ENVIRONMENT / FORESTS - WORLD

Healthy forests key for green growth, says UN report

By Mark Kinver Environment reporter, BBC News

 

The world's forests, if managed properly, can help deliver a strong and durable global green economy, a UN report has concluded.

But the report's authors said that nations needed to do more to ensure the right policies are in place if forests are to meet their maximum potential.

In another initiative, an international collaboration has pledged to restore 18 million hectares of wooded landscapes.

The findings were launched at the Rio+20 summit in Brazil.

"Forests and trees on farms are a direct source of food, energy and income for more than a billion of the world's poorest people," said Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assisant director-general for Forestry at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

"At the same time, forests trap carbon and mitigate climate change, maintain water and soil health, and prevent desertification," he added.

"The sustainable management of forests offer multiple benefits - with the right programmes and policies, the sector can lead the way towards more sustainable, greener economies."

The report, The State of the World's Forests 2012, the 10th in the SOFO series, highlighted some of the main avenues in which money could figuratively grow on trees, including:

• Critical life support systems - can perform a range of "essential ecosystem funtions", such as regulating water supplies and buffering floods and droughts.
• "Engine of economic development" - SOFO highlights strong link between reforestation and growth, and deforestation and economic decline, hence the anti-poverty role of forests.
• "Key component of greening other sectors" - wood is still the primary energy source for one-third of the world's population, therefore - with the right policies - it can expanded to provide a global greener, cleaner energy source.

The report, launched at the R+20 summit in Rio De Jainero, concluded that forests and forest products "will not solve the challenges of moving towards greener economies, but they will provide excellent examples and a source of hope".



Rising to the challenge

Also being announced at the summit was a joint pledge between a number of nations and NGOs to restore more than 18 million hectares of forest landscape.

The US and Rwanda goverments teamed up with the Brazilian Mata Atlantica Forest Restoration Pact (made up from government agencies, NGOs, private sector bodies and indigenous groups).

The annoucement forms part of the "Bonn Challenge", which was agreed in September 2011 and commits nations to restore 150 million hectares of forested areas by 2020.

"The largest restoration initiative the world has ever seen is now underway," said Julia Marton-Lefcvre, director-general of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

"[It] will provide huge global benefits in the form of income, food security and addressing climate change," she added.

"We urge other countries and landowners to follow suit."

The IUCN is involved in promoting Plant a Pledge, an online campaign to build public support for the Bonn Challenge.

Organisers hope people will sign a petition, which will be presented by campaign ambassador Bianca Jagger at the UN Climate Change talks in November.

ENVIRONMENT / GREEN - ISRAEL

Omri Ziv presents: green revolution on campus

It started in the bathroom for a whole green revolution culminated, bike: recycling, power saving and green economy

 

The Sun gave me the mlatt when riding the bike in Sderot Jerusalem which in Jaffa. I made my way to more linear algebra class.

Omri Ziv. He won the bulk of cooperation

I entered the classroom trickles chshaziaa. Heat the tell my concentration. As I שתסיט me the longing and cool bathroom moisture burning which is the awkward patches my shirt. These circumstances also specifies the course was created from a combination of the oppressive heat malaot dampness glutinosa. This made me wonder, "why not be shower college students sweating as much as cyclists?".

Pursuit of the shower my fascinating journey began on the campus of new College in Jaffa, on the way that I imagined I would. There is an opportunity to say that every problem with smart. Average July August put to the opportunity to make our campus green campus environment hmativ.

Find the hsponsr

 

As with any project management, one of the most important steps is to have sponsr. Hstart world ad call him Angel, someone שמכווין you get started and give you the back.

I looked for the hsponsr my college. I went to the then-College President and CEO, Dror Amir. I was invited to the meeting.
The purpose of the meeting was for me, but for the meeting I shower it "green" campus. Only I listened and asked the first activity done on the green campus. I was glad to hear that began replacing the old mechanisms of airconditioning hoschi energy. When I talk to mshnti.

Of course not absent of the shower.

So began the green campus of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa academic College. The campus Green is the environmental protection standard checks to determine how academic institutions to plot in green.

I prepared beforehand and introduced presentations to IAI's President & CEO, the perceptual. IAI's President & CEO, for his part told the figure was a senior role in the Office for the protection of the environment. The only fell to Ariel. I dashed to the door open.
From that moment, which is a wonderful friendship of green action. No, no mention of how this time, if you laugh and if seriously.

 

Green Council Conference

 

Tel's position at the entrance to College Photo courtesy of Omri Ziv

The first step was the convening "Green Council. IAI's President & CEO, from academic staff, zimann and members of the Board of Governors. I took on myself the Green Council, students representative. IAI's President & CEO, presented all of the concept, and then began a heated discussion about where we can be more "green" and set to work program.

Green Council was divided according to the methodology of the boards of green campus environment:

Infrastructure Committee -responsible for the energy efficiency, water saving, reducing and recycling needs.
Academy Committee -is responsible for building a variety of courses that are open to students who Greens.
Community Committee -is responsible for building a green community projects over time.

I gather I was appointed principal of the Community Committee.

After all the committees met for several times wonderful ideas vago, noticed that the work was not as שציפינו. We need to recruit an שירכז the appointment committees (resolutions, conclusions) viocian. Thus was born the "green" at the College from hrchz. Actually a wonderful Green hub that was about to realize the ideas of the Council vaooadot.

 

Waiting for the bathroom

 

So, what do we get? Added a new building for the College of Economics and management school, but had little power due to the use of green technologies in building it; Recycling bins placed throughout the College to collect drinking water tanks that money for the Recycle Bin (recycle Corporation through אל"ה) returns for scholarship students are active in the field of Green Green;

Organic waste separation bins were placed in each land and buildings in the College. At the same time, from solar roof on the building process to place the College centers; All classes also were ordered to turn off motion detector of electricity (lights and merge); After a special request was the municipality's college entrance requirement Tel how; We have established community gardens in schools in which students from leading the action.

The academic aspect, new courses were added to the green economy: Eco, green marketing and soon added more courses.

It's difficult for me to describe in a few words I learned from that one. But here are some of her conclusions I came to this: each problem is an opportunity; During the discussions in the various committees to do not take arguments and instead of a green paper on the practical Services Commissioner, but what saves drying hands?! In such cases-need to start doing, understand that nothing is perfect and easy to start the process.

Looking back, I can't believe how many people were affected, and the Green makmpos. No student housing and campus today not aware of. There are a variety of other issues and perhaps one day will build the shower as well.

The writer is a student at the school of Economics and management in management of information systems, a high-tech and outgoing students Council of the academic College Student Union Tel Aviv Jaffa