Tag Archives: change

Climate Change is linked to India´s Economic interests: Shyam Saran

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India needs to make a decisive shift away from fossil fuels to nuclear and renewable sources of energy irrespective of what the International Negotiations on Climate Change will yield in Copenhagen later this month said the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Climate Change Mr Shyam Saran at the CII-NETRA organised roundtable on Power technologies for Carbon Mitigation on 30th November 2009 in New Delhi. This is necessary to sustain an 8% GDP growth rate in the future. We are a few days away from the much awaited Copenhagen conference on Climate Change. The purpose of the conference is to produce a set of binding agreements between nations to limit the global rise in temperature. However, the Copenhagen conference may not produce desired results; he added.

The International Negotiations on Climate Change have become less and less about preventing global warming and more and more about the defense of national economic interest. India and other major developing economies should not therefore expect much in terms of either technology transfer or financial resources from developed nations to reduce carbon emissions. Instead they are likely to be asked to mobilize resources from international carbon market. However, Mr Saran cautioned with very weak international commitments to reduce CO2 emissions even the value of carbon credits may not be particularly high. They may not therefore provide sufficient resources to finance the energy shift in its entirety.

In the Indian context, it is essential to develop a marine algae program, a technology which offers a huge carbon reduction potential. It is also essential for India to create more greenfield projects to create greater carbon sinks. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) the much talked about technology for the International Negotiations may not be viable for India due to the high investment costs and the increase in the cost of power; said Mr. R S Sharma, Chairman & MD NTPC Ltd. and Chairman, CII National Committee on Power. The Indian Industry at large will not lag behind in setting emission targets for itself added Mr. Sharma.

Mr. Prem Shankar Jha, Member of the Energy Panel of the World Commission for Environment and Development suggested tackling the climate change problem in an integrated fashion across sectors and highlighted the benefits of using methanol obtained from flue gas CO2 and biomass to replace gasoline and diesel in the transport segment.

Mr. V S Verma, Member CERC, in his address at the roundtable emphasized India’s pro-activeness in adopting all the economically viable technology feasible for India in an effort to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Mr. Sudhir Kapur, Member CII National Committee on Power, in his concluding remarks suggested the greater need to integrate solar energy into grids and also the need to bring in new technologies promptly.

Climate change puts world at ‘tipping point’, WWF and Allianz report says

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We tend to think of climate change like the retreat or growth of a glacier, a slow and steady process, almost imperceptible, but following a manageable path.

That is a mistake, warns the Tipping Points Report published by Allianz and WWF. Climate change is a lot more like an avalanche than just heavy snowfall. Pressure builds until a threshold, or tipping point is passed, and catastrophe ensues. Warming of global temperatures is likely to take an unpredictable turn – one that could cost the world hundreds of billions.

If action is not taken immediately, sea level rise on the East Coast of the USA, the shift to an arid climate in California, disturbances of the Indian Summer Monsoon in India and Nepal or the dieback of the Amazon rainforest due to increasing drought, are likely to affect hundreds millions of people.

The study explores impacts of these tipping points, including their economic consequences and implications for the insurance sector. It also shows how close the world is to reaching tipping points in many regions of the world.

If we dont take action against climate change, it will happen in a disruptive and devastating way, said Kim Carstensen, the Head of WWF Global Climate Initiative. Reaching a tipping point means losing something forever. I dont think anyone likes the idea of losing anything forever.

According to the report, carried out by the Tyndall Centre, the impacts of passing Tipping Points on the livelihood of people and economic assets have been underestimated so far. The report therefore focuses on regions and phenomena where such events might be expected to cause significant impacts within the first half of the century.

As an insurer and investor, we must prepare our clients for these scenarios as long as we still have leeway for action, says Clemens von Weichs, CEO of Allianz Reinsurance. Setting premiums risk-appropriately and sustainably is of vital interest to everyone involved, because this is the only way to ensure that coverage solutions will continue to exist.

Allianz intends to address climate change by entering into dialogue with its clients at an early date. This will allow it to point out countermeasures in a timely way, and work together to develop specific coverage concepts, whether for existing assets or for future climate-compatible projects like alternative energy and water supply concepts, dyke construction, or protection against failed harvests.

