Clean Climate Environment News Magazine June 2019

Clean Climate

Environment News Magazine June 2019

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue

An Editorial Initiative of Raman Media Network Editor: Rakesh Raman

Climate Change | Air Pollution | Environment | Campaigns | Policy

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 1 of 17

Main Stories in This Issue

New Programs

Environment Protection

Germany to Achieve Carbon Neutrality Climate Action: Global Video Competition

Trump Admin to Reduce Nutrient Pollution UN Plan to Support Climate Action

Developments

Tax Pollution, Not People: UN Chief Theme for Environment Day: Air Pollution

Focus Articles

Save Us from Pollution in Delhi Effects of Pollution on Vulnerable Groups

Campaign

Event

Clean Green Pakistan Movement First World Forum on Climate Justice

AI to Drive Climate Action Campaign Environmental Terrorists of India

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 2 of 17

Germany to Achieve Carbon Neutrality by the Year 2050 The 10​th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) concluded with a commitment to joint progress on climate action.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD) that she supports the European Union (EU) mission to reach carbon neutrality and Germany will participate in this endeavor.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue (PCD). Photo: PCD

During international climate talks in Berlin, Merkel promised to make Germany carbon neutral by 2050 and directed Germany's newly formed climate cabinet to take action against climate change.

“I wholeheartedly welcome Chancellor Angela Merkel's pledge to make Germany carbon neutral by 2050 and I urge all countries to do the same. Only with urgent and transformative climate action will we win the race against climate change,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Although Germany does not plan to stop all emissions, it will eliminate some emissions with afforestation and carbon capture. By taking steps toward carbon neutrality, by 2050 Germany plans to bring down the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) 80% to 95% below 1990 levels.

The 10​th Petersberg Climate Dialogue (​PCD​) concluded on May 14 with a commitment to joint progress on climate action. The representatives of 35 countries expressed their expectation that the international community will submit revised climate targets and Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 3 of 17

long-term strategies to the United Nations by the year 2020.

Construction and Pollution in Delhi You can​ click here​ to study a report on the harmful effect of construction on environment in India’s capital New Delhi.

Theme for World Environment Day: Air Pollution The 2019 World Environment Day is hosted by China.

Air pollution is the theme for World Environment Day on 5 June 2019. The quality of the air we breathe depends on the lifestyle choices we make every day.

Today, nine out of every ten people breathe polluted air​. From 24 May, through to World Environment Day, you can join the Mask Challenge. Face masks are supposed to be a great symbol to show leaders you want to breathe clean air. Alongside celebrities, influencers, and creators, the World Environment Day campaign invites everyone to decide what action you are going to take to #BeatAirPollution.

You can make a pledge and challenge others to take action. During May 24 – June 4, you can take a photo or video of yourself wearing a mask to post on social media. In your post, share the ​action you will take to reduce air pollution. Tag 3 people / organizations / companies to challenge them to do the same.

You can use #WorldEnvironmentDay and #BeatAirPollution in your social media posts and tag @UNEnvironment. The 2019 World Environment Day is hosted by China.

Download and Read RMN Publications TechWise Today

The Integrity Bulletin

Clean Climate

Legal Directions

Young Learner

Real Voter

UN Releases Plan to Support Climate Action in Developing Countries Member States are encouraged to share their national climate finance roadmaps, viable approaches, and success stories.

The leaders of the United Nations system organizations believe that climate finance is critical to deliver action on the necessary scale to address​ climate change​.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 4 of 17

In the context of the enhanced mobilization of financial resources, developed countries are urged to deliver on the goal of mobilizing governments and the private sector to achieve the goal of USD $100 billion per year by 2020 to support climate action in developing countries and further enhance their efforts on scaling-up financial resources.

The Member States are advised to maximize the positive impact of climate finance by ensuring that climate finance is used to maximize transformational change to reduce emissions and build systemic climate resilience; is accessible and benefits the most likely to be affected, including women, youth, and children.

The leaders called upon Member States to build enabling policy frameworks to facilitate access to public and private finance and to implement and scale-up public policies to redirect finance flows towards low-emission and climate resilient development.

The ​objective is to strengthen system-wide effort to create an enabling environment for investment, mainstream climate action across relevant national financial planning and integrate market-based instruments to sustainably crowd in and scale up responsible private sector investment.

Member States are encouraged to share their national climate finance roadmaps, viable approaches, and success stories.

Children to Govt: Save Us from Pollution in Delhi Pollution in Delhi is particularly harmful to children, as a study reveals that paediatric asthma incidence is associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP).

