that the hunt has created acceptance for the wolf's existence in Sweden" says Håkan Wirtén, CEO WWF-Sweden.

Opinion surveys have shown that a majority of the Swedish people are already positive to the wolves in rural areas with the main opposition coming from hunters themselves using loose dogs and sheep farmers.

In an exchange of letters which has intensified in the last month, the EU has put Sweden on notice that going ahead with tomorrow's hunt could see the country hauled before the European Court for violating the Habitat's Directive.

According to the correspondence between Janez Potočnik, the European Commissioner for Environment and Andreas Carlgren, the Swedish Minister of Environment, hunting of the wolf in the EU is strictly prohibited, with very narrowly defined exceptions not consistent with Sweden's arbitrary limit for its wolf population.

Potočnik also argues that the irregularities in Sweden setting up a semi-annual licenced hunt could set unfortunate precedents for protecting other endangered animals.

Scandinavia's wolf population is exceptionally vulnerable because of an extremely narrow genetic base, almost totally isolated from the wolves in Russian and Finland and founded on only three animals which migrated in to Sweden between 1983 and early 1990. Two more wolves with "fresh" blood established themselves in 2008, but the population is extremely inbred and needs new wolves from Finland and Russia rather than culling.

The Swedish parliament decided in 2009 that there should be only 200 to 210 individual wolves in Sweden, despite being a large country with very high densities of prey. The country is also relatively sparsely populated compared to other countries in Europe which have wolves.

Last year's cull of 27 animals (28 were shot, one more than the set quota) started an outrage in Sweden which awoke groups who earlier have kept silence in the wolf debate. A majority of the Swedish population (even in the most dense hunter areas) are positive to the wolves.

"As the hunt is going ahead tomorrow, WWF proposes that the European Commission move ahead with the infringement procedure against Sweden," said Andreas Baumuller, Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer at WWF's European Policy Office

Contact: Tom Arnbom, Senior Conservation Officer, WWF Sweden.
Tel: +46-70-5544066, e-mail:tom.arnbom@wwf.se

Historic high seas declaration at risk

2010-09-01

Hamburg, Germany: Last minute reservations from four countries may sink the historic announcement of a network of marine protected areas over key areas of the mid-Atlantic Ridge and basin which was scheduled for the North-East Atlantic environment summit later this month.

The declaration, foreshadowed by the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic since 2008, would have been the world's first declaration of a suite of protected sites in waters outside any national jurisdiction.

"The sixteen Contracting Parties have been working towards a milestone achievement for several years, setting a global example to protect ocean wildlife and vulnerable habitats in international waters which is considered an unprecedented pilot by other coastal states worldwide," said Stephan Lutter, International Marine Policy Officer with WWF-Germany and WWF's observer to OSPAR, the Oslo Paris convention on the north east Atlantic environment.

"Now, the reservation by four governments is putting the big break at risk."

Ministers representing parties to OSPAR were scheduled to consider detailed proposals at a meeting in Bergen, Norway on 20-24 September.

"However now that the draft Decisions and Recommendations are on the table for adoption, a group of countries sadly withdraw their support to what could become a global push for good High Seas and ocean governance," said Lutter. "Due to the reluctance of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom, the ambitious plan to deliver a first network of High Seas marine protected areas is at stake."

The new found reluctance of these states to stick to their original commitments is thought to relate to them notifying extensions of their continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) to the United Nations. These seabed claims now coincide with parts of the proposed marine protected areas.

OSPAR's 2008 agreement in principle designated large sections of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the so-called Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone as the first High Seas marine protected area. This underwater mountain range and canyon hosts a wealth of deep sea wildlife, from deep water sharks to cold-water coral reefs and sponge formations. In the upper water layer, there is the sub-polar water front rich in plankton and fish, attracting oceanic seabirds and migrating marine mammals such as big whales.

"Since the time of this political milestone agreement, OSPAR has made remarkable progress in terms of carving out specific conservation objectives and starting consultations about the future management of the protected area with the competent UN authorities for fisheries, seabed mining and shipping, another unique and innovative approach deserving global attention," Lutter said.

Moreover, five additional seamount and ridge sites have been selected and nominated as marine protected areas in the meantime, altogether covering about 450.000 square km or appr. 9% of the North-East Atlantic's international waters.

WWF disputes the basis of reservations of the four countries. Legal advice, including reports commissioned with Law of the Sea experts by WWF, notes the feasibility of establishing marine protected areas via shared responsibility of coastal states for protection of their seabed and international authorities for adjacent areas.

"We believe that states are even obliged to apply their marine conservation laws up to the offshore limit of their jurisdiction, " Lutter said, highlighting the example of Portugal which has nominated four of the sites concerned on its extended shelf and is proactively inviting OSPAR to afford protection to the remaining waters.

"We have not abandoned all hope that this example might catch on and not lost faith in the upcoming Ministerial summit keeping its momentum and international credibility."

