By Sabina Zaccaro

In the run-up to the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 17) in Durban, South Africa last December, the World Bank Connect4Climate social media campaign launched a photo and video contest on climate change.

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Thomson Reuters Foundation and the World Bank have jointly produced a video explaining the concept of “natural capital accounting” in the run-up to the Rio+20 summit on sustainable development. The seven-minute video news release (VNR) was created as part of a World Bank campaign for countries to carry through on promises to include the full value of natural resources in their national income accounts.

“Natural capital accounting would add to GDP an understanding of the wealth that is stored in our natural resources – the wealth upon which we depend for a lot of that income: minerals before they’re mined, forests before they’re felled, water whilst it is in the rivers and clean,” says Rachel Kyte, the World Bank’s vice president of sustainable development and one of the experts interviewed.

Produced by the Foundation’s award-winning multimedia team with funding from the World Bank, the video explores how natural capital accounting could help countries to measure who benefits and who bears the cost of changes to ecosystems. It includes interviews with Lester Brown, founder of the Earth Policy Institute; Alvaro Umana, Costa Rica’s former environment minister; Carolina Urrutia of Colombia’s National Planning Department; Tom Griffiths of the Forest People Programme; and Laisa Santos Sampaio, a Brazilian rainforest activist.

Any opinions expressed in the VNR are those of the World Bank or the speakers interviewed and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The VNR can be downloaded for free from the following link on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/43840145

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is a long standing member of COM+. It helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.

The world’s oldest and largest global environmental network, IUCN is a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists and experts in some 160 countries.  IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 professional staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. IUCN’s headquarters are located in Gland, near Geneva, in Switzerland.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress is the world’s largest and most important conservation event. Held every four years, the Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.

The 2012 World Conservation Congress will be held from 6 to 15 September 2012 in Jeju, Republic of Korea. Leaders from government, the public sector, non-governmental organizations, business, UN agencies and social organizations will discuss, debate and decide solutions for the world’s most pressing environment and development issues.

The Congress starts with a Forum where IUCN members and partners discuss cutting edge ideas, thinking and practice. The Forum leads into the IUCN Members’ Assembly, a unique global environmental parliament of governments and NGOs.

Effective conservation action cannot be achieved by conservationists alone. The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress is the place to put aside differences and work together to provide the means and mechanisms for good environmental governance, engaging all parts of society to share both responsibilities and the benefits of conservation.
For more information on the World Conservation Congress go to http://www.iucnworldconservationcongress.org/

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 17, 2012—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Union for Ethical BioTrade today announced an agreement at the Rio+20 Conference to increase private sector awareness of biodiversity and strengthen market frameworks for protecting it in Latin America.

In addition to aiding environmental conservation, the partnership will help preserve natural-resource assets that are critical to the sustainable development of high-poverty regions such as the Amazon forest, Cerrado savannas, and Caatinga drylands.

The $1.9 million joint program is part of IFC’s BioTrade Initiative, developed with financing from the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, to promote systematic integration of biodiversity concerns into business models, supply chains, and local or regional development strategies. During a Rio+20 side event organized by the ISEAL Alliance, a global association for sustainability standards, the program was highlighted as a successful example of innovative standards and tools in sustainable development.

The program will focus on approaches to protecting biodiversity and the long-term health and economic success of communities that depend on it. It will develop verification systems to increase private sector adoption of environmentally friendly sourcing standards; bring together key associations, policymakers, and players from the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics sectors to enhance biodiversity protection frameworks; and map biodiversity markets in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia to spur private sector financing and innovation in biodiversity preservation.

IFC Brazil Country Manager Loy Pires believes the program illustrates the importance of businesses taking action toward creating a more sustainable future. “The private and public sectors need to work hand-in-hand to promote sustainable development for the benefit of communities and businesses, and to safeguard the environment’s natural assets for future generations,” he said.

Raising awareness is key to attaining these public-private environmental goals. The Union for Ethical BioTrade’s 2012 Biodiversity Barometer shows that 94 percent of Brazilians want more information about businesses’ sourcing practices.

“This high awareness, in combination with the importance of Brazilian markets, is already driving changes in business practices,” said Rik Kutsch Lojenga, Executive Director of the Union for Ethical BioTrade. “In an increasingly globalized market, these changes are felt way beyond Brazil and accelerate wider transformation toward a greener economy.”

About IFC

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. In fiscal 2011, amid economic uncertainty across the globe, we helped our clients create jobs, strengthen environmental performance, and contribute to their local communities—all while driving our investments to an all-time high of nearly $19 billion. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

About The Union for Ethical BioTrade

UEBT is a not-for-profit association, which aims to ensure that sourcing practices promote biodiversity conservation, respect traditional knowledge, and ensure all contributors along supply chains are paid fair prices. UEBT has over 40 members, including important brands in the cosmetics industry, such as Natura in Brazil and Weleda in Switzerland.

