SSN Adaptation and Mitigation Regional Workshop, 27 – 29 February 2008
The SSN Southern African partner organizations,based in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, recently held a workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to promote their regional activities and current work. This meeting incorporated both adaptation and mitigation work in these countries and a second workshop is planned later in 2008. The overall aim of these workshops would thus be to strengthen the capacity of the SSN partners to continue their climate change work in the region during the wrap up of SSN2 and to explore possibilities for future collaboration.
Presentations which give an overview of projects discussed in the Region as well as work plans and time lines which were discussed may be downloaded below.
BVQI , the same DOE that validated the project at the end of 2005 finalised their verification of the project and the Brazil team happily received the Certificate of Verification on the 15th October 2007.
New SSN Directors
At a Board Meeting held in April 2007, in Maputo, Mozambique, SSN invited Oscar Kibazohi, Estomith Sawe and Boaventura Cuamba onto the Board. They will now join the existing Board Members, Emilio La Rovere, Steve Thorne, Saleemul Huq, Thais Corral, Rod Janssen, Kuki Soejachmoen (not pictured) and Atiq Rahman (also not pictured).
Second International Workshop on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change
SSN participated in the Second International Workshop on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change between the 24th and 28th February 2007 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Site visits took up two days of the workshop with the remaining three days devoted to discussions around climate change science and adaptation, and mainstreaming and partnership. SSN Directors, Saleemul Huq and Atiq Rahman chaired panels. Saleemul also received the Burtoni Award for his contribution to linking adaptation and development, capacity building and decision making research. The Workshop attracted a fair amount of press coverage. For information on this workshop, please visit
the CBA Website
.
For a report with photographs of the workshop, please visit the
the ENB Report of IISD .
SSN Capacity Building Workshop held in Dhaka, Bangladesh
SSN Adaptation team members from Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Tanzania met from the 1st to the 3rd of March 2007 to discuss their projects, to learn from progress happening in the Pintadas project in Brazil and to plan outstanding activities for the remainder of the year. The most critical factor identified for making progress this year is to achieve funding for the projects. A Project Design Document for Adaptation projects was discussed and a template agreed for all teams to use. Team members took the opportunity to attend the Second International Workshop on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change, held back to back with this workshop.
Technological Cooperation between Brazil and Mozambique
At the SSN Board Meeting held in Nairobi on the 14th November it was agreed that GED would become a member organisation of the SSN Group. Thais Corral, SSN Capacity Building Director, then visited Mozambique from the 20th to the 22nd November, 2006, where she met with the SSN team for Mozambique, the Action Group for Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development (GED).
Finding the GED team committed and well-prepared, much of her time was spent in collaboration with Boaventura Cuamba who helped establish GED in 2002. They explored many aspects that could strengthen collaboration, comparing the REDEH/SSN experience in the Pintadas PhotoVoltaic Water Pumping project with GED projects. It was agreed to intensify cooperation between the country teams. Besides a shared language, they identified similar values in how they envision the use of technology for community development.
Cooperation between these countries is well regarded by the appropriate Ministries of Science and Technology in the area of rural development that could help sponsor related activities.
In February 2007, the SSN Capacity Building team plans to organize a workshop in Maputo, Mozambique to consult relevant project stakeholders and to finalize and design the phases of a joint collaboration for a concrete project which will be funded and carried by GED.
COP 12 Side Event, Nairobi: SSN Projects that address Climate Change and Poverty Reduction from within Southern Africa
On 15 November 2006 as part of the official side event line up, in Nairobi, SSN presented its African face. Several innovations were presented, including:
MitAd (copyrite SSN) and AdMit (copyrite SSN) projects: Combined projects that include elements of Mitigation and elements of Adaptation
Technology Receptivity: looking at the challenges for south-south technology sharing and cooperation, and the difficulties for articulating needs, awareness of indigenous knowledge, the creation of tangible experiences, the capacity building phenomenon of applying choices, all important for concerns around ownership of approach and technology;
forward looking baselines that take poverty and lack of modern infrastructure into account, thus applying a clean development path under the CDM before development takes root and needs cleaning up;
to
the new SSN Adaptation Projects Protocol (SSNAPP) for community based adaptation which has been developed by SSN and applied in projects to ascertain the hotspots where climate change impacts are predicted to intersect with poverty demographics.
the development of an SSN Adaptation Intervention Design Document (SSNAIDD) to reflect the details of the project design for meeting adaptation necessities;
bundled and programmatic sectoral CDM projects under the Gold Standard that are designed for easy and widespread replication and poverty reduction benefits.
Various SSN team members from South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania described their mitigation and adaptation projects which are all now seeking collateral funding.
More details of these projects and our innovations can be found in the Side-Event Handout which can be downloaded below.
For the full presentation of the this event, please go to
our Library page.
