Showing posts with label Report. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Report. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Living in Harmony: Inspiring Stories from Ecovillages
The manual “LIVING IN HARMONY: INSPIRING STORIES FROM ECOVILLAGES” is
designed as a virtual tour of European ecovillages. Here you will find a
collection of short ‘how we did it’ stories that describe different
ecovillage models and the main elements of their design and governance.
The stories represent the most interesting and effective best practice
to be found in the ecovillage movement in Europe, particularly in the
Baltic Sea region.
The manual consists of four chapters. Each chapter explores a different stage of the ecovillage life cycle, starting from the establishment stage, when the main characteristics of the ecovillage should be decided, and finishing with the stage when the community becomes stable, has its own traditions and well-functioning governance, and can become a center proliferating knowledge about the ecovillage movement, based on its own experiences.
This life cycle approach helps us to understand the specific problems faced by the ecovillage and gives new founders a sense of perspective, because ecovillages go through different lifecycle stages just as people do. As a baby’s life is different from a teenager’s life, the challenges that a new ecovillage faces are usually markedly different from the challenges being met by older ecovillages.
The ideal ecovillage does not exist. However, thousands of partial successful solutions do exist. Learn from the experience of existing ecovillages and design your own model that is the most suitable for you.
If you are looking for particular solutions, please feel free to treat the chapters of the book as Lego bricks: read the paragraphs covering specific topics you are interested in and select the solutions that best fit your needs and values.
The manual consists of four chapters. Each chapter explores a different stage of the ecovillage life cycle, starting from the establishment stage, when the main characteristics of the ecovillage should be decided, and finishing with the stage when the community becomes stable, has its own traditions and well-functioning governance, and can become a center proliferating knowledge about the ecovillage movement, based on its own experiences.
This life cycle approach helps us to understand the specific problems faced by the ecovillage and gives new founders a sense of perspective, because ecovillages go through different lifecycle stages just as people do. As a baby’s life is different from a teenager’s life, the challenges that a new ecovillage faces are usually markedly different from the challenges being met by older ecovillages.
The ideal ecovillage does not exist. However, thousands of partial successful solutions do exist. Learn from the experience of existing ecovillages and design your own model that is the most suitable for you.
If you are looking for particular solutions, please feel free to treat the chapters of the book as Lego bricks: read the paragraphs covering specific topics you are interested in and select the solutions that best fit your needs and values.
The manual “INSPIRING STORIES FROM ECOVILLAGES: EXPERIENCES WITH ECOLOGICAL TECHNOLOGIES AND PRACTICES”
presents a selection of inspiring stories about solutions for
ecological living. These stories are told by the inhabitants of
ecovillages around the Baltic Sea region. They present solutions to
issues concerning planning, construction, energy solutions, waste and
waste water management, composting and recycling, food production, and
transport and commuting. They provide inspiration to readers already
familiar with ecovillages and anyone willing to learn more about a
variety of ecological living solutions.
The collection of examples and stories of technologies and practices presented is designed to cover essential themes and aspects relevant to ecologically sustainable ways of living:
The manual is also written in a way that does not presuppose any previous knowledge or firsthand experience of the issues involved. Thus, the manual can also reach out more widely as a source of inspiration to anyone interested in searching for ecological solutions to housing and living issues, wherever they live.
The collection of examples and stories of technologies and practices presented is designed to cover essential themes and aspects relevant to ecologically sustainable ways of living:
- Planning and design of the ecovillage area
- Building
- Energy solutions for households and settlements
- Waste water management
- Dry toilets
- Composting, recycling and ecological consumption
- Food production
- Transport and commuting
The manual is also written in a way that does not presuppose any previous knowledge or firsthand experience of the issues involved. Thus, the manual can also reach out more widely as a source of inspiration to anyone interested in searching for ecological solutions to housing and living issues, wherever they live.
Ecovillage road is a virtual network, which aims to gather valuable knowledge created by the Ecovillage Movement and to make it accessible to a broader public.
We invite you to use this great possibility of Ecovillage road
network and gain more knowledge on sustainable living, by visiting and
learning from ecovillages of the Baltic Sea Region.