Stay Connected

www.ifc.org/lac

https://twitter.com/IFC_LAC

www.facebook.com/IFCwbg

www.twitter.com/IFC_org

www.youtube.com/IFCvideocasts

www.ifc.org/SocialMediaIndex

In Sao Paulo, Brasil:
Renato Guimaraes, IFC
Phone: +5511 5185 6335 / 9321 3455
E-mail: rguimaraes@ifc.org

Jaime Gesisky, UEBT

Phone: +5562 8116 1200

E-mail: jaimegesisky@gmail.com

In Europe:

Karin Küchler, UEBT

E-mail: info@ethicalbiotrade.org 

RIO DE JANEIRO, 18 de junho de 2012 – A Cidade do Rio de Janeiro e o Banco Mundial lançaram hoje, durante a Cúpula dos Prefeitos – evento paralelo à Conferência das Nações Unidas sobre Desenvolvimento Sustentável-Rio+20 –, um programa pioneiro na esfera municipal para colocar em prática ações para o desenvolvimento de baixo carbono da cidade.

Certificado de acordo com a norma ISO, o Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro auxiliará o município no monitoramento e contabilização dos investimentos de baixo carbono e das ações de mitigação de mudanças climáticas em diferentes setores. O programa representa um modelo de negócio que pode ser aplicado em várias cidades ao redor do mundo. As cidades são responsáveis por 2/3 do consumo mundial de energia e 70% das emissões de gases do efeito estufa.  

A iniciativa ocorre em momento oportuno, uma vez que a cidade do Rio de Janeiro vem recebendo grandes investimentos, especialmente no setor de infraestrutura, em função da Copa do Mundo em 2014 e das Olímpiadas em 2016. O programa contribui para que o Rio cresça de maneira sustentável num contexto de baixo carbono, respeitando os recursos naturais da cidade.

“O Rio de Janeiro é lider na área de mitigação de mudanças climáticas. Fomos a primeira cidade brasileira a fixar metas concretas e ousadas de redução das emissões de gases do efeito estufa. No final desse ano, o Rio já terá reduzido em 8% suas emissões. Até 2020, serão 20%. Temos um amplo inventário de emissões e, com o apoio do Banco Mundial, estamos lançando um método transparente e confiável para contabilizar todas as atividades de mitigação da cidade”, disse Eduardo Paes, Prefeito do Rio de Janeiro.

A meta do Rio de Janeiro é garantir 2,3 millhões de toneladas de reduções de emissão até 2020, o que equivale a 20% das emissões do município em 2005. Esta meta será alcançada por meio de uma série de projetos e políticas, que já começaram a ser implementadas como a duplicação da rede de ciclovias da cidade, a inauguração do primeiro dos quatro corredores exclusivos do sistema de transporte BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) e a politica de universalização do saneamento básico na Zona Oeste, área mais populosa da cidade.

Agora, através do Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro será desenvolvida uma estrutura para coleta e análise de dados com o intuito de promover projetos de baixo carbono e, ao mesmo tempo, quantificar e validar as reduções de emissão. Estas reduções poderão ser utilizadas na contabilização das metas do Rio ou comercializadas na forma de créditos de carbono. A princípio, o programa incluirá dois projetos piloto nas áreas de florestas urbanas e transportes urbanos não-motorizados (bicicletas), englobando outros setores futuramente.

“Estamos honrados por ter o Rio como parceiro-chave na abordagem de duas das grandes tendências do século XXI: a urbanização e as mudanças climáticas”, disse Hasan Tuluy, Vice-Presidente do Banco Mundial para a América Latina e o Caribe. “A certificação ISO para um programa municipal de mudanças climáticas com tamanha abrangência é inédita, fazendo com que o Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro seja um modelo de negócio que a mitigação de mudanças climáticas nas cidades”.

A maior floresta urbana do mundo

O Rio de Janeiro abriga a maior floresta urbana do mundo (19.000 ha). Nos últimos 28 anos a cidade vem conduzindo um amplo programa de reflorestamento e manutenção. Até 2016, a meta da cidade é reflorestar até 1.300 hectares de áreas degradadas.

O novo Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro permitirá a quantificação do carbono armazenado e sequestrado anualmente nessas florestas utilizando uma ferramenta inovadora chamada iTree. Além da quantificação do carbono, a ferramente possibilitará medir a contribuição das árvores urbanas para a redução das necessidades de aquecimento e resfriamento para as edificações, a remoção de poluentes atmosféricos e a diminuição no risco de deslizamentos, dentre outras variáveis. O projeto piloto do Programa relacionado às florestas urbanas também ajudará a qualificar a mão-de-obra na coleta de amostras e análise florestal por meio de parcerias com as agências florestais do Brasil e Estados Unidos, ONGs locais e equipes de reflorestamento do município do Rio.