Global temperatures have already risen by at least 0.7 degrees Celsius. Global warming above 2-3 degrees in the second half of the century is likely unless extremely radical and determined efforts towards deep cuts in emissions are put in place before 2015.

The melting of parts of the Greenland (GIS) and the West Antarctic Ice Shield (WAIS) could lead to a Tipping Point scenario, possibly a sea level rise of up to 0.5 meters by 2050. This is estimated to increase the value of assets at threat in all 136 global port mega-cities by around 25,000 billion USD.

On the North-eastern coast of the USA and due to a localized anomaly, the sea level could rise up to 0.65 meters, increasing the asset exposure from 1,350 to about 7,400 billion USD

The South Western Part of the USA, namely California, is likely to be affected by droughts and levels of aridity similar to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The annual damages caused by wildfires could be tenfold compared to todays costs and could reach up to 2.5 billion USD per year by 2050 increasing to up to 14 billion by 2085.

70 percent of working population may be put at risk by droughts in India. The future costs of droughts are expected to rise to approx. 40 billion USD per decade until the middle of the century.

The committed dieback of the Amazon Rainforest as a consequence of a significant increase in the frequency of droughts in the Amazon basin could reach 70% by the end of the century in a tipping point scenario. The impacts include loss of biodiversity and massive carbon release. Costs could reach up to 9.000 billion USD for a surface of around 4 million square kilometers.

The Tipping Points report shows how quickly we are approaching the dangerous and irreversible level of global warming, Carstensen said. Economic consequences of passing the climate tipping points are absolutely overwhelming.

There is still a chance to avoid the worst and this report shows how urgent it is to act immediately. An agreement in Copenhagen is the best, if not the only chance to prevent the worst impacts of devastating climate change.

For further information:

http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/climate_change/climate_impa…

Maldives urges UN Member States to take critical action to combat climate change

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The President of the Maldives implored world leaders gathered at the United Nations to urgently help the group of islands he governs in the middle of the Indian Ocean fight the menace of global warming, in a message to the General Assembly today.

“The threats posed to the Maldives from climate change are well-known,” President Mohamed Nasheed told the second day of the Assembly’s annual high-level debate at UN Headquarters in New York.

As beaches are lost to rising seas, houses to storm surges, jobs as fish stocks dwindle, and lives lost to more frequent extreme weather events, the scattering of islands becomes harder and harder to govern “until a point is reached when we must consider abandoning our homeland,” said Mr. Nasheed.

Calling on world leaders “to protect the future of front-line countries like the Maldives,” he said an ambitious new treaty on greenhouse gas reductions must be reached at December’s UN climate change conference in Copenhagen, which seeks to limit average global temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels.

“To do otherwise would be to sign the death warrant for the 300,000 Maldivians,” stressed Mr. Nasheed.

“But, the Maldives is determined to do what we can to survive,” he said referring to the archipelago’s commitment to be the first carbon-neutral country in 10 years time.

“In order to do that, we are determined to formulate a survival-kit, a carbon-neutral manual that would enable others to replicate in order that all of us together might just about save ourselves from climate catastrophe.”

Mr. Nasheed also hoped to invite some of the States most affected by climate change to the Maldives this November to “reinforce our determination to leave no stone unturned to ensure our survival.”

In addition, he said that the nascent democracy, which held its first ever multi-party presidential elections last year needed help from Member States in consolidating democracy and establishing a secure, prosperous and equitable society for the country.

Mr. Nasheed said he was thankful to be the first democratically-elected President of the Maldives to attend the General Assembly debate, many of which in the past he had spent bound up in a cell for his beliefs about freedom.

Sea Change ship comes in for England’s coastal towns

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Seven coastal resorts across the country from the South West to the North East are receiving a grant including, Plymouth, Barrow-in-Furness, Fleetwood, St Ives, Roker, North Tyneside and Margate. The Sea Change programme, funded by DCMS, is designed to invigorate Englands seaside towns through investment in culture and heritage.

Margaret Hodge, Culture and Tourism Minister, said:

What I love most about the Sea Change programme is the huge variety and diversity of the projects that receive funding. Whats exciting is that many of these grants will enable our seaside towns to celebrate their fantastic heritage and history whilst at the same time making the services and cultural facilities they offer completely relevant for the future.

