Final CfE newsletter #6

Interview with Andrej Kranjc (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Focal Point for Slovenia)

4-5

Climate Forum East Newsletter Issue 6, December 2014

2-3

Summary of the Conference in Minsk

What are the main conclusions of IPCC linked to climate change adaptation?

Human interference with the climate system is occurring

Continued on pages 4-5

PROJECT INFORMATION

The main objective of Climate Forum East is to strengthen the capacity of civil

society organizations (CSO) to actively participate in policy dialogue with local and national authorities, EU institutions and international organizations on climate change adaptation.

Expected results: development of national and regional CSO networks; national

and regional climate vulnerability assessments; advocacy and communication; awareness raising and education activities for youth; establishment of the regional Climate Forum East in EaP countries.

Project partners: Armenian Red Cross Society, Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society,

Georgia Red Cross Society, Belarus Red Cross Society, National Ecological Center of Ukraine, Ecospectru (Moldova).

Lead: Austrian Red Cross

International partners: Environment Agency Austria, Red Cross/Red Crescent

Climate Center, World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF).

Project duration: January 2013 – December 2014 (24 months)

Budget: The project is funded by the European Union, additional funding is

provided by the Austrian Development Agency, the Austrian Red Cross and World Wide Fund For Nature.

More news:

Summary of the Conference in Minsk page 2-3

Interview with Andrej Kranjc (IPCC) Focal Point for Slovenia page 4-5

Climate games at the CFE final Conference page 6

Advocacy campaign contest during regional conference in Minsk page 7

Matching climate terminology page 8

Interview with Sonja Greiner-CFE Project Manager- Austrian Red Cross page 9-10

a Greiner- CFE

Final conference in Climate Forum East finds fun ways to point up health challenges page 10-11

Training in mini-grant programme writing page 12

EU study visit in Brussels page 12

EU policy training in Tbilisi, Georgia page 13

National advocacy and communication training in Tbilisi page 13

Youth camp in Bakuriani EU meets Caucasus 2014 page 14

Summer school “Climate Ambassadors” in Moldova page 15-16

Climate Forum East events in Moldova page 17

Climate Change impact on Ukrainian grasslands: a research of NaUKMA student youth page 17-18

Journalists from Yerevan and regions trained on covering climate change related challenges page 19

Belarus Red Cross Society

(BRCS) with support of

Austrian Red Cross (AutRC)

organized the second regional

conference "Towards Joint

Actions to Climate Change

Adaptation in Eastern

Partnership Countries”, which

was held on 8-9 October, 2014

in Minsk, Belarus.

Continued on page 2-3

2

Belarus Red Cross Society (BRCS) with support of

Austrian Red Cross (AutRC) organized the second

regional conference "Towards Joint Actions to

Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern Partnership

Countries”, which was held on 8-9 October, 2014 in

Minsk, Belarus.

It was attended by 60 participants from the

European Union and Eastern partnership countries:

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and

Ukraine, and Andrej Kranjc (Slovenian Focal Point for

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

(IPCC). The facilitator of the meeting was Dima

Rusakov focal point of Belarus network in CFE

project.

The conference was the final event of the action to present the results of the project and to promote the Climate Forum East. National Civil Society Organization (CSO) networks had the opportunity to present their climate change adaptation messages and advocacy actions developed in the course of the project.

During the meeting responses to climate change at global and regional levels with a special focus on adaptation were discussed, and an overview of civil society efforts on adaptation to climate change in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine was presented.

During these two days, representatives from six civil society networks on Climate Change Adaptation and representatives from other regional and international networks presented, jointly discussed and exchanged project results, and shared experiences in promotion of adaptation measures, with advocacy actions developed in the course of the project, as well as to find ways and to establish future regional cooperation.

The first day was dedicated to the global findings on

climate change. The following issues were

presented: a summay of the most recent IPCC reports

by Andrej Kranjc, IPCC Focal Point for Slovenia; a

summary of the results and key messages of the

national Climate Vulnerability Assessments (CVAs), by

Louisa Whitlock, Austrian Red Cross climate expert;

and finally the mini advocacy campaigns was

announced.

Each of the national teams from the six civil society

networks on climate change adaptation prepared a

mini-advocacy campaign in advance in order to

communicate one key CVA recommendation to

conference participants.

The next session was facilitated by Irina Stavchuk

Ukrainian focal point; she made an overview of new

global negotiations on climate change, introduced new

global agreement on climate change for 2020-2050,

group discussions on national positions and fair

distribution of obligations in the new agreement, an

overview of new global agreement on climate change:

concept, progress and official positions.

