Monday, May 9, 2011

New biodiversity strategy in the EU: can we learn from past lessons for the benefit of people and nature?

Global biodiversity crisis is the main environmental problem today besides climate change. The extinction of species is 100-1000 times higher than the background rate, with nearly one in six terrestrial mammals and more than one in five amphibians threatened in Europe.

This also has tangible negative effects on the society: biodiversity underpins ecosystem services, which contribute to human wellbeing through the provision of food, water, timber, stable climate, prevention from disasters, recreational opportunities and spiritual values among others.
In order to respond to the challenge and meet global and EU commitments, the European Commission released the new Biodiversity Strategy for the EU titled as ‘Our life insurance, our natural capital: an EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020’ as a follow up if the previous strategy, which expired in 2010. The new strategy includes six main targets, which are to be realized through several actions.
CEEweb for Biodiversity welcomes the new strategy and considers it as an important tool to implement main biodiversity commitments, such as the establishment and management of the Natura 2000 network protected under EU law and green infrastructure.
However, it lacks the political ambition of the EU to respond to the most important drivers of biodiversity loss and thus achieve significant improvements in the state of species and ecosystems.
While the effectiveness of the strategy will depend on the upcoming EU policy reforms on agriculture, fisheries and resource efficiency, as well as the new EU budget (2014-2021), the biodiversity strategy barely touches upon the main drivers behind biodiversity loss , and it fails to sufficiently inspire the necessary reforms and initiatives to deliver the desirable results.
CEEweb will call on the European Parliament and EU Member States to openly debate the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and support a reform of these policies which can address the problem.

“If we really want to protect biodiversity as our life insurance, we have to avoid the pitfalls of the previous strategy. We need to reduce our resource and land use and put ecosystem services at the heart of development planning,” says Klara Hajdu, CEEweb Secretary General.

Az erőforrás-hatékonyságtól az erőforrás-használat korlátozásáig - innovatív eszközök egy fenntartható Európáért

A 2011-es Zöld Hét során Brüsszelen kívül is megrendezésre kerül számos esemény az Európai Unió országainak különböző városaiban, köztük Budapesten is. Az idei Zöld Hét fókuszában a "Erőforrás Hatékonyság - Használjunk kevesebbet és éljünk jobban!" témája áll. A Zöld Héten hagyományosan, így a budapesti rendezvényen is, különböző ágazatok szakértői, így kormányzati és civil szervezetek, illetve az üzleti és tudományos élet képviselői cserélik ki tapasztalataikat és véleményüket.Az idei témához kapcsolódva különböző szektorokból érkező jeles előadók tárják fel három szekcióban a természeti erőforrások felhasználásának szabályozási vonatkozásait, a megvalósítás során felmerülő kihívásokat és lehetőségeket, illetve az erőforrás használat limitálásának szükségességét és alternatív megoldásait.


Az esemény panelbeszélgetéssel zárul.A rendezvény programja letölthető innen.

A rendezvény regisztrációs lapja letölthető innen.


Kérjük a regisztrációs lapot legkésőbb május 10-ig visszaküldeni az office@welove.hu email címre!



Az esemény az Európai Bizottság támogatásával valósul meg.






CEEweb policy and proactivity - strengthening the ties within our network

Dear CEEweb Members,



We are happy to invite you to the CEEweb Field Visit program which aims to strengthen the relation between the Head Office and member organizations


Objective: The Policy Office of CEEweb for Biodiversity wishes to make stronger personal and professional contacts with its member organizations. Building on the successful experience gained in 2010, members of the Policy Office will visit CEEweb organizations in 2011 and offer them a two-day-long training free of charge. The focus of the program will be professional and methodical capacity building.


Duration: two consecutive days (from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


Participants: a group of minimum 8, maximum 16 people from CEEweb member organizations, thematically related local environmental NGOs or state partners


Language: the program will be held in English. In case translation is needed, trainers should be notified in advance, but the program can be simultaneously translated.


Costs: The CEEweb Office will provide trainers and handouts, but no translation fee, food and rent are covered by the project. Local member NGOs will have to find the venue and organize participants including interpretation.


Contents of the training:


The two-day-long program is about proactive lobbying, which is the main activity of CEEweb. On the first day we deal with the CEEweb policy and the exact content of CEEweb's lobbying activities. On the second day we look at the methodology of successful lobbying: the different levels of proactivity in the NGO sphere.


