News

ESA is participating to the UN Climate Change Conference taking place on 3-14 December 2007 at the Bali International Conference Center, Indonesia.

The Conference will be presided by the Indonesian Environment Minister, with support from the UNFCCC Executive Secretariat.

This year’s scientific report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made clear beyond doubt that climate change is a reality and can seriously harm the future development of our economies, societies and eco-systems worldwide. Since climate change is a global issue, tackling climate change and its impacts can only be successfully coordinated at the international level. The UN Framework on Climate Change presents the appropriate forum to do this. It has been expanded by the Kyoto Protocol which includes emission reduction commitments for developed countries over the period 2008–2012. A new international climate change deal must be put in place in time to ensure that necessary action is undertaken immediately after 2012 when the current phase of the Kyoto Protocol ends.
The main goal of the Bali Conference is to deliver this necessary breakthrough and get negotiations going on a new international climate change agreement. Parties need to agree on the key areas which the new climate agreement should cover, such as mitigation (including avoided deforestation), adaptation, technology and financing. They also need to agree on when the talks and negotiations will conclude so that the new climate change deal can be ratified by national governments before the end of 2012. Furthermore, countries should decide on the organisational and procedural arrangements to get to this result. Other important issues will be under negotiation in Bali including adaptation to climate change, the lauch of a Fund for adaptation, reducing emissions from deforestation, issues relating to the carbon market, and arrangements for a review of the Kyoto Protocol.

ESA will be present at COP-13 with a stand during the whole conference duration and a specific side event "Space supporting UNFCCC - global products for a better understanding of our climate".
Both will be related to global aspects for monitoring of climate-relevant parameters related to the four basic elements of ancient Greek philosophers: land, water, air and fire. ESA's objective is to make Earth Observation seen as a feasible and practical tool for Climate Change observation.

The side event will take place on Thursday 6 December, 13:00 - 15:00, at the Grand Hyatt Bali.
The agenda of the event can be accessed here.

Individual presentations:

• Introduction to the Side Event (F.M.Seifert, ESA & Dr. Bambang Setiadi, MASLI)
• Carbon Accounting and Storage in Forests and Peatlands in Indonesia: from local experience to global impact (Dr.Bambang Setiadi, MASLI)
• Observing Essential Climate Variables: Progress and Examples from the Terrestrial Domain (Martin Herold, GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Office)
• Technical Guidance for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation (Frédéric Achard, JRC and Martin Herold, GOFC-GOLD Land Cover Office)
• NOAA Supporting Climate research (Linda Moodie, NOAA)
• Observing ECVs from Space - Concluding Remarks (F.M.Seifert, ESA)

ESA Contact point:
Frank Martin Seifert
Phone: +39 06 94 180 560