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January 4, 2009 Updated every Sunday Latest News Suicides in National Parks rise in 2008 UN condemns atrocities in DRC The following statement was issued last week by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In addition to humanitarian atrocities many national parks and other protected areas are threatened by the ongoing fighting. The Secretary-General condemns in the strongest possible terms the appalling atrocities reportedly committed by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in recent days in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Sudan, as well as all other attacks committed by the LRA. The Secretary-General demands that the LRA respect all rules of international humanitarian law. The Secretary-General recalls the Security Council’s presidential statement (S/PRST/2008/48) by which the Council welcomed the joint measures taken by Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Sudan to address the security threat posed by the LRA. He underlines the Council’s call on the involved security forces to ensure that all actions are carried out in accordance with international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law. He also underscores the Council’s call on Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Sudan to take all appropriate measures to protect civilians. He urges the forces of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and southern Sudan on the ground to coordinate with the humanitarian community and the United Nations missions in the region to ensure the effective delivery of assistance to those affected by the LRA attacks. To Top of Page I Love Parks ILoveParks.com is a travel destination and international park news website dedicated to helping people connect with parks around the world.	Will Yellowstone “supervolcano” trigger a major climate event? Norris Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park Time magazine is reporting this week a story entitled “A Spurt of Quake Activity Raises Fears in Yellowstone.” The park’s thermal features including hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles and geysers create an atmosphere that would make anyone wonder about the possibility of another “supervolcano” like the one that exploded 642,000 years ago. Geologists believe that such an explosion would be “1,000 times more powerful than the explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1980” and “not only cover most of the U.S. with ash but also throw so much dust into the atmosphere that the world's climate could change”. (See the January 1, 2009 issue of Time). Is North America and beyond threatened by a imminent eruption of a Yellowstone supervolcano? To understand the situation more the National Park Service has posted the following information on the situation on the park’s website: Volcano Questions & Answers Q: How imminent is an eruption of the Yellowstone Volcano? A: There is no evidence that a catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is imminent. Current geologic activity at Yellowstone has remained relatively constant since earth scientists first started monitoring some 30 years ago. Though another caldera-forming eruption is theoretically possible, it is very unlikely to occur in the next thousand or even 10,000 years. Scientists have also found no indication of an imminent smaller eruption of lava. Q: How much advance notice would there be of an eruption? A: The science of forecasting a volcanic eruption has significantly advanced over the past 25 years. Most scientists think that the buildup preceding a catastrophic eruption would be detectable for weeks and perhaps months to years. Precursors to volcanic eruptions include strong earthquake swarms and rapid ground deformation and typically take place days to weeks before an actual eruption. Scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory* (YVO) closely monitor the Yellowstone region for such precursors. They expect that the buildup to larger eruptions would include intense precursory activity (far exceeding background levels) at multiple spots within the Yellowstone volcano. As at many caldera systems around the world, small earthquakes, ground uplift and subsidence, and gas releases at Yellowstone are commonplace events and do not reflect impending eruptions. The YVO is a collaborative effort between the US Geological Survey, the University of Utah, and YNP to monitor and study the Yellowstone Volcano. Congress has given the USGS the responsibility of volcano hazard assessment, and YNP assists the USGS in their volcano monitoring effort. Q: In regard to volcanic activity, is it safe to visit Yellowstone?