In addition to the Side event on Southern African projects and approaches above, SSN team members reflected their high level of involvement in matters related to adaptation to climate change active through their involvement at the COP, November 2006, in Nairobi.
Worth mentioning are the yearly Development and Adaptation Days which are keenly attended by all who are interested in climate change adaptation and development in general.
Chairing the section on Community Based Adaptation were SSN Programme Directors Saleemul Huq, of the International Institute for Environment and Development and Atiq Rahman, of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies.
Of interest, was a presentation by Ms. Anna Taylor of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) who gave a presentation entitled: Transferring Technology in Adaptation Projects. Anna has been working together with Steve Thorne, SSN's Technology Receptivity Programme Director.
Also of interest was a talk by Pierre Mukheibir, of the Energy Research Centre (ERC), University of Cape Town, entitled: A Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change in the City of Cape Town (FAC4T): The development of City Adaptation Plan of Action (CAPA). Pierre is a SSN Monitor who is based in Cape Town. This presentation is available on
our Library page under Adaptation.
Mozaharul Alam, another SSN team member, of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) presented on Opportunities and Risks of Climate Change in Development Agencies: Piloting a climate risk screening methodology for DFID Bangladesh.
Mozaharul Alam also presented at a side event by the European Climate Platform (ECP) entitled: “Adaptation as a strategic issue in the climate negotiations: What
way forward?” He also shared the stage with Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, of Kenya, at the side event: “Learning lessons of community resilience: successes and barriers to reducing vulnerability” presented by Friends of the Earth International.
At an event by the European Capacity Building Initiative, Saleem Huq, SSN Adaptation Programme Director, gave a presentation along with some long-standing other friends of SSN.
Note that an International Workshop on Community Based Adaptation to Climate Change will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in February 2007. A flyer for this is available on
our Library page, but the date has been changed to February. The workshop will be hosted by IIED and BCAS (both member organisations of the SSN Group) and RING.
Capacity building module on CDM /JI: Rome 27-30 Sept, 2006
The SSN capacity building team developed and delivered a 3 days CDM/JI course in Rome, Italy, at the end of September for Italian organizations such as NGOs, utilities and consulting firms that are actively involved in the carbon market. The course has been developed entirely by SouthSouthNorth and it was presented in partnership with Kyoto Club, a leading non-profit Italian organization on climate change matters.
There were a total of 16 participants and 3 observers. The course was an introduction for new-comers to the carbon market. The first day gave an overview on the science of climate change and an overview of the CDM/JI cycle. The second day went into some details of the CDM/JI process and presented the Gold Standard for CDM. A roundtable discussion with representatives from large Italian utilities, CDM project developers and a carbon fund established by a large Italian Bank gave further insight of the emission credit market. In the third day, Usina Verde (one of the SSN1 CDM project of Brasil) was presented as a case study. Exercises based on the SSN2 matrix showed how to select and choose high quality mitigation projects with a poverty reduction component.
SSN is in a position to offer this course in English and to different audiences in different countries to build capacity on the side of our Northern counterparts to encourage interest in good quality CDM projects with high sustainable development value.
Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy through City Energy Strategies in South Africa
A workshop was Implemented by Sustainable Energy Africa, North Energy (UK) and funded by REEEP (Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership) on the 19th Sept 2006 in Ekurhuleni. Representatives from the cities of Cape Town, Ekurhuleni, Potchefstroom, Sol Plaatjie and Tshwane (Pretoria) were present. Also participating were representatives from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), Department of Minerals & Energy (DME), National Energy Efficiency Agency (NEEA), Central Energy Fund (CEF), and others including South South North.
Bringing a variety of strategies together and comparing ideas and approaches was part of the process. This project in South Africa seeks to develop a sectoral housing approach to energy efficiency through a sectoral approach that builds on the successess of the SSN Kuyasa Low-Cost Housing project. Different municipalities in South Africa may participate by using the methodology which SSN is preparing.
See also the Activity, Cities of Pretoria/Tshawane and Basel: Clean Development Mechanism Housing Project Workshop
, on the
Southern Africa page
Second Capacity Building Workshop for the whole SSN Group
Our teams met as a group in Bogor, Indonesia, during March 2006, to share new project ideas and clarify methodological aspects. New approaches for working with partners were discussed. Apart from identifying new projects in Mitigation and Adaptation, a Board Meeting was held. Various topics were shared including the importance and processes for stakeholder consultations, the preparation of Memoranda of Understanding, the Mobilisation of Resources, lessons from past projects, and Next steps.
At the same time, the process of appraising the lessons from SSN 1 projects was rounded off with interviews with team members from Indonesia and Tanzania, with teams from South Africa and Brazil already having been interviewed. These learnings now form part of our internal capacity building approach, while external learnings which will benefit the global climate change community will be published under our SSN 1 Report shortly.