Summary of the Conference in Minsk


http://www.ipcc.ch/

3

The next three sessions were also parallel: One session considered ways to advocate for funds on climate change adaptation, including indicative insurance systems, the role of insurance systems, how they could work effectively, and developing national approaches. The facilitator of the session was Dr.Aram Gabrelyan, CFE CVA expert;

The second session was climate change adaptation measures for biodiversity conservation, developing recommendations for my region. The facilitator of the session was Natalia Gozak, WWF DCP; And the final session was climate change adaptation measures in public health, what could be done to adapt public health sector for climate change, and how this could be achieved in practice; the facilitator of the session was Ina Vachiberidze, Georgian CVA author.

On 10 October, the final CFE regional partner meeting was conducted. All countries reported on their most recent activities and presented their plans for the last two months of the project, before moving on to the project review. Participants were able to discuss the most and least successful aspects of CFE, and how to bring these experiences, best practices and lessons learned into the planning for the follow up project.

The following two sessions were facilitated by Eduard Trampusch (Team Leader, Europe in the Austrian Red Cross)) and Natalia Gozak (Regional Coordinator for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine). They made an overview of main CfE project results in six countries: key success and lessons learned by CfE focal points, vision of future network developments by CfE network coordinators, discussion on (sub) regional cooperation opportunities, CSOs work towards adapting to climate change in the Eastern Partnership countries.

The final session of the conference was an interactive game session to understand forecasts costs in an informal and participative way. The facilitator of this session was Louisa Whitlock (Climate Change Adaptation Delegate).

On the second day, after the counting of the votes six contest winners were announced for mini advocacy campaigns in different categories.

The morning was then split into parallel sessions

focusing on a variety of sectors. The first sessions

included was “Local Small Scale Adaptation

Measures” for local and rural communities facilitated

by climate change expert Nataliya Stranadko. She

discussed small scale adaptation measures in various

settings, adaptation support tools, adaptation

approach by sectors (concrete examples), and some

discussion about what practical adaptation actions

communities can take. The second session was

focused on “Establishing the EaP Forum of Climate

Experts” by Olga Shevchenko, Ukrainian CVA author.

Issue 4, May 2014 Issue 6, December 2014

Climate Forum East Newsletter Climate Forum East Newsletter

4

Interview with Andrej Kranjc (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Focal Point for Slovenia)

What are the main conclusions of IPCC linked to climate change adaptation?

Human interference with the climate system is occurring, and climate change poses risks for human and natural systems.

Responding to climate-related risks involves decision making in a changing world, with continuing uncertainty about the severity and timing of climate change impacts and with limits to the effectiveness of adaptation.

Risks of climate change impacts can be reduced by limiting rate and magnitude of climate change.

Reducing climate change can also reduce the scale of adaptation that might be required.

Negative impacts of climate change on crop yields have been more common than positive impacts.

Adaptation experience is accumulating across regions in the public and private sector and within communities.

Governments at various levels are starting to develop adaptation plans and policies and to integrate climate-change considerations into broader development plans.

Many global risks of climate change are concentrated in urban areas. Steps that build resilience and enable

sustainable development can accelerate successful climate-change adaptation globally. (Building resilient infrastructure, improving housing, improving capacity of low-income groups, etc.)

Major future rural impacts are expected in the near term and beyond through impacts on water availability and supply, food security, and agricultural incomes, including shifts in production areas of food and non-food crops across the world.

Adaptation is place- and context-specific, with no single approach for reducing risks appropriate across all settings.

A first step towards adaptation to future climate change is reducing vulnerability and exposure to present climate variability.

Significant co-benefits, synergies, and trade-offs exist between mitigation and adaptation and among different adaptation responses. („Mitigation is the best adaptation“)

Climate-resilient pathways are sustainable-development trajectories that combine adaptation and mitigation to reduce climate change and its impacts.

Prospects for climate-resilient pathways for sustainable development are related fundamentally to what the world accomplishes with climate-change mitigation. (Paris 2015!)

Why is climate change adaptation crucial in EaP countries?

One of the reasons for that is that the temperature in most of these countries has risen more than on the average globally. Further, since it is expected that the temperature will rise further for at least some decades, adaptation is crucial for water availability, food security, health reasons (heat waves, vector-borne diseases), etc.

Issue 6, December 2014

Climate Forum East Newsletter

5

What role does civil society play in actions in climate change adaptation?

Civil society, including NGOs, should demand from the governments to prepare national adaptation plans. They can, and should, also contribute to awareness raising, and participate in local adaptation activities.

Can you highlight the 3 most crucial measures in climate change adaptation in your own opinion?

In agriculture, adaptation to higher temperatures, changing water regime, possible droughts and floods, in order to secure food supply.

Water: adaptation to more frequent and longer floods in flood-prone areas, and to more frequent and more severe droughts; securing drinking water in cases of droughts, floods and reduced water availability.

Protection of endangered species from extinction.

What are the main and hot topics to be discussed at the next UNFCCC conference in the end of 2014 regarding climate change adaptation?

