As the world comes to terms with the weak outcome of COP23, ACT Alliance calls for a recommitment to the need for ambitious action and solidarity with climate vulnerable people.

“COP23 has fallen short of the main expectations we had: we had hoped that the cry of people of the Pacific and other vulnerable parts of the world would be heard and translated into urgent and ambitious action,“ said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance’s General Secretary.

COP23 is ending after two weeks of tough negotiations. While the adoption of the Gender Action Plan which aims to enhance gender equality throughout all processes and bodies of the UNFCCC may be one of the most significant milestones to be remembered from COP23, other important agenda items have not had particularly successful outcomes.

As a matter of fact, this COP has shown that it is the needs of the vulnerable countries who need support that continue to fall into the line of fire, instead of the shortcomings of the big emitters of the world.

“As a global community we need to figure out quickly how to address the weak and slow responsiveness of our policy making systems. The UNFCCC cannot continue to deliver painstakingly small steps forward, when the world needs decisive action. We must act now to ensure that no one is left behind,” Bueno de Faria continued.

Loss and damage is an issue that lies close to the hearts and realities of the least developed countries and small island states who are at this moment threatened by rising sea levels and other climate-influenced disasters. Despite a Fijian presidency at COP23, the support for Loss and Damage in Bonn did not deliver on the ambition required to truly stand in solidarity with climate vulnerable communities.

“We applaud the commitment and continued push of the most vulnerable countries, who never fail to raise the voices and the concerns of the populations already affected by climate change, and who match their vision for a better world with higher ambition than their developed country counterparts,” said Martin Vogel, Climate Policy Adviser to the Church of Sweden and co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Change Group.

“ACT Alliance will continue to fight for the needs of the most vulnerable communities. We shall increase our voice, action and solidarity as we respond to humanitarian crises, in our development programmes and in our advocacy at all levels,” Bueno de Faria concluded.

As COP23, the International Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany draws to a close, the ACT Alliance and the Lutheran World Federation are launching a call to people of faith and faith-based organisations to take action on climate change.  “Climate change and its impacts affect the full enjoyment of human rights and dignity,” the call reads. “Both from the perspective of our belief in God as the Creator and from the perspective of justice and human rights, Climate Change is a matter that must be urgently addressed by human beings in our age.“

The global policy processes, including COP, are not delivering the urgent, ambitious climate action that people and communities around the world require.  We, as faith-based networks shall continue to do advocacy around climate justice, but will also continue to act on the ground in communities, helping to respond to humanitarian crises, to reduce risks, to adapt to climate change and to increase capacity building through our programmes.

We call for ambitious action to change the current models of development and economics, to protect the most vulnerable people, and to provide adequate financing and action to ensure that global temperature rise remains below 1.5°C.

It is not a call aimed only at high-level actors, but at all people of faith. ACT and LWF members at COP23 shared some of their reasons for engaging in climate action:

Bishop Ingeborg Midttømme, Norway—“God is the creator of heaven and earth and all human kind, Mother Earth is a gift to all of us, we can’t destroy the gift that is given to all of us just to focus on our own needs. The gift of God is given to us to that we can have what we need to live together in peace and harmony and it is very unfair that if you are born in one part of the world you will not have the opportunity to have food security or clean water or the most basic needs, and why should I shave it because I was born in Norway and I live there. We are all sisters and brothers and we belong to each other.”

Collins Shava, Zimbabwe— “It is important for the people of faith to take climate change as a moral challenge, as an issue of justice as it is causing harm to many who are poor and vulnerable. Recognizing that faith has an influence in the behavior of billions of people in the world, faith communities no matter what religion must use this unique space to call on the leaders of the world to focus and urgently address the issues of climate change.”

Frances Namoumou, Fiji—“This is our prophetic role, to raise the voices of communities that are suffering.  We have a moral responsibility to act as a moral radar for our governments, our communities, even ourselves.  We have to walk the talk, hold hands with those in the front-line of Climate Change impact and to join together in solidarity on climate justice action.”

Please join your voice with ours in calling for ambitious action on climate change. Read the full call to action here. Contact Joanna Patouris, ACT’s Climate Change Communications Coordinator, to add your name to those who endorse the call. Together, we can work to ensure that global temperature rise remains below 1.5°C., so that the earth will continue to be a nurturing home for all God’s people.

It is time to act.  Act now for climate justice.