Children - who study at the RMN Foundation free school - have launched a new pollution-control campaign in Delhi. The campaign urges Delhi government to save Delhi residents – particularly children – from all types of pollution, including air pollution, dust pollution, noise pollution, and water pollution.

These children – along with the founder of RMN Foundation Rakesh Raman – hold informative placards and stand near the traffic lights of the city to distribute pamphlets that explain the harmful effects of pollution on residents’ health.

A new IQAir AirVisual report, which covered 3,000 cities of the world, has revealed that Gurugram (a.k.a. Gurgaon) a suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi is the most polluted city of the world while 22 of the top 30 polluted cities are in India. Delhi remains the most polluted capital across the world.

The air quality in the national capital ​region has been constantly deteriorating. According to the findings of a new study released in 2018, nearly 15,000 people died prematurely in Delhi during 2016 from illnesses linked to Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 pollution. In other words, pollution is killing nearly 42 people everyday in Delhi.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 5 of 17

Pollution in Delhi is particularly harmful to children, as a study reveals that paediatric asthma incidence is associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP).

The residents of Delhi are now facing an immediate threat from lethal dust and noise pollution as cooperative group housing societies (​CGHS​) are carrying out Floor Area Ratio (​FAR​) extended construction in the occupied housing complexes where millions of people – men, women, children, and senior citizens – are already living.

An interactive tool on the Breathe Life 2030 website shows a Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 level of 143 micrograms per cubic metre (annual mean) in New Delhi. This is more than 14 times over the WHO (World Health Organization) safe level of 10 µg/m3. Simply put, the people of Delhi are inhaling poison from the air.

Children – who study at the RMN Foundation free school – have launched a new pollution-control campaign in Delhi.

Bureaucratic and political ​corruption is the main reason for lethal pollution in Delhi. While the corrupt authorities in Delhi are not taking any steps to tackle pollution, the distressed citizens have no other option but to leave the city.

It is now being observed that many people are running away from Delhi like refugees or Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). As a result, India is falling in the category of countries with large IDP populations – such as Syria, Colombia, Iraq, Congo, Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia.

Now there is an immediate need for the UN and other international ​refugee welfare agencies to provide environmental asylum to Indian citizens who want to leave their homes to live in clean environments.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 6 of 17

Also, strict economic, diplomatic, and trade sanctions must be imposed on India because of the government’s failure to control pollution and protect the environment.

Appeal for Donations RMN Foundation is a humanitarian organization that was formed in May 2015 as an educational and public charitable Trust for the benefit of humanity at large. It is registered with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi at New Delhi, India.

Currently, all the activities of RMN Foundation are being managed single-handedly (without any support) by RMN Foundation founder Rakesh Raman who had left his job a few years ago to run this charity.

As RMN Foundation has embarked upon some major humanitarian projects during the past over 3 years, now it needs a significant amount of funds in the form of donations​ to expand the scope of its activities.

Individual Indian donors can help RMN Foundation with their contributions using the following bank details:

Bank Name: ICICI Bank Bank Branch: HL Square, Plot No. 6, Sector 5 (MLU), Dwarka, New Delhi 110 075 Account Number: 025005004368 Account Name: RMN Foundation Type of Account: Current IFSC Code: ICIC0000250 Or you can ​click here​ to donate with PayPal, credit card, or bank account.

Download Previous Issues of Clean Climate November 2018

December 2018

January 2019

February 2019

March 2019

April 2019

May 2019

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 7 of 17

Trump Administration Plans to Reduce Nutrient Pollution Under the Trump Administration, EPA is focusing its attention on reducing nutrient losses through enhanced federal and state coordination.

Senior Trump Administration officials hosted a roundtable in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, focused on identifying opportunities to reduce nutrient losses across the country.

Nutrient Pollution. Photo: EPA

“The Trump Administration​’s nutrient roundtable discussion produced a rich conversation on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for reducing nutrient losses in the Mississippi River Basin,” said David Ross, Assistant Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water.

“EPA looks forward to convening more of these roundtable discussions in the future so that we can better focus federal resources to address this environmental challenge and deliver more effective results for the American people,” he said.

The roundtable was held on May 15, 2019, in advance of the Hypoxia Task Force meeting and attended by more than 40 representatives from state and local governments; non-governmental organizations (​NGOs​); industry associations; and senior leadership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 8 of 17

During the roundtable, administration officials provided updates on coordinated nutrient reduction efforts and participants explored new opportunities for market-based coordination and federal support for ongoing state nutrient reduction activities.