SSN hosts Side Event at COP 11
At the very well attended side event held at COP 11 in Montréal, entitled "A Southern-led approach to tackling climate change and poverty", Directors of SouthSouthNorth presented an overview of SSN programmes in Mitigation, Adaptation, Capacity Building, Policy and Technology Transfer. Rod Janssen of Helio International, SSN Monitors, explained the principle that all SSN programmes are underpinned by a project based approach.
Emilio La Rovere, Mitigation Programme Director, of Centro Clima in Brazil, described the SSN approach of utilising the CDM to create projects that maximise sustainable development. He presented SSN’s solid waste incineration project in Brazil, which is cost effective and contributes to environmental sustainability.
Steve Thorne, Technology Transfer Programme Director, of SouthSouthNorth Africa, of South Africa, described the SSN Kuyasa project, an upgrade of low cost housing with energy efficient lighting, solar water heaters, ceilings and ceiling insulation, as delivering very high sustainable development benefits. This project is the very first Gold Standard project to be registered in the world! He revealed some of the lessons learned, highlighting the lesson that that although projects with many beneficiaries may be process intensive; they so provide security and ownership co-benefits. He explained how Gold Standard projects can deliver sustainable development benefits as well as achieve a premium on Certified Emission Reduction prices.
Thais Corral, Capacity Building Programme Director, of the Human Development Network (REDEH) in Brazil, explained that SSN is a learning organisation and as such is building institutional capacity, the capacity of SSN’s partners, and southern capacity in general, as a way to pursue structural poverty reduction in the South. She said that SSN projects deliver global GHG emissions reductions projects with poverty reduction and also projects that assist communities in adapting to climate change.
Saleemul Huq, Adaptation Programme Director, of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) based in the UK, introduced SSN’s new adaptation methodology, called SSNAPP, which is an adaptation project protocol for community-based adaptation projects.
SSN Board of Directors meet with Hein Dijksterhuis
Taking the opportunity of the Capacity Building workshop at La Francesca, Italy, the SSN Board of Directors met with Hein Dijksterhuis of CORDES management & development consultants from the Netherlands to improve our strengths as a learning organisation. A constructive day of interaction and growth was the result. Seen in the photograph from left to right are directors Emilio La Rovere, Rod Janssen, Stef Raubeneimer, Thais Corral, Saleemul Huq, Steve Thorne with Hein on the right.
SSN Growth in 2005 into Sub Saharan Region
With the new programme approach developed to tackle poverty reduction in the context of climate change, SSN new programmes are applied regionally in Southern Africa, Latin America and Indonesia. Projects in Mitigation and Adaptation are now being developed in these regions as follows: 7 Adaptation projects in 6 countries (Bangladesh, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Indonesia and Brazil); and 5 Mitigation projects in 5 countries (South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Indonesia and Brazil).
To support the Sub Saharan regional outreach, the following new organisations are becoming part of the SSN group to enable project development in the Sub Saharan region:
GED (Action Group for Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development) in Mozambique;
TaTEDO (Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environment Organisation, in Tanzania; and
CEEST Foundation (Centre for Energy, Environment, Science and Technology), also in Tanzania
Capacity Building Workshop of SSN Teams at La Francesca, Italy
From September 24th to the 1st of October 2005, the SSN Capacity Building Programme held a workshop for the combined SSN Mitigation and Adaptation teams and Programme Directors. This was a good opportunity for the teams to meet face to face and to work together and for all of us to meet representatives from the new organisations which are joining the SSN Group – GED from Mozambique; and CEEST and TaTEDO each from Tanzania.
At the workshop, new approaches for working to reduce poverty were developed for our programmes and the new SouthSouthNorth Adaptation Protocol for Community Based Adaptation was developed, known as SSNAPP for CBA.
The workshop provided a suitable environment to develop the complex interrelationship between the five new SSN programmes, as well as to set all our Work Plans for 2006, ensuring that all programmes work in harmony for synergy in our outcomes.
New SSNAPP for CBA Methodology by SSN Adaptation Team
At the Capacity Building workshop, at La Francesca in Italy in September 2005, the Adaptation team developed a new SouthSouthNorth Adaptation Protocol for Community Based Adaptation projects, known as SSNAPP for CBA. A copy of the working draft of this methodology may be found in
our Library page
and it will be unveiled to the global audience at Montréal at COP 11 on the 2nd December 2005.
Capacity Building Workshop
The SSN Capacity Building team hosted a workshop for the Mitigation and Adaptation teams and SSN Directors at La Francesca, Italy during September 24th to 1st October. We worked hard to ensure that the needs of participants were catered for to enable successful and lively participation. The venue was ideal, providing a beautiful backdrop to our work, with sufficient opportunity for everyone to get exercise walking up and down the long hill three times a day (at least) on the precipitous Cinqueterre hills. Fortunately everone managed to get there and home without too much difficulty.
