Extreme events are posing an “immense” challenge to forests, the Director of UNEP's Regional Office for Europe Jan Dusik has said in a speech to environment and agriculture ministers in Europe.

Measures therefore need to be taken at national and regional levels to protect forests “urgently” Mr Dusik underlined at the 7th Forest Europe Ministerial Conference taking place on 20-21 October in Madrid.

At the event, European environment and other ministers committed to enhancing the social role of forests and their potential role in the transition to a Green Economy, as well as to protect forests in a changing environment. The decisions will feed into policymaking at national and pan-European level.

Changes in precipitation and temperature and increased frequency of floods and droughts are among the most prominent threats faced by forests - partly because their long lifespan does not allow them to adapt to environmental changes quickly, Mr Dusik noted in his speech.

Ecosystem services provided by forests such as erosion control and water purification should also be included in calculations of their value, the Director added.

Mr Dusik furthermore reported on significant progress made under the Carpathian Convention - which is hosted by UNEP - since the last ministerial meeting. Parties to the Convention have since adopted a Protocol on Sustainable Forest Management and action plan, he noted, while indicators and criteria have also been agreed for selecting virgin forests in the Carpathian mountains.

Two publications were furthermore issued at the conference. One looks at national and regional implementation of political commitments made through Forest Europe resolutions until October’s meeting, while another examines whether 2020 goals related to Europe’s forests are on track for being met.

Out of a total forest area of 215 million hectares in the pan-European area, 150m ha is available for wood supply while 3.7m ha is damaged. UN Sustainable Development Goal number 15 calls on member states to protect, restore and promote the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems and sustainably manage forests.

Mr Dusik’s full speech can be read by clicking here.

For more information please contact barbara.ruis@unep.org

Following the success of its first edition, UNEP has organised a second training event as part of its national awareness-raising campaign on organic agriculture in Moldova.

The event was organised under the EU funded ‘Greening Economies in the EU’s Eastern Neighbourhood’ programme (EaP-GREEN ) and brought together 20 farmers from different regions of Moldova on 2 October 2015.

Organic agriculture is vital in reversing environmental degradation, preserving ecosystem functionality and mitigating and building resilience to climate change. At the same time, it offers the potential for new jobs, business opportunities and trade links for a broader transition to a Green Economy. Within the framework of the EaP-GREEN programme, UNEP is leading an initiative to promote organic production and trade in three pilot countries.

The two training workshops in Moldova have been instrumental in informing local farmers – who cultivate an agricultural area of over 1100 ha - about crop-specific organic practices, national agricultural policies, organic certification procedure and the marketing aspects of organic production. Several participants encouraged further capacity building and are now in the process of preparing a tailored business plan for the conversion from conventional to organic agricultural and livestock practices under EaP-GREEN.

Throughout the main harvest season in September and October, support was provided to Moldovan farmers were to attend local agricultural festivals and fairs, such as the ‘Bostaniada’ Pumpkin Festival and the four-day FARMER exhibition. The latter gave smallholders the opportunity to present their organic products, thereby fostering interaction with consumers and further raising the profile of organic agriculture in the country.

Alongside numerous capacity-building activities for farmers and producers, a seminar and exchange of ideas on how organic agriculture and consumption can be promoted through educational institutions was conducted on 7 October for teachers from six Moldovan regions.

The event was broadcast on national TV and laid the groundwork for a dedicated thematic week on organic agriculture in eleven educational institutions taking place across the country.

The thematic week provided a unique opportunity to reach out to teachers, school children and parents and will be accompanied by a national TV spot encouraging consumers to choose organic products and boosting the domestic organic market.

For more information please get in touch with nina.schneider@unep.org

National efforts to reduce emissions are being supported by an initiative launched by the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra together with UNEP and other international partners to scale-up and replicate successful existing examples of carbon reductions.

The project, named ‘Green to Scale,’ identifies low-carbon solutions already underway and defines tiers of comparable countries capable of replicating them. It also lays out the conditions and policies needed to scale up the solutions, together with an assessment of the related emissions savings, costs and co-benefits.

Wind power production in Denmark is one example being studied, while efforts to make buildings more energy efficient in Germany and Mexico are also seen as feasibly being replicated in certain countries.

The initiative is expected to help states meet and go beyond national carbon reduction targets, or ‘Intended Nationally Determined Contributions,’ in light of the COP21 climate talks taking place in Paris next month.

Unlike many other studies, Green to Scale examines concrete carbon savings already achieved rather than pledges or potential savings. In addition, comparable countries are identified for each solution, in order to boost confidence among policymakers that the actions work and can do so in their country. News of and results from the analyses are also being shared far and wide.

Outcomes from the project will be presented by Sitra together with the International Finance Corporation, World Bank and World Resources Institute (WRI) in Washington on 19 November. The event will feature high-level speakers including Rachel Kyte – the World Bank’s Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change- and WRI President Andrew Steer.

The UNEP DTU Partnership provides inputs to the analysis as a member of the international steering group of the project. The Partnership is a UNEP Collaborating Centre based in Copenhagen. It takes part in both the planning and implementation of UNEP’s Climate Change Strategy and Energy Programme. Sitra is an independent fund that reports directly to the Finnish Parliament and serves as the Green to Scale host and co-ordinator. The fund leads an international coalition of partners, including the World Resources Institute, from ten countries.

Initial results from the study, which began in May, will also be reported on in upcoming editions of this newsletter. The COP21 UNFCCC climate talks take place from 30 November to 11 December.

For more information on the partnership please click here

or contact John Christensen, joch@dtu.dk

A new UNEP report shows how to harness the assets of the world’s financial system for sustainability.

Among the findings in ‘The financial system we need’ report is that a “quiet revolution” is underway as financial policymakers and regulators seek to ensure that financial systems take sustainable development considerations into account.

Momentum for the change is largely seen to be driven by developing and emerging nations such as Kenya and Brazil, while developed country champions include France and the UK.

The Inquiry has “for the first time compiled and analysed inspiring initiatives from across the world that seek to better align the financial system with sustainable development,” said UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, adding that the research shows “there is much to be learnt from the developing world”.

“We now need to raise the level of ambition and cooperation to ensure that [the financial system] can evolve to serve its core purpose of growing and sustaining the real economy,” he underlined.

National and international actions could amplify best practices and channel private capital to finance the transition to an inclusive, green economy and support the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The report “should be a very useful guide and reference for many governments, financial institutions and international organisations in thinking about how to advance green finance," agreed Yi Gang, Deputy Governor of the People’s Bank of China.

Following two years of research in 15 countries, over 100 measures already in place are uncovered, including new disclosure requirements on climate change introduced for institutional investors in France and mobile-based payment services in Kenya as a means of promoting financial inclusion.

The Inquiry was released at the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Annual Meetings in Lima, Peru on 8 October. It includes a toolbox of measures, a set of policy packages and a prioritized set of 10 next steps to promote international financial cooperation.

For more information please write to chiara.moroni@unep.org