Negotiators will continue to discuss and try to define the scope of adaptation in the new agreement, including: exploring a global goal, ways of strengthening the implementation of national adaptation plans, and linking national and global efforts;

International cooperation on adaptation, which is urgently required to enable and support the implementation of adaptation actions aimed at reducing vulnerability and building resilience in developing country Parties, taking into account the urgent and immediate needs of those developing countries that are particularly vulnerable;

Technical examination of opportunities for actions with high mitigation potential, including those with adaptation and sustainable development co-benefits, with a focus on the implementation of policies, practices and technologies;

Facilitating the sharing among Parties of experiences and best practices of cities and subnational authorities in identifying and implementing opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change.

What do you wish in international climate politics to happen in the near future to tackle climate change?

I wish that the main players in the international climate change process (USA, China, EU, India, South Africa, Brazil, Japan, and some others) would, at the latest in Paris in December 2015, commit to reduce emissions in accordance with the 2oC goal, which other (smaller) countries would follow.

Further I wish that developed countries would secure financial assistance to poorer countries so that in 2020 it would reach 100 bn US $, and technological assistance, which would enable poorer countries to adapt to adverse impacts of climate change and to contribute to global greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Issue 6, July 2014 Climate Forum East Newsletter Issue 6, December 2014


6

Tick stickers, polar bears, and climate board games – the final conference of the Climate Forum East project was notable for the innovative ways participants found to engage with each other. Specially-designed games were central to several sessions. Participants role-played climate change negotiations, took part in a climate adaptation challenge board game, and played Paying for predictions – a game developed by the Red Cross Climate Centre (RCCC) on the cost, value and use of early warnings.

Together with its partners, the RCCC has pioneered the use of participatory games for learning, communication, and initiating dialogue on climate change and disaster risk reduction. Since 2011 the Climate Centre and its partners have designed nearly 50 games focusing on disaster preparedness, the use of climate information decision making, gender and climate, and even urban waste management. These “serious games” enable players to inhabit the reality of climate risk management and test out their options in an immediately engaging and enjoyable way.

Paying for Predictions is one of the RCCC’s most successful games, played with a wide range of audience from schoolchildren to MPs. It focuses on the decisions that disaster managers must take in the face of uncertain risks: do they pay money to take action to prepare, or wait and see whether a disaster will happen, risking a higher payout later? How much is an early warning system worth? These are the kinds of real-life questions that disaster managers and national decision-makers must grapple with as climate change causes disaster risks to

become more uncertain.



Climate games at the CFE final conference

Olga Vlasuk of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine agreed that games were a good way to get people’s attention: “They are really useful for making people see a different point of view and can be played with a huge range of people from schoolchildren to politicians. Paying for Predictions really made me think about the costs of disaster preparedness and response.”

For more information about climate games and detailed instructions for how to play and facilitate Paying for Predictions and many other games, please visit the games catalogue at the RCCC website.

7

An advocacy campaign contest was organized during the regional conference "Towards Joint Actions to Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern Partnership Countries”, which was held on 8-9 October, 2014 in Minsk, Belarus.

Each of the national teams from the six civil society networks on climate change adaptation Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine prepared a mini-advocacy campaign in advance in order to communicate one key CVA recommendation to conference participants.

Armenia: A banner with big tree and the following slogan “This is my choice” was presented, to raise awareness of the actions everyone can take to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and adapt to climate change. Visibility materials were also prepared for the conference: flags with project logo, T-shirts with donor’s logos.

Azerbaijan: Climate change will affect agriculture in Azerbaijan, particularly the cultivation of grapes. Posters about the consequences of climate change were presented, as well as visibility materials and T-shirts.

Georgia: The name of the mini - advocacy campaign was “Take care of yourself while politicians are still thinking” (it was dedicated to heat waves). The main goal of the campaign was to involve the other people to participate in it, there were some wrong tips and right tips, what we can and cannot do during the heat waves. On one side of the banner there were right tips, what can people eat to stay healthy, how much water they need to drink, that they have to wear hats and sunglasses.


On the other side there were wrong tips, that exercising during the heat wave is not good, that alcohol can be harmful for health, too much sweet (cakes, chocolates) are not good and so on.

Ukraine: The main goal of the action was to bring the key idea to the national CVA participants. The main idea presented in the Ukrainian CVA report is adaptation to climate change in cities. Due to global warming, it is becoming increasingly difficult for polar bears to live in a natural environment of their habitat, as the temperature rises, glaciers are melting, climate is changing. There is a town shown on one of the posters. Polar bears come to town to tell people: "Change yourself not climate, as not everybody could adapt!" Climate changes at a fast pace, so there is less time left for adaptation. Distributing cards with discounts among participants, polar bears also tried to bring the idea to people that applying adaptation measures today is much cheaper than dealing with the consequences of climate change tomorrow.

