ACROPOLIS WORKSHOP

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Egmont Palace – 20 April – 1000 Brussel

Tackling climate, fragility & finance challenges for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

ACademic Research Organisation for POLIcy Support

(ACROPOLIS) for the Belgian Development Cooperation

ACROPOLIS WORKSHOP

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Egmont Palace – 20 April – 1000 Brussel

Tackling climate, fragility & finance challenges for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

ACademic Research Organisation for POLIcy Support

(ACROPOLIS) for the Belgian Development Cooperation

Bruno Verbist, KLIMOS

SDG’s 5 main areas

Planet Environment

People Society

Prosperity Economy

SDG 16: Peace SDG 17: Partnerships

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2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

1 Agenda 5 Main Areas 17 Goals 169 Targets 240 Indicators

cators 240 Indicators

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2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

1 Agenda 5 Main Areas 17 Goals 169 Targets 240 Indicators

KLIMOS AID EFFECTIVENESS & FRAGILITY BE-FIND

ACROPOLIS KLIMOS Generating Capacity for the Sustainability Transition

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www.kuleuven.be/klimos

Steffen et al. Science 2015;347:1259855 Rockström et al. (2009) Nature 461 A safe operating space for humanity

Current status of 7 planetary boundaries

Is climate action (SDG 13) needed? Annual mean growth rate of CO2 at Mauna Loa

Source: NOAA, March 2017; Washington Post, 13 March 2017

Some consequences: • T-increase: 1,5 - 6°C • Changes in rainfall

Large focus on carbon cycle OK for energy, fossil fuels Not Ok for forest

Cooling impact: 6-20°C

Hesslerova et al, 2013 Aerts et al, 2004 Ecosystem thermal buffering capacity Case in Tigray, Ethiopia

Revised trade-off water vs. carbon: Groundwater recharge

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37%

Forests generate rainfall: % rainfall from terrestrial origin (recalculated by Basilovich et al.)

68% 58% 30%

40% 41% 46% 22%

42%

1) Mackenzie river basin, 2) Mississippi river basin, 3) Amazon river basin, 4) West Africa, 5) Baltics, 6) Tibet, 7) Siberia, 8) GAME (GEWEX Asian Monsoon Experiment) and 9) Huaihe river basin.

Approximately a third comes from ‘local’ sources

Ellison D, Futter MN, Bishop K, 2011.On the forest cover–water yield debate: from demand- to supply-side thinking. Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02589.x

Forest, marshland, … as part of transport belt for rain at continental scale Why India and China should invest in draining the Sudd and letting the water evaporate in Egypt instead… and why West Africa should be opposed to it;

Conclusion

• Fossil fuel emissions: largest cause for climate change, SDG 7

• Trees and forest: other functions (cooling, groundwater recharge, biodiversity, …) should get much more attention than their carbon storage

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Thanks for your attention

• Questions?

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