The Capacity Building team managed to see that everyone arrived well prepared by setting tasks and providing reading matter that was appropriate, taking special care to inculcate poverty reduction elements into our methodologies. At the same time, we organised for the enthusiastic Dijksterhuis to work with the Directors.
Thanks to Marco for being such a wonderful presence and providing us with this great venue at such affordable rates. We managed to capitalise on his skills by using him to film the SSN teams for a video which we are currently preparing. In the photograph are the team from left to right: Barry Kantor, Thais Corral (Director) and Daniele Cesano.
Launch of SSN CDM TOOLKIT in Buenos Aires at COP 10
At Buenos Aires, the SSN teams met to report at an official side event on the results of our experience over the passed three years.
Barry Kantor presented the SSN CDM Practitioners' Practical Toolkit.
, which is the most comprehensive guide to CDM project development ever compiled. The Toolkit is based on SSN project experience and is filled with tools and examples, tips and references. Barry explained how the Toolkit could be used differently by different users, whether government policy makers, government officials, project owners, project developers or consultants. With the use of the simple Navigation Tool, users can approach the CDM requirements needed at various stages of their projects and not lose their way. The response to this Toolkit at its launch was encouraging. The one question which was posed was that the size of the Toolkit could be daunting to many. Barry responded that the length of the Toolkit was essential in order to provide as thorough a guide as possible, going well beyond the more theoretical guides which are already available. Users will be able to enter the Toolkit under their area of interest and stage of progress in any particular project which would substantially limiting the breadth of the Toolkit.
Stef Raubenheimer then moderated a successful set of presentations from many SSN team members who dealt with the various key learnings of SSN over the first three years. These include learnings related to the following aspects, all of which are reflected in the Toolkit:
Sustainable Development
Poverty Alleviation
Southern Perspective
Stakeholder participation
Best Practice
Monitoring
Partnerships
Good Business
Finance
SouthSouthNorth scoops “Best Paper Award” at DUE Conference 2004.
Technical team member, Lwandle Mqadi has done SSN proud by winning the Best Paper Award at the 12th international conference on the "Domestic Use of Energy" (DUE) recently held in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Paper, entitled “Crediting Suppressed Demand for Thermal Energy Services in determining baselines under the Clean Development Mechanism in Kuyasa, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, South Africa” was chosen for the award out of some 50 paper presented at the conference.
The Domestic Use Energy Conference is a forum for professionals and practitioners in all fields of domestic energy to discuss the latest developments in the effective use of energy in the domestic sector. Issues addressed include sustainable energy provision; aspects from the Johannesburg World Summit for Sustainable Development; implications of the Kyoto Protocol; environmental legislation; the role of renewables; off-grid electricity supply and subsidised tariffs.
The conference was attended by approximately 150 organisations including government departments, Minerals and Energy, Eskom’s Demand Side Management, industry representatives and various tertiary education bodies.
Kuyasa joint third in Best CDM Project 2004 Competition
Kuyasa joint third in Best CDM Project 2004 Competition
The Kuyasa Project in Cape Town, South Africakeeps boosting it’s profile as it
was voted into joint third place in Point Carbon’s Best CDM Project 2004
Competition at the ‘Carbon Market Insights’ conference held in Amsterdam in April.
The only small-scale project among the shortlist of five,
it is the high sustainable development contribution and poverty alleviation aspects
which the project encompasses that continually draw attention from all quarters
including media and investors.
“It is very rewarding,” says project manager Shirene
Rosenberg, “that a small project like Kuyasa is being acknowledged
internationally.” SouthSouthNorth is proud that our ‘learning by doing’
approach and commitment to sustainable development and southern benefits is
being recognised on the world stage.
Side Event at COP 9, Milan 2003
The SouthSouthNorth South Africa team held a side event at COP 9 in Milan in December 2003 which raised the importance of the issue of extending baseline interpretations to include suppressed demand scenarios. The example of the SouthSouthNorth housing project near Cape Town was presented.
The importance of this for developing countries and especially LDCs was highlighted.
Launch of Climate Change: Stories from the Developing World
At COP 9, Milan, on the 3rd December 2003, the book Climate Change: SouthSouthNorth: Stories from the Developing World was launched before the international community by Stefan Raubenheimer, Executive Officer or SSN.
SSN MATRIX TOOL for Sustainable Development Published
The SouthSouthNorth Matrix Tool of Criteria and Indicators for Appraising and Rating the Sustainable Development contribution of projects has been published for global benefit. This is a vital and much copied Tool for project developers and host country institutions, and may be used for a variety of other projects and project developers. It removes the subjectivity from the assessment of the sustainable development contribution of project activities and helps in the selection, design and development of first rate developmental projects. It is believed that owners using this Tool for CDM projects will be able to reduce risks and ensure compliance at an early stage of their projects. It is further anticipated that the use of this Tool will ensure a better chance of owners selling and getting a good price for CERs out of CDM projects.