* A: Yes. Scientists do not have any indication of an imminent eruption, or any eruption, at this time. Q: What is park staff doing to monitor and assess the probability of an eruption? A: The YVO maintains an array of instruments that monitor activities at Yellowstone around the clock. In addition, YVO scientists collaborate with scientists from all over the world to study and assess the hazards of the Yellowstone volcano. To learn more about Yellowstone's volcanic past and to view current data about earthquakes, ground movement, and stream flow, visit the YVO website at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/. Q: When will the volcano erupt again? Will there be any warning? How much warning will there be? A: The science of forecasting a volcanic eruption has significantly advanced over the past 25 years. Most scientists think that the buildup preceding a catastrophic eruption would be detectable for weeks and perhaps months to years. Precursors to volcanic eruptions include strong earthquake swarms and rapid ground deformation and typically take place days to weeks before an actual eruption. Scientists at the YVO closely monitor the Yellowstone region for such precursors. They expect that the buildup to larger eruptions would include intense precursory activity (far exceeding background levels) at multiple spots within the Yellowstone volcano. As at many caldera systems around the world, small earthquakes, ground uplift and subsidence, and gas releases at Yellowstone are commonplace events and do not reflect impending eruptions. Q: Is the volcano dormant or extinct or still active? A: The Yellowstone Volcano is still active. Evidence for the activity of the Yellowstone Volcano are the 1,000 to 3,000 earthquakes per year, active ground deformation, and the over 10,000 thermal features found in Yellowstone. Q: What is Yellowstone doing to prevent an eruption? A: Nothing can be done to prevent an eruption. The temperatures, pressures, physical characteristics of partially molten rock, and the immensity of the magma chamber are beyond man's ability to influence--much less control. Q: How will the park get the word out if there is an eruption? A: The park would communicate accurate and timely information to park visitors, park employees, concessioners, surrounding communities, media outlets, and other interested parties through the park's 24-hour Communications Center; news releases; established emergency response programs; and through notification of appropriate interagency, state and local government agencies. Q: Where would it be safe to be during an eruption? A: For the most likely type of volcanic eruption in Yellowstone, everywhere would be safe except in the immediate vicinity of the advancing lava flow. In the highly improbable event of a large catastrophic eruption, the greater the distance from the eruptive center, the safer it would be. It is impossible to know the effects of the eruption without guessing at the explosivity of the highly unlikely eruption and the total amount of the material erupted. Q: Would the public know about a possible eruption? A: Yes. Scientists continuously monitor volcano activity in Yellowstone and share that information through news releases, web sites, etc. Current real-time-monitoring data are online at http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/yvo/monitoring.html.	El Paso, TX Park News The Year of Environmental Challenge Makes Way for a Year of Opportunity United Nations Environmental Program The Year of Living Dangerously Financial damage and loss of life caused by climate-related natural disasters made 2008 one of the most devastating years on record. Cyclone Nargis last June claimed 78,000 lives in Myanmar. The Atlantic hurricane season caused devastation in the Caribbean, Central America and the United States. Costs associated with weather-related catastrophes are estimated by Munich Re - the world's biggest reinsurer and UNEP Finance Initiative partner - at about $200bn in 2008, double the losses incurred in 2007. Insured losses of $45bn were 50 per cent more than in the previous year. Hurricane Ike cost insurers $15bn in the United States. Climate extremes, including devastating floods, severe droughts, snow storms, heat waves and cold waves marked the year. Ice volume in the Arctic dropped to its second-lowest level. Earlier in the year, Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director said, "The extreme weather events we are witnessing underline the increasing vulnerability of humankind to natural disasters ? vulnerability that scientists predict will rise if climate change is left unchecked." A Climate for Change The UN climate convention meeting, due to convene in Copenhagen in December 2009, is an opportunity to respond to the climate challenge with decisive, legally-binding commitments. The world will need to take action towards reducing greenhouse emissions and to provide funding mechanisms to climate-proof vulnerable economies and communities. The Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) allows developed countries to offset some of their emissions by funding projects in developing countries. The Mechanism is emerging as a key instrument for combating climate change and a creative stimulus package to developing country economies. Thousands of projects joined the CDM in 2008. It is estimated the number of CDM projects will rise from 4,200 to 8,000 by 2012, generating financial flows from North to South of well over $30 billion. It is widely agreed the mechanism needs to be made more robust in order for it to perform on the scale needed. Seeing REDD Up to 