6 August 2009
Bridging the water and climate change agenda
In December, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will conclude with the most significant meeting on climate change since Kyoto.
Up to 40,000 people will descend on Copenhagen, Denmark, for the Conference of Parties (COP-15) session to agree the global way forward.
The southern perspective
FAN nominated a speaker to present the ‘perspective of southern civil society on water and climate change adaptation’ during one of a series of meetings and negotiations in Bonn leading up to COP-15.
Unfortunately the nominated speaker, FANSA Convenor Ramisetty Murali, had to cancel at the last minute so FAN’s Communications Manager Ceridwen Johnson gave a presentation on behalf of the network.
Little understanding of the impact of climate change by those worst affected
"Despite being the worst affected, the poor and marginalized have very little knowledge and understanding of the issues. Changes to water quality, quantity and availability will all reduce their access to safe water in the coming years," Ceridwen says.
"In my presentation, I described some of the existing local level water-related adaptation techniques used by our members, outlined FAN’s plans to develop a better understanding of the impacts of climate change as well as outlining some priorities for moving forward.
"Broader stakeholder engagement, enhanced sharing of best practice, greater collaboration in data collection, access to information and addressing water conflicts are all key to tackling climate change."
Download all the presentations from the sessions and view the on-demand webcast of the side event