Belarus: The Belarus team prepared a viral campaign using stickers in a tick shape with the following message: “you won’t notice a tick bite as you have not noticed this sticker”. The aim was to draw attention to the increased risk of tick-borne diseases under warmer conditions.

Moldova: The accelerated rate of climate change and importance of the agrarian sector in the national economy of the Republic of Moldova resulted in the inclusion of rural development issues in the Climate Vulnerability Assessment That is why the national team decided to perform a scene in which some agricultural crops were presented. They spoke on behalf of the fruits and vegetables on how they feel and are affected by climate change.

At the end of the day, the winners of the contest were identified, based on the votes calculated by the Jury. The contest results were absolutely equal for every respected participant. It was a draw. The winners received prizes from the oganizers of the contest.


Advocacy campaign contest during regional conference in Minsk

8


During the session "Establishing EaP Forum of Climate Experts", which took place on the 9th of October 2014 during the Final Regional Conference “Towards Joint Actions to Climate Change Adaptation in Eastern Partnership Countries” in Minsk, many important issues were discussed among experts working on the problem of climate change.

Key issues identified included:

• The lack of quality information about the climate in the past and present time for an adequate assessment of changes that occur and adaptation to changing climate; the lack access to such kind of information;

• The lack of standardized indicators that would provide an opportunity not only to compare the changes, but also to objectively present it;

• The high percentage of uncertainty in the results of climate modeling (and thus an important question – to what kind climate is it necessary to adapt?);

• The lack of required platforms for interaction between experts from different countries.

Representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine took part in the session. The experts discussed these questions and proposed some solutions. The participants shared their experiences in getting initial information for climate change assessment. They also discussed the appropriate usage of standardized indicators for the objective assessment of climate change. Experts involved in the assessment, argued why it is important. Representatives of CSOs asserted that in the main climate terminology is understandable only for scholars and it is difficult to use it for work with the public.

For a better understanding of all participants of the question of why climate simulation results include a high percentage of uncertainty, Dr. Svetlana Krakovska (Ukraine) made a presentation about climate modeling and its differences from weather.

At the end of the session, participants completed the list of problematic questions that occur before experts in climate change issues. The list was also completed by representatives of CSOs that work on climate change issues. According to participants, in case of a possible continuation of the project, the answers to these questions must be achieved through joint considerations.

Matching climate terminology


9

Reviewing the last two years of project implementation, what are the greatest achievements of the Climate Forum East (CfE) project?

The CfE contributed strongly to building the capacity and developing the networking of civil society organizations (CSOs) in the field of climate change adaptation in EaP countries. Climate change adaptation is a topic for today and for future generations and the concerted work of CSOs from different sectors such as humanitarian, health, environment and youth towards a common goal is still in its infancy. In each country, the project developed differently, with various country-specific focuses, speed and strengths. In Armenia, awareness about climate change was raised in communities, on decentralized levels; in Azerbaijan, a large and diverse civil society network working jointly on climate change was established; in Georgia, the work of the CSO network filled a gap to address climate change and health issues, developing now a heat action plan for Tbilisi together with stakeholders; in Ukraine, expertise on urban climate change adaptation has been developed by our project partners from NECU, inspired by the outcomes of the national climate vulnerability assessment (CVA); in Moldova, climate change adaptation was brought to the attention of the media; and the Belarus Red Cross Society has had a huge success in implementing projects on community level to increase climate awareness linked to climate related diseases.

Interview with Sonja Greiner- CFE Project Manager- Austrian Red Cross

The formation of these unique selling points of each of our partners and the roughly 80 civil society organizations plus stakeholders as members in the Climate Forum East platform allows for well-informed Eastern Partnership country best practice. The project and project related initiatives have high potential to foster further development towards more climate aware policies, education, communication and concrete actions. Many of the CfE achievements were shared with decision-makers and government representatives for evidence oriented policy-making. The partnership between the Red Cross and the WWF grew further, to combine humanitarian and environmental approaches in climate change action.

Having emphasised the strengths of the project, where do you see potential for improvements?

In the project design, we strongly underlined the development of relationships between different actors relevant for climate change adaptation and the building of trust for sustainable networks between different stakeholders from the governmental, non-governmental and scientific sector. We brought the humanitarian and environment community closer together. Each of the actors mentioned brings in specific expertise when it comes to responding to climate related disasters or impacts on biodiversity, water resources and health. The networking and learning about the expertise of various organizations has bundled lots of resources by project partners, CSO network members and stakeholders in all countries and on regional level. Consequently, concrete climate action on the local level based on the CVA recommendations did not get enough attention. Targeted cross-border exchange between different organizations included in the Climate Forum East platform could also be improved, for joint learning and sharing of innovative approaches to tackle climate change.



10

Issue 4, May 2014 Issue 4, May 2014 Climate Forum East Newsletter Climate Forum East Newsletter

What is the Climate Forum East II (CfE II) project about that is planned to follow the CfE project?

