Tiempo Climate Newswatch

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Environment Management Group have launched the Climate Neutral Network (CN Net). CN Net is an internet-based initiative aimed at sharing the plans, strategies and successes of participants. "The CN Net can assist in building confidence through demonstrable action at the national and local level on the art of the possible," said Achim Steiner, UNEP's executive director. The network is "aimed at mobilizing a broad-based response demonstrating that a transition to a low, even zero, carbon future can be a reality if inspiring and practical actions can be federated around the world," he continued.

Four countries - Costa Rica, Iceland, New Zealand and Norway - along with four cities - Arendal (Norway), Rizhao (China), Vancouver (Canada) and Växjö (Sweden) - and five companies - Co-operative Financial Services (United Kingdom), Interface Inc (United States), Natura (Brazil), Nedbank (South Africa) and Senoko Power (Singapore) - are taking part in the initial phase of the network. They will be joined by intergovernmental organizations and civil society groups. Individuals may also take part. Torill Rolstad Larsen, mayor of Arendal, reported that "Arendal is paying strong attention to the threats from climate change and trying to live up to the notion 'think globally and act locally'. We are currently embarking on an ambitious programme to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from Arendal’s own activities drastically by 2012. We will further become climate neutral from 2008 by offsetting remaining emissions." CN Net was launched at UNEP's annual Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in Monaco.

Less than four per cent of the world ocean is considered a very low-impact area, according to a new survey of human impacts on marine health. Most of this area is near the poles. "Unfortunately, as polar ice sheets disappear with warming global climate and human activities spread into these areas, there is a great risk of rapid degradation of these relatively pristine ecosystems," said co-author Carrie Kappel, who is based at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California, in the United States.

The study found that 80 per cent of the world ocean is fished. "There's nowhere left for the fish to hide... fishing boats are just really everywhere," commented the University of Hawaii's Kim Selkoe, also an author of the study. The survey concluded that the three main causes of ocean degradation are climate change, fishing and shipping traffic. "When you look at the map of the ship traffic, it's just a solid coverage of the world's oceans," Selkoe said in a telephone interview with Agence France-Presse. "The fuel gets spilled, there's noise pollution which is disturbing to whales and such... which has a major affect on the ecosystem."

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazilian president, has called on the rich nations of the world to bear the burden of fighting global warming. "How can we ask the poor countries to take on the sacrifices the others didn't take on? The polluting countries must pay," he said at a conference in Brasilia organized by the Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment (GLOBE International).

Describing the Kyoto Protocol's track record as dismal, Lula said that the situation can only be improved "if the global sharing of benefits and responsibilities begins in earnest now, and greater effort is placed on post-2012 climate-change initiatives." He defended Brazil's production of biofuels. "It is unthinkable that biofuel needs to go to the Amazon," he said, arguing that there are millions of hectares away from that area that can be used to cultivate biofuel crops. The primary aim of the GLOBE forum is to draft a proposal for a post-2012 climate regime.