Regional (European) and inter-regional

(Europe-China) cooperation on

adaptation and mitigation

Marta Szigeti Bonifert

COP16

06 December, 2010

www.rec.org

Component 1.

• Lessons learned from European regional cooperation (Central and South East Europe) –adaptation, mitigation, capacity building1. REC – a vehicle for green growth – Marta Szigeti

Bonifert, Executive Director, REC)

2. Panel Discussion by invited panelists:• Peter Olajos, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Rural

Development, Hungary

• Tomasz Chruszczow, Director General, Ministry of Environment, Poland

• Hasan Sarikaya • Former deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Turkey

• Milan Dacic, South East European Virtual Climate Change Center

www.rec.org

Component 2.

• Inter-continental cooperation focusing on China in the field of mitigation

1. Government Policy – Fundamental Driving Force for Development of Renewable Energy in China –Li Junfeng, Deputy Director General of Energy Research Institute & Secretary General of China Renewable Energy Industries Association)

2. Panel discussion by invited panelists• Alessandro Costa, Co-Director of the Europe-China

Clean Energy Center

• Zsuzsanna Ivanyi, REC

• Masanori Kobayashi, Institute for Global Environmental Studies (IGES)

REC

-

a vehicle for green growth

www.rec.org

Regional Environmental Center (REC)

• “… is an international organisation with a mission to assist in solving environmental problems (…)”

• The REC is legally based on a charter signed by the governments of 30 countries and the EC

• Multi-stakeholder International Board

• 190 staff (some 30 nationalities)

• 100% project based organization (over 300 running projects)

• 10 – 12 million Euro annual turnover

• Offices in 17 countries

• Population served ~ 200 million

www.rec.org

Bridging

Government

Local

GovernmentsBusiness

Citizens

NGOs

The REC

Government NGOs

Local

GovernmentsBusiness

Citizens

Bridging – Across Borders

Sustainability,

Climate

Change

SEA

Environmental

Financing,

LEAPs Awareness

Raising,

Green Pack

Improvement

of energy

efficiency

Grants,

training

programmes

www.rec.org

What do we do?

• REC has been promoting access to information, public

participation in decision-making and access to justice in

environmental matters since 1990

• Builds capacity for central and local authorities, NGOs,

• Organize trainings, programmes (junior fellowship)

• Provides tools for promoting active and cooperative,

participatory decision-making

• facilitates multi-stakeholder dialogue

• development of guidance materials, manuals, guidelines, citizen

brochures

• pilot projects at community level

www.rec.org

Status of implementation of EU 2020

Strategy in Central and Eastern Europe

• Opportunities to promote the EU strategy:• Relatively high energy intensity

• Limited –although increasing-use of RES

• Lower rates of waste recycling

• Obsolete public transport infrastructure

• Relatively strong agriculture and forestry sectors

• Good potential for the utilisation of domestic renewables

• The countries have very good potential to create a large number of „green/low carbon jobs‟ in their relevant sectors in the use of

• new innovative technologies (RES) and

• green/low carbon services

www.rec.org

Potential REC Services

• REC competencies• Policy briefs; good practices; integrated policy guideline

documents

• Specific support in the drafting of national strategies and programmes for the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy

• Capacity building

• organisation of complex and comprehensive seminars and workshops at the national and regional level

• Stakeholder involvement

• cross-sectoral governmental bodies and agencies,

• e.g. ministries like environment, energy, housing, transport, agriculture, innovation and employment

• the business sector

• the finance community

• as well as the representatives of civil society and academia

• media

www.rec.org

RE

NE

WA

BL

E

EN

ER

GY

EN

ER

GY

EF

FIC

IEN

CY

ATTITUDE

&

BEHAVIOUR

www.rec.org

Regional Focal Point for the Article 6

of the UNFCCC• Awareness raising, climate

education, trainings on the regional scope

• Support of the public and key interests groups – a key for the UNFCCC to succeed

• Previous successful experience of climate stakeholders involvement:

• “Aarhus meets Kyoto” report;

• Cooperation with local climate NGOs

• Journalists trainings

• REC CO Turkey as the NFP for Article 6

• Pro-active approach: seeing value added in the regional scope

• REC RFP recognized by the international climate community at SB32

www.rec.org

17 Different Countries:

• Different problems? Common challenges!