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation. But forests have, so far, made an insignificant contribution to CDM projects with only 0.7% registered for afforestation and reforestation. To unleash the enormous economic, environmental and social potential of forests, the UN launched, in September 2008, the UN Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) programme, which aims at tipping the economic balance in favour of the sustainable management of forests. If REDD gets the green light in a post-2012 UN climate agreement it may eventually lead to developed countries being able to pay developing ones for the emissions saved from improved management of in particular tropical forests. Such an arrangement could be crucial in the global effort to avoid catastrophic climate change, but it must come in concert with the will to make deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. The project is implemented by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO); the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and UNEP, in the spirit of the UN 'Delivering as One'. A report by UNEP's Finance Initiative indicates that public-private insurance solutions may well be needed to kick start the forest carbon market and the potential of reduced emissions. Business Un-usual Global markets are still trying to cope with the aftermath of the credit crunch, the single catastrophe for which 2008 will be remembered for generations to come. To face up to the challenges of economic meltdown and global warming, the UN called in 2008 for a Global Green New Deal: a UN-led initiative that seeks to mobilize and refocus the global economy towards investment in clean technologies, renewable energy and natural infrastructure to combat climate change and trigger a green employment boom. The Green New Deal and the Green Economy Initiative signal a new chapter in UNEP's efforts to strengthen work on the interface between environment and economy. They may also provide sustainable solutions to benefit both the economy and the environment in the 21st century and beyond. Energizing Renewables Innovation and greening of the global economy are emerging on several fronts, including a multi-billion dollar boom in renewable energy development and the growing carbon markets. Over $148 billion in new funding entered the sustainable energy sector globally last year, up 60 percent from 2006, even as a credit crunch began to roil financial markets. Geothermal electricity potential in Africa is estimated at 7,000 Mega Watts, much of it in the part of the Rift Valley that runs from Kenya to Djibouti. With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNEP and the World Bank launched the African Rift Geothermal Facility (ARGeo). The $18 million project is underwriting the risks of drilling for steam and in doing so building the confidence of the private sector to build geothermal power stations. Estimates indicate that globally, geothermal capacity rose from 1,300MW in 1975 to close to 8,000MW in 2000 and stood at almost 10,000MW in 2007. By 2010, geothermal capacity could reach 13,500MW. UNEP and the GEF's Solar and Wind Resource Assessment have 'found' 10 million MW of solar and wind energy in 26 developing countries available for private sector development. With $20 million in GEF and UN Foundation support, UNEP is also working with the Asian and African Development Banks to leverage private sector financial flows towards clean energy entrepreneurs. Over 50 entrepreneurial businesses specializing in clean energy technologies and services have been financed to date in Africa, Brazil and China. The sustainability of biofuels has assumed global significance given, on the one hand, the potential of biofuels to contribute to GHG emission reduction and climate change mitigation, and on the other, the concerns raised in 2008 about biofuel production's impact on the global food crisis. UNEP is leading the effort to develop standards on the development of the biofuel economy. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) has produced draft principles and criteria, currently open to a 6-month public comment period. A Global Renewable Energy Insurance Facility, expected to be launched by UNEP and partners in 2009, will bring a wide range of innovative insurance and risk management products to assist the growth of renewables and clean energy in developing economies. Investment in sustainable energy between now and 2030 is expected to reach $450 billion a year by 2012, rising to more than $600 billion a year from 2020. Meanwhile, it is interesting to note that fossil fuels remain the most heavily subsidized worldwide. Total energy subsidies amount to around USD 300.000 billion per year, or around 0.7 per cent of GDP. In a report entitled "Reforming Energy Subsidies - Opportunities to Contribute to the Climate Change Agenda", UNEP maintained that subsidies can be beneficial if used for enhancing access to sustainable energy and promoting clean energy technologies. The report argued against subsidies that lead to unhealthy patterns of energy production and use, To Top of Page

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