If you are an ecovillage or eco-project and you have valuable ideas,
services or products to offer to a broader public, we invite you to use the possibility and join Ecovillage road!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development
To get to sustainable development, we need well-designed, inclusive
green growth policies that can improve social welfare for all, promote
careful stewardship of natural resources, and respect the delicate
balance of the planet. In the 2012 report Inclusive Green Growth: The Pathway to Sustainable Development, World Bank economists set out an economic argument and framework for countries to begin greening their growth.
Chapter 1: An Analytical Framework for Inclusive Green Growth
Chapter 2: Influencing Firms, Consumers, and Policy Makers Through Market and Non-Market Mechanisms
Chapter 3: Green Innovation and Industrial Policies
Chapter 4: Human Capital: Implications of Green Growth Policies for Labor Markets and Job Creation
Chapter 5: Natural Capital: Managing Resources for Sustainable Growth
Chapter 6: Physical Capital: The Role of Infrastructure in Green Growth Strategies
Chapter 7: Crafting a Green Growth Strategy
Charts & Figures
Read the Full Report Online
Chapter 1: A Learning Lab for Inclusive Green Growth
Chapter 2: Urban & Infrastructure Services
Chapter 3: Natural Resources & Rural Services
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Decision making in a changing climate
Full Report
Table of Contents
Full Report: World Resources Report 2010-2011Executive Summary
Chapter 1: The Adaptation Imperative
Chapter 2: Change, Vulnerability and Decision Making
Chapter 3: Public Engagement
Chapter 4: Decision-Relevant Information
Chapter 5: Institutional Design
Chapter 6: Tools for Planning and Policymaking
Chapter 7: Resources
Chapter 8: Findings and Recommendations
Annex: Case Study Summaries
Additional Materials
Data Tables and MapsAcknowledgments, References and Credits
Climate Change and Adaptation
Today, and for decades to come, national decision makers working in developing countries in areas ranging from agriculture to forestry and water management to electricity production, will need to factor climate change risks into their planning and policies.This presents a monumental challenge for a world already struggling to overcome pervasive development challenges including hunger, water scarcity and lack of basic human services. In Africa and Asia many countries are set to fall far short of meeting the 2015 anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals; worldwide 2.6 billion people still subsist on less than US$2 a day.
Adaptation Decision Making Challenge: Examples
Decisions made over the next few years on adapting to a changing climate will have far-reaching implications for future generations and for development outcomes in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Many of these decisions will be in the hands of national government officials responsible for management of vulnerable sectors. Below are a few examples of the kinds of complex, multi-faceted decisions such policy makers will face.- You are planning how to allocate water resources for the desperately poor western Sahel. Some climate models predict the region will become much more arid; others that rainfall and vegetation will become more abundant. Are there decisions you can make that withstand both projections?
- You are an Asian urban planner whose city is located on a major delta. Climate modeling forecasts sea level rise and saltwater intrusion into drinking water aquifers over time. What resources do you need, and what barriers must you overcome, to make decisions today for circumstances that may not manifest themselves for years to come?
- You work in a water planning ministry for a region of South America predicted to suffer from prolonged droughts. What preparations can you make to protect local populations against these shocks?
Key characteristics of climate change impacts
Governments, especially in developing countries, have limited resources and capacity to make their societies resilient to climate change. Decision makers are further hindered by traditional planning approaches which tend to prioritize current risks. Countering climate impacts, by contrast, requires preparing for both predictable and unpredictable future risks and impacts. Particular challenges include:- changes in the mean state, and variability, of the climate system;
- uncertainty about the rate and magnitude of impacts across the world;
- the time scales and cumulative impacts involved; and
- the likelihood of "surprise" impacts that can't be anticipated.
Elements of effective adaptation decision making
WRR 2010 has identified five key elements of decision making for effective climate change adaptation [which inform our research and recommendations].- Proactive - anticipates climate change's uncertainties, changes in mean state and variability and the time lag involved in climate impacts.
- Responsive - contends with climate change's unanticipated surprises
- Adaptive - flexible and able to adapt to new information and conditions.
- Durable - responds to the longer term nature of climate change.
