Posted
on 17 June 2009 - The majority of subsidies
given to Baltic Sea fisheries and agriculture
have a negative impact on the health of
the sea, a new WWF report says.
The majority of subsidies
given to Baltic Sea fisheries and agriculture
have a negative impact on the health of
the sea, a new WWF report says.
Some 14 billion euros
of taxpayers’ money is distributed to these
sectors in the region every year. But according
to WWF at least 84 percent of this cash
pile is being used in an environmentally
harmful way or instead of serving the public
good is supporting purely profit related
activities.
A previous Swedish Environment
Protection Agency showed that the minimum
cost to reach the environmental targets
for eutrophication and fisheries in the
HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan is calculated
to be approximately €2.6 billion per year.
“This shows that we
have enough money to save the Baltic Sea,”
says Lasse Gustavsson, the CEO of WWF Sweden.
“Just the money provided to the agriculture
and fisheries sectors in the form of misdirected
subsidies equals four times the amount of
money needed to save the Baltic Sea.”
Parallel to the report
on subsidies, WWF released its vision statements
for the future of European agricultural
policy and the European fisheries policy.
Both of these documents
state that public funding should only be
used to pay for those goods and services
that benefit us all, but are not paid for
by the market; services like the sustainable
management of common resources, biodiversity
protection or the maintenance of cultural
values.
“The distribution of
subsidies today reflects the outcome of
political negotiations rather than an objective
assessment of the needs of these sectors,
the appropriate use of public funding in
response to these needs, or a consideration
of the amount of funding required”, says
Lasse Gustavsson.
”Delivering public goods
should be the primary purpose of public
funding, and this is likely to require substantial
investments in the Baltic Sea region also
in the future”.
According to WWF the
most urgent measure to solve the fisheries
crisis is to bring down fishing over-capacity
to a sustainable level. Today subsidies
are used both to scrap vessels and to support
increased fishing. The report shows that
the cost to bring down over-capacity would
be less than zero – it would be a net gain
for society.
In order to put agriculture
policy on a more sustainable track the WWF
vision states the importance of working
in partnership with environmental NGOs,
farmers’ representatives and others to develop
a new Common Environment and Rural Policy
for implementation in 2019.
The full report and
the vision papers are available at www.panda.org/baltic
+ More
Climate chaos inflicting
growing costs on U.S.
Posted on 16 June 2009
- Washington D.C. - Every region of the
United States – from the East Coast to the
West Coast, plus Alaska and Hawaii – is
experiencing significant, adverse impacts
from climate change including droughts,
floods, heat waves and wildfires – and these
widespread impacts will grow during the
course of the century, concludes a major
new report issued today by the White House.
Global Climate Change Impacts in the United
States According to the report Global Climate
Change Impacts in the United States, climate
change is already having a direct and negative
effect on the American people, impacting
“water, energy, transportation, agriculture,
ecosystems, and health” all across the nation.
The report was issued
by the U.S. Global Change Research Program
(GCRP) as the result of research initiated
during the Bush Administration. WWF officials
said today that the report accurately reflects
the climate-related impacts that its scientists
are witnessing in the field, as some of
the Earth’s most valuable and threatened
ecosystems are pushed beyond their limits.
WWF said the report
provides compelling evidence that the nation
is already paying a significant price for
failing to take action in the past.
“This is the clearest
of wake up calls—climate change is here
and the time for action is now,” said WWF
US CEO Carter Roberts.
“As Congress debates
landmark legislation to solve our energy
and climate crisis, this report provides
conclusive evidence that our planet is already
changing before our very eyes, with enormous
implications for our nation’s economic future
and way of life. Already Americans are paying
the price for the lack of action on climate
change in the past and those costs will
only rise. It’s time for Congress to act.
”
While the report focuses
exclusively on U.S. territory, WWF experts
say they are observing climate change impacts
in other parts of the world that could also
pose huge security and economic risks to
Americans.
“While we must take
immediate and ambitious action to reduce
emissions, we must also respond to the changes
already underway and develop measures to
prepare for and adapt to climate change
impacts,” said Dr. Richard H. Moss, vice
president of WWF’s climate change program.
