The project development objective is to enhance adaptation to climate change in agriculture and irrigation water management practices through awareness-raising, institutional and capacity strengthening, and demonstration activities in the 3H basin. The reallocation is necessary to adjust for the appreciation of the Chinese currency over the US dollar since the time of project effectiveness, and to shift resources away from slow progressing activities towards faster moving activities.

Read more: http://www.worldbank.org/projects/documents/2011/10/15532080/china-mains...

This workbook is intended to help policy makers in developing countries plan for a safer future in urban areas in the face of natural disasters and the consequences of climate change. It is based on the experiences of three cities in Vietnam, Can Tho, Dong Hoi, and Hanoi, that worked with international and local experts under World Bank supervision to develop local resilience action plans (LRAPs) in 2009-10.

Read more: http://go.worldbank.org/Q4RPZGYVQ0

This report addresses the mitigation of short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs) and its key role in air pollution reduction, climate protection and sustainable development. SLCFs are substances in the atmosphere that contribute to global warming and have relatively short lifetimes in the atmosphere. The focus is on three SLCFs -- black carbon, tropospheric ozone and methane -- because reducing them will provide significant benefits through improved air quality and a slowing of near-term climate change.

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http://unep.org

Norway has commended the progress made by Tanzania and a decision by the government to integrate climate change and environment issues in its development plan.

Norway, a chief investor in reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in Tanzania, said through its ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Ingunn Klepsivik, that it has been impressed by the work done by the national Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) programme.

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http://thecitizen.co.tz

“Saving our planet, lifting people out of poverty and advancing economic growth” is an ambitious goal by any measure but that is what South Korean diplomat, Ban Ki-moon, has set out to do for the next five years of his term as United Nations Secretary General with the help of governments, the private sector, and civil society. (Photo: DG Yumkella and UN SG Ban Ki-moon in Abu Dhabi)

Outlining his “five global imperatives – five generational opportunities and two enablers” that will shape his global agenda and build the world of the future; a world where economic prosperity, freedom, justice and peace reign, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has challenged the world community to forge a common partnership. “Together, no challenge is too large. Together, nothing is impossible,” he said.

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http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com

The World Bank has released new data and tools on climate change as the latest additions to its Open Data Initiative. The Apps for Climate Competition aims to bring together the best ideas from scientists, application developers, civil society organizations, and development practitioners to create innovative apps using World Bank data.

The applications should serve to raise awareness, measure progress, or to help in some other way to address the development challenges of climate change. Submissions may be any kind of software application, be it for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, console, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public. The only other requirement is that the proposed application use one or more datasets from the World Bank Data Catalog available at data.worldbank.org or the Climate Change Knowledge Portal at climateknowledgeportal.worldbank.org.

Applications which best satisfy the competition criteria will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to have their apps featured on the World Bank Open Data website.

Contest ends on March 16, 2012.
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Climate change has been a salient issue for the countries of Northeast Asia (the People's Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia) in terms of impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. Preliminary analyses suggest that the costs of coastal protection are likely to be the largest adaptation costs across sectors in the region. In infrastructure, Mongolia will probably have the largest adaptation costs in percentage terms. In the PRC, there is a large "adaptation deficit" to extreme events (e.g., flooding and cyclones) in the infrastructure sector that should be addressed now. There is a large mitigation potential in Northeast Asia--at least 7 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030. Furthermore, much of the potential is at negative cost. That is, they are economically justified regardless of their emission benefits. Regional cooperation is important as it can help reduce the total costs of implementing mitigation in Northeast Asia.

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http://adb.org

A recent report published on the United Nations web site describes a program that might be beneficial for Panama’s poor, and the environment while creating a potential manufacturing project and jobs.

http://www.newsroompanama.com

Barely a month into the Aquino presidency, green activists warned Cabinet officials of a looming climatic catastrophe.

The warning went largely ignored, but the Climate Change Congress of the Philippines (CCCP) headed by Archbishop Antonio Ledesma plodded on, raising alarm bells.

The warning was repeated to Cabinet officials in an antipoverty conference two weeks before Tropical Storm “Sendong” struck on December 16.

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http://newsinfo.inquirer.net

World Bank Group officials expressed cautious satisfaction at the progress made in connecting development outcomes with climate action. Rachel Kyte, Vice President for Sustainable Development, said “We are particularly pleased to see progress on the creation of a Green Climate Fund. We will remain focused on mobilizing funds from all sources and in partnership to finance the kind of development projects that help the poor grow their way out of poverty, increase their resilience to climate change, and achieve emissions reductions.”

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http://worldbank.org