Library

This analytical report provides a comprehensive analysis of the state of the world’s freshwater resources. It includes a chapter on water and climate change. This phenomenon can directly affect the hydrologic cycle and, through it, the quantity and quality of water resources. It can lower minimum flows in rivers, affecting water availability and quality for its flora and fauna and for drinking water intake, energy production, thermal plant cooling and navigation. Anthropogenic climate change can also directly affect demand for water, when demand for crops increases in certain seasons, for instance for the implications of climate change on uncertainty in agriculture.

This activity report briefly presents the major activities implemented and the main results obtained by the UN-REDD Programme. This is the UN system’s collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and supporting conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries. The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally-led REDD+ efforts and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders in national implementation and international activities for REDD+.

This activity report briefly presents the activities implemented by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) respectively to reduce the impact of GHG emissions from international aviation on the global climate and to improve energy efficiency and reduce GHG emissions from international maritime transport.

This activity report briefly presents UN system’s activities to address the health impact of climate change. These include: advocacy and awareness raising, strengthening partnerships, enhancing scientific evidence, and strengthening health systems.

This activity report briefly presents the main UN system’s activities to promote climate technology development and innovation. In particular it emphasizes the necessity of building a strong network of technology centres as this is critical to enable developing countries to leapfrog to low greenhouse gas emission development paths.

This activity report briefly presents UN system’s initiatives to promote access to climate finance. In particular, it introduces the Climate Finance Options platform which addresses information needs on the multitude of funds available for climate action in developing countries. This platform is managed by UNDP/World Bank Group and is complemented by the Finance Portal being developed by the UNFCCC secretariat. Both platforms ultimately help to catalyze financial and investment flows leading to more effective and efficient mitigation and adaptation measures.

This activity report briefly presents the UN system’s activities to support countries in building capacities to address climate change and achieve national development objectives. The UN system has the broad operational reach and vast network of regional, national and sub-national offices to deliver capacity development services at such scope and scale. As a trusted multilateral partner, it uses its global presence and experience to help nations strengthen their capacities so that they can perform better and contribute to the achievement of national development goals.

This analytical report takes a holistic view of the multiple ways in which forests support livelihoods. The chapters assembled for this issue of the State of the World’s Forests highlight four key areas that warrant greater attention: regional trends on forest resources; the development of sustainable forest industries; climate change mitigation and adaptation; and the local value of forests. The chapter on climate change discusses forests in the Kyoto Protocol, progress on forest-related climate change negotiations and forest carbon tenure, and calls for further work on the role of forests in adaptation in climate change policies and actions.

This analytical report presents the issues and requirements that Pacific islands face regarding the impacts of climate change on food sources and water. It includes national assessments in Vanuatu, the Republic of Marshall Islands and the Cook Islands and recommendations for national strategies to mitigate, adapt and respond to the challenges posed by climate variability on agriculture and food security. Finally it presents the report of a regional expert group of concerned partners which was formed to consider and regionalize the commitments made by the Rome Declaration of the High-Level Conference on World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate change and Bioenergy, 3–5 June 2008.

This analytical report aims to highlight the critical role of the oceans and ocean ecosystems in maintaining the Earth climate and to assist policy makers in mainstreaming an oceans agenda into national and international climate change initiatives. Improved integrated management of the coastal and marine environments, including protection and restoration of ocean’s blue carbon sinks, provides one of the strongest win-win mitigation efforts known today, as it may provide value-added benefits well in excess of its costs, but has not yet been recognized in the global protocols and carbon trading systems.

The fact sheet highlights the important role that forests play in climate change, and reviews the progression of UNFCCC negotiations on forests and deforestation. It lists relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to stimulate action on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD), including a decision taken in 2009 on methodological and capacity building guidance for related activities. The fact sheet further lists ongoing efforts in capacity building, technical assistance and financial support for a number of enabling activities, such as improving data collection systems, institutional reforms and national monitoring systems.

This analytical report presents and analyzes the state of the world fisheries and aquaculture. Fisheries and aquaculture remain important sources of food, nutrition, income and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people around the world. It provides an informed, balanced and comprehensive analysis of global fisheries and aquaculture data and related issues.

This brochure introduces the three market-mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions included in the Kyoto Protocol: international emissions trading (IET), the clean development mechanism (CDM) and joint implementation (JI). The document briefly describes them and presents important elements for their implementation.

This activity report describes the FAO’s integrated approach to sustainable forest management and outlines the ways forest management can help tackle climate change, including through carbon sequestration, strengthening adaptive capacity of trees, forests and forest-dependent communities, and conserving forest carbon stocks. The report lists various sources for financing forests’ contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation, and outlines FAO’s support to activities such as afforestation, reforestation, forest restoration, conservation and sustainable practices of forest management and use.

This activity report consists of a fact sheet presenting UN activities to promote climate-smart agriculture. These address the multiple objectives of agricultural development, food security and climate change.

This activity report consists of a fact sheet presenting the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) and its major activities and results. This is a joint endeavour of the UN system to support efforts to address climate change by strengthening climate knowledge and its applications across all sectors and disciplines. The goal of the framework is to enable better management at all levels of the risks generated by climate variability and change. 

This activity report consists of a fact sheet presenting UN system’s activities to address central energy issues. The main objectives are: to become able to provide reliable, affordable, clean and sustainable energy access to the 2-3 billion people excluded from modern energy services and to promote and support the deployment of low-carbon energy technologies and systems worldwide, especially energy efficiency and renewable energy.

This activity report consists of a fact sheet presenting UN system’s activities to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment principles into climate change policies and programmes. This effort aims to ensure that climate change decision-making and initiatives at all levels address the needs and allow for the contributions of women and men equitably.

This activity report introduces the Community-based Adaptation Programme (CBA) and its actions. This is an initiative that seeks to encourage systemic change in national adaptation-related policy through evidence based results from a portfolio of community-driven climate change risk management projects. The report briefly presents each CBA projects and how it supports local communities in each pilot country.

This fact sheet briefly presents an environmental project financed by the Least Developed Countries Fund to reduce vulnerability of arid oasian zones to climate change and variability through improved watershed management in Mauritania. The document features the project background, the activities implemented and the results obtained. Coordination and synergies with other initiatives are also included.