The climate is changing rapidly, and this change is affecting different parts of the world through storms, hurricanes, floods, and so forth, but most importantly, the droughts from which we suffer so much especially in my context in Southern Africa. These events must inspire us not just to raise ambitions for implementation of the Paris agreement but to actually reprioritize climate actions in our communities over everything.

At this time last year – prior COP22– our hopes were raised for a changing world since the Paris Agreement had already been ratified by enough countries for it to be effective. Unfortunately, since the Agreement entered into force we’ve seen implications rather than implementation.

On the 6^th of October 2017 Green ELCSA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa) and the SAYCCC (South African Youth Climate Change Coalition) held a seminar based on SDG13 at the Durban University of Technology.  The main aim was to raise awareness of climate change effects in order to enable increased adaptation and mitigation capacities.

The Sustainable Development Goals are a better approach to build capacity in local communities and to strategize with them on the best ways of combating climate change effects. At the seminar, we had an integrated discussion with the representative of the Ethekwini Municipality’s Representation explored new opportunities of the Durban Climate Change Strategy, especially among the youth, about becoming key players in implementation.

During the seminar, our message of mobilization was: “Durban might face a number of risks in future since climate change continues to have detrimental effects on our society. These include water-related impacts such as floods and drought, threats to biodiversity and ecosystems, impacts on agriculture and food security, potential damage to infrastructure, higher energy consumption, and health impacts.”

Just four days after the seminar, a major storm hit the Durban area destroying infrastructure and properties including three hospitals, and a number of people lost their lives while many more were injured and left desolate.

As ACT Alliance our message is always prophetic which is why we need to be heard. We’ve been advocating for climate justice with a vision of a resilient and zero-carbon society, the end of the half of the century is approaching, and our call for justice– particularly on lowering carbon emissions other urgent actions to keep global warming below 1.5C– is yet to be realized. Unless we act ambitiously and urgently, the storm that hit Durban, as well as hurricanes and other natural disasters that have affected other regions, are nothing compared to what the world is yet to experience. I’m saying that not because what is happening is tolerable but precisely because I think it should galvanize us to implement the Paris Agreement.

As COP23 approaches; we are hoping for enhanced negotiations with Human Rights at the top of the discourse. The Conference of Parties serving as a Meeting to the Kyoto Protocol or the CMA should be able to develop a legal treaty that will allow the implementation of the PA.

The Lutheran World Federation adopted a resolution on climate change calling upon its member churches to take urgent and integrated actions for climate justice and in its last paragraph; “The Assembly affirms the fact that the global ecological crisis, including climate change, is human-induced. It is a spiritual matter. As people of faith, we are called to live in right relationship with creation and not to exhaust it” (LWF Twelfth Assembly: 2017).

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1)

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Khulekani Sizwe Magwaza is from South Africa. He is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern Africa (ELCSA) and a Theology Student. He is LWF Council Member and part of the LWF Climate Network. He is championing the Green ELCSA which is a church’s climate change initiative and he is Secretary-General of the South African Youth Climate Change Coalition (SAYCCC)

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As the end of the COP approaches, there are still so many unresolved issues, ranging from climate finance to clarity on how to implement Paris Agreement in a way that is both ambitious and that responds to the urgent needs of vulnerable communities.

The trust and confidence that was built in Paris is starting to break, as a result of many unkept promises. Poor and vulnerable communities need climate finances to assist them in addressing the impacts of climate change that are already ravaging them. These finances must be provided in a way that is scaled up, transparent and accountable. COP23 has not made any significant steps towards these needs.

More needs to be done to address climate induced economic and non-economic loss and damage. These impacts are particularly felt in the Pacific where populations are already facing imminent displacement and climate induced migration. Thus far the discussions at COP23 have been weak on loss and damage, but the parties here still have the chance to make sure that loss and damage are part of the future negotiations.

You can read more about ACT’s work on loss and damage at COP23 here.

As heads of governments and ministers arrive today for the high-level segment of COP23, we call on them to take bolder action. We call on them to show true leadership and solidarity. We call on them to take action and to meaningfully respond to the urgent needs of poor and vulnerable people.

Climate justice demands that the countries responsible for causing climate change take action to cut emissions and to provide finances and support to assist those that are affected.

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Martin Vogel is the Climate Policy Advisor with the Church of Sweden and co-chair of the ACT Alliance Climate Change Group.

“Culture.  Tradition.  Way of life.  Diets.  Their beliefs, their skills of when and how to fish, what to plant and when to harvest all depend on the surrounding environment that they have lived in for generations,” says Tafue Lusama, the General Secretary of the Church in Tuvalu of the people of his small island nation.