Sea Change is all about investing in culture and heritage to stimulate regeneration in coastal towns that are struggling.

CABE Chief Executive Richard Simmons commenting on behalf of the Sea Change partnership said:

These seven projects all demonstrate how culture can be a catalyst to recapture the flair that these places enjoyed in their heyday. I especially like the plan to regenerate Dreamland in Margate, and showcase the countrys oldest rollercoaster and a listed scenic railway. It is ambitious projects like this, creating new national attractions, that can rekindle the English love affair with our seaside.

Margate has been awarded 3.7 million to help fund an ambitious project to rejuvenate the towns Dreamland Amusement Park. This includes plans to restore a collection of historic amusement rides many of which are the last surviving examples of their type. The listed scenic railway and the oldest surviving rollercoaster in the UK will be restored and the Grade II* listed Dreamland cinema will also be given a facelift.

In North Tyneside a Sea Change grant of 2 million will help transform the Grade II* listed Tynemouth station, arguably one of the finest and most important examples of a Victorian railway station in Britain. The funding will ensure the historic canopies on the building can be repaired, and the plans also include enhancing the existing exhibition space.

A 1 million grant for Roker, in Sunderland will help revive the town as a thriving historic coastal resort. Sea Change funding will be used to create a trail inspired by the areas heritage and culture and also create an illuminated exhibition space.

The historic fishing industry in St Ives will be celebrated with a Sea Change grant of 900,000 to take forward plans to redevelop and restore the 200 year old Grade II* listed Porthmeor Studios. The complex faces on to the beach and epitomises the connection between the town, fishing industry and local artists. As part of the project, new studios will be created and two of the old fishermens cellars will be refurbished.

Fleetwood, in Wyre will receive funding of 835,000 to create a performance and recreational space on the seafront at the North Parade. The scheme will reflect the viking, roman and neolithic history of the resort. A mythic trail along the coast will be developed and an observation centre for local bird and wildlife created, as well as a public art programme which will see local artists compete to design and manufacture artwork that will then be displayed in three locations along the coast.

A new visitor centre on Piel Island in Barrow-in-Furness will be created with a Sea Change grant of 280,000. The new centre housed in a refurbished building at the Grade II listed Ship Inn will also provide information about local heritage and orientation for walkers.

And a development grant of 100,000 for Plymouth will help develop plans for relocating the Plymouth Arts Centre on the Hoe. The plans are for a centre that will house two cinemas, as well as education and production spaces along with a cafe.

151/09

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Sea Change programme runs for three years from 2008 to 2011, giving a range of large and small grants each year to seaside resorts. It is led by CABE working with the Regional Development Agencies, English Heritage, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Arts Council England, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund. It was announced in November 2007. DCMS press notice 147 which refers to this can be found at www.culture.gov.uk

Ban calls on US to put full weight behind agreeing new climate change treaty

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Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the United States to take a leading role in forging a new international pact to combat global warming, warning that the consequences of failure outweigh the cost of tackling climate change.

“No country is more important than the United States in resolving this climate change issue,” Mr. Ban told reporters in Washington D.C. yesterday after meeting with congressional leaders ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen next month.

“All eyes of the world are looking to the United States and to this august body, the US Senate,” he said at the media briefing, flanked by US Senators John Kerry, Richard Lugar and Joe Lieberman. Highlighting that in less than a month world leaders are slated to gather in Copenhagen, Mr. Ban said they must conclude “a robust, global agreement that can serve as a foundation for a climate treaty.”

In Copenhagen, governments are expected to negotiate a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 pact – part of a larger UN climate change treaty – which has strong, legally binding measures committing 37 industrialized States to cutting emissions by an average of 5 per cent against 1990 levels over the period from 2008 to 2012.

“From what I heard today, there is great support in the Senate for action on climate change,” said Mr. Ban. “But for some, there are lingering doubts about whether we can afford to take action during this hard economic crisis.”

Acknowledging that there is a price to pay in battling climate change, Mr. Ban stressed that the costs are insignificant compared with the cost of not taking action.

