Environmental Sustainability and Volunteerism

This issue brief highlights volunteerism as a constant — a universal, dynamic and creative resource present to support multidimensional responses to the challenge of ensuring environmental sustainability, including the increase of natural disasters, attributed in part to climate change.

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Organization: UNV

Topic: Culture, Risk Reduction/Management, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Other

Publication date: 2014

Language: English

UNV in Action: Environment and Climate Change

This document analyzes how climate change is caused by human action – and can consequently only be addressed by changing human behaviour, especially with regard to consumption and production patterns. The environment movement is rooted in volunteer action. In most cases, volunteers are among the first on site to respond to the aftermath of environmental disasters.

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Organization: UNV

Topic: Culture, Emergency Preparedness and Response, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Analytical-Technical Document

Publication date: 2013

Language: English

Contribution of Volunteerism to Natural Resource Management and Community-based Approaches to Climate Change

This guidance document looks at ways to integrate volunteerism into the environment and climate change area. It was developed to provide an understanding of volunteerism and its contribution to this focus area. It intends to contribute to strengthening of UNV capacity to more effectively engage partners in environmental and climate change activities during its advocacy and programming work.

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Organization: UNV

Topic: Education, Population Dynamics, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Guidance Document

Publication date: 2009

Language: English

Natural Resource Management and Community-Based Approaches to Climate Change

This guidance document focuses on promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation at the local and community level, a it’s at the local level that changes in the ecosystem can result in, for example, freshwater shortages, reduced agricultural productivity, or increased health risks that can directly affect the livelihoods of individuals, families and communities living in the area. 

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Organization: UNV

Topic: Adaptation, Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Mitigation, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Guidance Document

Publication date: 2013

Language: English

Closing the Distance Partnerships for Sustainable and Resilient Transport Systems in SIDS

This report aims to improve the understanding of the key issues at the interface between maritime transport, sustainability and resilience. It identifies gaps and needs facing the maritime transport sector in SIDS and highlights potential response measures with a view to more sustainable and resilient maritime transport systems, as environmental degradation and climate change threaten the very existence of SIDS, world hotspots of natural biodiversity and marine resources. 

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Organization: UNCTAD

Topic: Trade, Water, Ecosystems, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2014

Language: English

Report of the Multi-Year Expert Meeting on Transport, Trade Logistics and Trade Facilitation on Its Fourth Session

This meeting report is based on the  transformational potential associated with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as transport sector is a key issue in the fight against climate change.

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Organization: UNCTAD

Topic: Trade, Transport, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2015

Language: English

Sustainable Freight Transport Systems: Opportunities for Developing Countries

This guidance document highlights the potential for freight transport to emerge as an important sector that adheres to sustainable development principles and promotes people, prosperity, environment and sustainable partnerships, in the context of the adoption of the Paris Agreement at the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP21).

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Organization: UNCTAD

Topic: Trade, Transport, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Guidance Document

Publication date: 2015

Language: English

National Workshop Saint Lucia: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation for Coastal Transport Infrastructure in the Caribbean

This workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of policy makers, transport planners and transport infrastructure managers in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to understand climate change impacts on coastal transport infrastructure and take appropriate adaptation response measures.  Stakeholders discussed the draft case-study of Saint Lucia, as well as the draft methodology for assessing climate-related impacts and adaptation options that is being developed under the project. 

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Organization: UNCTAD

Topic: Economic and Development Planning, Trade, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Slide Presentation

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

National Workshop Jamaica: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation for Coastal Transport Infrastructure in the Caribbean

This workshop aims to strengthen the capacity of policy makers, transport planners and transport infrastructure managers in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to understand climate change impacts on coastal transport infrastructure and take appropriate adaptation response measures.  Stakeholders discussed the draft case-study of Jamaica, as well as the draft methodology for assessing climate-related impacts and adaptation options that is being developed under the project. 

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Organization: UNCTAD

Topic: Economic and Development Planning, Trade, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Slide Presentation

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

GCOS Workshop on Observations for Climate Change Mitigation

This report provides the main highlights, topics and conclusions from the workshop focusing on on Observations for Climate Change Mitigation from 5-7 May 2014.  The workshop aimed at developing a statement on the general adequacy of the observations coordinated by the GCOS to support climate change mitigation and identify of further work that may need to be undertaken in preparation for the next GCOS status report on the Global Observing Systems for Climate.

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Topic: Environment, Mitigation, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2014

Language: English

GCOS Workshop on Enhancing Observations to Support Preparedness and Adaptation in a Changing Climate – Learning from the IPCC 5th Assessment Report

This report provides the main highlights, topics and conclusions from the workshop that brought together more than 70 participants to discuss Enhancing Observations to Support Preparedness and Adaptation in a Changing Climate – Learning from the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report – at the UN Campus in Bonn, Germany. Participants represented the UNFCCC Secretariat and Parties, GCOS, IPCC and other United Nations Secretariat units and bodies and academic, governmental and non-governmental experts.