- Robust - withstands uncertainty and serves multiple scenarios.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Avoiding Future Famines Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Security through Sustainable Food Systems
Avoiding Future Famines
Sustainable Food Systems - has been a unique collaboration of 12 leading scientists and
experts involved in world food systems including marine and inland fisheries.
The institutions involved include the UN Environment Programme, the International Fund
for Agricultural Development, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations,
the World Bank, the World Food Programme and the World Resources Institute. The report provides
detailed analysis of the many factors threatening the world’s food supplies and its ability to continue to generate calories and proteins in the 21st century including from fisheries. Yet it also provides a series of forward-looking recommendations and remedies to the many grim scenarios that often accompany the food security debate.
UNEP Spokesperson
Office of the Executive Director
+254 733 632755
nick.nuttall@unep.org
About the Report
This report – Avoiding Future Famines: Strengthening the Ecological Basis of Food Security throughSustainable Food Systems - has been a unique collaboration of 12 leading scientists and
experts involved in world food systems including marine and inland fisheries.
The institutions involved include the UN Environment Programme, the International Fund
for Agricultural Development, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations,
the World Bank, the World Food Programme and the World Resources Institute. The report provides
detailed analysis of the many factors threatening the world’s food supplies and its ability to continue to generate calories and proteins in the 21st century including from fisheries. Yet it also provides a series of forward-looking recommendations and remedies to the many grim scenarios that often accompany the food security debate.
Media Resources
 Press Release |
Executive Summary [English] [Français] [Español] [Português] [Русский] [中文版] [عربي] |
Download Report
| Avoiding Future Famines |
Media Contacts
Nick NuttallUNEP Spokesperson
Office of the Executive Director
+254 733 632755
nick.nuttall@unep.org
Greenspace actions
http://www.greenspacescotland.org.uk/summary-of-greenspace-actions.aspx
Download the greenspace actions summary PDF
Use the ‘quick links’ to access guidance notes on climate change actions for components of the park.
Open the "What does a climate change park look like" PDF (Note this will open in full screen)
climate change mitigation and adaptation
This summary table highlights a wider range of greenspace interventions and identifies their role in supporting climate change mitigation and/or adaptation. Interventions include: green networks, soil conservation, floodplain restoration, street trees, green roofs, living walls.Download the greenspace actions summary PDF
Use the ‘quick links’ to access guidance notes on climate change actions for components of the park.
Open the "What does a climate change park look like" PDF (Note this will open in full screen)
Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy
Despite the global recession, a new report from LSE Cities shows widespread optimism concerning green economic development. Watch LSE Cities’ Executive Director, Philipp Rode, launching the report here.
The survey report, Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy, launches today at the Rio+20 Summit. It shows the extent to which cities have successfully integrated green policies since the last United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 1992.
While all 53 cities surveyed aspired to be “green”, with 95% reporting that they believed green policies would benefit the economy, and 75% reporting they were willing to invest in new green technology to drive change, the findings show that there is still work to be done. While cities expect going green to bring positive economic impacts including growth, job creation, inward investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and attracting skilled workers, only 20% of cities have developed a co-ordinated strategy for ‘green growth’.
The research also found cities believe that environmental problems are deeply intertwined with the most critical challenges facing them, such as road congestion and lack of affordable housing. Despite these challenges, cities still believe that substantial progress has been made in achieving green objectives – particularly relating to recycling, green space and water pollution.
Click here to download Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy.
The survey report, Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy, launches today at the Rio+20 Summit. It shows the extent to which cities have successfully integrated green policies since the last United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 1992.
While all 53 cities surveyed aspired to be “green”, with 95% reporting that they believed green policies would benefit the economy, and 75% reporting they were willing to invest in new green technology to drive change, the findings show that there is still work to be done. While cities expect going green to bring positive economic impacts including growth, job creation, inward investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and attracting skilled workers, only 20% of cities have developed a co-ordinated strategy for ‘green growth’.
The research also found cities believe that environmental problems are deeply intertwined with the most critical challenges facing them, such as road congestion and lack of affordable housing. Despite these challenges, cities still believe that substantial progress has been made in achieving green objectives – particularly relating to recycling, green space and water pollution.
Click here to download Going Green: How cities are leading the next economy.
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