• Climate change topic quickly raising on the international and European political agenda

• Carbon-intense economies

• Low awareness about the economic opportunities provided by the low-carbon growth

• Low awareness on the necessity and ways to adapt to a number of adaptation challenges (heat waves, see level rise, increasing incidents of storms, floods, droughts, etc)

• Educated and capable but insufficient human capacities on all governance levels

www.rec.org

Activities of the young RFP REC:

Responding to the regional needs

• Activity: training of negotiators-members of

the national UNFCCC delegations.

• Responding to: quickly growing national

delegations.

• Activity: Youth Forum on Climate Change

• Responding to: necessity to involve students

in discussions on the future of the World and

sustainable development

• Activity: “Kyoto in Home”

• Responding to: necessity to involve children

and school teachers in the process

• Activity: Pilot training of the officials from non-

environmental ministries in Serbia

• Responding to: necessity to show that

environment and economy can develop hand

in hand

And loads of plans….

www.rec.org

Education for the youngest!

• Development of cartoon series for 4-7 years old

children

• Energy conservation

• Renewable energy

• Sustainable transport

• Launch in 2010!

www.rec.org

Green Pack

• 2001 with the support of Toyota Motor Corporation, the REC developed a comprehensive environmental education programme in Central and Eastern Europe (Green Pack)

• A multi-media environmental education curriculum kit

• Primarily intended for secondary school teachers and their students

• Focus on particular aspects of environmental protection and sustainable development

• 25.000+ teachers

• 3.000.000+ studentsIn 15 countries….

www.rec.org

Sustainable Development Academy

• A comprehensive (~ 1 month!) educational programme about the “three pillars” of sustainable development initiated by the Italian Government

• Target groups• Key senior government officials

• Media

• Business associations

• Members of various ministries, agencies and the business examine the major approaches to sustainable development

• In five regions: SEE CEE Black Sea Region

Kazakhstan Russia

www.rec.org

The Climate Project

• Cooperation with The Climate Project – plans for

2010!

• Training for Central and Eastern European

volunteers

?

www.rec.org

Zero Emission Conference Center

•The biggest SOLAR POWER plant in Hungary (close to 30 kW maximum capacity)

•High efficiency envelope• minimise heat loss in winter, prevent

heat gains in summer and maximise the exploitation of natural lighting

•Lighting system• a „light shelf” diffuses natural light

throughout the interior

•Photovoltaic• The PV system generates close to 30

kilowatt hours

•Heating ventilating and air-conditioning• Ground source heat pumps

•Architecture• Energy systems and architecture have

been designed in a modern and integrated approach

www.rec.org

“Act before it’s too late!”

BECAUSE

www.rec.org

Component 1.

• Lessons learned from European regional cooperation (Central and South East Europe) –adaptation, mitigation, capacity building1. REC – a vehicle for green growth – Marta Szigeti

Bonifert, Executive Director, REC)

2. Panel Discussion by invited panelists:• Peter Olajos, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Rural

Development, Hungary

• Tomasz Chruszczow, Director General, Ministry of Environment, Poland

• Hasan Sarikaya • Former deputy minister of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Turkey

• Milan Dacic, South East European Virtual Climate Change Center

www.rec.org

Component 2.

• Inter-continental cooperation focusing on China in the field of mitigation

1. Government Policy – Fundamental Driving Force for Development of Renewable Energy in China –Li Junfeng, Deputy Director General of Energy Research Institute & Secretary General of China Renewable Energy Industries Association)

2. Panel discussion by invited panelists• Alessandro Costa, Co-Director of the Europe-China

Clean Energy Center

• Zsuzsanna Ivanyi, REC

• Masanori Kobayashi, Institute for Global Environmental Studies (IGES)