Tiempo Climate NewswatchCHARM |
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Action point
Jim Salinger describes his priority for action on global warming. You can play the low bandwidth or the high bandwidth version Featured sitesPlan B, from the Earth Policy Institute, details how to rescue a planet under stress by cutting carbon emissions 80 per cent by 2020. The e-newsletter from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat provides a comprehensive overview of major news and announcements regarding the climate negotiations. The OzoneAction Education Pack provides primary school teachers with practical, hands-on and entertaining curricula material to educate their students about ozone depletion. The Youth Climate Pledge is a collaborative plan of action that young people can sign on to and get others to commit to. And finally,The United Nations Paint for the Planet exhibition features paintings by child artists on the theme of climate change. About NewswatchTiempo Climate Newswatch is a weekly on-line magazine with news, features and comment on global warming, climate change, sea-level rise and development issues. It is edited by Mick Kelly and Sarah Granich and maintained by Mick Kelly and Mike Salmon. The cartoons are created by Lawrence Moore. The news stories carried by Newswatch are updated weekly. Comment, features, interviews and other sections of the magazine are updated on a weekly to monthly basis. Newswatch automatically scans a number of news sites once an hour, searching for a set of keyphrases. The raw news feed can be accessed in standard or PDA format. Part of the Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary, Tiempo Climate Newswatch is hosted by the Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia. The Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary is a co-production of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development, sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. While every effort is made to ensure that information on this site, and on other sites that are referenced here, is accurate, no liability for loss or damage resulting from use of this information can be accepted. |
Currently, risk management activities in the Pacific tend to be limited to single government departments or regional organisations. In many instances, national risk reduction efforts are uncoordinated and in such cases duplication of efforts is common and planning gaps exist. In order to address this situation, the South Pacific Applied Geosciences Commission (SOPAC) member countries have committed themselves to a more integrated Comprehensive Hazard And Risk Management - CHARM - process. CHARM covers all hazards and is whole of country in orientation. It will enhance the sustainability of national development planning processes and encourage a more coordinated and integrated regional approach to risk reduction. CHARM is modelled around the AS/NZS 4360-1999 Standard. It uses the Queensland design format, modified to suit Pacific region requirements. CHARM moves the focus away from departments and agencies that support a wide range of non-coordinated activities towards a broader and integrated programming approach. This is achieved by aligning the CHARM process with National Strategic Development Plans. The major goal of the CHARM model is to develop a national risk and treatment option matrix that has considered the activities of all agencies. CHARM targets the identified gaps in the matrix. There are five main steps in the CHARM process.
The priorities for the successful implementation of CHARM are to advocate its adoption as a national risk management decision-making tool and to provide appropriate training and awareness through broad stakeholder consultation workshops involving both national and regional stakeholders. CHARM will assist member countries to achieve one of the fundamental priorities of the ISDR strategy, which is to proceed from protection against hazards to the management of risks through the integration of disaster risk reduction into sustainable development. Potential beneficiaries of CHARM will include all key stakeholders involved in disaster risk reduction including: government planning departments, national disaster management offices, non-governmental organizations, community groups, private sector, donors, and regional partners. Guidelines for implementing the CHARM approach are available in printed form or on CDROM. Further information |
Bright Ideas
Offsetting air travel with atmosfair buys solar mirrors that provide energy for the preparation of thousands of meals daily in India
Dow Building Solutions has prepared a short information sheet covering the construction of green roofs
The fabric in Asics Commitment range of sportswear is woven from bamboo yarn
SolidNav has developed electric propulsion units for small water craft and sailboats
WATT, a nightclub in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, has a dancefloor that generates electricity and toilets that flush with rainwater
During play, the Energy Merry-go-round generates electricity that is transferred to a battery and 220V invertor for use in the classroom
Waste Management provides home recycling kits for compact fluorescent bulbs, batteries and electronics
Norwegian music festivals, Canal Street and Hove, have joined the Climate Neutral Network
The PlayPump water system doubles as a water pump and a merry-go-round for children
Honda is leasing the hydrogen-powered fuel cell FCX Clarity to private individuals in southern California
TIDE, in southern India, markets energy-efficient stoves that reduce fuelwood use by as much as 30 per cent
Curitiba's BioCity Program (0.3Mb download) aims to halt the rapid rate at which cities develop and reduce biodiversity loss Tiempo Climate Newswatch
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