The CfE II project builds on the success of the ongoing CfE project and mitigates its weaknesses. It aims at further developing the strengths of the individual civil society organizations in the national CSO networks on Climate Change Adaptation and also those of locally active CSOs based on four pillars: organizational (sustainable CSO structures), technical (climate change adaptation), cooperation oriented (network activities going local) and contributing to policy making, awareness raising and education for youth. The CfE results from national policy dialogues, awareness raising and the six CVAs will be expanded more to decentralised and local levels where climate change is happening; concrete climate change adaptation action will be systematically implemented in a multi-partner approach in rural and urban communities and documented for replication; study visits between different CSOs will be fostered for joint learning; policy dialogue with local and national government stakeholders will be intensified and, in the ideal cases, institutionalized. Last but not least, existing and new partnership with other EaP climate change and disaster risk reduction projects will be encouraged. First and foremost, we will elaborate on our current coordination with the ClimaEast project and government led initiatives in the different countries wherever synergies make a difference for people and nature affected by the impacts of climate change.



Final conference in Climate Forum East finds fun ways to point up health challenges

Public health

“This was a great idea which came from our youth volunteers and we’ve used these stickers to raise awareness in every part of Belarus,” said the BRC’s Tatsiana Lukashevich.

The conference – Towards joint action on climate change in Eastern Partnership countries – centred on lessons learned from the experience of the two-year Climate Forum East project, coordinated by the Austrian Red Cross.

Participants at the final conference of the Climate Forum East project, in the Belarus capital Minsk last week, were disconcerted to find at the end of the first day that their backs were covered with tick-shaped stickers bearing the ominous warning, “You won’t notice a tick bite as you haven’t noticed this sticker”.

Meanwhile, volunteers dressed as polar bears were handing out discount vouchers for early action on climate adaptation, and a “pantomime” of fruit and vegetables heralded the impacts of climate change on agriculture.

These initiatives were part of a mini-advocacy campaign competition that kicked off the conference and encouraged NGOs to develop innovative ways to present their messages to decision-makers.

The stickers were designed by the Belarus Red Cross to draw attention to the increasing risk of tick-borne diseases associated with warmer temperatures.

11


The project focused on building the capacity of civil society in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to engage with the policy-making process on climate change and environmental governance.

Participants also discussed how to build on their successes and take activities forward, with sessions devoted to local-level adaptation, climate funding, biodiversity, and climate change and public health.

Early warnings

Ina Vachiberidze, an environmental health expert from Georgia who ran the session on climate change and public health, said: “All six countries have similar public-health structures and are facing similar health challenges from climate change, especially higher temperatures and heatwaves.

“It’s really important to develop a common approach towards these issues.”

Games were a key part of many conference sessions. Participants role-played climate change negotiations, took part in a climate adaptation challenge board game, and played Paying for predictions – a Climate Centre game on the cost, value and use of early warnings.

Olga Vlasuk of the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine agreed that games were a good way to get people’s attention: “They are really useful for making people see a different point of view and can be played with a huge range of people from schoolchildren to politicians.

“Paying for predictions really made me think about the costs of disaster preparedness and response.”

‘A real difference’

Natalia Gozak from the WWF Danube Carpathian Programme reflected on the overall impact of the project. “It was great to work on this project with so many different countries and organizations with different approaches,” she said.

“In the end I think we could make a real difference to the way civil society thinks about climate change adaptation in the region.”

Climate Forum East got underway in January last year and ends in December. It was funded by the EU, the Austrian Red Cross, the Austrian Development Agency and WWF.

Other international partners include the Environment Agency Austria, the WWF International Danube Carpathian Programme and the Climate Centre.

Participants at the final conference of the Climate Forum East project in Minsk pointed up rising health challenges of a warming world. (Photo: Belarus Red Cross).

This article was also published on the Red Cross Climate Centre website



12

Training in mini-grant programme writing

“How to write a mini-project” was the topic of the trainings that took place on October 22nd and 23rd

in hotel “Irmeni”, Tbilisi. During the two days, participants had the opportunity to learn the main aspects of mini-projects, how to write and create them, how to make the budget and also took part in group works. Volunteers of the CfE CSO network members were very actively involved in the training: on the first day they learned how to write projects and on the second day they had a chance to do group works and to present the mini-projects. The submission deadline is November 7th.


EU study visit in Brussels

The EU study visit was held from May 12-14, 2014 in Brussels, Belgium. The main objective was to provide knowledge and better understanding of EU structures, institutions and mechanisms for better work in climate change adaptation on the national level. The study visit was organized for CfE project partners and selected representatives from the national climate change adaptation networks within the “Climate Forum East” (CFE) EU-funded project.

