CRIC 21, the twenty-first session of the Committee for Review of the Implementation of the Convention, subsidiary body of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), will take place from 13 to 17 November in Samarkand (Uzbekistan). The event will be attended by delegations from 197 countries that have signed the Convention, including Italy which has been a signatory to the UNCCD since 1994, as well as representatives of the private sector and civil society.
The ISPRA responsible of the Area for the conservation and management of flora, vegetation and forests, habitats and soil ecosystems and for the sustainable use of agroforestry resources met in Nairobi (Kenya) with the responsibles of the Institute of "Wangari Maathai" research to evaluate possible areas of international cooperation and strengthening of local capacities on topics of mutual interest: nature protection-restoration, environmental impact assessment, sustainable bioenergy, waste management and environmental communication.
The summary for policy makers of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the highest scientific authority on nature and the tangible and intangible contributions that nature offers to people, was published today. The approval had taken place at the end of the 10th plenary session of the Ipbes by the 141 member countries, including Italy. The drafting of the report involved a hundred scientists from all over the world, required over four years of work and the consultation of over 12,000 bibliographic references
The laboratories were set up at the respective locations of the Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) Haida South Road campus, Lincheng Changzhi Island, Zhoushan, Zhejiang, and at the ISPRA headquarters in Livorno, as part of the Experimental Section for Ecological Risk Assessment in marine-coastal areas of the National Center for environmental characterization and protection of the coastal strip, marine climatology and operational oceanography
The 31st session of the Network of European Agencies for Nature Conservation (ENCA network) opens today in Stirling (Scotland). The topics of the meeting are: land use; the contribution of agencies in the implementation of policies for the conservation of species and habitats; the support of the agencies for the implementation of the global agreement approved at the end of 2022 at the COP15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity; the approval of a document of the ENCA network, drawn up also with the contribution of ISPRA, on the concept of "transformative change". This latest report contains a number of illustrative examples for moving towards the transformational shift needed to contrast the loss of the planet's biological integrity.
ISPRA participated, together with the project partners, in the mid-term conference of the European project PanAfGeo-2 , organized in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The results of the project activities, especially training courses on geosciences for young African geologists, were illustrated to representatives of the European Union, Organization of African Geological Surveys (OAGS), UNESCO and other organizations involved. The opening and closing ceremonies of the conference were attended by the Hon. Pierre Oba, Minister of State and Minister of Mines, Industry and Geology who underlined the importance and positive impact of PanAfGeo-2 on scientific cooperation and the exchange of knowledge between Africa and Europe.
On June 8, a Chinese delegation from the city of Chengdu took visited ISPRA. The delegation led by the Vice Mayor that included managers and officials of the Chengdu municipal administration and the Academy of Environmental Sciences discussed aspects related to drought, climate change and air quality with ISPRA experts. Chengdu city in the Sichuan province in southwest China is one of the most important economic centers in the country and has about 20 million inhabitants.
ISPRA participates on behalf of the Urban Geology Expert Group (UGEG) of EuroGeoSurveys at the Urban Geology Workshop 2023 organized by "Coordinating Committee for Geoscience Programmes in East and Southeast Asia ( CCOP )", the Geological Survey of Korea KIGAM and by Mines and Geoscience Bureau of Philippines , and which is taking place these days in Davao City (Philippines). The workshop entitled "Understanding and Mitigating Subsidence Hazards in Urban Areas" focuses in general on geological hazards in urban areas, with particular reference to problems relating to subsidence.
ISPRA participated from 24 to 26 April in the mission to Ankara, organized by the Civil Protection Department in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Turkey, aimed at meeting the main Turkish institutions involved in the emergency and post-emergency phases of the seismic sequence of 6 and 7 February that hit Turkey and Syria. The meetings were preparatory to the new mission underway from 7 to 13 May, agreed with AFAD (Turkish Civil Protection), on the places affected by the earthquakes.
The 24 March in the whole of UN 2023 Water Conference it will be held side event organized by FAO in which the work, carried out by ISPRA in the context of an agreement with FAO and with the support of Istat, on the pilot case "Italy" and the disaggregation of the SDG 6.4.2 indicator at the scale of river basin district. SDG 6.4.2 tracks the amount of freshwater withdrawn by all economic activities, relative to the total freshwater renewable resources available (net of environmental water needs). This indicator evaluates the water stress to which water bodies are subjected due to withdrawals.
From 13 to 17 March 2023 in Casablanca, hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Morocco, delegates from 24 countries and 2 NGOs met for the 46th meeting of the "Scientific Groups" of the London Convention, 1972 and the 1996 Protocol on the prevention of marine pollution by dumping of wastes and other matters. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the United Nations, taking part at the meetings with the Secretariat of the Office for London Convention/Protocol & Ocean Affairs , is the body in charge of the application of these international treaties in countries which, like Italy, have incorporated the rules into their own regulations .
The second UN Conference on Wate r kicks off today in New York, co-organized by the Netherlands and Tajikistan with the United Nations. During the opening ceremony, UN Secretary General Guterres reiterated the risk to resources and ecosystems due to water scarcity. ISPRA is participating with the Italian delegation in the interactive dialogues on the theme of integration between States for the protection of water and ecosystems and for the mitigation of flood and drought risk in a constantly changing and evolving climate.
ISPRA President Stefano Laporta and General Director Maria Siclari attended the 39th plenary meeting of the EPA Network in Brussels. Among the topics addressed, the need to develop cooperation and the arguments of the interest group on sustainable finance and to make it more effective for the stakeholders involved. ISPRA is working on green finance with a task force to help operators understand environmental data.