Further information:
Stephan Lutter, International Marine Policy & Marine Protected Areas, WWF-Germany
Mobile: +49 151 18854925 E-mail: stephan.lutter@wwf.de

www.panda.org/media for latest news and media resources

Stressed Baltic faces uncontrolled growth

2010-08-24

Stockholm, Sweden: The Baltic, one of the world's most stressed seas, faces uncontrolled growth in demands for space and resources over the next 20 years, according to WWF projections released this week.

Future trends in the Baltic Sea details many sectors growing several hundred per cent, highlighting the inadequacies of sector by sector and country by country planning.

Taking shipping as an example, the number of ships plying the Baltic is expected to double in the next two decades, as will be the cargo carried. Cruise ship use of the Baltic will increase several fold. While the number of ports will remain constant, many will increase their size and capacity and more dredging is expected as a result.

The increased shipping will need to be more careful of wurling windmill blades, with the wind energy sector expected to increase today's capacity by more than 6,000%. Anchors will also be more likely to encounter electric cables and pipelines.

"The situation we have today is the result of many years of bad planning and lack of leadership," says Ottilia Thoreson, Manager of the Baltic Ecoregion Programme at WWF-Sweden. "If we continue in this way, it will lead to even more competition and conflicts between sectors, resulting in even more pressure on the marine resources the Baltic Sea provides us with."

One area that needs growth, Marine Protected Areas, is hardly assured of it. With only 12 percent currently protected, WWF estimates an additional 20 percent of the Baltic's area is required to help in restoring the sea to health.

Today, none of the open basins in the Baltic Sea have a "good ecosystem health status" according to a recent study by Helcom, the Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission. Of 24 ecosystem services provided by the Baltic Sea, less than half were operating properly.

"As long as the use of the sea is managed sector by sector and country by country, it will be impossible to take the hard decisions that are necessary", says Ottilia Thoreson. "We believe that this is one of the reasons why it has been so difficult to save the Baltic Sea".

There is also a large economic benefit to improved sea use planning. A report that was recently released by the European Commission concludes that better maritime planning in European waters could generate as much as 1.3 billion euro in 2020 and up to 1.8 billion in 2030.

In the "Future Trends" report, WWF concludes that the only way to avoid chaos in the Baltic Sea is a more integrated approach to sea use management

The report was issued during this year's Baltic Sea Festival. n 2007, WWF instituted an award, the WWF Baltic Sea Leadership Award. WWF bestows this award when the organisation is inspired and moved by specific acts of true leadership – providing the rest of us with great examples to celebrate and demonstrate as examples for others. This year the Award was presented to Poul Degnbol, Head of the Advisory Programme at ICES (the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) and former Scientific Advisor at the European Commission, with the following motivation:

"WWF applauds Poul Degnbol for taking the initiative during his five years within the European Commission to champion the need for, and benefits of, sustainability and integrating the ecosystem based approach to fisheries management within the Common Fisheries Policy which has made a real difference for the Baltic Sea. WWF also recognizes his leadership to advocate for enhanced stakeholder engagement and a more transparent regional decision-making approach to fisheries management based on scientific advice."

For more information, please contact:
Ottilia Thoreson, Programme Manager, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme
Tel: +46 (0)8- 624 74 15
Email: ottilia.thoreson@wwf.se

Oil drilling suspension should top agenda at arctic emergencies meeting

2010-06-16

Vorkuta, Russia: As oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico from a sunken BP drilling rig, a key meeting of arctic countries starting today needs to push for a suspension of all arctic drilling until the region can deal with the risks, WWF said.

Greg Bourne, a former BP executive now with the global environment organisation, said imagining nations could deal with a drilling accident in the Arctic with current technology and resources would be "a triumph of hope over experience and reason".

The Arctic Council recently updated and revised guidelines for offshore oil and gas drilling, but those guidelines, even if implemented, would not go far enough to prevent or contain catastrophic spills such as last year's Timor Sea blowout which took 73 days to stop or the current Gulf of Mexico oil confirmed as the worst in US history and still unresolved.

WWF maintains that the revised guidelines do not go nearly far enough and the Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response (EPPR) Working Group needs to use the Vorkuta meeting commencing today to strongly urge the Council to impose a halt to drilling plans for this year over a wide spread of the Arctic.

This year exploratory drilling is scheduled to occur off the west coast of Greenland. In Norway, the government is considering opening up areas of high ecological value outside of Lofoten and Vesterålen for oil exploration. In Russia, exploratory drilling is scheduled in the Kara Sea and the Ob river estuary near the Yamal Peninsula.

Nationally, no new drilling should occur until there is the capacity to rapidly and effectively respond to spills in arctic waters.