Promovendo o transporte urbano cada vez mais verde

Com uma população aproximada de 6 milhões de habitantes, o transporte motorizado responde por quase 70% das viagens no Rio de Janeiro e cerca de 45% das emissões totais da cidade. O município está implementando um sistema público de bicicletas compartilhadas, ao mesmo tempo ampliando suas ciclovias. A utilização de métodos alternativos de transporte contribuirá para reduzir os congestionamentos no Rio e a melhorar a segurança e mobilidade de todos os residentes. O Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro auxiliará na medição das emissões reduzidas resultantes da expansão do sistema de bicicletas compartilhadas e da ampliação das ciclovias.

Futuramente o Programa deverá englobar outros setores como os corredores expressos de ônibus (BRT), políticas de reciclagem, eficiência energética em edifícios e iluminação pública, dentre outros.

- – - – - -

O Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro foi concebido conjuntamente pela administração municipal do Rio de Janeiro e o Banco Mundial, com apoio financeiro do Grupo de Prática de Mudanças Climáticas do Instituto Banco Mundial por meio de seu Programa Assistência ao Financiamento de Carbono. 

A DNV KEMA Energia e Sustentabilidade confirmou a adequação do Programa com os requerimentos do novo Protocolo de Avaliação do Programa de Desenvolvimento de Baixo Carbono da Cidade, o qual inclui as normas ISO 14064-2 e ISO 14001.

O Programa é administrado pela Prefeitura do Rio; o Instituto Pereira Passos (IPP), baseado no Rio, será responsável pelo armazenamento dos dados relativos às reduções de emissão gerados sob o Programa.

Contatos:

Banco Mundial

No Rio: Juliana Braga (+55 61) 3329-1099, jmachado1@worldbank.org
Em Washington: Patricia da Camara, (+1 202) 473-4019, pdacamara@worldbank.org

Rio Prefeitura

No Rio: Carol Medeiros (+55 21) 2976-3175, imprensa.prefeituradorio@gmail.com

“It is not that world leaders committed to the wrong objectives at Rio 20 years ago.  Instead, the problem has been the failure of Governments to implement properly their commitments. The success of the World Summit of Legislators, and the breakthrough Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol, are key missing pieces of the original Rio jigsaw and mean Parliamentarians will now be better engaged to ensure that commitments are delivered. National legislation and more effective scrutiny are a crucial part of an effective approach to meet the pressing global challenges.  We can now create the foundation for genuine sustainable development, and secure the prosperity of future generations, not just our own.  It is critical we do so”.

Lord Deben, Former UK Secretary of State for the Environment and President of GLOBE International, and Senator Cicero Lucena, First Secretary of the Brazilian Senate and President of GLOBE Brazil
 
Top-line points

- Over 300 senior legislators (including 40 Presidents of Congresses and Speakers of Parliaments, and Chairs of Parliamentary Committees from 85 countries) have agreed the Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol at the 1st World Summit of Legislators.  This will strengthen delivery of original Rio agenda; progress within UN Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification; and Rio+20 commitments.

- The Protocol, supported by the UN, addresses three critical omissions of the original Rio agenda: scrutiny, legislation and natural capital.

- Scrutiny:  establishing a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of Rio commitments by governments. 

 - Legislation: providing a platform to advance laws and share good legislative practice to underpin the Rio commitments.

- Natural capital: incorporating natural capital into government accounting.

- Parliaments across the world will now look to ratify the Legislators’ Protocol. 

- The World Legislators Summit will now re-convene every two years in Rio.

Background
 
Scrutiny, legislation and natural capital:  key omissions since 1992 that are put in place with World Summit of Legislators and the Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol
 
Scrutiny:  Establishing a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of Rio commitments by government

There has been a lack of credible and independent international scrutiny to monitor delivery since 1992.  Reflecting this, and recognising the role of legislators in monitoring and scrutinising the work of government, the Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol will now establish a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of commitments by governments made at Rio+20 in order to strengthen legislators’ capacity to hold governments to account.

Legislation: Providing a platform to advance laws and share good legislative practice to underpin the Rio commitments

Recognising the role of legislators in developing and passing laws, the Protocol will provide a platform to advance and share best legislative practice as well as to promote a mechanism within international processes that can recognise national legislation.

 Natural Capital: Incorporating valuation of natural capital into government accounting

Recognising the role of parliaments to approve budgets and national accounts, the Protocol will examine how the value of natural capital can be integrated within national economic frameworks to enable legislators to better monitor the use of natural capital.