“Inaction will mean a weakened economic recovery, a loss of global competitiveness, increased global instability and further human suffering,” said Mr. Ban. “A global agreement on the other hand will unleash investments that will do more than any single other action could do to jumpstart and sustain global economic recovery.”

Mr. Ban voiced appreciation for the US Government, particularly President Barack Obama, in showing their initiative, leadership and commitment in addressing a climate change bill, as well as for Mr. Obama signaling a willingness to participate in Copenhagen.

“Copenhagen offers us all an unprecedented opportunity. We must use our time before that historic gathering for maximum effort,” he said.

Child obesity ‘levelling off’

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Data published today suggests the rapid rise in child obesity may be levelling off.

The figures, produced by a team of independent experts led by Professor Klim McPherson of Oxford University, looked at childrens overweight and obesity levels that have been forecast to 2020.

Analysis using data from the past few years indicate a 17 per cent drop in the forecasted number of overweight 2 11 year old girls and a 4 per cent drop in the anticipated numbers of obese girls of the same age. In boys of the same age, the figures indicate a 5 per cent drop in the forecast number of overweight and a 7 per cent drop in the anticipated numbers of obese boys.

Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, will welcome the new data from Portsmouth, one of the countrys 9 Change4Life Healthy Towns, where she will visit successful projects in the town as part of National Obesity Week and to celebrate one year of the Change4Life Healthy Towns programme.

Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron said:

Obesity is one of the biggest health challenges we face, there are currently 1.5 million children and 25 million adults that are overweight or obese, leaving them at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart and liver disease.

The encouraging news that child obesity may be levelling off is thanks to the hard work of families, schools and the NHS across England, supported by Government initiatives such as 5 A Day and Healthy Schools which have overseen improvements to school food and school sport.

But obesity levels are still too high and we need to keep the momentum going thats why Im delighted to see our campaigns such as the Change4Life Healthy Towns being so successful.

Well only turn the tide on obesity for good if everyone government, families and industry play their part.

The Change4Life Healthy Towns, launched a year ago this month, are Dudley, Halifax, Sheffield, Tower Hamlets, Thetford, Middlesbrough, Manchester, Tewkesbury and Portsmouth.

The towns, which went through a rigorous selection process and each received a share of a 30 million Government investment, have spent the last year creating opportunities for their local communities to get active and eat healthily.

Over the year, initiatives in Change4Life Healthy Towns have included:

a healthy meal event in Middlesbrough with over 10,000 diners tucking in;
free fruit and veg for the 5,629 Year Seven pupils in Sheffield;
healthy weight projects in workplaces across Halifax;
Change4Life corner shops stocking fresh fruit and veg in Tower Hamlets;
a mass bike ride in Portsmouth with over 250 cyclists;
a green gym to get people active in the outdoors in Thetford;
cooking clubs for mums, dads and kids in Tewkesbury; and
better walking and cycling facilities in Dudley.

During her visit to Portsmouth, Minister Gillian Merron will meet local people involved in Change4Life Healthy Town initiatives such as Kick-start Health, getting kids eating well and moving more; the Pompey Health bus, which takes healthy living ideas out to residents and a community growing project, to help people from the town plant vegetables.

Change4Life Healthy Towns will continue to lead the way in helping residents live healthier lives, collaborating with other towns to share the lessons of their successes.

Many of the Change4Life Healthy Towns are using this first year anniversary as an opportunity to announce plans for the year ahead, including:

the launch of the Points4Life scheme in Manchester which will reward local people with free activities and healthy food;
work with GPs in Halifax to open nine healthy weight clinics across the town;
Tower Hamlets ambition to get 700 people from the Ocean Estate ditching their cars to take up walking or cycling;
the extension of the Tewkesbury cycle network; and
four more bike recycling and maintenance centres in Portsmouth

Dr Paul Edmondson-Jones, Portsmouths Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, said:

Were really looking forward to showing the Minister some of the excellent partnership working going on in Portsmouth on a range of initiatives including healthy living, healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and healthy weight.

The partners on our Local Strategic Partnership, which include the Primary Care Trust and Portsmouth City Council, have pulled together to make obesity one of our four top priority areas, with special emphasis on trying to tackle obesity in children. There are so many initiatives going on but they include work by the councils Health Improvement Service, childrens centres, Sure Start, breakfast clubs and school education – and all this work is starting to to have a positive impact on trends. The Minister will see some of this work in action.