"It is time for the arctic states to recognize that offshore oil drilling with current technology and response capability poses unacceptable risks in the Arctic" says Aleksey Knizhnikov, Oil & Gas Environmental Policy Officer for WWF-Russia who is attending the Vorkuta meeting.

"Norway and the United States have already taken the first step, by putting off any further arctic offshore drilling until an investigation into the Gulf disaster is over. But we already know that whatever that investigation reveals, it will not diminish the risks of arctic drilling."

Arctic offshore oil drilling is facing increasing opposition from local peoples. A recent poll commissioned by WWF-Norway indicated that almost one out of four Norwegians has become more negative to oil exploration in Lofoten and Vesterålen following the Gulf spill. In both Canada and Alaska, local Indigenous peoples are also opposing offshore oil development until or unless they can be assured that it can be done safely.

"The offshore exploration and production industry are pushing at the very limits of technology and the ability to safely handle and control that technology," says Greg Bourne, CEO of WWF-Australia, and formerly a Drilling Manager and Regional President with BP in Latin America and then Australasia.

"The Gulf of Mexico is the world's centre of drilling technology with thousands of engineers and immense resources in terms of boats, planes, control equipment and manufacturing facilities - and even here it is proving immensely difficult to handle the tragic event of the Gulf of Mexico blowout.

"To even conceive of being able to control a similar event in the Arctic would be a triumph of hope over experience and reason. The consequences of such an event in the cold climate would lead to a persistence of ecological damage over many decades," Bourne says.

WWF is currently updating a study of the oil spill response gap in the Arctic, showing that current technology is incapable of effectively cleaning up oil spills in ice covered waters.

Link to web-quality material: http://www.youtube.com/user/WWFNorge#p/a/u/0/dCSbY5nsjks

For further information:

In Vorkuta, Russia: Aleksey Knizhnikov, Oil & Gas Environmental Policy Officer, WWF-Russia, aknizhnikov@wwf.ru, Tel: +7 910 4280514

International: Patrick Lewis, Responsible Industry Officer, WWF Arctic Programme, plewis@wwf.no, Tel: +47 92 62 30 30

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with more than 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/media for latest news and media resources

Out-of-court negotiations lay way for less damaging Baltic pipleline

2010-04-23

Berlin, Germany - The controversial Baltic Sea gas pipeline is to be less damaging to the vulnerable sea following out-of-court negotiations between proponents Nord Stream and WWF-Germany and BUND (the German chapter of Friends of the Earth).

Under the agreement, Nordstream will modify construction procedures to better protect the environment, greatly increase funding for nature conservation activities, provide more in compensation and provisions for nature conservation measures.

BUND and WWF will discontinue their legal action against the zoning approval and hence waive the option tohave construction work stopped.

"The agreement is a trailblazing success for the protection of the Baltic Sea", notes Jochen Lamp, head of the Baltic Sea office of WWF Germany.

The operators are guaranteeing that they will implement additional measures to protect nature during the construction of the pipeline, going so far as to implement a modified concept of digging. Funds for compensation measures and nature conservation tasks and maintenance will be increased by more than €10m.

On the crucial Greifswald bodden Nord Stream has agreed to considerably reduce disruptions from construction activity, with marsh soil rich in slush now to be transported to onshore dumps or used as construction material. This will eliminate unnecessary water turbidity which would have killed soil organisms and benefit herring spawn.

The company also entered into an agreement with fishers, which will see the the fishing season for herring in the Greifswald bodden reduced by ten days during next year's spawning season.

In addition to the requirements imposed by the public authorities, Nord Stream will contribute €10 million for the implementation of nature conservation measures in the Baltic Sea.

Nature reserves as large as up to 1,000 hectares are to be created in order to compensate for damage caused during construction, with Nord Stream paying for maintenance of these areas for a term of 35 years.

Furthermore, the company will provide a guarantee for remedial action concerning unforeseeable environmental impacts of the pipeline.

The additional funds can now be used to develop and implement nature protection projects in the Baltic Sea habitats in due time. These projects include, for instance, steps to remedy the low oxygen content in the sea which is burdened anyway.

Other options include the creation of large wetlands near the coast and the relocation of dams in order to create space for flooded salt marshes.

Notes Corinna Cwielag, managing director of BUND Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: "We have achieved far more for Baltic Sea protection than public authorities were able or willing to do.

"We have achieved a revision of the approval by the mining authorities which foresaw compensation of just 40 percent - and hence also achieved the main goal of our action."

Eberhard Brandes, head of WWF Germany, called it a "historical achievement" as the first time that a material value visible for investors had been defined for nature on the seafloor and costs had been identified for intervention in marine nature.

This would set standards for the future, he said.

Seven steps to save the Baltic Sea

2010-02-09

Ban of phosphates in detergents, cleaning up remaining Helcom hotspots and a network of marine protected areas are among seven simple actions which could help save one of the most threatened sea areas in the world.

