UNESCO in Bali
Articulating science and education to face the challenge of global climate change: a UNESCO dialogue

The following is an extract of the ENBOTS report on the UNESCO-sponsored side event, which took place Friday 14 December 2007.

Patricio Bernal, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), introduced “UNESCO’s strategy for action on global climate change,” which seeks to integrate climate change in a coherent manner across UNESCO’s work programmes. He explained that the strategy takes the natural and social science knowledge bases and “moves them downstream” to end users. He suggested that the social and human science knowledge base needs strengthening and that a shared ethical philosophy is required.

John Hattingh, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, argued that the world we live in is at risk, and that we must ask simple “value-rational questions" to address this challenge. He said our ability to ask these questions has been impaired by a shift to instrumental rationality over the last 200 years. He explained how a new approach to social and human sciences could help us to ask value-rational questions. He stated that these questions identify and interrogate power relations, and that the main challenge for social and human sciences is to develop local and global power relations that will allow for the development and implementation of effective technical solutions to address global issues, including climate change.

Timmons Roberts, College of William and Mary, US, presented key findings from his co-authored book “A Climate of Injustice,” which argues that inequality is the cause of the global impasse that currently exists in addressing climate change, because it drives: vulnerability in the South; anger at the injustice of the distribution of goods and bads; and an inability and unwillingness to participate in international efforts to address climate change. He recommended future roles for UNESCO, including: capacity building of NGOs and scientific groups; developing better understandings of adaptive and sustainability capacity; and providing good, accessible and locally-relevant information to the public.

Participants discussed: who is responsible for making people in vulnerable communities aware of climate change; the need to train journalists to accurately communicate on climate change, including on its equity, social justice and political aspects; and challenges associated with freedom of the press and communicating climate change messages. They also noted the biased distribution of scientific research between the global North and South. Bernal informed that UNESCO is finalizing a journalists’ toolkit on climate change communication.

UNESCO to teach on climate change »
article in the Jakarta Post, 15 December 2007

Future Climate Change Research and Observations: GCOS, WCRP and IGBP Learning from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report

The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) are organizing a workshop on lessons learned from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) in Sydney, Australia, 4-6 October 2007. The main goal of the workshop will be to consider the implications from the IPCC AR4 on future climate research challenges and climate observing strategies with a primary focus on the lessons learned from Working Groups I (The Physical Science Basis of Climate Change) and II (Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability). It is intended that the workshop provide a major input into the evolution of GCOS and the research agenda for WCRP.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO is a sponsor of both GCOS and WCRP.

more information at the workshop site »

Indigenous Knowledge and Changing Environments: Biological and cultural diversities in transition

An international experts meeting on "Indigenous Knowledge and Changing Environments" was organized by UNESCO’s programme on Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (LINKS) in association with the Australian National Commission for UNESCO, from 19 to 23 August 2007 in Cairns, Australia.  Against the backdrop of mounting international concern about the impacts of global climate change, specialists from both the natural and social sciences, and indigenous peoples, came together to deliberate on past, current and future responses of local and indigenous communities to changing environments, as mediated by their indigenous knowledge. This event was supported by the Christensen Fund and jointly hosted by the Australian Tropical Forest Institute (ATFI) and the Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology of James Cook University.

more information at the LINKS site »

UNESCO's World of Science 5-year Retrospective on Climate

To celebrate 5 years of A World of Science, a retrospective on UNESCO and Climate has been published, drawing on previous articles covering UNESCO's programs in water, mountains, glaciers, arid lands, renewable energy, global observations, oceans, ocean acidification and carbon sequestration, small islands, and climate impacts on cultural heritage. Print copies are available from the UNESCO Secretariat.

A World of Science - fifth anniversary issue: Retrospective on climate change. Download English pdf (3.5MB) »

Planète Science - 5ème anniversaire : Rétrospective sur le changement climatique. Télécharger en français pdf (3.5MB) »

The UNESCO World Heritage Center releases its publication on Climate Impacts on Natural and Cultural World Heritage

The threats posed by climate change to natural and cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List are outlined in a new UNESCO publication, "Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage". The report features 26 examples - including the Tower of London, Kilimanjaro National Park and the Great Barrier Reef - case studies that are representative of the dangers faced by the 830 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.

more information on the World Heritage site »

UNESCO is Co-organizing the International Conference on Groundwater & Climate in Africa
25-28 June 2008, Kampala, Uganda

Current monitoring and assessments of the impacts of climate variability and change on water resources commonly exclude groundwater. This omission is of particular concern in Africa where current usage and future adaptations in response to climate change and rapid population growth, place considerable reliance upon groundwater to meet domestic, agricultural, and industrial water demands. The conference seeks to bring together water and climate scientists from research/academic institutions, government departments, and private sector as well as representatives from international agencies, donors and consortia in order to share knowledge and expertise, and thereby improve current understanding of the impact of climate and development on groundwater resources in Africa.

more information on the meeting site »

Science in Africa: UNESCO's Contribution to Africa's Plan for Science and Technology in 2010

The theme of the upcoming Summit of the African Union in 2007 is science, technology and research for Africa's socio-economic development. This choice undoubtedly reflects the growing realization that science, technology and innovation are central to economic prosperity and to reaching the international development goals in such areas as food security, disease control, access to clean water and environmental sustainability. Many of these issues depend critically on understanding and adapting to changing climate conditions.

Download the report (pdf 2MB) »