Nutrient pollution is one of America's most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems and is caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the water.

This excess nitrogen and phosphorus can travel to coastal areas where the effects of pollution are felt in the form of algae blooms, hypoxic zones, and other surface water quality concerns.

Under the Trump Administration, EPA is focusing its attention on reducing nutrient losses through enhanced federal and state coordination and stakeholder engagement.

First World Forum on Climate Justice This forum brings a diverse range of expertise in the emerging field of Climate Justice.

Elsevier and the Glasgow Caledonian University Centre for Climate Justice have announced a partnership that will provide the platform to discuss the impacts of climate change on weather forecasting, people trafficking, and growing spread of mosquito-borne malaria, among other topics, at the first World Forum on Climate Justice, June 19-21, 2019 at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).

World Forum on Climate Justice

This inaugural conference brings together a slew of international speakers, led by Mary Robinson, Kerry Kennedy, and Professor Tahseen Jafry.

Difficult conversations around the current and future impact of climate change on the world's societies and economies will be explored, to aid further promotion and collaboration about the latest science and thinking as to how these issues can be tackled.

Around one hundred short talks will cover the diverse challenges posed by climate change: from the impact on fair access to food and water to the spread of diseases like malaria; the growing vulnerability of communities to extreme weather events; and the resulting challenges on migration and population displacement.

This forum brings a diverse range of expertise in the emerging field of Climate Justice together for the first time to consider the impact climate change is already having on people and their communities across the world.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 9 of 17

Mary Robinson's international leadership, through her Foundation, has done much to raise the profile of Climate Justice. She was among the first to recognize that droughts, floods, or sea-level rise linked to climate change will affect every country on the planet, but not everyone will be impacted in the same way.

Her opening address will highlight the ever-more disproportionate burden on the poorest and the politically and socio-economically marginalized people.

Climate Action: Global Video Competition Invites Applications The three winners will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile, in December 2019.

Young people from around the world can submit videos for the 2019 Global Youth Video Competition showcasing positive solutions on three themes.

Climate Action: Global Video Competition

The themes are: Nature-based Solutions for Food and Human Health; Cities and Local Action to Combat Climate Change; and Nature-Based Solutions to balance the use of land for people and ecosystems.

This year, the fifth edition of the video competition aims to mobilize global youth around the Climate Action Summit to be organized in September by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 10 of 17

The competition is led by the secretariats of the three Rio Conventions: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

It is being organized in partnership with the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and Television for the Environment (tve).

One winner will be selected per category. The three winners will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (​COP25​) in Santiago, Chile, in December 2019.

The winning videos will be screened in front of a global audience at the conference. In addition, the videographers will have the opportunity to work with UN Climate Change’s communications team, covering highlights of the conference.

Entrants must be between 18 and 30 years of age and should submit a maximum 3-minute video by 28 July 2019 on one of the themes outlined above dealing with nature-based solutions and local climate action.

Tax Pollution, Not People: UN Chief António Guterres Mr. Guterres urged investors to stop financing pollution, scale up green ventures, and increase lending for low-carbon solutions.

“We need to tax pollution, not people and end subsidies for fossil fuels,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the World Summit of the R20 Coalition on May 28.

The Coalition is a UN-supported environmental organization, founded by former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The idea that subsidizing fossil fuels is a way to improve people’s lives could not be more wrong, said the UN chief in the Austrian capital, Vienna, because it means spending taxpayers’ money to “boost hurricanes, to spread droughts, to melt glaciers, to bleach corals: to destroy the world.”

Mr. Guterres called for the decarbonization of urban infrastructure, a halt to coal plants, and the promotion of sustainable consumption and production. “We need a green economy, not a grey economy,” he stressed.

In the lead up to the UN Climate Summit this September, the Secretary-General has enlisted the President of France, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, and the Emir of Qatar to mobilize international support to secure the $100 billion goal agreed by UN Member States

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 11 of 17

at the Paris climate conference in 2015, necessary for advancing climate mitigation and adaptation in the developing world.

Climate activist, Greta Thunberg (l), former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres (r) meet at the R20 Austria World Summit in Vienna. (28 May 2019). Photo: UN Vienna / Nikoleta Haffar

Mr. Guterres urged investors to stop financing pollution​, scale up green ventures, and increase lending for low-carbon solutions.

“The private sector and investment communities must support a bold and ambitions climate agenda, because climate action is not only good for people and the planet, it can also be good for business,” he said.