WWF and its partners have published a set of recommendations ahead of the Baltic Sea Action Summit which will take place in Helsinki on the 10 th of February.

Prime Ministers and Heads of States, together with companies and organisations will meet this week in the Finnish capital to agree on "practical commitments to save the Baltic Sea".

The Finnish president Tarja Halonen and the Swedish king, Carl XVI Gustaf, also president of the Council of WWF Sweden, are among the participants.

"Strong leadership and urgent action is needed from all countries around the Baltic to save our joint sea. Good ambitions and bold commitments are very important, but words need to be followed by concrete action to a greater extent than today if we are to see any actual improvements in the sea", said Mats Abrahamsson, Director, WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme.

WWF has compiled a list of seven simple things that can be done right now in the short term to improve the state of the Baltic Sea. Many of these measures have already been "promised" by the Baltic Sea governments.

"We certainly need to continue to work within regional and European institutions to establish solid long term change processes that have a chance to match the severity and complexity of the problems" said Mats Abrahamsson." However, while we work on these long term processes, there are several things that can be done now in the short term to improve the state of the Baltic Sea.

The seven simple things proposed by WWF are: Ban all uses of phosphates in detergents, introduce a tax on N and P in mineral fertilizers, ban fishing of eel until the stock is recovered and restore inland migration routes, ratify the Ballast Water Convention, clean up remaining Helcom hotspots, provide adequate port reception facilities for cruise ship sewage and establish a network of marine protected areas

"These measures can be achieved by with very small changes to existing legislations and budgets. They are far from what is needed to restore the Baltic Sea to a good environmental status, but we think they could be a good start, concluded Mats Abrahamsson

Background: WWF, through its Baltic Ecoregion Programme , is cooperating with governments, businesses, scientists and other organisations around the Baltic Sea to involve all nations, all sectors and all stakeholders in a coordinated process to plan the use of the sea and its resources, in an ecosystem-based approach, with the aim of both saving the environment and facilitating economic development.

Governmental initiatives include the 1977 Helsinki Convention and all its ministerial declarations; the Baltic Sea Environmental Declaration of 9 April 1992; the Baltic 21 agenda, initiated by the Prime Ministers of the Baltic Sea countries in 1996; the Baltic Sea Action Plan of November 2008; and lately the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, adopted by the European Council in October 2009.

Tweets from a Finnish wetland

2009-11-23

While constructing two wetlands in Finland's south-west, Elina Erkkila, WWF-Finland's wetland project officer, will post updates and photos using the microblogging service Twitter.

Hanhilampi Lake suffers from eutrophication and oxygen depletion due to high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilisers used on local farms. Most of the pollution is transported directly from the farms into the lake via two streams.

Over the next week, Elina and colleagues from WWF-Finland will construct two wetlands on the streams to filter out much of the pollution. They will also scout out three other locations around the southern coast of Finland where it could be necessary to build wetlands.

All the while, Elina will use a mobile phone to share their work activities with the world via Twitter. You can follow the project at twitter.com/wetland_project

Why are wetlands important?

A wetlands ability to control water pollution is based on the longer retention period of water; nutrients and earth materials will start the sedimentation and then they don't wash out elsewhere, in this case to Hanhilampi or the Baltic Sea. Different parts of Hanhilampi`s wetlands also offer habitats of many kind of species.

Wetlands are considered to be one of the most cost-effective methods to reduce nutrient run off due to erosion from agricultural lands. Moreover, wetlands help support and conserve biodiversity, as many plants, birds and other animals depend on wetlands for their survival.

Working with farmers

Besides actually re-constructing full scale wetlands, WWF-Finland's wetland project also includes advising local farmers on the importance of agricultural wetlands and sharing the latest research in order help them improve their wetland's nutrient retention capacity.

The bigger picture

At this moment WWF-Finland has designed, built and paid for about 15 different kinds of wetlands which have also been used for briefing and teaching.

During next year, WWF-Finland is going to restore at least 15 new wetlands and design almost twenty more. Some of these wetlands are bounded by the Baltic Sea and some of them are further away. However, every wetland is located within its drainage area.

The wetland project is part of WWF-Finland´s Baltic Sea work but it is also working for inland waters and Finnish natural diversity. The wetland project works in the whole southern coast region of Finland, but right now it is focused on the agricuoltural areas of the southwest. The Finnish environmental authority has estimated that currently there are about 80 constructed wetlands in Finland. The target in next five years is to significantly increase that number.

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 simply no 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% of pre-fishing levels – and may even have dropped to under 10%.

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

Baltic Sea ports overlook cruise ship waste

2009-07-16

Stockholm, Sweden – Large amounts of sewage from cruise ships likely are being dumped into the Baltic Sea because major ports in the region have failed to upgrade their facilities to dispose of the waste.