Civil Society Organization (CSO) participants received first-hand information on how to get effectively involved in policy dialogue with governmental institutions; the visit strengthened CSO knowledge and motivation on how to get effectively involved in policy dialogue through adopting advanced practice coming from EU.

13

Issue 4, May 2014 Climate Forum East Newsletter

In the framework of the Climate Forum East project, the Georgia Red Cross Society conducted an EU policy training for Georgia Network Members on 11 July, 2014.

The training was facilitated by Manana Kochladze from “Green Alternative” Association.

The main aim of the meeting was to review of EU climate policy in the EaP region. Participants of the training got acquainted with existing legislation of the EU on climate change adaptation and identified the existing gaps in their country’s legislation. Participants also shared knowledge and experiences, and learned about best practice cases from Europe in climate change adaptation.

EU policy training in Tbilisi, Georgia


National advocacy and communication training in Tbilisi

In the framework of the Climate Forum East project, the Georgia Red Cross Society conducted an advocacy and communication training for Georgia Network members on 24-25 July, 2014 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The main goal of this training was to extend the Georgia network members’ advocacy knowledge and capacities, and practically develop the network members lobbying skills, helping them to develop network advocacy strategies to bring their key messages from their national climate risk assessments to decision-makers and opinion leaders. The training also aimed to strengthen network members’ capacities in presenting their Climate Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) results and recommendations to governmental stakeholder and the wider public and to give them some practical techniques for communication in view of advocacy activities.

The training was facilitated by Merab Sharabidze (Senior Adviser at National Forestry Agency Environmental consultant)

This workshop enhanced the success of communication by providing participants with the practical skills, knowledge and communication tools needed for their future work.

14


The International Youth Exchange `EU meets Caucasus` took place in Bakuriani/Georgia from 1st to 10th of August 2014. The camp gathered 48 young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belarus, Germany and Georgia to jointly work on the topic of climate change.

Climate change can have severe humanitarian consequences, especially for vulnerable communities. Dealing with the changing risks of extreme weather events and climate variability is a major challenge for governments, communities and civil society. Also within the Red Cross Movement we encourage young people to work with climate change issues and to enable them to integrate climate risk management into their future life.

The International Youth Exchange in the Caucasus region aimed to share best practice examples and empower young people to act by giving expert inputs, time for exchange and hands on experience. Participants had the chance to meet and work together for 10 days, discuss their specific needs, get views from different angles and learn more about each other´s experience. The camp also envisaged the enhancement of intercultural exchange and work on models for sustainable development.

Highlights of the camp were the non-formal methods used, for example a climate quiz, where participants spend the morning trying to answer tricky questions and solve challenging tasks. For example, saving people by bringing them water as fast as possible, only to find out that the cup they were using was leaking.

Youth Camp in Bakuriani EU meets Caucasus 2014


A whole day was dedicated to the Climate Theatre where groups were provided with a climate related scenario and thought about what message they want to give to the audience. Numerous creative performances took place that evening as you will see in the camp video provided (look out for angels and devils trying to seduce the mayor of a town). One group also created a video, showing how to include climate-smart behaviour in our daily life.

On the second day a Climate Forum East (CFE) project introductory presentation was made for the meeting participants by the National Societies of Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia and Georgia.

During the presentation the project purpose, expected results, current activities, future plans, as well as some project activities were outlined: the establishment of civil society organization (CSO) networks, national climate vulnerability assessments reports, evidence-based advocacy/awareness raising on climate change adaptation, education for action and citizenship among young people. In January 2013, the Armenia Red Cross Society, Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society, Georgia Red Cross Society, Belarus Red Cross Society, the National Ecological Centre of Ukraine and the Moldovan NGO ECOSPECTRU started to implement Climate Forum East (CFE) project. The Austrian Red Cross coordinates the regional project. The main objective of Climate Forum East is to strengthen the capacity of CSO (Civil Society Organization) networks to actively participate in policy dialogue with local and national authorities, EU institutions and international organizations on climate change adaptation.

We want to thank especially the Directorate General for Education and Culture of the European Commission and the National Agency `Jugend in Aktion` for making this International Youth Exchange possible, Austrian Red Cross and the Georgian Red Cross Society for organizing the camp, the group leaders for being active, creative and supportive contact persons for the organizers and the teams and last but not least the participants who brought such a great spirit to the camp - THANK YOU ALL

15


In the period 19 - 28 July 2014 the Republican Center for Youth and Children - Gutta-Club organized a national summer ecological school in the village Raculesti, Criuleni district for volunteers “Climate Ambasadors”. The organisation of the event was supported by sponsors: the Global Green grants Fund (The USA), International climatic movement GPS (Global Power Shift), International public organization 350.org and project “Climate Forum East” (national implementation Agency NGO ECOSPECTRU), which is funded by the European Union, with additional funding from the Austrian Development Agency, the Austrian Red Cross and the WWF.

