Video: Red Eyes in Copenhagen: Adaptation at COP15
27/12/09 08:26
Red Eyes in Copenhagen: Climate Adaptation at COP15
7 mins, December 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark
In December 2009, representatives of 192 nations met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. Most of these efforts focused on climate mitigation — reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in order to slow down the rate of climate change. These results received widespread analysis. But there were also heated if less publicized negotiations to help the poor and vulnerable of the world adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. Filmed within hours of the conclusion of the Copenhagen Accord on 19 December 2009, this film shows the sleep-deprived thoughts of WWF staff about the impacts and efficacy of the Accord for international climate adaptation policy. These staff have worked on these issues for many years.
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7 mins, December 2009, Copenhagen, Denmark
In December 2009, representatives of 192 nations met in Copenhagen, Denmark, to negotiate a new international climate change agreement. Most of these efforts focused on climate mitigation — reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases in order to slow down the rate of climate change. These results received widespread analysis. But there were also heated if less publicized negotiations to help the poor and vulnerable of the world adapt to the negative impacts of climate change. Filmed within hours of the conclusion of the Copenhagen Accord on 19 December 2009, this film shows the sleep-deprived thoughts of WWF staff about the impacts and efficacy of the Accord for international climate adaptation policy. These staff have worked on these issues for many years.
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Video: Jim Jarvie from Mercy Corps on Development and Ecosystem-based Adaptation
26/12/09 06:04
Jim Jarvie of Mercy Corps: The Direction of Adaptation and Development.
2:25 mins, November 2009, Fuller Symposium, Washington, DC
Jim Jarvie was stood apart at the WWF Fuller Symposium last November: he works for Mercy Corps, one of the leading economic development non-governmental organizations active in the developing world today. In this video, he reflects on issues that are extremely relevant to the practice of climate adaptation globally: Is ecosystem-based adaptation different than community-based adaptation?
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2:25 mins, November 2009, Fuller Symposium, Washington, DC
Jim Jarvie was stood apart at the WWF Fuller Symposium last November: he works for Mercy Corps, one of the leading economic development non-governmental organizations active in the developing world today. In this video, he reflects on issues that are extremely relevant to the practice of climate adaptation globally: Is ecosystem-based adaptation different than community-based adaptation?
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Guest Blog: Farming with the Titimangsa: Losing Weather (and Water) in Time
23/12/09 17:02
By Nikolai Sindorf, WWF-US, based in Laos
In 1997 I went to the western part of Java in Indonesia to research on agricultural water management. Java is one of the most densely populated regions and high-yielding rice paddy lands in the world.
The focus of my research was how rice farmers dealt technologically and organizationally with ongoing reforms in large, engineered irrigation systems. During this research I met a farmer who had meticulously typed out his traditional cropping calendar. This cropping calendar — a titimangsa — read like a beautiful poem, describing the smell of the dew, the color of the sunset, the touch of the soil, and the observation of insect life cycles.
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In 1997 I went to the western part of Java in Indonesia to research on agricultural water management. Java is one of the most densely populated regions and high-yielding rice paddy lands in the world.
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The Future of Climate-Water Talk: WWW's Conclusions
21/12/09 18:59
World Water Week has come up several times here. Every August, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) hosts what is probably the most important water event of the year — certainly one that’s more fun and focused than World Water Week, which is ridiculously large. This week, SIWI has just pubbed their year-end review of World Water Week’s “results,” compiled by the rapporteur teams for each subject area. For 2009, I was the one of six rapporteurs for the 
climate change theme, which felt like a great honor to me. Our part of the report has what I think are some interesting implications for the state of the water and climate change policy dialog internationally. Which might be an encouraging contrast to the more disappointing news from Copenhagen. Some highlights:
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A Final COP Postcard: The Longest Day
21/12/09 08:07
The COP is finally over, and I’ve had about 36 hours to begin to absorb its truths and promises. Written so soon after the negotiations have ended, I have no doubt my reflections will achieve at best a facile and tenuous first draft of history (or a poor excuse for journalism). But I must write something to describe where climate adaptation — our efforts to prepare ourselves and other species for the coming climate — is headed since the conclusion of the Copenhagen sessions.
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Video: More Water Asks at the COP
17/12/09 06:47
Quick update: a video on the UNFCCC COP15 site of me speaking last week on water and climate from an event sponsored by the Global Water Partnership, Stakeholders Forum, and the Stockholm International Water Institute. Read More...