Only three of more than 20 cruise ship ports around the Baltic – Helsinki, Stockholm, and Visby – have adequate facilities to handle waste from cruise ships when they dock, even though they bring in millions of euros from tourism.

In a letter sent today, the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Action Programme urges those ports to take action and upgrade their facilities. The 12 most visited cruise ports in the Baltic region are: Gdynia, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Klaipeda, Kiel, Copenhagen, Riga, Rostock, Stockholm, Saint Petersburg, Tallinn and Visby.

"We find it unfair that so many ports are profiting from cruise line tourism but are not prepared to take care of their waste," said Pauli Merriman, Director of the WWF Baltic Ecoregion Programme. "We believe that some of these profits should be used to make needed upgrades to their facilities as it should be the responsibility of any country or city that wants to receive these ships, to offer adequate sewage reception facilities",

WWF initially contacted ferry lines and cruise ship companies sailing in the Baltic Sea two years ago, asking for a voluntary ban on waste water discharge. That same year, most of the ferry lines responded positively.

In May, many cruise lines, through their umbrella organization, the European Cruise Council (ECC), made a voluntary commitment to stop dumping their waste water in the Baltic Sea "when certain conditions are met". These conditions included "adequate port reception facilities which operate under a 'no special fee' agreement".

"We are happy that the cruise lines have made this commitment and we believe it is now up to the ports to do their part," said Anita Mäkinen, Head of Marine Program at WWF Finland. "It's a scandal if we let this pollution continue."

WWF also is working within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to push for stronger regulations, which currently allow the discharge of ship waste to international waters. In a paper submitted this week to the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee, WWF urges the IMO to strengthen its regulations regarding the discharge of ship waste in eutrophied semi-closed or closed waters, such as the Baltic.

The Baltic Sea will receive more than 350 cruise ship visits with more than 2,100 port calls this year and the industry is growing by an estimated 13 percent per year.

The waste-water produced in these vessels is estimated to contain 74 tons of nitrogen and 18 tons of phosphorus, substances that add to eutrophication. In addition to excess nutrients, the waste water also contains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens, as well as heavy metals.

Subsidies contribute to harming Baltic Sea instead of saving it

2009-06-17

The majority of subsidies given to Baltic Sea fisheries and agriculture have a negative impact on the health of the sea, a new WWF report says.

Some 14 billion euros of taxpayers' money is distributed to these sectors in the region every year. But according to WWF at least 84 percent of this cash pile is being used in an environmentally harmful way or instead of serving the public good is supporting purely profit related activities.

A previous Swedish Environment Protection Agency showed that the minimum cost to reach the environmental targets for eutrophication and fisheries in the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan is calculated to be approximately €2.6 billion per year.

"This shows that we have enough money to save the Baltic Sea," says Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of WWF Sweden. "Just the money provided to the agriculture and fisheries sectors in the form of misdirected subsidies equals four times the amount of money needed to save the Baltic Sea."

Parallel to the report on subsidies, WWF released its vision statements for the future of European agricultural policy and the European fisheries policy.

Both of these documents state that public funding should only be used to pay for those goods and services that benefit us all, but are not paid for by the market; services like the sustainable management of common resources, biodiversity protection or the maintenance of cultural values.

"The distribution of subsidies today reflects the outcome of political negotiations rather than an objective assessment of the needs of these sectors, the appropriate use of public funding in response to these needs, or a consideration of the amount of funding required", says Lasse Gustavsson.

"Delivering public goods should be the primary purpose of public funding, and this is likely to require substantial investments in the Baltic Sea region also in the future".

According to WWF the most urgent measure to solve the fisheries crisis is to bring down fishing over-capacity to a sustainable level. Today subsidies are used both to scrap vessels and to support increased fishing. The report shows that the cost to bring down over-capacity would be less than zero – it would be a net gain for society.

In order to put agriculture policy on a more sustainable track the WWF vision states the importance of working in partnership with environmental NGOs, farmers' representatives and others to develop a new Common Environment and Rural Policy for implementation in 2019.

The full report and the vision papers are available at www.panda.org/baltic

River managers plan a bleak water future for Europe

2009-05-29

Brussels, Belgium: An ambitious European scheme to fix and safeguard its rivers and secure its water future is at risk of being undermined by poor and inadequate plans for water management prepared by EU countries, a new study by WWF and European Environment Bureau (EEB) has found.

The analysis has found none of the draft plans rates well across a range of water safety, conservation and management measures.

"The European Water Framework Directive when adopted in 2000 was far from perfect but it had the makings of a world-leading vision to change the ways we manage, use and value water at a time when the worlds water future looked much more secure than it does today ," said Sergey Moroz, Water Policy Officer at WWF.

Despite increasing water challenges exacerbated by climate change, draft plans developed so far by Member States are generally putting off major and necessary decisions, providing few mechanisms and little funding to achieve good status for water bodies.

