Oliver’s Page

Email Oliver: oliver@intoorg.org

• Ups and Downs of a COP! A Blog from Katowice
  It does seem that INTO’s recent paper on Heritage Conservation and the SDGs is particularly timely in the light of much of the debate at this COP where climate change and the SDGs are inextricably connected. A summary of the recent IPCC report highlights this: “The highly motivating, yet alarming findings of the IPCC Special Report ...
• Poland or Snowland ! A blog from COP 24
  I arrived on Sunday evening at my Bed and Breakfast in the town of Chrzanow after landing at Krakow airport for my first visit to Poland. Chrzanow is located between Krakow and Katowice, the location of COP 24, and is about 35 km from the Conference Centre. When I booked the accommodation 3 months ago ...
• WTTC Buenos Aires Declaration – Update on Illegal Wildlife Trade Conference London
  INTO is a member of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). As such INTO signed the Buenos Aires Declaration which we did and you will see the INTO logo on the Declaration. Catherine Leonard attended the IWT conference in London last week. We are posting this message from WTTC. Dear All It was great to see those ...
• Museums for climate justice
  We are posting this to share with you an email we received today: Dear Colleagues, I am writing to share with you a new video series, Taking Action on Climate Change, created by the Alberta Museums Association, the Coalition of Museums for Climate Justice and Shadow Light Productions. The videos address ways in which museum staff  and ...
• What we learnt from the Europe Leaders Forum
  An update from the World Travel & Tourism Council ‘ Europe Leaders Forum What we learnt from the Europe Leaders Forum Over 150 CEOs, Ministers and Travel & Tourism leaders gathered in Lisbon, Portugal, on 11 September for WTTC’s first ever Europe Leaders Forum, hosted by Turismo de Portugal. Here are ten highlights from the event, including advice ...
• New Zero Carbon Britian Report launched today!
  We received this information from our friends at the Zero Carbon Britain. This summer the climate crisis became horrifically real for people experiencing record weather extremes from the United States to Japan and Bangladesh. We have produced the largest survey yet of scenarios for switching to climate friendly energy, and the good news is that they ...
• It’s happening NOW! People across the planet are Rising for Climate.
  Message received from our friends at the Rise for Climate Team! Today, right now, people across the planet are Rising for Climate. In 95 countries, at 850 events, we’re coming together to march, sing, and rally. To Rise together: for our climate, for justice, for a world free from fossil fuels. You and I, and thousands of others, ...
• 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards applications period Open
  Celebrating 15 years of Tourism for Tomorrow: WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2019 applications are now open. Today(Sept 4), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) calls on Travel & Tourism organisations to showcase their achievements by entering in the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards 2019. Since the beginning of the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards under WTTC, there have ...
• One Planet Network Monthly Update: August 2018
  The One Planet network formed to implement the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP). The One Planet network had a significant presence at the High Level Political Forum 2018, organising and participating in several events and securing high-level political support at the official review of SDG 12 and other events. A short video ...
• Yvette Dzakpasu interview during Talanoa Dialogue at UNFCCC
  Yvette Dzakpasu shared our stand in Bonn during COP 23. This is an interview she did while in Bonn.
• Climate Heritage Mobilization Website Launched!
  THE FOLLOWING IS A LETTER RECIEVED FROM OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT Climate Heritage Mobilization. Friends of the Climate Heritage Mobilization, We have launched the website for the Climate Heritage Mobilization and the Climate Heritage Network! The URL is: www.climateheritage.org. From this site you can register to attend the CH Mobilization, sign up for ...
• Rising sea levels come at steeper cost.
  Rising sea levels come at steeper cost Rising sea levels bring the prospect of more violence and expense. Four new studies confirm the menace of the waves. By Tim Radford LONDON, 2 March, 2018 – Delay in slowing rising sea levels is dangerous. Each five-year delay in limiting global carbon emissions into the atmosphere now will increase sea ...

GALICIA December 2013

I spent 2 days with our INTO member, Tesouros de Galicia (T deG), in the company of its President, Javier Losada, last week. Lots of meetings on the first day, notably with the President of La Coruna Province, Sr Diego Calvo Pouso and his team where I gave a presentation on the NT (EW&NI) and INTO. A newspaper report followed the next day. Click here to read it.
During the afternoon, a visit to a section of the Camino, the Pilgrims’ Way from La Coruna to Santiago de Compostela. This particular route is known as the English Way as the English Pilgrims arrived at the ports of La Coruna or Ferrol, further north, before embarking on the walk. T de G are keen to promote the heritage along the route, ensure it is maintained and form links with the British public to encourage more to visit and use the walk .
An evening meeting took place with the Mayor of the nearby town of Artexia to discuss a new balneario or spa hotel and the principles of sustainable tourism, particularly to the coastline around the municipality.
The following day we visited a museum associated with a nearby Iron Age Hill Fort which we went on to see. Stretching over 12 ha it is certainly an impressive site though, sadly, marred by the proximity of an enormous electricity station with associated pylons right on the boundary and cables crossing the fort !
From there we journeyed to Finisterre with another representative of T de G, saw the fishing museum in an old castle in the village and then on to the Lighthouse, accompanied by a Councillor for Finisterre Council. A newspaper article on this visit is also attached.
Back to the hotel in La Coruna where I was staying and a long evening meeting with Javier to discuss the visit, the forthcoming face-to face- meeting of the Executive Committee, to be hosted by T de G next September and, in advance of which, a fundraising walk for INTO by members of the Executive Committee, the Secretariat and others from Galicia and Britain
Oliver Maurice
10 Dec 2013

November 18, 2013 COP 19

Although INTO is not represented this year at the COP – the first Simon Molesworth and I have missed since COP 15 – we are receiving a number of daily bulletins from different organisations with whom we have worked and are working closely.
Chief of these is the Loss and Damage Group which was formed at COP 18 last year in Doha when 46 organisations, including INTO, signed an Open Letter to Ministers seeking a new framework to adddress loss and damage to include consideration of non-economic losses, including loss of culture, ecosystems, indigenous knowledge and territory.
The Group is headed by WWF, Action Aid and Care International. In the last few days, these organisations have drafted a further letter which will be presented to Ministers when they start to arrive this week in Warsaw. It is a global call for action for the establishment at the Warsaw COP of an international mechanism for loss and damage. It too has been signed on behalf of INTO by Bill Turner, Vice Chair, and myself. Loss and Damage has now become a key focus of the talks and is highly relevant to our work.
The text of the letter includes a number of issues that are highlighted in the Entebbe Declaration. As a consequence I have forwarded the Declaration to all members of the Loss and Damage Group.

Now Over 100 Non-Governmental Organisations have signed the “Stop The Madness” letter. Read it here in PDF” lettre.

ALSO available “ECO-newsletter” CAN-International’s ECO Newsletter-Warsaw-Nov 19

Climate Vulnerable Forum

20 developing countries participating in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) are uniting behind a plan to push for international progress and to lift ambition through to 2015. The event will share the two-year Action Plan targeting progress in six different key multi-lateral sectors of international affairs and include a Q&A with high-level panelists.

Currently Chaired by Costa Rica, since 2009 the CVF has been an active mechanism for cooperation and knowledge building on climate change policy issues – advancing the common cause of countries highly vulnerable to a warming planet.

More Information
Please contact: matthew.mckinnon@undp.org, / linyi.baidal@gmail.com / info@thecvf.org    See also: www.thecvf.org/cop19