A week of meetings of scientists and experts from all over the world, called by the United Nations Environment Agency (UNEP) to draw up the seventh edition of the report on the state and prospects of the global environment ( Global Environment Outlook, GEO-7 ).
From 7 to 19 December 2022, governments from around the world will gather to take stock of the health of our ecosystems and agree on a new set of goals to guide global action through 2030 to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.
The 14th Meeting of the Conference of Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP14) is held November 5-13 in Wuhan, China, and Geneva, Switzerland. The theme of the COP is Wetlands Action for People and Nature. The Convention has as its objective the international protection of wetlands through their identification and delimitation, the study of the characteristic aspects, in particular of the avifauna, and the implementation of programs that allow the conservation of their habitats, flora and fauna. Currently 172 countries have signed up to the Convention, including all EU member states, and 2,455 Ramsar sites have been designated for a total area of 255,897,678 hectares.
COP27
Nov 07, 2022
to
Nov 18, 2022
— Sharm El-Sheikh - Egypt,
The COP27 , the climate conference organized annually by the United Nations, has begun as part of the Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC). To open the event in Sharm El-Sheikh, the High level segment, which saw the participation of heads of state and government to discuss cross-cutting issues, such as the just transition, the future of energy, innovative financing for the climate and development, food security, water security, climate change and sustainability of vulnerable communities. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke with a very clear message, confirming Italy's commitment to meet the European targets set by the Fit for 55 package, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the production of energy from renewable sources. He also stressed the importance of a just transition, supporting the countries most affected by the climate crisis. The activation of an Italian Climate Fund, envisaged in the 2022 Budget Law, of 840 million a year, for 5 years (2022-2026), was also announced, aimed at supporting developing countries to implement the decarbonisation of its economic activities. ISPRA takes part in COP27 within the Italian delegation, and provides technical support to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, with the monitoring of national greenhouse gas emissions and the definition of emission scenarios.
The 38th meeting of the EPA Network, the network of Heads of European Environmental Protection Agencies, is underway in Bucharest. For ISPRA, the President Stefano Laporta: "In this delicate moment for the environment, endangered by climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the unsustainable use of natural resources, it is of vital importance to involve and involve citizens in environmental challenges also linked to the energy crisis and the current war in Ukraine, to encourage them to make more sustainable life choices and support them in dealing with current emergencies. Our duty is to provide them with correct and scientifically validated information ".
The second meeting of the seventh Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is underway in Nairobi which in 3 years will have to produce a report on the state and prospects of the global environment. Four themes will be worked on for the report that will see the light in 2025: loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution, land degradation.
Ecuador is celebrating today 13 October the day of food sovereignty. For the occasion, the Italian Embassy in Ecuador is organizing a workshop together with ISPRA to debate the topic of food safety.
The last stage of UN negotiations in preparation for a post-2020 global biodiversity agreement is opening today in Nairobi. As part of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) from 21 to 26 June 2022, the fourth and final session of the working group called to prepare the draft of a global agreement to stop and reverse the dramatic decline in biodiversity.
The Embassy of Italy in Quito and the Salesian Polytechnic University together with ISPRA will organize a scientific workshop on biotechnologies on 10 June on the occasion of the 2022 edition of the Italian Research Day in the World (GRIM).
This morning the President of ISPRA and the President of the Zhejiang Ocean University (ZJOU) of the People's Republic of China signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to consolidate the bilateral cooperation activities between the two Institutes in the field of Marine Sciences.
ISPRA president, Stefano Laporta, is in Paris to participate, representing Italy, in the meeting of the EPA Network, which brings together the heads and directors of environmental protection agencies and similar institutions throughout Europe. The aim of the meeting is the exchange of views and experiences on environmental policy issues of common interest, in particular environmental sustainability and energy supply also with respect to the conflict in Ukraine and the pandemic still underway.
With the aim of celebrating the Italian Research Day in the World (GRIM) the Honorary Consulate of Alexandria in Egypt and the Italian institute of Culture organize from 14 to 21 May 2022 a photographic exposition on scientific and technological research to which ISPRA participates with contributions.
The biennial meeting of the delegations of 197 signatory countries of the United Nations Convention for the Fight against Desertification and the Effects of Drought - UNCCD will take place in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) from 9 to 20 May 2022, during which the sessions will be held of the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) and of the Subsidiary Bodies, i.e. the Twentieth Session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC 20) and the Fifteenth Session of the Committee on Science and Technology (CST 15). Italy has been a signatory of the UNCCD since 1994.
The collaboration, which began in 2013, specifically concerns 2 bilateral cooperation projects lasting 3 years in the field of active tectonics and hydrogeology.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will hold three meetings concurrently in the last 2 weeks of March, to talk about the state of health of flora and fauna in the planet and in order to achieve a draft program to be finalized during the second part of the UN conference on biodiversity.
With the technical support of ISPRA, Vietnam, a country participating in the ICAT project, presented the NDC update. With this update, it is committed to taking drastic action to respond to climate change. In line with its socio-economic development strategy, Vietnam has pledged to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 9% with national resources, reaching up to 27% with international support.
Argentina, one of the countries participating in the ICAT "Initiative for Climate Action Transparency" project. The video explains how fundamental data transparency is to generate trust in society and guide policy makers to develop more effective national climate policies.