"in the interests of agriculture and industry to become less vulnerable"

"These plans dont create an impression that we are finally departing from the unsustainable practices that led us to the current water crisis," said Pieter de Pous, EEB Water Policy Officer." For example, it is in the interests of agriculture and industry to become less vulnerable to increasingly insecure water supplies but there is very little in the plans when it comes to reducing their water consumption."

What future for EUs water? expresses particular concerns with increasingly water scarce Italy and Greece where it is unclear whether they are actually planning to finalise plans even remotely comparable to what the rest of Europe is doing.

Some countries like the Netherlands that have lost much of their natural rivers and waters in the past, are now starting initiatives to give rivers more space for flooding and thus improving their ability to face future climate change impacts. The Netherlands also managed to secure funding for river restoration, although the amounts are still inadequate.

Worrying diverging trends now emerge from Eastern and Southern Europe, like in Czech Republic and Portugal, where rivers continue to be poured into concrete straightjackets for the purpose of navigation, flood defence or hydropower, said de Pous.

In Portugal up to 10 new dams for hydropower are currently proposed for construction without any adequate consideration of the likelihood that there may not be enough water to run them.

"need to be visionary to tackle lasting food and energy security, public health and climate challenges"

Water pollution remains a serious issue also not sufficiently addressed in the majority of plans and large portions of Europes waters remain at risk of becoming unavailable or in need of expensive treatment.

Water efficiency measures were particularly poor in most draft plans. A partial exception was France's Loire Bretagne basin where a water efficiency objective is proposed for drinking water supply for rural and urban areas.

"To tackle Europes water challenges, Member States plans need to be visionary, abandoning a minimalist approach to implementation and becoming the central plank of efforts to tackle lasting food and energy security, public health and climate challenges," said Moroz.

Public consultation on the draft river plans is set to close at the end of June. EU Member States will have to finalise their water plans by the end of the year and send them to the European Commission.

Polar bears and penguins 'just tip of climate change iceberg'

2009-04-06

New evidence from the North and South Poles indicates that time is running out for the world's leaders to respond to climate change.

As ministers from Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty states hold their first ever joint meeting in Washington on April 6 celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, WWF is challenging the ministers to mark the occasion by affirming their commitment to climate change action.

The conservation organisation provided the ministers with compelling recent evidence from both the north and south poles that clearly demonstrates global temperature increases must be kept well under two degrees Celsius.

"A global average temperature rise of 2 degrees is clearly too much for the poles," says Rob Nicoll, Manager of WWF's Antarctic and Southern Oceans Initiative.

"Scientists are already unpleasantly surprised at how quickly the impacts of warming such as sea ice loss are showing up in the polar regions, exceeding recent predictions."

Global average warming due to climate change since the late 1800s is showing severe impacts at less than one degree, as the Arctic is warming at about twice the global average and parts of the Antarctic are also outstripping the global average.

The polar regions themselves have profound and not yet fully understood impacts on climate globally, and there are fears that polar tipping points could trigger abrupt change around the world.

A forthcoming report on Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is expected to up previous estimates on Antarctica's expected substantial contributions to sea level rises.

Marine food chains of global significance are also under threat from warming in the Antarctic. "Ice shelves the size of small countries are crumbling away and the latest evidence from the Antarctic is showing that the effects of global warming there are increasing in magnitude," said Mr Nicoll.

"The penguins may feel it first, but the rest of us won't be far behind."

The warming of the Antarctic is not yet as acute as the Arctic, but it is yet a further indication that the meltdown of our polar caps continues apace. If world leaders fail to act on this information the effects will be calamitous.

"The world is caught in a polar pincer movement," said Neil Hamilton, Director of WWF International's Arctic Programme.

"What is happening at the poles will control the world's climate. If we do not stop the poles from melting, the whole world will feel it, in the form of runaway warming and rising waters."

Right now the Catlin Arctic Survey expedition is sampling the thickness of Arctic sea ice. The expedition, partly sponsored by WWF, is likely to confirm scientists' fears that the older, thicker ice is disappearing. This has led them to predict that the summer sea ice could disappear within a generation, leading to catastrophic consequences for the entire ecosystem, everything from single celled animals to whales.

"The Ministers meeting today in Washington have a special responsibility to the world," said Mr Hamilton.

"They are the custodians of the poles, and this would be an opportunity for them to show the world that they are ready to step up and shoulder their responsibility to keep the poles frozen, by committing to taking urgent and effective action at the Copenhagen climate meeting this December."

Please note: WWF will hold a briefing for Washington reporters immediately outside the State Department once the ministerial is over. There will also be two teleconference briefings for reporters outside Washington, details of these are on a separate media advisory. Reporters who have not received the advisory can contact the people listed below.

