THEME INFO PACKS : CLIMATE CHANGE

Climpag, Climate impact on agriculture
http://www.fao.org/nr/climpag
FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. E-mail: fao-climate@fao.org

This section of the FAO website, put together by the Environment, Climate Change and Bioenergy Division, looks at the various aspects and interactions between weather, climate and agriculture in the general context of food security. It presents detailed information (such as rainfall maps or meteorological “real time” data), and also links to many different documents, such as the results of the “expert consultations” held in Rome in March 2008. There is also a section with “advice and warnings”, which has a sub-section discussing the importance of communications to farmers, and “climate indicators”, with information on risks and vulnerability. A separate section on “hotspots” describes areas where agricultural production or ecological processes are disrupted due to conflicts between environment and agriculture. Most sections include a set of methods and tools, with materials that can be downloaded for free.

Climate Change Adaptation in Africa
http://www.idrc.org/ccaa
IDRC, International Development Research Center. 250 Albert Street, P.O. Box 8500, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1G 3H9. E-mail: ccaa@idrc.ca

CCAA, the Climate Change Adaptation in Africa research and capacity development programme, aims to improve the capacity of African countries to adapt to climate change in ways that benefit the most vulnerable. It works to establish a selfsustained African body of expertise on adaptation that responds to the needs defined by African communities, decision makers and institutions. Its objective is to do this by strengthening the capacity of African stakeholders to contribute to adaptation to climate change; supporting adaptation by rural and urban people, particularly the most vulnerable, through action research. Apart from describing its activities, the site brings news and documents, grouped under four themes: communication and networking; education and training; monitoring and evaluation; and participatory action research.

Practical Action
http://www.practicalaction.org
The Schumacher Centre for Technology and Development. Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby CV23 9QZ, U.K. E-mail: practicalaction@practicalaction.org.uk

Practical Action believes that simple technologies can be used to challenge poverty. One of their programmes, “Coping with environment and conflict”, aims to reduce poor people’s vulnerability to disasters, considering that poverty, vulnerability and disasters are linked. As part of this programme they work with people to help them adapt to the effects of climate change. Their work has demonstrated that secure and sustainable livelihoods reduce both poverty and susceptibility to disasters. Projects supported in this programme include rainwater harvesting in Zimbabwe, the use of “crescent terraces” in Sudan, and the development of technologies in Bangladesh for growing food on flooded land. The website has lots of information about the more than 100 projects they implement, as well as the “Practical Answers” section where you can download technical briefs on adaptation to climate change, and send in technical questions.

Agrobiodiversity and Climate Change
http://www.agrobiodiversityplatform.org/climate_change
Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research (PAR), Bioversity International. Via dei Tre Denari 472/a, 00057 Maccarese (Fiumicino), Rome, Italy. E-mail: p.bordoni@cgiar.org

The Agrobiodiversity and Climate Change project aims to gather and make known information on the use of agrobiodiversity by communities facing climate change. Started in April 2008, this project was initially meant to run for one year, aiming to bring together information from rural communities, indigenous peoples and research workers on how they use agrobiodiversity to cope with climate change. The website gives you the opportunity to interact and discuss the project’s topic, to find and share information on projects concerned with climate change and agrobiodiversity, and to check out related news and events. The project is actively seeking contributions from rural communities, indigenous peoples and research workers on how they use agrobiodiversity to cope with climate change. Contact them via the website or the e-mail address given here.

Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary
http://www.tiempocyberclimate.org
Tiempo Editorial, P.O. Box 4260, Kamo, Whangarei 0141, New Zealand. E-mail: tiempo.editorial@gmail.com

This site has a Climate Newswatch section and the Climate Portal. The first one is a weekly online magazine on climate and development, with news, special features and comments. It also brings short reports, interviews and links to many other organisations, together with podcasts and a series of regularly update blogs. The Climate Portal is a comprehensive source of information. It provides access to carefully selected documents, websites and other resources concerned with climate and sustainable development. It includes a long list of links to “interest groups”, organisations and networks. The portal also provides access to the 3-monthly Tiempo bulletin (to which you can request a free subscription). The site is produced and maintained by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia.

International Panel for Climate Change
http://www.ipcc.ch
IPCC Secretariat, c/o World Meteorological Organization. 7bis Avenue de la Paix, C.P. 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. E-mail: ipcc-sec@wmo.int

The IPCC is a scientific intergovernmental body set up by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was established to provide decisionmakers with an objective source of information about climate change. The IPCC does not conduct research, nor monitor climate related data. Its role is to objectively assess the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic literature relevant to understanding the risk of human-induced climate change, its observed and projected impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC provides reports at regular intervals, all of which are available on their website. The first Assessment Report of 1990, for example, played a decisive role in the establishments of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The IPCC Second Assessment Report of 1995 provided key inputs for the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, and the Third Assessment Report of 2001 as well as Special and Methodology Reports provided further information relevant for the development of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The latest is the Fourth Assessment Report, published in 2007.

More information? Please write to the editors, at ileia@ileia.nl