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About Us
Around the
world, leadership on climate change and clean energy
continues to build.
Despite this the challenge remains immense and the next few
years are crucial to limiting the worse impacts of climate
change. While in the past half century there has been
substantive improvement in human wellbeing in many parts of
the globe, the future will be less positive. World
population has more than doubled in the past 50yrs to almost
7 billion and is expected to rise by 50% by 2050.
Consumption of finite resources, ecosystem services and
biodiversity loss continue to rise along with the cost of
basic foods. Energy demands and fossil fuel use continues to
grow worldwide and global energy use is projected to
increase by 50% by 2030. Last year the International Panel
on Climate Change released its most sobering assessment to
date on climate science. At a time when we now know we
should be decreasing our carbon emissions consumption of
coal is soaring, hundreds of coal power energy plants remain
on the drawing boards or are being built in the United
States, Russia, China, EU, South America and Africa.
Meanwhile transport, aviation and marine shipping emissions
continue to rise alarmingly along with agricultural
emissions. Tropical forests continue to fall at record rates
and arctic sea ice is now at its lowest level on record and
may disappear entirely by summer 2012. Desertification,
water scarcity, sea level rise, biodiversity loss and
drought affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide
while the frequency and size of extreme weather events
including storms, cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons,
rainfall and flooding continues to worsen. So what can we
do?
Partnership for Change (PFC) a new initiative set up by
Declan Waugh Chartered Environmentalist and Environmental
Scientist living in Bandon, West Cork and supported by
leading Institutions, businesses and NGOs was established to
focus on Climate Change and the concrete ways individuals,
the scientific community, engineers, educationalists, media
journalists, environmentalists, urban and regional planners,
landscape architects, economists, professional institutions,
local authorities, development agencies, political,
corporate and civic leaders can work together to harness
existing momentum and accelerate progress in Ireland, EU and
worldwide.
PFC aims to take on this education and communication
challenge. In Nov 2008 PFC organised its inaugural
conference on climate change held in Cork city, Ireland.
This inaugural conference was addressed by leading
distinguished experts, speakers and panellists who explored
specific issues and provided essential advice on tackling
climate change and planning for an uncertain future. The
conference was being organised on a not for profit basis
with proceeds from the conference to go towards a number of
worthy aid and environmental organisations that require
financial assistance in tackling the impacts of climate
change on a community level in developing countries.
PFC continues to work with communities in Ireland to raise
awareness of climate change and highlight the urgent need to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions, develop sustainable energy
strategies and built climate leadership within the
community.
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