For further information:

Joe Pouliot, Director of Climate and Policy Communications, WWF US
Cell: 202-476-9919
Email: joe.pouliot@wwfus.org

Clive Tesar, Head of Communications, WWF International Arctic Programme
Tel: (+1) 613-232-2535
Mobile: (+1) 613-883-3110
Email: ctesar@wwf.no

Dr. Neil T. M. Hamilton, Director, WWF International Arctic Programme.
Mobile +47 9300 5660
Email: Nhamilton@wwf.no

Rob Nicoll, Manager, WWF Antarctic and Southern Oceans Initiative
Mobile: +61438938764
Email: rnicoll@wwf.org.au

More background is available at panda.org/arctic.

Interest grows in neglected global water treaty

2009-03-21

Instanbul, Turkey: Delegates of 14 countries attending the World Water Forum tonight signed pledges of support to a growing call to bring into force a global water treaty that has languished in limbo for more than a decade as anxiety grows about the increased potential for conflict in a world increasingly short of water.

The pledges were made at an awards ceremony held at the forum by a coalition of leading international and civil society organizations to "celebrate the accomplishments of the world's leading countries in international water policy."

Recognised by the awards were the 16 countries signed up to the UN International Convention on Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (the UN Watercourses Convention) - Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Namibia, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, South Africa, Sweden, Syria and Uzbekistan.

The delegates said they shared WWF's concern that the poor coordination in river basin regulation between nations "represents a major threat to international peace and to the world's energy and food security." The pledge also noted that climate change would worsen the global water crisis.

Countires make a start on internal approval processes

The pledge to push for more countries to join the convention was signed by Slovenian President Danilo Tulk, and government delegates from Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Ghana, Greece, Iraq, Niger, Sierra Leone, Spain, and Syria. Internal processes for ratification have already started in some of the 12 countries at the event not already party to the Convention.

Dr Shaddad Attili, head of the Palestine Water Authority also signed, following the reading of a declaration by President Mahmoud Abbas earlier during the Forum that Palestine would ratify the convention once it attained statehood. When that occurs the River Jordan will have the most coverage of any international watercourse, with four of its five riparian states acceding to the Convention.

The UN Watercourses Convention provides a framework for common and cooperative management for the rivers, lakes, wetlands and aquifers crossing or forming international borders. An overwhelming majority of nations voted for the Convention in the UN General Assembly in 1997, but fewer than half the required number have proceeded to ratify it a national level.

"If fully enacted it would provide a strong basis for sharing and caring for the water draining half the world's land surface and vital to the water supplies of 40 per cent of humanity," said Flavia Loures, WWF International Water Law and Policy Senior Program Officer

World Water Forum vague on bridging divides

The UN Watercourses Convention has been one of the most contentious topics at the World Water Forum, with specific mention of the convention and its potential for bridging divides on water excluded from the Ministerial Declaration due to be issued on World Water Day (March 22) tomorrow.

"It is ironic in the extreme that with a World Water day themed around sharing transboundary waters the ministerial declaration to be issued that day takes great pains to avoid mentioning the only available instrument for global co-operation," Ms. Loures said.

In lively World Water Forum discussions on the UN Watercourses Convention, it was also seen as a key legal instrument to foster cooperation on climate change adaptation in shared freshwater systems, crucial as river flows falter and extreme events such as floods and droughts increase in frequency and severity.
Millions of dollars in aid funds for developing cooperative water management schemes for some of the world's major – and most contentious – river systems also remain available but unapplied for, although some of the countries concerned have been able to cooperate on marine issues.

The multi-stakeholder campaign to have the UN Convention on Watercourses brought into effect is supported by the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, the European Water Partnership, Conservation International, the Global Nature Fund, Living Lakes Partners, Green Cross International, IUCN and WWF, along with many governments in Europe and Africa.

"As climate change further exacerbates the water crisis, the difficulties and cost of expanding and sustaining water security will rise, and potentially very steeply," said Green Cross International President Alexander Likhotal.

"The risks from failing to act are increasingly understood to be high, and include economic instability, loss of quality of life and reversal of gains in poverty reduction, more frequent disaster and ecological degradation. Therefore, we are calling for a swift ratification of the Convention ."

WWF gives Europe a roadmap to Copenhagen

2009-02-27

Brussels, Belgium: With a series of critical European Union meetings on a new global climate deal about to begin, WWF has set out what Europe needs to do to grow in a green way while contributing to helping the world avoid passing the 2 degree threshold of warming that presents unacceptable risks of catastrophic climate change.

"There is a clear link to be made between ambitious climate policies and a new phase of economic growth," said Stephan Singer, Director of Energy Programme at WWF International.

"The recent financial bailouts prove that when governments decide to fix a problem, money and regulatory instruments are there. There is no excuse to treat the climate crisis with less support and attention."

The WWF roadmap to a successful new global agreement in Copenhagen in December would see Europe radically strengthen its announced commitments of cutting emissions by just 20 per cent by 2020 and 50 per cent by 2050.