Day 1: CEEweb policy



1. What is the reason for a common CEEweb policy


2. CEEweb’s mission: what is sustainable development and why is it useful in the work of environmental NGOs?


3. Why is CEEweb’s policy different from other environmental NGOs policies


4. Nature vs. economy: how one value (economic growth) overthrows the others and how this imbalance can be cured.


5. Practical aspects of CEEweb’s policy: the Hungarian climate law


Day 2: Proactivity and success-training for NGO


1. Why do we need this training? The 3 sectors theory: pros and cons of working for an environmental NG


2. The 7 skills of success (Stephen Covey’s famous model


3. The art of goal setting


4. Proactivity as the “One ring to rule them all”: how you can make your work outstandingly efficient by being proactive instead of reactive.


5. Where and how the CEEweb network can becom


The dates for when the visits would take place are quite flexible, which means that we would give you opportunity to suggest a date that is most suitable for you and your team. If you are interested, please contact the Policy Office at ceeweb@ceeweb.org or directly Veronika Kiss, networking coordinator at kiss@ceeweb.org by 16th May the latest.



I am looking forward to hearing from you


Best wishes


Veronika

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Resource use capping - the solution for the rebound effect arising from resource efficiency

Budapest, Hungary –A recent data developed by Breakthrough Institute and UK Energy Research Centre draw attention to the rebound effect of energy efficiency. This phenomenon finally leads to 10-34% less net resource use savings due to decreased prices and thus stimulated consumption and economic growth. In order to tackle this contradiction, dedicated NGOs and institutions from all around Europe established a resource cap coalition in order to advocate for the limitation of resource use in debates related to resource efficiency.


Dangers of resource efficiency – the issue of the rebound effect or the so-called Jevons paradox

The so-called rebound effect[1] occurs when some of the savings from energy efficiency are cancelled out by changes in people's behaviour. On a consumer level it can be direct (turning up the heating in a newly insulated house) or indirect (spending the money saved on bills on a flight to Spain). And on a macro-economic level, improved efficiency is usually believed to lead to lower prices and more demand.

An article issued in the Guardian[2] collected views of scientists and scientific findings on the rebound effect. Data warn of phenomenon where some of the savings from energy efficiency are cancelled out by increases in other carbon-intensive behavior. Besides, scientists and scientific reports quoted in the Guardian article, up till now many studies have examined the Jevons paradox, but the scientific base on it is still limited.

The idea of Jevons’ paradox was created by William Stanley Jevons in 1865. Jevons’ paradox was noticed in the study” Raw material and the global economy: Oversights and distortions in industrial ecology”[3]. It found that the world economy as a whole showed significant improvements in resource efficiency recently but on the other hand the total resource consumption of the global economy continually increased.

The chapter “Energy Consumption in Transitional economies: Jevons’ paradox for Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland” analyses energy data from the Energy Information Administration and proves that Jevons’ Paradox exists in these countries at a macro level[4]. Main findings of the chapter includes that Jevons’ Paradox may be in existence in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Poland at the macro-level despite the fact that energy consumption and energy intensity have decreased for each of the countries from 1990-2003. Besides, it showed that policies promoting energy efficiency would likely not reduce energy consumption in these countries. Finally it concluded that the urbanization of the population and the liberation of the economic markets are the reasons why Jevons’ Paradox may exist.
The study “Jevons’ Paradox and the myth of technological liberation” indicates that natural resource consumption is constantly growing in the past 200 years despite more efficient technology improvements. It all leads to environmental destruction and causes social and economic problems[5].

The article “Macroscopic rebound effects as argument for economic degrowth” states that economic growth is seen more often as an opportunity rather than a problem[6]. The author is calling to absolute reduction of material, energy and land use and economic degrowth of industrial countries.

