Alister Doyle and Sven Egenter, Reuters 2 Sep 09;
GENEVA (Reuters) - Experts at 150-nation climate talks agreed guidelines on Wednesday to improve a flow of information to help the world cope with heatwaves, sandstorms or rising sea levels likely to be caused by global warming.
"In the 21st century the peoples of the world will be facing multi-faceted challenges of climate variability and climate change," according to a one-page draft summary of three-day talks among 1,500 experts at a World Climate Conference.
The experts, including leading scientists, urged better monitoring of the climate, free and open exchange of data, more research, speedier information for everyone from farmers to governments, and other measures such as more education.
The draft document was due to be endorsed by governments on Thursday as part of a plan to bolster climate services. The Geneva agreement could help implement a separate U.N. climate treaty due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.
"We're on track," Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and head of the U.S. delegation, told Reuters of the Geneva meeting and its goals.
The talks are aimed mainly at helping developing nations adapt to climate change that will affect all parts of society from farming to energy supplies and from health to transport. It would help rich nations too, she said.
IN OWN BACK YARD
"Climate change is real and it's happening every place ... every country will have to adapt to climate change," Lubchenco said. "It's happening in our own back yards."
"If you are going to invest in wind energy you would want to know where the winds are going to be good in the next 100 years, not the past 100 years," she said.
Delegates said governments at the talks were trying to end splits over a separate document mentioning global warming that is also due to be endorsed by about 80 ministers and 20 heads of state at the final two days of talks on Thursday and Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will be among the speakers.
"Developing nations are trying to make sure they don't promise more here in a declaration than they will in Copenhagen," one African delegate said.
Poor nations insist the rich must take the lead in cutting emissions under a Copenhagen deal, while allowing them to use more fossil fuels as they pursue development. Rich nations want more actions from the poor to slow the rise of their emissions.
Martin Visbeck, the chair of the committee of experts in Geneva, said the disputes did not threaten agreement on a new "Framework for Climate Services" in Geneva.
"It's really more technical -- about how do we refer to, or not refer to, the Copenhagen process in this declaration," he said. "Nothing of substance here is under debate."
Lubchenco also said that none of the key elements of Copenhagen were meant to be debated in Geneva.
Visbeck said that improved climate information was already paying off. The Red Cross, for instance, appealed for money last year to help southern Africa cope with severe flooding, based on forecasts that heavy rains were coming.
He said it was the first time the Red Cross had appealed for cash before a disaster struck. Despite resistance from some donors, he said the plan paid off. The number of deaths fell to 80 from about 2,000 in past similar floods.
(Additional reporting by Laura MacInnis; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Climate risks, and how to limit damage
Reuters 3 Sep 09;
(Reuters) - A 155-nation conference in Geneva agreed on a plan to improve climate information to help people cope with ever more droughts, floods, sandstorms and rising sea levels projected this century.
The plan for a "Global Framework for Climate Services" includes the appointment of a task force of high-level, independent advisors within four months.
This task force will prepare a report within another 12 months with recommendations for elements and implementation of the framework.
Among examples of risks and solutions from around the world given by U.N. agencies:
DISASTER RISKS
Between 1991 and 2005, natural disasters killed 960,000 people and economic losses totaled $1.19 trillion. Nine out of 10 natural disasters in the past 50 years have been caused by extreme weather and climate events.
-- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) supplies early warnings of disasters including cyclones and dust storms. Vietnam is replanting mangroves along the Mekong River delta to help protect low-lying areas from floods as seas rise.
HUMAN HEALTH
Water-borne diseases may become more frequent because of climate change -- for instance, warmer oceans can lead to toxic algal blooms and cholera epidemics. A heatwave in Europe in 2003 caused 70,000 more deaths than normal.
-- Botswana is using seasonal rain forecasts to help predict malaria outbreaks. The forecasts give time to deploy resources against mosquitoes and provide nets to keep the insects at bay.