European environment ministers will consider target developed and undeveloped country emissions to take to Copenhagen at Monday's EU Environment Council meeting in Brussels.

Commit to zero net emissions

Based on various studies, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scenarios, WWF says that emissions will have to be reduced by at least 80 percent by 2050 globally to keep warming below 2°C. In compliance with its fair share of responsibility, the EU must commit to net zero emissions by 2050.

The IPCC also said that industrial countries will have to reduce their greenhouse gases by between 25 and 40% by 2020. The current EU target is only 20%, with a possibility to increase to 30% if other developed nations will join an international agreement.

These targets are clearly at the lower end of the IPCC scale, and even lower in reality considering that EU countries are allowed to fulfil up to two thirds of their commitment by way of certificates for projects in developing countries (the so-called CDM credits).

At the forthcoming Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin) meeting on Tuesday March 10, European finance ministers will consider both the plan to boost economic recovery in Europe and financing climate protection measures.

WWF said Ecofin must come to grips with the fact that so far EU countries have failed to seriously face the challenge and to see the opportunities created by a greener economy.

Today, the fossil fuel energy sector in the EU-15 countries still receives about €20 billion of subsidies, equal to 0.2% Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Europe imports about 4.8 billion barrels of oil per year, equal to 3% of GDP. Natural gas imports are another 3% of GDP.

According to the European Commission, between 600,000 and 900,000 jobs can be created by renewable energy by 2020, compared to today's 150,000 jobs. As a comparison, the cement and the steel sectors – some of those crying wolf about strong climate measure – employ about 60,000 and 300,000 people respectively.

With finance to developing countries being touted as a make or break issue at Copenhagen, WWF is calling for European contributions for clean technology and reduced deforestation in developing countries to
amount to €35 billion per year, in addition to the long-time promised 0.7% GDP for development aid.

Funding of climate protection measures (avoidance, adaptation and forest protection) needs to be sustainable, predictable and controlled in a transparent manner by the international community.

The European Commission's current proposal also fails to address the enormous potential of energy efficiency, with an almost complete lack of concrete proposals for technology co-operation.

WWF says that the EU financing of technology development and research should be increased by a factor of 10 compared to current levels by 2020, particularly for renewable energies, energy efficiency and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

The EU should also promote the setting up of a technology action programme under the UNFCCC to protect intellectual property rights and promote innovation.

Outcomes from the Ecofin and Environment Council meetings are scheduled to be considered by EU Heads of State at a European Council meeting on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th March. Some issues however may carry over to when Sweden assumes the presidency of the EU

Earth Hour 2009 setting new records in climate concern

2009-02-05

Already twice the participating countries of Earth Hour 2008
Archbishop Desmond Tutu leads call for action on climate change
Obama artist Shepard Fairey likens flicking switch to climate vote

With eight weeks still to go, citizens, businesses and public authorities in 375 cities across 74 countries have already committed to turning off their lights for one hour at 8.30pm on 28 March in a graphic show of support for decisive action on climate change.

The list of cities confirming their participation in Earth Hour 2009 includes 37 national capitals and some of the great cities of the world, including London, Beijing, Rome, Moscow, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore, Athens, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Sydney, Mexico City, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Manila, Las Vegas, Brussels, Cape Town and Helsinki.

The WWF-sponsored event continues to show amazing momentum, from being a Sydney, Australia awareness-raising event in 2007, to the astounding 371 cities across 35 countries total last year. As participation for Earth Hour 2009 storms past this level of municipal involvement in more than twice the number of countries, discussions are under way or nearing completion in hundreds of other cities.

WWF Director General, Mr James Leape, said he is optimistic about the campaign's potential to drive key decision making on the issue of climate change.

"With hundreds more cities expected to sign up to switch off in the coming months, Earth Hour 2009 is setting the platform for an unprecedented global mandate for action on climate change," he said.

Along with the great metropolises of the world, Earth Hour 2009 will also see the lights go out on some of the most recognised landmarks on the planet, including Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Table Mountain in Cape Town, Merlion in Singapore, Sydney Opera House, CN Tower in Toronto, Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and the world's tallest constructed building Taipei 101.

A host of high profile ambassadors across the world have also lent their support to the campaign, most notably Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett.

Shepard Fairey, the artist noted for his graphic portrayals of Barack Obama during the recent US Presidential Election, has likened flicking the switch to casting a vote on climate change in artwork for the Earth Hour campaign.

Earth Hour Executive Director, Mr Andy Ridley, said the 2009 campaign as an opportunity for the people of the world to cast their vote on this important global issue.

"Earth Hour by its very nature is the essence of grassroots action. This is the opportunity for individuals, from all corners of the globe to unite in a single voice and demand action on climate change", said Mr Ridley.

2009 is a critical year for action on climate change, with the world's leaders due to meet at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December to sign a new deal to supersede the Kyoto Protocol.