 Key partners
 
The World Summit of Legislators has been supported by the United Nations, the Government of Brazil, the Congress & Senate of Brazil, the Mayor of Rio, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, the UN Environment Programme, UN Development Programme and the three Convention Secretaries on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification and the Com+ Alliance of communication networks. They will be working with (Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) to advance this initiative.
 
Further Information: The World Summit of Legislators is organised by the Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE – www.globeinternational.org).  For further information, please contact Emily Marlow on +55 21 82829135 or +44 7976734028 and emmilym@aol.com

RIO, FRIDAY 15th-SUNDAY 17th JUNE

“It is not that leaders committed to the wrong objectives at Rio 20 years ago.  Instead, the major problem has been the failure of Governments to implement properly their commitments. The World Summit of Legislators will address three critical omissions of the 1992 process in order to make Rio+20 a much greater success”.

Lord Deben, Former UK Secretary of State for the Environment and President of  GLOBE International, and Senator Cicero Lucena, First Secretary of the Brazilian Senate and President of GLOBE Brazil

Top-line points

·        1st World Summit of Legislators runs from Friday 15th to Sunday 17th in Rio.

·        Over 300 senior legislators from across the world will be attending (including 40 Presidents of Congresses and Speakers of Parliaments, and Chairs of Parliamentary Committees from 86 countries).

·        The World Summit of Legislators, supported by the UN and the Government of Brazil, begins a major new process for legislators dedicated to establishing a mechanism for scrutinising and monitoring governments on delivery of the original Rio agenda; progress within the UN Conventions on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Desertification; as well as commitments to emerge from Rio+20.

·        The World Summit of Legislators has three objectives to address three critical omissions since the 1992 Earth Summit: scrutiny, legislation and natural capital.

·        Scrutiny:  establishing a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of Rio commitments by governments.  

·        Legislation: providing a platform to advance laws and share good legislative practice to underpin the Rio commitments.

·        Natural capital: incorporating natural capital into government accounting.  

·        Participating legislators will negotiate the Rio+20 Legislators’ Protocol, intended to be ratified in participating parliaments following the Summit.  

·        The World Legislators Summit will reconvene in Rio biennially (and between the Summits have specific policy processes which will be supported to share best legislative practice and drive national legislation).

Background

Scrutiny, legislation and natural capital:  three key omissions since 1992

·        Scrutiny:  Establishing a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of Rio commitments by government

There has been a lack of credible and independent international scrutiny to monitor delivery since 1992.  Reflecting this, and recognising the role of legislators in monitoring and scrutinising the work of government, the World Summit of Legislators will establish a mechanism at the international level to monitor implementation of commitments by governments made at Rio+20, including a set of Rio Scrutiny Principles in order to strengthen legislators’ capacity to hold governments to account.

·        Legislation: Providing a platform to advance laws and share good legislative practice to underpin the Rio commitments

 Recognising the role of legislators in developing and passing laws, the Summit will provide a platform to advance and share best legislative practice as well as to promote a mechanism within international processes that can recognise national legislation.

·        Natural Capital: Incorporating valuation of natural capital into government accounting

Recognising the role of parliaments to approve budgets and national accounts, the Summit will examine how the value of natural capital can be integrated within national economic frameworks to enable legislators to better monitor the use of natural capital.

Key partners

The United Nations, the Government of Brazil, the Congress & Senate of Brazil, the Mayor of Rio, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility, the UN Environment Programme, UN Development Programme and the three Convention Secretaries on Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification and the Com+ Alliance of communication networks have all supported the World Summit of Legislators and will be working with (Global Legislators Organisation (GLOBE) to advance this initiative.

GLOBE Opening press release
 
Further Information: The World Summit of Legislators is organised by the Global Legislators Organisation(GLOBE).  For further information, please contact Emily Marlow on +55 21 82829135 or +44 7976734028 and emmilym@aol.com

The Italian Government has designed a pavilion inside the exhibition area of Parque dos Atletas in Rio.

This exhibition space is used for shows and various activities like workshops, seminars and other events linked to the theme of the United Nations conference on sustainable development. Here, you can have a taste of what will happen in Italy in the future, thanks to the corner “The Event beyond the curtain” dedicated to showing and promoting the next Universal Exposition, Expo Milano 2015.

The space gives visitors the opportunity to become familiar with the theme contents of the exposition “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” and to understand how sustainability is one of the inspiring principles at the heart of the Milan Event.

Después de la Conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (1992) en Río de Janeiro, Benín, Bután y Costa Rica entraron por separado en acuerdos bilaterales de Desarrollo Sostenible con el Reino de los Países Bajos que se formalizaron en 1994. A partir de dichos Acuerdos Bilaterales, surge entonces en el año 2002 en Río +10, el Programa de Cooperación Sur-Sur entre Benín, Bután, Costa Rica (en adelante PSC).

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