Emilio La Rovere of COPPE, Brazil, explains the origins of the SSN methodology on behalf of Helio International at the Climate Kiosk at COP 8. In particular, he explains how the SSN criteria for sustainable development may be used to make the concept of sustainable development concrete and to ensure that CDM projects do in fact contribute to sustainable development and avoid greenwash. To see the video of this short presentation, go to the
COP 8 webcast.
SSN meet with Monitors at COP 8 to discuss our first PDDs
SSN's first Project Design Documents came under scrutiny at COP 8 in October when team leaders presented the PDDs to all other teams and SSN Monitors from Helio International. On the basis of the feedback received, all PDDs will now be revised.
Strategic Planning Meeting at COP 8
At COP 8, there was little time for a comprehensive strategic planning meeting. The result was that many opportunities were stolen for this purpose. Here you will see the industrious teams sharing ideas and brainstorming new ones.
Kuyasa Housing project described as de facto Programmatic CDM
The SSN Kuyasa los-cost housing project has been described as a "De Facto Programmes of Activities" in the new
CDM Rulebook
, published by Baker & McKenzie. This useful resource explains how projects registered prior to the publication of the detailed guidance and procedural documentation for Programme of Activities (PoA) in effect amount to de facto Programmes of Activities because they have aggregated the types of emissions reduction opportunities which Programmatic CDM is designed at facilitating - highly dispersed and small scale.
The Rulebook explains that projects such as Kuyasa did not benefit from the ability to add additional CDM Programme Activities (CPAs) using the same framework, as is now possible under the PoA rules, but do provide an insight into how Programmes of Activities may be implemented and the requirements that may be imposed on them by the Executive Board.
Kuyasa Housing project described as de facto Programmatic CDM
The SSN Kuyasa los-cost housing project has been described as "De Facto Programmes of Activities" in the new
CDM Rule book
, published by Baker Mackenzie. This useful resource explains how projects registered prior to the publication of the detailed guidance and procedural documentation for Programme of Activities (PoA) are de facto Programmes of Activities because they have aggregated the types of emissions reduction opportunities which Programmatic CDM is designed at facilitating - highly dispersed and small scale.
They continue to explain that project such as Kuyasa did not benefit from the ability to add additional CDM Programme Activities (CPAs) using the same framework, as is possible under the PoA rules, but do provide an insight into how Programmes of Activities may be implemented and the requirements that may be imposed on them by the Executive Board.
Champion of the Earth
Atiq Rahman (SSN’s Strategy Director and Bangladesh Country Lead) has been awarded a coveted UN Champion of the Earth prize.
Here is the release from UN regarding our treasured Atiq:
Dr. Atiq Rahman is an eloquent advocate for sustainable development from Bangladesh – a country highly vulnerable to climate change and flooding. As one of the top specialists in his field, the Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) transformed the NGO into a leading think-tank in South Asia on sustainable development issues.
Dr. Rahman’s extensive publications on the subjects of environment and development in Bangladesh are a reference for his peers, and he has also developed an innovative post-graduate course on sustainable development and North-South dialogue.
With his national and international experience in environment and resource management, Dr. Rahman’s expertise remains vital throughout the Asia Pacific region and beyond as he helps to raise awareness of the hazards of global warming.
New Clean Technology Acquisition Fund could help the development of climate friendly technologies in the South
According to reports from the World Bank on the 26th October 2006, the world carbon trading emissions market expanded to nearly US$ 21 billion in the first nine months of 2006, up from about US$11 billion for the 12 months of 2005. However, most of this increase is taking place in India, with activity in China amounting to about 60 % of this volume (from investments such as new equipment that lowers greenhouse gas emissions at power plants). It thus seems clear that the hopes for regional equality under the CDM are not going to be achieved easily. This is just one of the objections to the CDM as it is being applied at present.
Thus it is interesting that Indian delegate Rahul Gandhi before a United Nations committee on the 25th October 2006, called for the establishment of a ‘Clean Technology Acquisition Fund,’ to enable the countries access to crucial technologies. ‘This would encourage the use of clean technologies and significantly impact the realization of sustainable development goals” he said.
Such a move would be more in line with the original CDM anticipated in the Brazil proposal, which proposed fines for non-compliance that would go to a fund for countries of the south towards their development of climate friendly technologies. This is effectively what SSN has been doing, with funding from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “SSN is showing, in a small way, how this can help – how to reduce emissions from escalating in the south”, says Emilio La Rovere, SSN’s Mitigation Programme Director. “We are presenting good examples which build self-reliance and self-confidence in the south” he says. For example, SSN’s Usina Verde project in Brazil is the first pilot plant to have been registered under the CDM, and brings a new technology from the drawing board to the market place. For this to happen in the developing south, is an admirable example of what SSN has achieved.