TRANSPORT AND TOURISM
Tourism generated $735 billion in revenue in 2006, of which $221 billion was in developing nations. Projected sea level rise this century would worsen coastal erosion and lead to the loss of beaches on tropical islands that depend on tourists.
-- Some ski resorts are using temperature projections for coming decades to site ski lifts. In Vermont, one ski resort has built a reservoir to feed water to snow-making machines.
MANAGING WATER
More than 1 billion people worldwide lack access to clean water. Drought and desertification worldwide threaten the livelihoods of 1.2 billion people.
-- Countries in the Himalayas are working to assess risks of floods from lakes, now held in behind glaciers. A thaw of the glaciers could lead to an "outburst flood."
ENERGY
In 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed more than 100 offshore oil and gas platforms off the United States. Energy industry losses from hurricanes in 2005 were estimated at $15 billion.
-- Developing countries such as India and Mali are turning to jatropha, which grows with little rain on wasteland and does not compete with crops. Jatropha can be burned as fuel, helps store carbon in the ground and slows desertification.
SECURING FOOD SUPPLIES
Climate change will disrupt farming and fishing just as the world population rises to a projected 9 billion by 2050 from more than 6 billion now.
-- Farmers in the Ningxia region of China are trying to work out better ways to allocate water during droughts and think how crops will change in the next 70 years.
Potential seen for climate insurance in tourism
Alister Doyle, Reuters 2 Sep 09;
GENEVA (Reuters) - Insurance is an under-used way for the tourism industry to manage the risks of climate change, with existing offers ranging from a "perfect weather guarantee" by Barbados to ski resorts promising deep snow, experts say.
"Insurance products...have a huge potential for tourism," Daniel Scott, chair of a team on tourism and climate for the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization, told Reuters at a climate conference in Geneva.
"It's coming but it's been under-utilized. Many operators do not even know about it," said Scott, who works at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
The 150-nation conference in Geneva from August 31-September 4 is seeking to boost the flow of climate information to help nations adapt to shifts such as droughts, storms or rising seas that will affect everything from farming to health.
A U.N.-commissioned survey led by Scott of weather-related insurance in recent years includes Barbados' guarantee, refunding travelers if daytime temperatures are below 26 Celsius (78.8 F) or there is more than 5 mm (0.2 inch) of rain.
Temperatures for the Caribbean island were forecast to be around 32 C (89.6 F) for Wednesday.
Some ski resorts in Europe and North America offer a refund if snowfall is inadequate. Bombardier Motor Corp. in Canada promised a partial refund on new snowmobiles if snowfall was less than 50 percent of a three-year average.
One PGA Golf event in North Carolina bought insurance against too much rain that would keep spectators away. Some holiday operators offer insurance against rain on holiday.
WINE BARS
And a chain of wine bars in London took insurance for every Thursday and Friday when temperatures did not reach 24 C (75.2 F), reckoning chilly days keep drinkers away.
"Much more should be done to mainstream climate considerations into tourism policy," said Alain Dupeyras of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Experts say the tourism industry is one of the most exposed to climate change that is set to disrupt rain patterns, push up sea levels that could wash away beaches or warm the oceans and damage coral reefs.
Among hurdles, developing nations find it hard to get access to proper insurance because of a lack of historical weather data, such as cyclones, on which to calculate risks. And those risks are changing with global warming.
"Most Caribbean islands don't have a risk profile," said Ulric Trotz, science adviser to the Caribbean Community Climate Change Center. That meant their risks were assumed to be the same as for the U.S. Gulf coast.
"When Hurricane Andrew hit the southern United States the premiums for all the Caribbean rose," he said, referring to the devastating 1992 storm. There was also a need to consider micro-insurance for tourism workers who could lose jobs.
Tourism generated $735 billion in revenues worldwide in 2006, of which $221 billion was in developing nations, according to U.N. data. Some tropical island states rely on tourism for half their gross domestic product.
Scott said that it was hard to estimate the overall value of tourism insurance but it was a tiny part of the market for weather derivatives -- estimated at $32 billion in 2007-08 and dominated by agriculture and energy clients.
(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