During the 10 days of the ecoschool, participants were trained and could exchange experience and opinions on adaptation to climate change with each other. There was a certain slogan, issue for discussion and thematic for each day of the summer school. Young people had the opportunity to share their opinions and ask and to answer questions in a philosophical manner. The first day was devoted to knowing each other – future ambassadors had a nice time, played different games and playing presented to each other.

The second day started with introductory session on: what is climate and climate change, what is adaptation to such changes.

The third day started with strengthening of the team spirit and participants sailed on the Dnetsr River by plots made by themselves. This day we had to work in a team in order to “survive” (certainly we had safety belts and experts showed us how to use them). We made a station on the “Bicii ostrov (bowl island)”, where participants made a meal: boys were responsible for the fire and meat, while girls for salads and organizing of comfortable space. The whole day we worked and relaxed, studied and enjoyed the time. It was an unforgettable journey!

Summer school "Climate Ambassadors" in Moldova


On the fourth day experts on climate from the NGO “ECOSPECTRU” - Ion Cotofana and Svetlana Debelaia-Buracinschi joined us and told about climate change and adaptation to it in our country. During the summer school participants could try themselves as a mayor of the capital town – Chisinau, member of the regional Anenii-Noi Council, foreign investor, Minister of Environment, employee of the Gutta-Club and ordinary dweller of the Tintareni village. We played a simulation game, where a real scenario like the Chisinau municipal garbage dump was presented. Participants succeeded in resolving the situation in spite of certain pressure from municipal lobby, because they understand that we have to restore harmony between nature and society and assure sustainable development!

Next Day (Day of Moldova) participants visited one of the most prominent historical sites in the country – the complex “Orheiul Vechi”, where they learned more about history, traditions and style of life of our people from the 14th century. On the day of Friendship we had a big concert (folk dances, songs and kitchen) during which participants told and showed traditions and style of life of our people.

16

So as the main objective of the summer ecological school was to inform the population of possible measures to adapt to climate change, participants decided to organize a march action on the Stefan cel Mare - main street of the capital town Chisinau. It took place on Saturday – 26 July, when all participants with banners, placards, slogans etc. walked on the main street, stopped near people and organized a flash-mob, and talked with ordinary people on how to reduce their ecofoot print for establishment of better balance between nature and society. Our action was also presented in mass-media and information on it was disseminated on national level thus raising public awareness on climate change and the necessity to develop adaptation measures.

The ecoschool was visited by experts on energy efficiency and energy security of the Gas Natural Fenosa company. For a better understanding of the state of water resources in Moldova a water expert Dr. Maria Sandu from the Institute of Ecology and Geography was invited to talk about the drinking water quality in Moldova. Participants sampled and analyzed water in the villages Raculesti, Balanesti and tested drinking water from the pipe of the “Cusmarica” camp. The summer school was also attended by expert from the National Environmental Center of Ukraine – Olga Vlasuk, who spoke in more detail on climate change and adaptation on global level, and the actionswhich each of us could undertake for reduction of the CO2 emissions to atmosphere of our planet. We decided not to stop with that and after the participants return to their schools they will organize contests on the best action on information of public, students and school children interested in climate change. We are sure that our ecological school is small, but an important drop in promotion of sustainable development of our planet!

Below one can see a photo album where the brightest and unforgettable moments of our summer ecological school are collected.



17


Climate change impact on Ukrainian grasslands: a research of NaUKMA student youth


Climate Forum East events in Moldova: July – October 2014

A training seminar for teachers on climate change was organized on 28 October in cooperation with the Ecological Movement of Moldova and Moldavian Global Water Partnership (network members). In total 25 teachers from northern, central and southern parts of Moldova took part in the event. During the seminar, trends of climate change in Moldova were presented together with an analysis of opportunities to include climate change issues in teaching activities. In small group discussions, participants developed recommendations for the inclusion of climate change issues in educational process through amendments of existed curriculums for geography and biology lessons, organizing of public actions, which could contribute to adaptation to climate change with explanation of how humans influences climate, correct behaviour in case of heat waves etc. Teachers and educational authorities pledged to continue such activities in future through organizing of the climate dialogues.The use of biomass in heating purposes as an adaptation measure was discussed during an event organized in cooperation with WWF Hungary and Romania

in Chisinau on the 23 of September in the frame of the Danube Delta activities. The Climate Forum East project team made a presentation on the opportunities for biomass use in Moldova as a tool for adaptation to climate change. On the base of the discussions locations for cultivation of the biomass were proposed by participants and financial institutions acting in Moldova had an opportunity to present relevant materials on supporting energy saving activities in Moldova.

On the basis of the obtained results of this mini-project and previous data measurements in 2011-2013, the Centre for Studies of Ecosystems, Climate Change and Sustainable Development of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) launched a research project “Climate change impact on Ukrainian grasslands: a research of NaUKMA student youth”.