SSN’s Kuyasa Low-Cost Housing project is another example of technology interventions being incorporated in a developing country, in this case, South Africa, and is coupled with innovation in approach.
“The application of suppressed demand in the development of baselines for future development projects in poor parts of the world, and notably Africa, could provide necessary leverage to speed infrastructural development that involves a leap-frog to cleaner energy technologies at the time of first access diminishing the need for unlearning dirty habits” says Steve Thorne, Technology Receptivity Director of SSN. “Kuyasa - a low cost housing area in South Africa is where SSN have applied the above rationale to the first CDM project to be registered in Africa and the first Gold Standard Project in the world. The same rationale is now being applied to the development of a sectoral CDM project in new and existing projects throughout South Africa by SSN”, says Thorne.
Development and Adaptation Days at COP 12
The Agenda for the Development and Adaptation Days to be held at COP 12, Nairobi on the 11th and 12th November, is now available from
our Library page.
This event is highly recommended for all interested in Adaptation.
Chairing the section Community Based Adaptation will be SSN Programme Directors: Saleemul Huq, of the International Institute for Environment and Development; and Atiq Rahman, of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies.
Of particular interest, will be Ms. Anna Taylor of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) who will give a presentation entitled: Transferring Technology in Adaptation Projects. Anna has been working together with Steve Thorne, SSN's Technology Receptivity Programme Director.
Also of interest will be a talk by Pierre Mukheibir, of the Energy Research Centre (ERC), University of Cape Town, entitled: A Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change in the City of Cape Town (FAC4T): The development of City Adaptation Plan of Action (CAPA). Pierre is a SSN Monitor who is based in Cape Town.
Mozaharul Alam, another SSN team member, of the Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) will present on: Opportunities and Risks of Climate Change in Development Agencies: Piloting a climate risk screening methodology for DFID Bangladesh.
COP 12 Participation and SSN Side Event
SSN participated at COP 12 in Nairobi, Kenya, from the 6th to the 17th November, 2006. Considering that this is the first COP in Sub Saharan Africa, we showcased our projects in this region, working with partners in Mozambique, South African and Tanzania at a side event held on Wednesday, 15 November 2006.
SSN team members presented our mitigation and adaptation projects and approaches, introduced from within Southern Africa, by the SouthSouthNorth network.
SSN Projects being introduced in Mozambique, Tanzania and South Africa were presented by Action Group for Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development (GED) , Tanzanian Traditional Energy Development Organisation (TaTEDO), Centre for Environment Energy and Sustainable technology (CEEST) , Environmental Protection and Management Service (EPMS)and SSN Africarica. Funding is still being sought for a short list of projects which have been carefully selected and conceptualised with these participants of the SSN Group.
The following interventions of SSN were introduced:
Combined projects – Mitigation with Adaptation
Sectoral project development – Mitigation
Suppressed Demand, forward looking baselines that take poverty and lack of modern infrastructure into account – Mitigation
Unique Projects Protocol (SSNAPP) for selecting projects – Adaptation
Prospects for technological cooperation between Mozambique and Brazil regarding PV pumping or water
Technology Receptivity
FIRST SSN PROJECT REGISTERED TODAY - 29 August 2005
The first SSN project has been registered today - it is the Kuyasa low cost housing project which involves the installation of solar water heaters, efficient lamps and insulated ceilings in existing low-cost housing. The project involves setting a baseline that includes the suppressed demand for the energy services, in other words, providing an inflated baseline emissions level because the level of service is expected to rise into the future. We feel that this will facilitate and advantage poverty reduction projects that have CDM dimensions into the future.
In South Africa we have two other SSN projects in the pipeline, one has been conditionally validated (and already implemented coal to biomass in the paper industry) and the other is pending tendering for a landfill gas extraction and use utility. These last two are highly profitable.
The Kuyasa project, incidentally, is the first CDM project for Africa, the first Gold Standard project and the first to employ more than one methodology (it is a bundle of 3). Replication will look to a large scale methodology broad enough to cover existing and Greenfield housing developments into the future.
"I would like to congratulate my team in this endeavour. I am very proud." says Steve Thorne, South African Region Country Lead and Technical Co-ordinators of SSN CDM Projects.
Brazil Usinaverde Project Validated on the 3rd August 2005
The Brazil team has successfully validated the SSN Usinaverde Energy Generation from Urban Solid Waste project. This project involves innovative technology.
IIED joins the SSN Group
SSN extends a warm welcome to the whole team working for the International Institute for Environment and Development.
In particular, our friendship with Saleemul Huq, which has developed over several years and began while Saleem was still at BCAS in Bangladesh, , gives us great confidence in the contribution that IIED will be able to make towards the goals of SSN.
IIED will be able to provide considerable support in the running of our Adaptation Programme.
