Global warming and climate change Pollution leading to global warming, climate change and the acidification of our oceans affects every aspect of conservation. That’s why WWF is taking urgent positive action. WWF has a vision where our homes, businesses, industries and modes of transport are powered by cheap clean energy, where we use energy smarter, our standard of living has improved, we live healthier lives and our unique environmental icons – like the Great Barrier Reef, marine turtles and polar bears - are thriving. With your help, we can achieve this future. The world’s temperature is rising, but we have the solutions Today, because of greenhouse gas pollution, the planet is heating up at a much faster rate than ever before and our oceans are becoming more acidic. Hotter days, more severe storms, floods, snowfalls, droughts, fire and higher sea levels are expected in the foreseeable future. In less than 100 years, average temperatures on Earth have already warmed by 0.74°C1, and by around 1°C in Australia2.
Implementing the SDGs | SDSN Australia/Pacific 6–7 May 2015, Melbourne Resources Background In September 2015 the United Nations General Assembly is expected to approve a final set of universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 that will promote economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability. Starting in 2016, these SDGs will apply to all countries, including Australia. With just a few short months remaining before negotiations conclude and the SDGs become part of our global and national reality, key questions for government, business and the community in Australia to consider now are: What are the opportunities for Australia in implementing the SDGs? This was the third in a series of annual workshops organised by the Monash Sustainability Institute to support Australian leadership in the development and implementation of the SDGs. Workshop aims For enquiries, please contact tahl.kestin@monash.edu.
gw-overview Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, cloud forests are drying, and wildlife is scrambling to keep pace. It's becoming clear that humans have caused most of the past century's warming by releasing heat-trapping gases as we power our modern lives. Called greenhouse gases, their levels are higher now than in the last 650,000 years. We call the result global warming, but it is causing a set of changes to the Earth's climate, or long-term weather patterns, that varies from place to place. As the Earth spins each day, the new heat swirls with it, picking up moisture over the oceans, rising here, settling there. It's changing the rhythms of climate that all living things have come to rely upon. What will we do to slow this warming? Greenhouse effect The "greenhouse effect" is the warming that happens when certain gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat. First, sunlight shines onto the Earth's surface, where it is absorbed and then radiates back into the atmosphere as heat.
UN-Energy | Asia-Pacific Regional Coverage | IISD Reporting Services ESCAP, DESA, UNOSD Seminar Supports Energy Access [viewed] 23 June 2016: The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), in cooperation with UN-Energy and the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative, jointly organized a seminar on energy access, which discussed alternatives to the use of unsustainable solid biomass for cooking and heating. The seminar promoted efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all, in particular target 7.1 (By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services). read more September 2014 Sustainable Energy Finance Update [viewed] read more UN-Energy Newsletter Highlights Appointment of Kandeh Yumkella as CEO for SE4ALL Initiative [viewed] read more read more read more
Global Warming : Feature Articles By Holli Riebeek Design by Robert Simmon June 3, 2010 Throughout its long history, Earth has warmed and cooled time and again. Climate has changed when the planet received more or less sunlight due to subtle shifts in its orbit, as the atmosphere or surface changed, or when the Sun’s energy varied. But in the past century, another force has started to influence Earth’s climate: humanity Previous versions of this article were published in 2007 and 2002. Archived versions are available as PDF files. What is Global Warming? Global warming is the unusually rapid increase in Earth’s average surface temperature over the past century primarily due to the greenhouse gases released by people burning fossil fuels. How Does Today’s Warming Compare to Past Climate Change? Earth has experienced climate change in the past without help from humanity. Why Do Scientists Think Current Warming Isn’t Natural? How Much More Will Earth Warm? How Will Earth Respond to Warming Temperatures?
Policy: Five priorities for the UN Sustainable Development Goals Global monitoring of atmospheric nitrogen dioxide reveals pollution hotspots. This week, the United Nations is deliberating in New York how to implement the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that it will launch formally in September. Science must be at the heart of its plans. The SDGs place greater demands on the scientific community than did the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which they replace1. Addressing climate change, renewable energy, food, health and water provision requires coordinated global monitoring and modelling of many factors — social, economic and environmental. Much remains to be done: the 17 goals comprise 169 targets, 91 of which need to be specified in more detail. To guide action, the connections between targets need to be better understood. Devise metrics. Existing methodologies can form the starting points, including environmental impact assessment, natural-asset valuation, cost–benefit analysis and life-cycle costing. Establish monitoring mechanisms.
Energy Law & Policy eJournal Date Posted: September 03, 2016 Accepted Paper Series The Potential of UK Shale Gas Regulation to Inform the EU Level Harmonising Measuresin I Mersinia and S-L Penttinen (eds), Energy Transitions: Regulatory and Policy Trends -Intersentia 2016, ForthcomingSanna Elfving University of Bradford Date Posted: September 03, 2016 Accepted Paper Series How robust is the governance system of British Columbia for regulating the environmental aspects of shale gas development?Oil, Gas and Energy Law Intelligence 12(3)Sanna Elfving University of Bradford Date Posted: September 02, 2016 Accepted Paper Series Safeguards for Consumers in the Energy TransitionTILEC Discussion Paper No. 2016-018Saskia Lavrijssen Tilburg University - TILEC Date Posted: September 02, 2016 Working Paper Series14 downloads The Fall of Icarus? Clearing the Air: How Canadian LNG Exports Could Help Meet World Greenhouse Gas Reduction GoalsC.D. What is the Economic Implication of Global Warming in the United States of America?
In focus: Women and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh Targets By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. Sustainable modern energy fuels development, from the light that allows a child to do her homework to streetlamps allowing women to travel safely home at night. Credit: IUCN, EGI and UN Women In households, women are often the primary energy managers. Some indications suggest that women are more likely than men to conserve energy—using up to 22 per cent less, including through a greater willingness to alter everyday behaviours [1]. As primary energy managers in households, women could play powerful roles in extending sustainable modern energy. UN Women’s efforts extend energy access and enable women to electrify their communities. Stories
Sustainable Development Goals UN's sustainable development goals for 2030 United Nations' 17 sustainable development goals for 2030 The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They were created with the aim of "peace and prosperity for people and the planet.. The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). 17 Sustainable Development goals[edit] Challenges
Energy - the seventh Sustainable Development Goal: Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik Download PDF 116 KB Ruchser, Matthias The Current Column (2015) Bonn: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) (The Current Column of 9 March 2015) Negotiations are currently under way towards adopting a new post-2015 agenda with universal Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). at the United Nations General Assembly in late September 2015. A United Nations inter-governmental working group has submitted a comprehensive proposal with 17 goals and 169 targets for sustainable development. Bonn, 9 March 2015. But just what is affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy? The concept of modern energy is much harder to grasp. Moreover, affordable and cheap are not the same thing; cheap energy leads to wasting energy. The new feature of the SDGs is their universal nature, which means that they will also apply to Germany.
In focus: Women and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy | ONU Mujeres – Europe and Central Asia Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh Targets By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. Sustainable modern energy fuels development, from the light that allows a child to do her homework to streetlamps allowing women to travel safely home at night. Credit: IUCN, EGI and UN Women In households, women are often the primary energy managers. Some indications suggest that women are more likely than men to conserve energy—using up to 22 per cent less, including through a greater willingness to alter everyday behaviours [1]. As primary energy managers in households, women could play powerful roles in extending sustainable modern energy. UN Women’s efforts extend energy access and enable women to electrify their communities. Stories