The European Sustainable Tropical Timber Coalition (STTC) saw its membership increase during its recent conference in ICLEI Member Rotterdam (The Netherlands), with the host city ending the conference by joining. "˜We aim to be the world's most sustainable port city and we see joining the STTC as integral to that,' said Leon Dijk, Sustainable Procurement specialist with Rotterdam City Council. Almost 100 people from across the STTC membership took part in the conference. European Timber Trade Federation Secretary General Andre de Boer told participants that there are early signs that efforts to strengthen the sustainable tropical timber market are paying off, but warned that more needs to be done to make the concept mainstream. He finished by urging companies and organisations to join the STTC.

The STTC recently launched a €2 million funding campaign to help local authorities and businesses to implement sustainable timber procurement policies. The Netherlands has been particularly active in promoting sustainable tropical timber, backing the STTC and implementing a procurement system that has seen a rise in sustainable timber market share from 13.4 percent to 74 percent. The so-called "˜Green Deal' between the public and private sectors aims to boost sustainable timber's market share further.

In addition to plenary sessions, the conference featured lively workshops that looked at designing sustainable procurement policies and financial instruments for driving sustainable timber markets. By stimulating demand for sustainable tropical timber, European authorities can prevent deforestation and provide a livelihood for millions of people in developing countries.

For more information on joining the STTC, contact mark.vanbenthem@probos.nlImage copyright: Image (Pixabay) more   19 July 2016 EEA report highlights need for urban resilience to tackle climate change effectsThe European Environment Agency (EEA) has published a new report entitled "˜Urban adaptation to climate change in Europe 2016 "“ transforming cities in a changing climate'. The report provides an in-depth overview of the actions that urban planners and policymakers can take to reduce the impact of climate change, and stresses the benefits of investing in long-term preventive measures. ICLEI Europe is a co-author of the report and also supported the EEA in coordinating its production.

European cities are increasingly susceptible to the negative aspects of climate change, which are expected to increase in frequency and intensity with extreme events such as heatwaves, flooding, water scarcity and droughts. At the same time, social, economic and demographic changes can make cities more vulnerable. These can greatly impact a wide range of city functions, infrastructure and services such as energy, transport and water, and will affect urban quality of life.

The report recommends that to meet these challenges, cities must take a wider systemic approach that addresses the root causes of vulnerability to climate change. This includes better urban planning, with more green areas that can retain excess rainwater or cool dense city centres in hot weather, or by preventing the construction of houses in flood-prone areas. This approach can transform cities into much more attractive, climate-resilient and sustainable places to live and work.

For more information and to read the report, visit eea.europa.euImage copyright: France-003203 - Tuileries Garden (Flickr) by "Dennis Jarvis", licensed under CC BY SA 2.0 more

» Publication Date: 20/07/2016

» Source: Iclei Europe

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