New SSN Programmes
SSN thanks the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands for granting us programme funding for the years 2004 to 2008, which will enable us to pursue a programmatic approach in the following areas: Mitigation; Adaptation: Capacity Building; Technology Transfer; and Policy.
SSN is committed to building on the project-led approach which has served our Mitigation projects since COP 5 in each of our new Programmes:
Mitigation - SSN will extend its existing Mitigation programme, facilitating the development of mitigation projects in Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and now further into Sub Saharan Africa, building on the preliminary forays already made into this region.
Adaptation - SSN will develop adaptation projects in Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Africa and in other Sub-Saharan African countries. Our partnership with IIED, the International Institute for Environment and Development, will be particularly important in this programme.
Technology Transfer - SSN will build on our experience of technology transfers gained in the field of mitigation projects to capacitate the transfer of technologies and practices as well as receptivity to them.
Capacity Development - SSN will be updating the CDM practitioner’s Toolkit that will be completed by December 2004, develop a generic Mitigation projects practioner's Toolkit and develop an Adaptation projects practitioner’s Toolkit. Events coaching and training of facilitators to develop projects will be undertaken. This programme will both support and be led by all our other programmes.
Policy - This programme will support and forge linkages for best practice in the field of poverty reduction, sustainable development and climate change activities both nationally and internationally.
Steve Thorne and Lwandle Mqadi selected to Executive Board Roster of Experts
Steve Thorne and Lwandle Mqadi, both from the South Africa Office of SouthSouthNorth have been selected to be on the Roster of Experts of the Executive Board to undertake desk reviews on proposed new baseline and monitoring methodologies.
SSN at COP 8
SSN presented their work at COP 8 to the acclaim of those who attended this event. This presentation introduced SSN team members, elaborated SSN's CDM projects, explained the progress being made in each of the SSN countries with setting up a Designated National Authority and explained the latest SSN thinking in regard to sustainable development. In particular, it was felt that SSN had made some progress with influencing local authorities regarding the criteria it regards as essential for testing the contribution of projects to sustainable development. SSN explained the necessity for countries to use a two-tiered approach to testing this aspect. Firstly, a subjective test should be used following a list of criteria to assess the extent to which projects contribute to sustainable development. Secondly, governments should select minimum thresholds which must be met to assess sustainable development based on local needs: eg projects should create jobs in South Africa; eg projects should reduce air pollution in Bangladesh; etc.
WWF and Project labelling: Birth of a new Gold Standard
SSN team leaders have entered into an agreement with WWF to jointly develop a new venture for the labelling CDM projects that adhere to a standard of best practice with regard to matters such as additionality and sustainable development. This Gold Standard Label will be able to provide investors with a clear opportunity for participating only in those projects which support the integrity of the CDM. SSN is proud that WWF supports its Matrix Tool for Criteria and Indicators for Appraising the Sustainable Development contribution of projects and is pleased that WWF will now help to promote this SSN Matrix Tool before a very wide audience, enabling this outstanding SSN methodology to have a substantial impact globally and become theprime Gold Standard for sustianable development.
SSN meets the Executive Board
SSN appreciated an invitation to meet with the Executive Board at COP 8. SSN used this opportunity of outlining to the Executive Board certain specific difficulties which we forsee with CDM application, particularly where host countries make a mockery of the requirement of sustainable development by encouraging a race to the bottom and approving all projects even where these clearly do not contribute to the sustainable development of the host country.
March 2002 Training Development Workshop
SSN country teams, HELIO monitors and SSN Project facilitators all met together during March 2002 to complete the first SSN CDM Development Facilitator Training Course. This provided an opportunity for teams to meet face to face from all over the world, interact with representatives from our projects and develop skills that will be needed for the design and development of SSN CDM projects. Emphasis was placed not only on the multitude of technical skills required for these projects, but also on the soft skills needed to get results through overcoming the barriers that are likely to arise.
SSN at the WSSD
SSN is involved in assisting the partners of the Johannesburg Legacy Project in a project to green the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Steve Thorne sits on the technical body of this project. Moreover, SSN undertook the first round of training in June 2002 for the project participants of selected development projects.
SSN teams came together at the Summit to discuss their projects, share notes and improve out methodology. A plan for continuance of SSN beyond 2004 was hatched that will develop ultimately into a much broader base for our work, both programmatically and regionally.
CDM Executive Board and the SSN
Steve Thorne, the South Africa team leader and one of the technical co-ordinators of SSN has been appointed to serve on the special advisory panel on Small Scale Projects (the SSC Panel) to the Executive Board of the CDM.
Harald Winkler of the EDRC at the University of Cape Town and an associate team member of SSN who assists SSN with a number of our activities has been appointed to the Baselines Panel to the Executive Board.
