Special Coverage of COP19: Top Five Pick for CC & NRM Evaluators

David Akana
David Akana
African Development bank (AfDB)
Senior KM and Communication Specialist
Blog Date:

Having covered five UNFCCC conferences in the past, I recognize how challenging it could be to wrap one's mind around all the major issues going on in a conference with widely different interests and agendas.

But I guess it is fair to say that the UNFCCC annual gatherings comes down to an official negotiation track, a stream of advocacy and pressure activities from activists and pro-climate NGOs such as Greenpeace and WWF and a stream of activities from development organizations seeking to inform policy and better understanding of the issues surrounding climate.

This year in Warsaw, it is not any different. The Warsaw talks entered DAY 2 Tuesday November 12, 2013.

warsaw national stadium:venue of 2013 COP

For climate evaluators, we picked five reports which might be of interest to you and your work -- some of the reports are due to be presented this week in Warsaw.

We start with an updated IPCC guideline for calculating carbon emissions from wetlands. Experts of the Center for International Forestry Research CIFOR said the following about this new tool ?it will provide a more accurate picture of buried treasure ? a massive amount of carbon on a scale that is often underestimated and often unnoticed because it is stored underground.?

As you are already aware, Climate-Eval will in the next two years work on the nexus between climate change adaptation and natural resources management. CGAIR compiled success stories of how climate-smart agriculture is improving the lives of millions of people across the world.

The Director, CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) wrote this week in the Liberal leaning online publication The Huffington Post that ?in the Sahel region of West Africa, for example, over 5 million hectares of degraded land have been restored through a practice known as 'farmer-managed natural regeneration??

In addition, we also share with you two publications on climate finance and one on subsidy for fossil fuels. While you enjoy the read, keep in mind that these studies and reports are meant to stimulate discussion. Thus should any of the reports provoke some thoughts, please do not hesitate to share with peers.

Our Top Five Pick