UN official still hopeful for strong climate deal as latest talks end

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As the last negotiating session before next month’s United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen concluded today, a senior official with the world body called on countries to push ahead to deliver on a strong international agreement to tackle global warming.

“Copenhagen can and must be the turning point in the international fight against climate change – nothing has changed my confidence in that,” said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“A powerful combination of commitment and compromise can and must make this happen,” he told a news conference in Barcelona, the site of the final round of talks ahead of the 7 to 18 December meeting in the Danish capital.

In Copenhagen, governments are expected to agree to a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 treaty – part of the overall UNFCCC – which has strong, legally binding measures committing 37 industrialized States to cutting emissions by an average of 5 per cent against 1990 levels over the period from 2008 to 2012.

Over 4,500 participants from 181 countries participated in the five-day gathering, during which progress was made on the issues of adaptation, technology cooperation, reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries and mechanisms to disburse funds for developing countries.

Little progress was made, however, on mid-term emission reduction targets of developed countries and finance, according to a news release issued by the UNFCCC. These are two key issues that would allow developing countries to limit their emissions growth and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate change.

“Without these two pieces of the puzzle in place, we will not have a deal in Copenhagen,” said Mr. de Boer, adding that “leadership at the highest level is required to unlock the pieces.”

At the high-level climate change summit held in New York in September, heads of State and government pledged to achieve a deal in Copenhagen that spells out ambitious emission reduction targets of industrialized countries, as well as nationally appropriate mitigation actions by developing countries with the necessary support, and significantly scaled-up financial and technological resources.

“I look to industrialised countries to raise their ambitions to meet the scale of the challenge we face,” said Mr. de Boer. “And I look to industrialized nations for clarity on the amount of short- and long-term finance they will commit.”

Mr. de Boer said developed countries would need to provide at least $10 billion to enable developing countries to immediately develop low-emission growth and adaptation strategies and to build internal capacity.

At the same time, developed countries will need to indicate how they intend to raise predictable and sustainable long-term financing and what there longer-term commitments will be.

“Negotiators must deliver a final text at Copenhagen which presents a strong, functioning architecture to kick start rapid action in the developing world,” said the Executive Secretary.

“And between now and Copenhagen, governments must deliver the clarity required to help the negotiators complete their work,” he added.

Hong Kong: LCQ8: Policies to address climate change

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Following is a question by Hon Cyd Ho and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, in the Legislative Council today (November 4):

Question:

Governments around the world are committed to developing policies to address climate change, and the United Nations will convene the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Copenhagen Conference) in Copenhagen from December 7 to 18 this year to discuss details of the agreement on reducing global greenhouse gas emissions after 2012.As the Convention has been extended to Hong Kong through the Central Peoples Government since 2003, Hong Kong is obliged to keep pace with the international community in striving for emission reduction so as to mitigate climate change.In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) given that the Inter-departmental Working Group on Climate Change (Working Group) under the lead of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) started an 18-month consultancy study on climate change at the end of March 2008, when the authorities will release the findings of the study and conduct public consultation;

(b) given that the mitigation of climate change involves many policy areas, including environment, development, economy and social welfare, etc., whether the authorities will upgrade the Working Group to a strategic group and place it under the lead of the Chief Secretary for Administration instead, so as to better coordinate the related work of the various bureaux and government departments;

(c) given that the Central Peoples Government promulgated the China National Plan for Coping with Climate Change as early as 2007, and the various provinces on the Mainland also rolled out provincial-level plans in 2008, when the authorities will develop and introduce comprehensive policies to address climate change, and of the relevant details;

(d) given that the information provided by EPD indicates that the total emissions and per capita emissions of carbon dioxide in Hong Kong have been on the rise since 1999, whether the authorities have evaluated whether their targets set earlier to achieve a reduction in energy intensity of at least 25% by 2030 from the 2005 level are able to reflect the actual situation; whether they will set targets that are more meaningful and actually reflect the emissions reduced;

(e) given that the data from the Hong Kong Observatory indicate that the annual mean temperature in Hong Kong has been rising, with the temperature in urban areas rising at a rate far greater than that in the rural areas, and that the annual mean temperature is estimated to rise by 4.8 C by the end of this century, what measures the authorities will introduce to reduce the annual mean temperature in urban areas by 2 C; and

(f) given the importance of the Copenhagen Conference in mitigating climate change, whether the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will delegate senior officials to attend the Conference and report the preparatory work and the outcome to this Council before and after the Conference?