“Tuvaluans live out of the land and the sea for their daily sustenance… It seems like all their skills and techniques and knowledge that have sustained the people have been challenged by the impacts of climate change, the unpredictable weather patterns, the constant visit by, and increase in intensity and frequency of strong winds, cyclones, wave surges have put their survival skills to the test.”

The island nation is only 26 square kilometres of land, with an average elevation of 3-4m above sea level.  Tuvalu is in danger of disappearing altogether with rising sea levels, even beyond the increasing climate-impacted weather events Lusama spoke of.

He was speaking at a press conference hosted by ACT Alliance and ACT member Bread for the World at COP23, the International Climate Conference.  The event focused on non-economic loss and damage experienced by communities like those on Tuvalu and other Pacific island nations, but also by many millions of other people around the world.

“Extreme weather events are happening all over the world- from the drought in Africa to the flooding in Asia, from the hurricanes in the Caribbean to the sea level rise in the Pacific are forcing people to leave their homes, to look for water, food, shelter and safety,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT’s General Secretary.  “At this COP, we know that the Parties are pulling back from the spirit of the Paris Agreement, especially from the financial commitment to it.  We cannot afford to back away from these commitments.  On the contrary, we need to strengthen and support them as much as we can.”

Frances Namoumou from the Pacific Conference of Churches spoke of accompanying the first village in Fiji who had to be relocated because of climate change. “For us in Fiji, the vanua, it’s an extension of us as human beings to the land and the ocean,” she said.  Moving a village because its land was lost to sea level rise and constant flooding during storms was a difficult decision.  45 communities in Fiji have now been identified as needing relocation, with another 800 in imminent danger.  “For us in the Pacific, we release the least amount of carbon emissions, yet we are in the front line in terms of facing climate change issues.”

Cornelia Füllkrug-Weitzel, President of Bread for the World, launched a discussion paper on Non-Economic Loss and Damage during the event, which shares stories from Tanzania, Ethiopia, El Salvador and Bangladesh.  “A solution to deal with economic and non-economic consequences of climate induced migration and relocation is very, very urgent,” she said. Non-economic loss and damages have not been discussed much to date, she said. The loss of lives, land, territory, language and culture can’t be valued in monetary terms.

“Climate change has an impact on the whole dimension of our lives,” Bueno de Faria concluded.  “That is why we need to act now to change the inequalities in the world today.  If we will not do that, then we are completely lost.”

I am writing this blog from Bihar, the second largest state in India, which was ravaged by floods in August 2017 that killed more than 500 people and displaced over 12 million, causing huge destruction to human life, animals, the environment and the entire ecosystem.

As I visit rural affected villages nearly 2 months later, I am witnessing the terrible living condition of people– especially women and children– who have nothing but a tarpaulin to call a roof under the vast sky. Safety and security emerges as the key concern as well as the daily basic needs which are hard to come by in disaster situations from all stakeholders.

For a long time, climate change has been a fast approaching problem that has been swept under the carpet with temporary solutions. Like most other problems, the consequences of climate change affect marginalized sections of society more than the mainstream. The repercussions of climate change cause water, food, health, energy and personal security risks that ranges from mild to severe.  A person’s social position determines their economic and political clout, which in turn affect their ability to secure themselves against these risks

Most women in India only have access to relational power that they may or may not be able to exercise through the males in their lives. The “fairer sex” may have stayed true to the title and prevented the early onset of environmental problems if their voices had been heard, their decisions respected and opportunities provided to take a lead. For example, both the Chipko Movement, where the activists hugged trees to stop them from being felled, and the Narmada Bachao Andolan preventing a dam from being built on the Narmada River had women at the forefront and actively participating in the struggle.

What can be stated as a fact is that women are paying and will continue to pay a heavier price than their male counterparts.

The Indian woman faces several challenges due to the risks that climate change brings. Limited or no access to water means longer walks in search for just a few liters, threatening physical safety as well as sanitation problems and a higher probability of epidemics breaking out. Women also tend to sacrifice meals to keep their men and children fed. They suffer from malnutrition, epidemic diseases and other health problems due to their vulnerable position.

Thus it is imperative to include women in the decisions made to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Their knowledge of domestic and local issues– and feasible solutions to handle them– will ensure sustainable development. Women are more sensitive to the needs of the citizens and thus are capable of making decisions that benefit the community. At international levels, intersectional negotiation is possible due to the solidarity between women.