Joining the Strands at the COP
16/12/09 09:15
My interest in knitting probably marks me as one of the more visibly peculiar members of the WWF delegation to the COP, but knitting is a great asset in a high-stress setting. Some of the oldest knitting in the world was found in bogs in this part of northern Europe — perhaps five or six thousand years old. Knitting is essentially the ability of taking a single length of yarn and looping it back against itself in order to make fabric and clothing. It was a simple, brilliant invention. And it can be quite beautiful. The idea of taking strands of yarn and creating something new, functional, and strong is a calming image as I listen to the needles clicking in my room. Especially given how the COP has been developing.
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Video: The Language of Climate Change Is the Language of Water
14/12/09 04:04
At a recent event sponsored by TERI and the Yale School of Forestry, WWF-US CEO Carter Roberts spoke to a small distinguished group in Denmark’s Kronborg Castle about the vulnerability of freshwater species and ecosystems — and communities and their livelihoods — to climate change. Read More...
Video: Voices on water, biodiversity, and COP15
14/12/09 00:35
The Dutch government and its environmental assessment agency organized a great series of events over two weeks here at the COP on climate adaptation issues. If you’re interested in water, it would be hard to leave the Holland Climate House. I’m involved in a total of four side events there, with one remaining. Read More...
Teenage Angst at the COP: At the Hinge
14/12/09 00:02
A week of prelude is over. The real work has begun in Copenhagen.
Last week was intense, fast paced, and frantic. Most people here are profoundly exhausted. But we’re at the hinge now. Negotiation teams are shifting from delaying and positioning to taking firm and often oppositional stands. More senior level staff are engaging in the government delegations — and more loudly. The hinge of the week has turned.
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Last week was intense, fast paced, and frantic. Most people here are profoundly exhausted. But we’re at the hinge now. Negotiation teams are shifting from delaying and positioning to taking firm and often oppositional stands. More senior level staff are engaging in the government delegations — and more loudly. The hinge of the week has turned.
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Asks for the COP: More Water, Please!
08/12/09 04:06
Much of the practice of creating climate resilient, sustainable water management is already well known and described in policy statements such as the Dublin Principles of 1992, The Hague Ministerial Declaration on Water Security of 2002, the Brisbane Declaration of 2007, the Nairobi Statement on Land and Water Management for Adaptation to Climate Change of 2009, and the Stockholm Message to Copenhagen of 2009. I stand proudly with these documents and their authors. A comprehensive international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the rate of climate change is essential. But as we approach international efforts to reduce the negative impacts of climate change, especially the COP15, I ask negotiators and policymakers to focus their efforts on climate adaptation on these principles:
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Trust: Why We're Here in Copenhagen
08/12/09 03:55
Copenhagen is very open city. For instance, it’s really rare to see a bike in a stand that’s been locked. This is amazing, given the actual number of bicycles here in Copenhagen. There are counters at some of the major intersections that show the number of bikes that have passed by that day, and walking past one of these counters around noon I saw that over 10,000 bikes had passed. And this is in weather that has been hovering around freezing, very windy, and extremely wet for the past week.
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Arrivals: The Beginning of Copenhagen
07/12/09 00:04
My first morning in Copenhagen, and I haven’t yet seen the light. Most of our delegation is staying in a hostel that a reviewer wondered if this is what a prison might look like if it had been designed by Ikea. It’s actually not that bad — I’ve stayed in much worse. And the beginning of a long stay in any place far from home always focuses on securing essentials and dealing with practicalities: unpacking, making sure you have the right plugs for your electronics, and laundry. Read More...
New adaptation blog: ClimatePrep.org
06/12/09 23:57
We are happy to announce the launch of WWF’s new adaptation focused blog, ClimatePrep.org!
ClimatePrep.org is designed to share the stories, lessons, and explorations of people preparing for a changing climate. While the impacts of global warming are already being felt all over the world, how to anticipate and adjust to these potentially devastating and yet uncertain impacts remains extremely unclear. ClimatePrep.org aims to bridge these gaps by illustrating climate change adaptation through on-the-ground projects and tracking firsthand the progress of preparing for a changing climate at the national and international policy levels.
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ClimatePrep.org is designed to share the stories, lessons, and explorations of people preparing for a changing climate. While the impacts of global warming are already being felt all over the world, how to anticipate and adjust to these potentially devastating and yet uncertain impacts remains extremely unclear. ClimatePrep.org aims to bridge these gaps by illustrating climate change adaptation through on-the-ground projects and tracking firsthand the progress of preparing for a changing climate at the national and international policy levels.
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