Proper measure to tackle the rebound effect – setting limits of resource use
All of the scientific evidence shows that it is high time to develop and implement additional measures in order to avoid the harmful consequences of the rebound effect. Therefore, on the initiative of CEEweb for Biodiversity, dedicated NGOs and institutions from all around Europe established a Resource Cap Coalition (RCC) in order to advocate for the limitation of resource use.
Due to limitation, natural resources would become scarce globally, which would have several positive social consequences besides environmental ones. Limiting resource use also means limiting the use of energy, which would put a pressure on transport and use of chemicals and thus intensive agricultural practices. This inevitably results in the “glocalisation” of the economy, where production and consumption is based much more on local resources. Consequently, people would start consume locally produced goods leading also to a greater appreciation for the true cost of our daily lives. It benefits local economies and poor, marginalised areas, which are now under great pressure within the globalised economy for their natural resources. Furthermore, limiting natural resources also increases the competitiveness of human labour, as labour intensive, but material and energy poor products and services become relatively cheaper on the market. This has a positive impact on employment, while also spur innovation for higher resource efficiency and recycling. Moreover, limiting the total environmental pressure and by that stopping further environmental degradation ensures the maintenance of ecosystem services, which is the basis of local livelihood.


Limiting natural resource use can however be only effective in case of applying holistic approach. Existing measures have failed to tackle the problems also because sectoral responses are given to seemingly disconnected issues, and their effects are often contradictory in the end[7]. In our opinion holistic solutions are needed, which focus on the ultimate causes of today environmental and socio-economic problems. Therefore, the RCC brings together various organizations, which share experience, speak with common voice and take more holistic approach. This enables the RCC to influence more effectively all the ongoing processes both at European and global levels.
RCC strongly believes that in order to tackle overuse of resources, strict regulations should be put in place and indicators should be developed to measure their success. The goal of the RCC is that by 2012 all decision makers realize that capping resource use is essential and by 2014 relevant measures are taken.

[1] http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/support/tiki-index.php?page=ReboundEffect
[2] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/feb/22/rebound-effect-climate-change
[3] Raw material and the global economy: Oversights and distortions in industrial ecology, Bunker, S.G. Society and Natural Resources 9,419-429, 2006
[4] Energy Consumption in Transitional economies: Jevons paradox for Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland, John M. PoIimeni, Raluca I. Polimeni, Romanian Journal of Economic Forecasting, 3/2007
[5]. "Jevons' Paradox and the Myth of Technological Liberation," Polimeni, John M. and Raluca Iorgulescu Polimeni Ecological Complexity, Vol. 3, Number 4, Pages 344-353, 2006.
[6] Macroscopic rebound effects as argument for economic de growth, Schneider Francois, Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Paris, 2008
[7] Case of biofuels in South-America: due to biofuel related investments local poor population had to leave their home and previous profession

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Conservation recommendations to the Hungarian Presidency

January 27, 2011, Budapest – CEEweb for Biodiversity organized a workshop to provide cooperation forum to the civil society and to create common messages in terms of conservation. On the event, the representative of the Rural Ministry also took part besides various NGOs from all over Hungary. The international event, where NGO co-workers from the previous EU presidency’s host countries also participated, provided opportunities to the Hungarian civil society to get to know the work and tasks of the organizations and to use this knowledge for the Hungarian lobby activities.

The Rural Development Ministry’s representative, Ditta Greguss said ’We find it important that the EU Post 2010 Biodiversity Strategy should be accepted during the Hungarian Presidency in June during the Environmental Council’s meeting.’

Many Hungarian NGOs participated actively in the workshop. During the presentations, the Spanish and the Belgian experience were showed along with the preparation works of the Polish Presidency from the conservation perspective.

’Conservation NGOs have a very specific position in contrast to the decision-makers. Organizations do not need to represent lobby and party interests, therefore, their conscience is clear. They could suggest the most adequate solutions to save biodiversity that is the key to the existence of the residents. Thus, the presidency should listen to them’ stated Péter Lenkei, Clean Air Action Group.

The plenary topics covered the financing of Natura 2000, Green infrastructure and the Resource Efficiency Flagship Initiative. Related to these subjects, the NGOs formed common opinions to be represented to the decision-makers, which were demonstrated in various points at the end of the day. The messages will be finalized this week and send around one more time to provide the opportunity for further comments.

’The success of the presidency is largely depending on the sufficient civil cooperation. Therefore, the today kicked-off process should be further strengthened and should be expanded to international level’ said Veronika Kiss, CEEweb, the programme coordinator of the project.