Reply:

President,

(a) To further enhance our efforts in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and adapt to climate change, the Administration commenced a consultancy study on climate change in March 2008.The study, expected to conclude in early 2010, seeks to review and update the local inventories of GHG emissions and removals; characterize the impacts of climate change in Hong Kong; and make recommendations to the Administration for formulating long-term measures for Hong Kong to mitigate GHG emissions as well as to adapt to climate change; etc.The consultants will conduct stakeholder engagement before completion of the study report.

(b) To formulate and take forward measures to reduce GHG emissions and adapt to climate change, the Administration has established an Inter-departmental Working Group on Climate Change (the Working Group) under the lead of the Environment Bureau.It comprises representatives from five bureaux and 16 departments.We consider the current composition of the Working Group appropriate, is fully capable of effectively managing, coordinating and promoting actions to address climate change and reduce GHG emissions.

(c) & (d) The Government attaches great importance to the climate change issue and is committed to taking effective actions to reduce GHG emissions.In respect of our emissions reduction target, alongside some other 20 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Hong Kong has adopted the §APEC Leaders¦ Declaration on Climate Change, Energy Security and Clean Development¨ as announced at the APEC Leaders¦ Meeting held in Sydney in September 2007.We pledged to reduce our energy intensity by at least 25% by 2030 from the 2005 level.To underscore our commitment, the Chief Executive reaffirmed in the 2007 Policy Address that Hong Kong would endeavour to achieve this target.Fully achieving this target in 2030 will avoid emission of approximately 20 million tonnes of GHG every year.

As a service-based economy, Hong Kong is a relatively small GHG emitter.Our level of emissions per capita is considerably lower than most of developed economies.Since Hong Kong does not have any energy-intensive industries, the energy sector (mainly power plants) is the principal source of GHG emissions.It is followed by the transportation sector, contributing about 16% of the total emissions.Other emission sources include the waste sector, industrial processing and agriculture, etc.In terms of end-uses, buildings consume about 89% of total electricity in Hong Kong.Taking account of the local situation, the strategy being carried out to control local GHG emissions is mainly therefore premised on improving the overall energy efficiency (in particular building energy efficiency) and using cleaner fuels.

A host of measures have been set in train to reduce our level of GHG emissions. These include implementation of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Funding Scheme and the Mandatory Energy Efficiency Labeling Scheme; setting up a district cooling system at the future Kai Tak Development; banning the construction of coal-fired power generating units; and providing economic incentives to encourage development of renewable energy sources; etc.At the same time, policy measures are being pursued to address GHG emissions from other major emission sources including the transportation sector and landfills.These include continuously extending the coverage of the public transport system (in particular the railway network), promoting the use of electric vehicles, and enhancing the utilization of landfill gas as alternative fuels.Through the above-mentioned strategies and measures, we are confident that the target of reducing energy intensity by at least 25% from the 2005 level will be achieved by 2030.

(e) The rise of average temperature in Hong Kong is related to the increase in global mean surface temperature.According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessment report published in 2007, joint actions across the globe are required to avoid a continued increase in the global mean surface temperature.As a member of the global village, Hong Kong will continue to support and participate in international efforts to tackle climate change.

(f) Although Hong Kong is not a Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (the Convention), representatives from the Administration had joined as members of the Chinese delegation to Conferences of Parties to the Convention in the past.As for the fifteenth session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention to be held in Copenhagen in December this year, the Secretary for the Environment will participate at the Conference as a member of the Chinese delegation, as compared to the previous occasions which were attended by officials of professional and directorate grades.We briefed the Legislative Council Panel on Environmental Affairs on November 2 the Administration¦s preparation for the Conference.According to past practice, the Secretariat of the Convention will disseminate, through various media, information on the progress of the Conference and consensus reached by Parties during and after the session.