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Topic: Adaptation, Science, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2015

Language: English

Status of the Global Observing System for Climate

This report performs two functions: It assesses the progress made against the actions set out in the GCOS Implementation Plan for the Global Observing System for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC, while also providing a more generic assessment of the overall adequacy of the global observing system for climate. It makes use of a wide range of supporting GCOS materials published.

Download file: Full report, Executive summary, Résumé

Topic: Environment, Science, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2015

Language: English, French

The Global Observing System for Climate: Implementation Needs

This guidance document provides background on the requirements and recommendations for a functional and robust Global Climate Observing System. Global climate monitoring, including water and greenhouse-gas fluxes, supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implementation of the Paris Agreement. While observations are the focus of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, aspects of climate-related policy are covered by many different government departments.

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Topic: Water, Science, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Guidance Document

Publication date: 2016

Language: English

What Are Marine Ecological Time Series Telling Us about the Ocean?

This report showcases the importance of the ship‐based biogeochemical and ecological time series as a tool to characterize and quantify ocean ecosystems. These results are intended to encourage others to establish new time series and/or continue the sustained systematic sampling of the existing ones and promote data sharing. It also aims to improve the governance, management, institutional capacity, and decision-making processes with respect to marine resources and climate variability.

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Organization: UNESCO, Korea Institute for Ocean Science and Technology

Topic: Education, Water, Ecosystems, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

Counting the Beans: The True Cost of a Plate of Food around the World

This analytical document illustrates the disparities in the affordability of food and an attempt to disentangle the factors behind them. It highlights the steps that can be taken to mitigate these disparities in the aim to end hunger by 2030. 

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Organization: WFP, Mastercard

Topic: Agriculture and Food, Economic and Development Planning, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Analytical-Technical Document

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

Compendium: Food Security Climate Analyses, Methodologies and Lessons, 2010-2016

This analytical document provides a compendium of the main findings and lessons learnt from food security climate analyses that have been undertaken by WFP and partners under the Climate Adaptation Management and Innovation Initiative (C-ADAPT). It is targeted at government policy makers, humanitarian partners, and technical analysts interested in accessing a snap shot of a range of food security climate analyses. 

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Organization: WFP

Topic: Agriculture and Food, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Analytical-Technical Document

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

Climate and Disaster Resilience Financing in Small Island Developing States

This report is the quantifies the flow and patterns of concessional finance in support of climate and disaster resilience in small island developing states (SIDS). By clarifying the nature, scope and volume of concessional funding for climate and disaster resilience, it aims to inform policy and decision makers, in both SIDS recipient governments as well as among funding providers, and promote a more e ective provision and use of nancing for resilience.

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Organization: WB, OECD

Topic: Adaptation, COP23 List of UN Publications, Policy Instruments, Financial Mechanisms

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2016

Language: English

Report of the High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices

This Commission to explores explicit carbon-pricing options and levels that would induce the change in behaviors— particularly in those driving the investments in infrastructure, technology, and equipment—needed to deliver on the temperature objective of the Paris Agreement, in a way that fosters economic growth and development, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals. It also covers other policies relevant and important to carbon-pricing design and delivery on the Paris agreement.

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Organization: WB, Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition, Agence de l&#039, Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l&#039, Energie, France Ministère
de la transition écologique et solidaire

Topic: Energy, COP23 List of UN Publications, Policy Instruments

Type of material: Activity Report

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

Climate-Smart Healthcare Low-Carbon and Resilience Strategies for the Health Sector

This guidance document can be used as a tool for the preparation of background sections or policy documents, given their emphasis on climate change and health links. Other sections provide approaches and tools that can be directly extracted and built into projects and programs. More than 20 case studies appear throughout to illustrate the practical value in connecting climate change and health. 

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Organization: WB

Topic: Health, Human Security, COP23 List of UN Publications, Policy Instruments

Type of material: Guidance Document

Publication date: 2017

Language: English

Climate Investment Opportunities in Emerging Markets: An IFC Analysis

This analytical document focuses on how businesses can develop new financial and business models to deliver the next wave of climate solutions in transport, waste, agriculture and energy storage. Governments have made a great start by bringing the Paris Agreement so quickly into force. It highlights the need for more partnership and coordinated action between government, business and civil society. 

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Organization: WB

Topic: Economic and Development Planning, Finance, COP23 List of UN Publications

Type of material: Analytical-Technical Document

Publication date: 2016

Language: English