Sign Up for Free SSF Membership To Access the Webinar Archives www.securityandsustainabilityforum.org A Conversation with Keith Alverson August 19, 2014 SSF Archived Climate Solutions Webinar Series • Urbanization and Growth on a Finite Planet • International Environmental Security • National Climate Assessment Water Management • • Adaptation to Protect Security in a Changing Climate • Renewable Energy on Institutional Property www.ssfonline.org Keith Alverson Interviewer: Abigail Abrash Head of the Climate Change Adaptation and Walton Terrestrial Ecosystems Branch. United Antioch University New England Nations Environment Program 1
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Sign Up for Free SSF Membership To Access the Webinar Archives www.securityandsustainabilityforum.org Renewable Energy on Institutional Property Webinar Series Register at: www.ssfonline.org Energy Tab Archived Webinars in the Series June 2 nd – Renewable Energy Policy • • June 26th Webinar #1 – The US Federal Agency Market: Meeting Energy Reduction and Renewable Energy Mandates • July 10th Webinar #2 – Renewable Energy Technology Applicability • July 24th Webinar #3 – The Effective Marriage of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in an ESCO Contract for Municipalities, and Educational and Hospital Campuses • August 7th - Webinar #4 – The Intersection of the Microgrid, Renewable Energy, and Storage Registration Open August 21st Webinar #5 – Public Private Partnerships (PPP) • • September 4th Webinar #6 – The Leading Edge of New Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technologies Coming to the Market • September 18th Webinar #7 – Developing the RFP 3
Agenda 4 Keith Alverson: “Ecosystem based Adaptation to Climate Change“ briefing Abigail Abrash Walton: Discussion Questions Audience Questions. Submit questions through the Go to Webinar question box Please take the exit survey
Meet the Panel 5 Keith Alverson : Head of the Climate Change Adaptation and Terrestrial Ecosystems Branch of the Division on Environmental Policy Implementation at the UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya. In this role he coordinates, inter alia, UNEP's Ecosystems Based Adaptation Climate Change program of work and the Global Climate Change Adaptation Network. Keith.Alverson@unep.org Abigail Abrash Walton: Co-director, Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience at Antioch University New England. Abigail has served as a commentator on a variety of human rights issues for media outlets including The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The New York Times, National Public Radio and "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. aabrash@antioch.edu
Ecosystem based Adaptation United Nations Environment Program Keith Alverson Security and Sustainability Forum Online Interview, 19 August, 2014
Four Take Home Messages 1. Mitigation has failed to date. Adaptation is therefore of critical and urgent importance 2. Adaptation does not require multilateral agreements. Any region, country, state, city, town, company, or individual can adapt effectively today. 3. Climate variability has been large in the past and ecosystems have developed great resilience. We can use nature’s existing solutions in order to decrease our own human vulnerability to climate change. 4. Ecosystem based approaches can be effective as part of a broader adaptation strategy. For example integrated with that engineered infrastructure and elements focused in social and economic drivers of vulnerability.
Why Adapt? For the highly populated US East Corridor from Boston to NY mitigating warming to below 2C has already failed (and continues to worsen)
Theory – Coastal Hazards and protection from habitats K. Arkema et al. Nature Climate Change, 2013
Reality is local – expensive, conflicts, unknown effectiveness • federal $170 million effort to replenish dunes washed away during Hurricane Sandy. A 12 mile line of 15-foot-high dunes fronted by sloping beach. • 7 million cubic yards of sand, most of it dredged from the sea bottom and pumped onto the shore. • 41 homes slated for destruction and 700 others must grant easements • Plover nesting habitat destroyed ? “places should be left flat and without vegetation — the • No one knows how long way plovers like their nesting areas” vs “The piping plover the dunes will last! can find another location to nest while we protect the people,”
2 Minute Video on Coastal EbA: http://www.rona.unep.org/toomey/ Someone is watching! [U.S. President] Obama … announced measures to protect coastal communities vulnerable to climate change, including an offer of $102 million in grants to restore flood plains and natural barriers along the Atlantic coast … Source: Reuters World Service Date: June 17, 2014
Multiple Threats Warming – Acidification – Agricultural Runoff – Fishing – Tourism Multiple Benefits Climate Resilience - Ecosystem Services - Biodivesity
Selected EbA Projects Topic and Location Funder, Scale, Timeline, Partners EbA in Mountain Regions : Germany (BMUB). $15M. 2011-15 Uganda, Peru, Nepal w/ UNDP and IUCN EbA in Coral Reefs and Coastal European Commission. $3.5M. 2014-16 Ecosystems : Grenada & Seychelles EbA in agriculture-dominated landscapes UN Development Fund $0.7M. 2014-15 Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia EbA in Urban areas in Asia : Kathmandu, 2014 submitted to IKI $5M. w/ PEI (UNDP) and UN-Habitat Chennai, Khulna, Colombo, Manila, Davao, Makassar 2014 submitted to IKI $3M Effectiveness of EbA w/ WCMC and ESEU
UNEP GEF adaptation portfolio distribution * Click points to view more information KEY LDCF SCCF LDCF & SCCF LDCF & AF
UNEP GEF Adaptation Portfolio Growth 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
1 st UN Environmental Assembly (2014) EbA Resolution
Operative paragraphs include: The United Nations Assembly, Requests the Executive Director of UNEP to … enhance support to developing countries…for the development and implementation of community-based, national and regional ecosystem-based adaptation… Encourages all countries to include and improve ecosystem-based adaptation … in their climate change adaptation and food security policies … Invites all countries to take into consideration ecosystems in their development planning … including in their climate change adaptation policies and plans
THANK YOU
Discussion Questions 19 What are some of the leading facilitators of effective adaptation 1. today? Funding? Knowledge? Technology? Leadership? Stakeholder engagement? What leading examples of effective adaptation can you share with this 2. audience? What is working? Does scale matter? UNEP’s climate adaptation portfolio has grown more than 1000% 3. over the past five fiscal years. What outcomes are you seeing from this robust, early investment? The audience for today’s interview includes many U.S. -based climate 4. leaders, operating at municipal, state, and federal levels as well as within the private sector. How does your team’s work at UNEP connect with the adaptation challenges we face in the U.S.?
Audience Questions 20 Keith Alverson: Head of the Climate Change Adaptation and Terrestrial Ecosystems Branch of the Division on Environmental Policy Implementation at the UNEP. Keith.Alverson@unep.org Abigail Abrash Walton: Co-director, Center for Climate Preparedness and Community Resilience at Antioch University New England. aabrash@antioch.edu
Sign Up for Free SSF Membership To Access the Webinar Archives www.securityandsustainabilityforum.org Renewable Energy on Institutional Property Webinar Series Register at: www.ssfonline.org Energy Tab Archived Webinars in the Series June 2 nd – Renewable Energy Policy • • June 26th Webinar #1 – The US Federal Agency Market: Meeting Energy Reduction and Renewable Energy Mandates • July 10th Webinar #2 – Renewable Energy Technology Applicability • July 24th Webinar #3 – The Effective Marriage of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in an ESCO Contract for Municipalities, and Educational and Hospital Campuses • August 7th - Webinar #4 – The Intersection of the Microgrid, Renewable Energy, and Storage Registration Open August 21st Webinar #5 – Public Private Partnerships (PPP) • • September 4th Webinar #6 – The Leading Edge of New Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technologies Coming to the Market • September 18th Webinar #7 – Developing the RFP 21
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