InfoBytes

hand, reducing CO2 emissions means keeping forests intact. However people in poor agricultural countries, like tanzania, rely on the charcoal produced from clearing forests as a cooking fuel. oxfam predicts that by 2030, the average cost of key crops could increase between 120 to 180 percent. In order to meet food distribution needs among a growing world population affected by dwindling land, water and energy resources, the food system has to be overhauled. Oxfam predicts that half of the rise will be due to climate change. the worlds poorest people now spend up to 80 percent of their incomes on food and rising food prices will push millions more into hunger. Deborah zabarenko from reuters notes that simply paying tanzania not to cut its forests is not the solution because people who depend on charcoal may end up worse off. Instead, brendan Fisher of Princeton University

recommends a climate program with efficient cookstoves that use less charcoal and better quality crop seeds for greater yields. the smart-reDD (reducing emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) program calculates how much crop yields and fuel efficiency would have to increase to compensate for the costs of forest preservation. the program estimates it would cost $6.50 per ton of carbon dioxide saved, almost double the $3.90 needed to compensate forest users for the loss of charcoal and farmland in tanzania. $6.50 is still far less than the current price of carbon, $24 per ton in the european trading Scheme. even a doubling of crop yields in tanzania could be possible with a carbon price of $12 a ton. tanzania is an example of where increased food production and carbon conservation can both be achieved, all through relatively low-cost measures.

Pittsburgh: first to pass conflict-free resolution

On April 19, the city of pittsburgh passed the first ever conflictFree city resolution. It calls on companies in the city to favor verifiably conflict-free products, calls on electronic companies to remove conflict minerals from their supply chain, and calls on u.S. executive leadership to establish an international certification system for minerals coming from Central Africa to ensure they are not contributing to conflict.

According to the organization raise Hope for congo, pittsburgh has sent a powerful message to companies supplying products that use conflict minerals to reevaluate their supply chains and ensure that their products are not fueling the deadliest conflict since World War II. tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold sourced from Congos mines can be found in common consumer electronics such as cell phones, laptops and televisions. Armed groups earn hundreds of millions of

Disappointing outcome at G8 meeting in Deauville

InterAction attended the G8 summit last month in Deauville, a pretty seaside town in northern France. members World vision, save the children, oxfam, ActionAid, and the global Health council, also joined throngs of reporters in a massive tent overlooking the local racecourse. the goal of NGOs during the may 26-27 meetings was to highlight core development issuesincluding food security and maternal healththat were not on the official agenda. the outcome of the summit was disappointing from a development perspective. Final statements were short on specifics and offered vague timelines, without the needed accountability and transparency when it comes to meeting either past or new commitments. Oxfam summed it up in their headline: the G8s YesNoVille Summit, a meeting where few decisions were reported. the agenda, which was set by host France, included the Internet and its impact on economic growth; new funding for Arab Spring countries tunisia and egypt; the Libya conflict; a partnership arrangement with Africa; the global economic crisis; and how to improve nuclear safety after the Japan disaster. In the corridors, there was also discussion over which candidate should take over as managing Director of the International monetary Fund following the resignation of Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Just before the summit, the g8 Accountability Working group released the Deauville Accountability report, a scorecard of health and food security commitments made by the Group of eight nations at previous meetings. the report underscored how the worlds most powerful nations need to do a better job in meeting pledging commitments. Of major concern is the slow disbursement of funds for food and agriculture programs, part of a $22 billion, three year pledge made at a G8 summit in LAquila, Italy, in 2009. So far, only 22 percent of the funds have actually been distributed. the united States is particularly slow in getting funds out the door, with just $73.4 million disbursed in the 2010 fiscal year even though Washingtons commitment was for $1.385 billion. the statements released at the end of the summit included an announcement of $20 billion in aid via multilateral institutions to help Arab Spring nations egypt and tunisia. the hope is that this infusion of funds will encourage these new governments to continue on a path to democracy rather than revert to the status quo. However, details of the new aid package were sketchy in the final communiqu. Look out for NGO attendance in November at the G20 summit in Cannes, Frances movie capital.

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS JUly 2011