The NaUKMA working group of the project included 3 senior lecturers from the Ecology Department, one PhD student of Doctoral Program "Biology and Biodiversity" and 5 students of Bachelor and Master Programs of Environmental and Ecological sciences. During the project realization they were advised by experts in Ecology and Climatology from Scientific Centre for Aerospace Research of the Earth of Institute of Geological Science of NASU, the Biosphere Reserve "Askania Nova" of NAAS, and the Institute of Geophysics of NASU.

In order to raise students’ awareness about natural ecosystems’ adaptation to climate change, in December 2013 a small research project “Response of grasslands to altered precipitation in south-eastern Crimea” was initiated with the support of National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU).

18

Involving student youth to update scientific activity plays a great educational role. Participation in the field measurements can illustrate the adaptation processes of natural ecosystem to climate change much better than any study course materials. That is why the main objectives of the project included: (1) involving student youth to update scientific activity by conducting the field measurements in 2 nature reserves: Karadag Nature Reserve (Crimea) and Biosphere Reserve “Askania Nova”; (2) making a scientific prognosis for steppe ecosystems under climate change in southern part of Ukraine; and (3) establishing new partnerships aiming research activity in the field of adaptation to climate change. In general, they planned to analyze how grasslands adapt to climate change consequences, and to predict steppe ecosystems’ productivity trends in Ukraine.

The final work plan included the following steps:

1. Organizational and preparatory (April-May):

1.1. Negotiation on scientific cooperation with natural steppe reserves

1.2. Reconciliation and signing cooperation agreements with reserves

1.3 Mastering the methods of geo-botanical descriptions, modeling and collecting of biomass.

1.4. Organization of working trips to the natural reserve (transport, accommodation, etc.)

2. Collecting of data for modeling (May-June):

2.1. Collecting field data (productivity, geo-botanical descriptions)

2.2. Working with satellite images (MODIS images of primary productivity decoding, for the purpose of work with them in ArcView)

2.3. Creating a climate database of the territories under research (including monthly data on air temperature and precipitation)

3. Analytical (July-August):

3.1. Construction of all data in a GIS map layers in the software ArcView

3.2. Creating a predictive model of steppe communities productivity dynamics under conditions of changing temperature and rainfall

4. Final (September-October):

4.1. The organization and presentation of research results in a scientific seminar in October 2014

4.2. Presentation of research results at an international scientific conference on the 100th anniversary of the Siversko-Donets Biological Station of Professor V. Arnoldy, 24-27 September 2014, in Kharkiv region.

4.3. Presentation of research results and discussing future prospects of students working together with scientists of Biosphere Reserve "Ascania Nova"

5. Reporting (November-December)

Research results showed that usage of remote sensing (RS) for modeling ecosystem responses to regional climate change have great perspectives. During the research it was found that the productivity of steppe vegetation, estimated from RS, is closely related to the dynamics of climatic factors such as the rainfall during the autumn-winter-spring period and the annual evaporation. On the other hand, the statistical analysis has shown that the data set for 16 years is too small to generate an adequate model that can explain the reaction of plants’ productivity on climate change. The main conclusion that was made during the study is that climate change in the steppe will appear in: increasing temperature, rainfall redistribution in seasons and increased frequency of extreme weather conditions. One of the results of these changes may be gradual substitution of the zonal plants by intrazonal meadow steppe plants, which has a broader scope for adaptation to adverse weather events.

Thus, the work done has initiated a long-term partnership between scientifically oriented youth and ecology experts due to common research platform created within this pilot project. In the nearest perspective it is planned to analyze a broader data set (from 40th years of XX century) and to create a complex model for climate change and steppe productivity predictions for southern Ukraine.



19

The UNDP in Armenia and the Armenian Red Cross Society teamed up to organize a two day training on climate change related challenges and their coverage by media in Yerevan in the scope of the UNDP-EU “Clima East Pilot Project” and Armenian Red Cross Society “Climate Forum East Project.”

On 2-3 July some 15 journalists representing national and local mass media from Yerevan, Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor regions enhanced their knowledge on climate change and environmental challenges, such as climate change impacts in Armenia, climate change mitigation and adaptation, frequently used concepts and terms on climate change etc. Films, group work and presentations covered a variety of issues related to global warming, extreme climate events, water resources vulnerability, forests and agriculture vulnerability. Representatives of environmental NGOs also attended the training.

Media and environmental experts emphasized the need to present climate change and environmental challenges in user-friendly and simple, but informative language to the general public by traditional and alternative media tools. Moreover, according to them, the media can support ongoing efforts of environmental projects by presenting information to the public in a professional manner and raise awareness on some of the “burning environmental topics.”

The Clima East Pilot Project is funded by the European Union and co-funded/implemented by the UNDP.

Journalists from Yerevan and regions trained on covering climate change related challenges



Documents

Final CfE newsletter #6