Artificial Intelligence to Drive Climate Action Campaign The Climate Action ActNow.bot recommends everyday actions to reduce our carbon footprints.

The United Nations’ ActNow Climate Campaign is a global call to citizen action on climate change. Taking advantage of technical innovation, the campaign harnesses advances in Artificial Intelligence (​AI​) to spur behavior change.

The Climate Action ActNow.bot recommends everyday actions to reduce our carbon footprints – like traveling more sustainably, saving energy, or eating less meat.

By registering your actions, you send a message to ​leaders in government and business that individuals like you want climate action and are willing to take it.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 12 of 17

“I hear the calls of young people and I know other leaders are listening, too. Keep using your voices to sound the alarm on the climate emergency and the need to take climate action now,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres who will organize the Climate Action Summit in September.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. Photo: UN

According to the UN, the ​campaign highlights the impact that collective action can have at this critical moment in our planet’s history. The more people act, the bigger the impact. It urges you to do your part to help reduce emissions – be part of a movement and show your support for urgent climate action.

The initiative comes not long after the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change sounded the alarm bells with its special report on 1.5 degrees of global warming, warning that the world is headed towards a warming of over 3 degrees Celsius with current pledges under the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Pakistan Starts Clean Green Movement to Protect the Environment Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017 aims to meet Pakistan's obligations under international conventions related to climate change.

The Ministry of Climate Change of Pakistan Government and Muslim Aid Pakistan have signed a Letter of Understanding (LOU) to collaborate for Clean Green Pakistan Movement.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 13 of 17

Secretary Climate Change, Mr. Hassan Nasir Jamy, and Country Director of Muslim Aid Pakistan, Mr. Syed Shahnawaz, signed the LOU on Monday, May 27.

According to a government statement, climate change is no longer some far-off problem. It is not just about level of carbon dioxide and melting glaciers; it is about our public health and protecting our Earth for future generations.

“Let's join hands to overcome this threat of climate change,” the statement urged the people of Pakistan to protect the environment.

Ministry of Climate Change of Pakistan Government and Muslim Aid Pakistan signed a Letter of Understanding to collaborate for Clean Green Pakistan Movement. Photo: Government of Pakistan

Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017 aims to meet Pakistan's obligations under international conventions related to climate change.

Environmental Terrorists of India

As no government in India is willing to control ​pollution in the country, it is estimated that over 1 million people die every year because of pollution.

Therefore, the Indian ministers, politicians, and top officials must be punished with travel bans on them and freezing of their assets, and they should be declared as environmental terrorists.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 14 of 17

Effects of Air Pollution on Vulnerable Groups According to UN Environment, air pollution affects all of us. But pollution has most adverse effects on women, children, the elderly, and low-income groups.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 15 of 17

Legal Content Development Services for Law Firms The need for quality content is more pronounced in today’s digitally driven business world where consumers are already facing an information overload from multiple data sources and a surfeit of frontend devices.

Consequently, ​legal professionals and law firms - particularly in the emerging areas such as environmental laws - are struggling to create engaging content that could help them expand their businesses and scope of services.

In order to survive and thrive in the cut-throat legal business, law firms must work in collaboration with information domain experts who can create custom content for all their legal documentation and marketing needs.

You can ​click here to download​ and study a brief content creation proposal.

Meet the Editor The editor of ​Clean Climate environment news magazine ​Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page column regularly for The Financial Express (a daily business newspaper of The Indian Express Group).

Nowadays, for the past about 8 years, he has been running his own global news services on different subjects. He also has formed a free Education and Career Counselling Center for deserving children at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka, New Delhi under his ​NGO – RMN Foundation.

He runs an exclusive community-driven anti-corruption social service “​Clean House​” to help the suffering residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and injustice. He also has formed an environment-protection group called Green Group in Delhi.

He creates and distributes a number of ​digital publications that cover areas such as technology, law, environment, education, politics, corruption and transparency. He created a comprehensive online information ​service to educate the Indian voters for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 16 of 17

Collaboration for Environment Content Project The ​Clean Climate environment news magazine is being published by RMN Foundation. It is being circulated among UN agencies, top government departments, environment protection organizations, colleges / universities, law-enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, social activists, and others in India and abroad.

RMN Foundation is looking for sponsors and collaborators across the world who can join hands with us to expand the environment content activity around the ​Clean Climate initiative.

Contact

Rakesh Raman Founder RMN Foundation

463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4, Dwarka, Phase I New Delhi 110 078, INDIA

Contact by email

Clean Climate: Environment News Magazine by RMN Foundation. June 2019. Page 17 of 17