CLIMATE CHANGE: UN AGENCIES DESCRIBE CHALLENGES TO A/S

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GENEVA 000360

SIPDIS

STATE FOR IO, OES/ENG AND OES/ENV, USAID
OES/ENG PASS TO SYOFFEE
OES/ENV FOR J MATUSZAK

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON WMO
SUBJECT: CLIMATE CHANGE: UN AGENCIES DESCRIBE CHALLENGES TO A/S
BRIMMER


1. SUMMARY: Mission Geneva organized an event on May 5 to discuss
climate change, taking advantage of the visit of Assistant Secretary
Esther Brimmer. Guests to the event, who had been selected on the
basis of their involvement in threading climate change concerns into
their home organization's agenda, spoke to the need for better
messaging that would address the cross-cutting nature of climate
change adaptation and mitigation. Earlier in the day, Brimmer met
with the WMO Secretary General regarding the World Climate
Conference 3 and reform initiatives. END SUMMARY.

Climate Change - a Geneva Perspective
--------------

2. International Organizations A/S Brimmer, during a two-day
orientation visit to Geneva on May 4 and 5 (septels),stressed that
she was in listening mode, which included an evening with key actors
from Geneva-based organizations involved in climate change. Guests
included Bjorn Stigson, President of the World Business Council for
Sustainable Development; Secretary General Michel Jarraud of the
World Meteorological Organization (WMO); William Jackson, Deputy
Director General of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature, Ivar Baste, Director of the Environment Management
Secretariat for UNEP; Maria Neira, Climate and Health Director for
the World Health Organization (WHO),Mohammed Mukhier, Head of
Disaster Policy and Preparedness Department for the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),and
Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Telecommunication Standardization
Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).


3. The discussion ranged from the real politick view of Stigson who
advises the German, Chinese and the U.S. governments on climate
change mitigation to Neira's innovative ideas for getting the public
at large and the private sector behind mitigation efforts. Stigson
said that China aspires to a low carbon economy for energy security
and to mitigate the destabilizing effects of climate change on rural
areas that are particularly vulnerable to draught. He went on to
say that the U.S. and China are in a parallel situation needing to
sort out their domestic situations before they can move forward.


4. WHO's Neira proffered a more positive vision. She stated that
people could be motivated to move forward on climate change
mitigation if it is tied to a good public health campaign. I.E.,
climate change mitigation is good for you and your children because
it reduces chronic vascular disease, respiratory illness, asthma,
and other diseases. Neira called this a "no-regrets investment;"
meaning that climate change mitigation is health insurance for
society at large. Clean cooking stoves that reduce black carbon
emissions and indoor air pollution would be one example of a good
joint initiative. She also noted that hospitals and clinics could
lead by example by reducing their institutional carbon footprint.


5. According to Johnson's (ITU) read-out, efficiencies in hospitals
and clinics may not be that hard to capture. ITU recently completed
a full life cycle analysis and standardized methodology for
measuring the carbon footprint of Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT). Johnson stated that ICTs contribute
approximately 3 percent of greenhouse gas emissions - about the same
as air transportation. If improved ICTs were fully integrated into
society (for example, in hospitals) the efficiencies gained could
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15 percent from current
levels by 2020. Johnson made the point that in Europe alone there
were 100 million cell phone users who replace their phones annually.
IUCN's Jackson concurred that the private sector would have to lead
on climate change solutions and echoed Neira's call for linking
climate change and health, noting the steady creep of tick borne
diseases into new areas. He also made a case for addressing land
use changes, particularly deforestation and forest degradation,
which would improve livelihoods as well as sequester carbon.


6. Jarraud reminded our State colleagues that even if all
greenhouse gas emissions were to cease tomorrow, climate change will
persist for the next 500 years; which is why adaptation as well as
mitigation is essential. He made the point that we can no longer
look to the past as a model for the future. Decision makers
determining where to build a dam cannot depend on past hydrological
data to determine the best location, he said. He added that at this
point 500 year floods may occur every few years, and seasonal rains
may shift all together. IFRC's Mukhier underscored that people just
are not prepared for unexpected weather - they do not know how to
plan for or react to floods in dry areas or draughts in wet areas.
He said that IFRC's responses to disasters due to extreme weather
events are increasing but they do not necessarily garner press
attention. "This is bigger than any one organization," according to
Mukhier. He urges UN and non-UN actors to sit together and "work on
analyses and conclusions to deal with these humanitarian crises on
the ground."

WMO and the WCC3

GENEVA 00000360 002 OF 002


--------------

7. Brimmer met with WMO Secretary General Jarraud earlier in the
day to discuss progress on the World Climate Conference 3 (WCC3).
He explained the role of the WMO and the proposed outcome of the
WCC3 - a "Global Framework on Climate Services" in relation to the
upcoming UNFCCC COP 15. WMO has a role in mitigation as it can
monitor the geographic spread and levels of greenhouse gas emissions
which will be essential for assessing the implementation of COP 15
outcomes. Jarraud also explained the critical need to disseminate
accurate weather predictions to decision makers in all
socio-economic sectors so that they can make critical resource
choices in adapting to climate change; WMO's Global Framework could
be key to helping the most vulnerable communities adapt to climate
change.


8. When the conversation turned to management issues, Jarraud
emphasized that his goal in implementing reform practices is to make
a more efficient and responsive organization. Having completed 80
percent of the auditors' recommendations, he expected that further
reform would proceed at a slower pace, though he ruefully commented
that despite his hope that WMO would not be on the leading edge of
implementing IPSAS, it seemed that WMO was on schedule for
implementation while other UN organizations were beginning to lag
behind. Finally, Jarraud wholeheartedly thanked Brimmer for
delivering the letter informing him of the USG contribution of USD
500,000 towards WCC3 and noted that it was "good to know U.S.
priorities, because then we can say: OK, how can we help." Mission
subsequently issued a press release announcing the USG
contribution.

STORELLA#