The event “Reduce your carbon footprint 2016” took place on 17 September 2016 in the Romanian Capital as part of the activities organised to celebrate the EU Climate Diplomacy Week (9-18 September 2016). It was developed by Environ Association and the Embassy of Germany in Bucharest with the support of the European Commission Representation in Romania.
The event highlighted the efforts by both Romania and Germany to ratify the COP21 Paris Agreement that sets the goals to limit global warming to well below 2°C, or even 1.5°C, and to reach climate neutrality in the second half of the 21st century. Visitors spent the day attending bicycle and roller skate competitions, quiz contests, street drawing, board games, waste-art workshops and other activities developed with the main purpose of raising public awareness regarding climate change.
,,Reduce your carbon footprint 2016” started with a press conference held by Mr. Achim Tröster, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Germany in Bucharest, Ms. Angela Cristea, Head of European Commission Representation in Romania, Mr. Andrei Orban, President of Environ Association, Mr. Raul Pop, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, and Mr. Remus Cernea, an environmental activist. The guests highlighted climate actions envisaged to implement the first ever legally binding climate agreement adopted in 2015 in Paris.
At the press conference, the Embassy of Germany inaugurated the exhibition “Environment, Conflict and Cooperation” (ECC) that was a real success among the more than 1000 event participants. The ECC Exhibition, created by the Berlin-based think tank adelphi, was organised with the courtesy of the German Federal Foreign Office.
The ECC Exhibition visualises the growing impact of global environmental change on our world. Dealing with themes such as climate change, energy and natural resources, the exhibition shows how environmental degradation and resource scarcity can spark tensions. It also highlights the role that environmental cooperation and sustainable development can play in promoting peace and stability. The exhibition has been shown in more than 40 cities worldwide since 2005.
The event ended with a concert held by the famous Romanian pop artist Smiley, who took on the opportunity to advise his audience, especially the children, to be more aware of their environmental impact and to take care of the planet we call our home.
More information about the event (in Romanian) can be found on the campaign website www.sosclima.ro and on the Facebook page.
Explore the online version of the ECC Exhibition (in English) here.
At a briefing ahead of the COP25, foreign minister Heiko Maas called for higher ambition for the European Union, which should act as a role-model to encourage other states to boost their commitments to climate action. He further reiterated the importance of supporting multilateralism and an international climate regime that is able to withstand setbacks, such as the US withdrawal of the Paris Agreement.
Climate change is increasingly challenging global security and undermining peacebuilding efforts. UN Environment and the European Union have joined forces to address these challenges. With the support of adelphi, they have developed a toolkit on ‘Addressing climate-fragility risks’. This toolkit facilitates the development and implementation of strategies, policies, and projects that seek to build resilience by linking climate change adaptation, peacebuilding, and sustainable livelihoods, focusing on the pilot countries Sudan and Nepal.
Nobody needs to be convinced that climate change affects our very existence and security. However, experts are interested to know how climate change affects security at a global level and what the EU can do in that regard. This was the main aim of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Climate Change and Security Course co-organised by the French Institute for Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN) and adelphi, as part of the Climate Diplomacy initiative supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, which took place in Brussels from 21 to 23 October 2019.
The new study Shoring up Stability demonstrates, for the first time, how climate change interacts with conflict and exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the Lake Chad region. To launch the report and discuss its findings with local policy-makers, experts and practitioners, the German Embassy in Niger, adelphi and CNESS co-organised a launch event on 24 October in Niamey. Insights from Niger point to the importance of investing in governance rather than technical fixes.