Further information can be found here>>

Természetvédelmi javaslatok születtek a soros magyar kormány részére

Civil egyeztetés zajlott a magyar EU elnökség természetvédelmi vonatkozású
kérdéseiben január 27-én, Budapesten. Az eseményen a civil oldal mellett a
kormányzati is képviseltette magát. A nemzetközi esemény lehetőséget
biztosított a hazai természetvédelmi szervezetek számára, hogy
megismerhessék a korábbi elnökségek alatt zajló civil munkát, s azt
hasznosítsák saját érdekérvényesítési munkájukban a fél év folyamán.

Az alkalmon a döntéshozói oldalról a VM vett részt. "Fontosnak
tartjuk, hogy az EU 2010 utáni Biodiverzitás Stratégiának elfogadására még
az elnökség alatt, a júniusi Környezetvédelmi Tanács ülésén sor kerüljön." fogalmazott Greguss Ditta a VM munkatársa.

A civil részről az országos felhívásnak köszönhetően, több megye
szervezete is aktívan részt vett az egyeztető munkában. Az előadásokon
megismerhettük a spanyol és belga tapasztalatokat, és rálátást
nyerhettünk, hogy a lengyel természetvédelmi oldal miként készül saját
elnökségére.

"A természetvédő civil szervezetek különleges helyzetben vannak az EU
döntéshozóival szemben. Nem nehezednek rájuk a lobbi- és pártérdekek, így
tiszta lelkiismerettel, tiszta fejjel a legmegfelelőbb megoldásokat
javasolják a biológiai sokféleség fenntartása érdekében mely az itt élő
lakosság fennmaradásának is záloga. A mindenkori elnökségnek ezért érdemes
rájuk hallgatni." fogalmazott Lenkei Péter, a Levegő Munkacsoport
részéről.

A plenáris ülések kiemelt témái a Natura 2000-es területek finanszírozása, a Zöld
infrastruktúra és a hatékony nyersanyag felhasználás voltak. Az egyes
területekről közös véleményt formáltak a civilek, melyeket pontokba
foglalva ismertettek a nap végén. A közös gondolkodás és műhelymunka
eredménye egy szakmai kérdéseket és javaslatokat összegző dokumentum a
magyar kormány részére, melyet elnöksége alatt sikerrel hasznosíthat. Az
anyag végső egyeztetési köre a héten zárul, s február első napjaiban hozza
nyilvánosságra a CEEweb.

"Az EU elnökségek sikere nagymértékben a kellő civil összefogásban
rejlik! Ennek tükrében a ma elindított folyamatot 2011 első felében
mindenképp erősíteni és a későbbiekben nemzetközi szintre szeretnénk
kiterjeszteni." mondta a nap sikerességéről Kiss Veronika, a
CEEweb program koordinátora.

A dokumentumot e hét elején küldjük el a sajtó képviselői számára.

További információ itt>>

Friday, January 21, 2011

Cooperation among nature conservation NGOs in the light of the Hungarian EU Presidency

CEEweb for biodiversity organizes a workshop on the Spanish and Belgian presidency's experience and the advantages of civil cooperation for Hungarian NGOs. During the workshop, the conservation priorities of 2011, the civil lobby options and the upcoming steps of the Polish presidency will be discussed.

Time: 2011 January 27
Location: Sziddhárta Központ (Budapest, VI. Andrássy út 98)
Agenda
9:00-9:30 Introduction to the work of the EU Presidencies and the added value of civic contribution - Ditta Greguss, Borbála Baktay, Ministry of Rural Development
9:30-10:00 The successes and failures of the Spanish EU Presidency in NGO view - Annelies Broekman, Ecologistas en Acción
10:00-10:30 The successes and failures of the Belgian EU Presidency in NGO view - Sarolta Tripolszky, European Environmental Bureau
10:30-11:00 Opportunities in civic cooperation in the light of the Hungarian and the Polish EU Presidencies - Pawel Pawlacyk, Naturalist Club Poland
11:00-11:15 Coffee break
11:15-12:30 Nature conservation priorities of the EU for 2011 and opportunities for NGO influence - CEEweb
· Invasive Alien Species
· Green Infrastructure
· Financing Natura2000
12:30-13:30 Lunch
13:30-15:30 Development of NGO messages in small working groups
· Invasive Alien Species
· Green Infrastructure
· Resource Efficiency
· Financing Natura2000
15:30-15:45 Coffee break
15:45-17:00 Finalizing NGO messages in the plenary and discussing ways and means of advocating for them

The workshop is funded by the National Civil Fund.

Further information can be found here>>