The SSN Southern African partner organizations,based in Tanzania, Mozambique and South Africa, recently held a workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to promote their regional activities and current work. This meeting incorporated both adaptation and mitigation work in these countries and a second workshop is planned later in 2008. The overall aim of these workshops would thus be to strengthen the capacity of the SSN partners to continue their climate change work in the region during the wrap up of SSN2 and to explore possibilities for future collaboration.
Adapt_ Rooibos_SA.pdf [246k]
BVQI , the same DOE that validated the project at the end of 2005 finalised their verification of the project and the Brazil team happily received the Certificate of Verification on the 15th October 2007. 
At a Board Meeting held in April 2007, in Maputo, Mozambique, SSN invited Oscar Kibazohi, Estomith Sawe and Boaventura Cuamba onto the Board. They will now join the existing Board Members, Emilio La Rovere, Steve Thorne, Saleemul Huq, Thais Corral, Rod Janssen, Kuki Soejachmoen (not pictured) and Atiq Rahman (also not pictured).
SSN Adaptation team members from Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Tanzania met from the 1st to the 3rd of March 2007 to discuss their projects, to learn from progress happening in the Pintadas project in Brazil and to plan outstanding activities for the remainder of the year. The most critical factor identified for making progress this year is to achieve funding for the projects. A Project Design Document for Adaptation projects was discussed and a template agreed for all teams to use. Team members took the opportunity to attend the Second International Workshop on Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change, held back to back with this workshop. 
On 15 November 2006 as part of the official side event line up, in Nairobi, SSN presented its African face. Several innovations were presented, including:
The SSN capacity building team developed and delivered a 3 days CDM/JI course in Rome, Italy, at the end of September for Italian organizations such as NGOs, utilities and consulting firms that are actively involved in the carbon market. The course has been developed entirely by SouthSouthNorth and it was presented in partnership with Kyoto Club, a leading non-profit Italian organization on climate change matters.
Taking the opportunity of the Capacity Building workshop at La Francesca, Italy, the SSN Board of Directors met with Hein Dijksterhuis of CORDES management & development consultants from the Netherlands to improve our strengths as a learning organisation. A constructive day of interaction and growth was the result. Seen in the photograph from left to right are directors Emilio La Rovere, Rod Janssen, Stef Raubeneimer, Thais Corral, Saleemul Huq, Steve Thorne with Hein on the right.
With the new programme approach developed to tackle poverty reduction in the context of climate change, SSN new programmes are applied regionally in Southern Africa, Latin America and Indonesia. Projects in Mitigation and Adaptation are now being developed in these regions as follows: 7 Adaptation projects in 6 countries (Bangladesh, South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Indonesia and Brazil); and 5 Mitigation projects in 5 countries (South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Indonesia and Brazil).
From September 24th to the 1st of October 2005, the SSN Capacity Building Programme held a workshop for the combined SSN Mitigation and Adaptation teams and Programme Directors. This was a good opportunity for the teams to meet face to face and to work together and for all of us to meet representatives from the new organisations which are joining the SSN Group – GED from Mozambique; and CEEST and TaTEDO each from Tanzania.
At the Capacity Building workshop, at La Francesca in Italy in September 2005, the Adaptation team developed a new SouthSouthNorth Adaptation Protocol for Community Based Adaptation projects, known as SSNAPP for CBA. A copy of the working draft of this methodology may be found in
The SSN Capacity Building team hosted a workshop for the Mitigation and Adaptation teams and SSN Directors at La Francesca, Italy during September 24th to 1st October. We worked hard to ensure that the needs of participants were catered for to enable successful and lively participation. The venue was ideal, providing a beautiful backdrop to our work, with sufficient opportunity for everyone to get exercise walking up and down the long hill three times a day (at least) on the precipitous Cinqueterre hills. Fortunately everone managed to get there and home without too much difficulty.
At Buenos Aires, the SSN teams met to report at an official side event on the results of our experience over the passed three years.
The SouthSouthNorth South Africa team held a side event at COP 9 in Milan in December 2003 which raised the importance of the issue of extending baseline interpretations to include suppressed demand scenarios. The example of the SouthSouthNorth housing project near Cape Town was presented.
Emilio La Rovere of COPPE, Brazil, explains the origins of the SSN methodology on behalf of Helio International at the Climate Kiosk at COP 8. In particular, he explains how the SSN criteria for sustainable development may be used to make the concept of sustainable development concrete and to ensure that CDM projects do in fact contribute to sustainable development and avoid greenwash. To see the video of this short presentation, go to the
SSN's first Project Design Documents came under scrutiny at COP 8 in October when team leaders presented the PDDs to all other teams and SSN Monitors from Helio International. On the basis of the feedback received, all PDDs will now be revised.
At COP 8, there was little time for a comprehensive strategic planning meeting. The result was that many opportunities were stolen for this purpose. Here you will see the industrious teams sharing ideas and brainstorming new ones. 