Moss, who served as
director of the GCRP office during the Clinton
and Bush administrations, urged the federal
government to immediately launch a permanent,
on-going effort to assess actual and potential
climate impacts nationwide, and assess options
for preparing for and adapting to those
impacts.
“Climate disruption
is changing the American landscape in increasingly
significant ways. To adequately anticipate,
prepare for and respond to those impacts,
a coordinated, on-going national assessment
effort is required,” Moss said.
Observed changes are
detailed in the report, broken down by nine
regions: Southeast, Northeast, Midwest,
Great Plains, Southwest, Northwest, Alaska,
Islands, and Coasts. Key impacts are noted
below:
Water
The report finds that nearly every region
of the country has experienced water-related
impacts in the form of floods and water
quality issues, while noting that some areas,
namely the Southeast and West, are also
suffering from droughts of increasing severity
and frequency. Additionally, the report
notes declining mountain snowpack, a primary
source of freshwater in the West and in
Alaska.
Agriculture
Weather extremes, pests, diseases and warmer
temperatures pose challenges for agriculture.
Risks to Coastal Areas
U.S. coastal communities face erosion and
flooding due to rising sea levels and greater
storm surges. The report notes that the
Atlantic and Gulf coasts, Hawaii and Alaska
are particularly at risk, as is critical
transportation and energy infrastructure.
Human Health
Heat, poor air quality, diseases and severe
weather events threaten all areas of the
country.
Environmental Impacts
Climate change is stressing fragile ecosystems
and threatened animal and plant species.
According to the report, some ecosystems
have already been stressed beyond tipping
points. It notes that the increasing loss
of ecosystems will impact resource-based
services on which human society depends.
+ More
Going green is where
the jobs are: new study
Posted on 16 June 2009
- Brussels, Belgium – With over three million
jobs across Europe, green economic activities
are overtaking polluting industries in terms
of employment, says a new WWF study.
“Low carbon jobs for Europe” shows that
at least 3.4 million European jobs are directly
related to renewable energy, sustainable
transport and energy efficient goods and
services. This compares with 2.8 million
jobs in polluting industries, such as mining,
electricity, gas, cement, and iron and steel.
It is predicted that the low-carbon economy
will continue to expand in the future, whereas
employment in extractive and climate polluting
industries will continue to decline.
“The study clearly points
at the winners and provides evidence that
climate-friendly policies and technologies
make a positive contribution to the economy,”
says Jason Anderson, Head of European Climate
and Energy Policy at WWF. “The clean economy
is about to take off. If politicians continue
to support industries that contribute to
climate pollution, Europe will face high
costs in the future, both for the economy
and the environment.”
Available figures suggest
that in Europe close to 400,000 people are
employed in renewable energy activities,
some 2.1 million in efficient transport,
and over 900,000 in energy efficiency goods
and services. These jobs include, for example,
manufacturing, installation and maintenance
of wind turbines and solar panels, and construction
works to improve efficiency in existing
buildings. Related indirect jobs are estimated
at approximately another 5 million.
All are showing significant
growth, with particular focus on wind power,
solar photovoltaic, bioenergy, public transport
and building sectors.
Leading European countries
are Germany, Spain and Denmark for wind
power, Germany and Spain for solar power.
Other countries see developments in similar
activities, with high potentials for improvement.
Ahead of the European
Council meeting in Brussels on 18-19 June,
WWF is asking that the EU makes strong commitments
to cut domestic greenhouse gas emissions
and move to a green economy.
“In the next few days,
Europe has an opportunity to do something
to reduce the international perception that
it is good at making promises but poor at
living up to them,” added Anderson. “The
Council should reemphasize Europe's commitment
to taking on emissions cuts that are in
line with staying below a 2 degree limit,
which is not the case now”.
“In doing so Europe
will demonstrate confidence that ambition
in tackling the climate problem goes hand
in hand with developing the engines of future
economies and employment. As this report
shows, making a strong emissions reductions
commitment will also support the fastest
growing and highest job contributing areas
of the economy.”