ACT should together work to advocate that women be part of decision making, their capacities are built and they are able to claim their right.  ACT also, the climate and disaster response sectors should ensure women are engaged at all levels to mitigate and address climate justice issues.

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Dr Joycia Thorat , Co-chair of Advisory Group on Advocacy, ACT Alliance and Project Officer & policy desk in charge, Church’s  Auxiliary for Social Action (CASA), India

After a week of negotiations at the UN climate summit taking place in Bonn, Germany, the World Council of Churches (WCC), The Lutheran World Federation (LWF), and ACT Alliance – together representing more than half a billion Christians worldwide – expressed their concerns at the slow progress governments have made so far.

“Climate justice cannot wait. The most vulnerable must be in the midst of the world focus to overcome the climate challenge,” said WCC general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit. “We have already taken many steps together, and it is clear that we strongly believe in efforts to stop climate change. And what is more, we believe strongly in the work for climate justice, and in shared responsibility in addressing these issues. Now is the time to take action.”

The ecumenical family stands together in recognizing that this week has made little progress towards securing the key demands of some of the world’s most vulnerable peoples and communities. So far, no significant steps have been made in financing and strengthening the loss and damage mechanism or clarifying the provision of climate finances.

With just one more week of negotiations remaining it is of paramount importance that COP23 and its Fijian presidency prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable countries for whom climate change is a harsh reality already today.

“We do not want COP23 to be a lost opportunity,” said Rudelmar Bueno de Faria, ACT Alliance general secretary. “The hopes and aspirations of millions of people who are facing the harshest impacts of climate change depend on urgent actions to mitigate climate change and its impacts.” Bueno de Faria continued: “While this is a ‘technical’ COP, negotiators must not forget what climate negotiations are really about – people and communities all across the world, whose lives are in serious jeopardy as a result of climate change.”

“Climate Justice is also a matter of intergenerational justice and about churches acting now,” said LWF general secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge. “I have been encouraged to hear about churches’ climate action and advocacy, which the young LWF delegates at COP 23 have shared: energy transition, responsible consumption, theological education and local advocacy on climate justice is already on the agenda of several churches. This is good news.”
Referring to the urgency to address climate change, Junge added: “Climate change is not fake news. It is bad news for the human family, particularly for the most vulnerable. The Paris agreement needs to be implemented. Now!”

The COP 23 agenda focuses on working out rules and guidelines for implementation of the Paris agreement, which must create the right environment and dynamics to ensure that countries will collectively ramp up their national plans to cut emissions, embrace renewable energy, and provide adequate support to the poorest and most vulnerable.

ENDS

Links:
Watch the Ecumenical Call for Climate Action
COP23 media pack
Photos from COP23 available – photo credit: Sean Hawkey/WCC

It may be easy for parties to agree on the need for climate action, but as soon as the agenda turns to how the bill should be paid conflicts arise. And sadly, parties seem to have difficulties understanding, or even listening to, each other. I hope they will read this blog post. Maybe it will help them to move forward.

When developing countries talk about climate finance, they expect financial support to help them in their efforts to promote green, sustainable and resilient development. They expect the funds to be in line with their own plans for adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage, three themes which constitute the core of the climate debate. And they assume that these funds will constitute new support, meaning that developed countries offer additional funds, which are not taken from existing commitments to support other important development needs such as healthcare, democracy or education.

When developed countries talk about climate finance, they also foresee climate action. However, as donors they want to control, and they have their own strategies for how the funds should be allocated, and what kind of activities they should support. In their minds, whenever possible these funds should also promote the interests of the donor country.  For example, funds could be used for private investments and cooperation with strategic allies and partners. And, as a top priority, the total amount of funds should be kept low, to not interfere with other budget priorities.

The difference in views is not necessarily a problem. In some cases, it may be possible to find relevant activities, which fit the interests and understanding of both developed and developing countries. However, when there is no formal agreement about climate finance the risk of misunderstandings and conflicts is big.

Developed countries argue that they have allocated the funds they have committed. However, when these funds are provided in the form of export credits or loans, or when the support is channelled through private investments or bilateral projects with no formal climate change label, it will be difficult for developing countries to see how the support promotes the development they had expected.

In addition, recent reports (from Denmark, Norway and Finland) about climate finance, show how poor accounting rules and practice in developed countries makes existing climate finance pledges look better and bigger than they are in the reality. Weak accounting will undermine trust, and make it even more difficult to reach agreements.

In the ACT Alliance, we work with poor and vulnerable people, and communities, on the local level. We experience the effects of climate change every day, and we see the urgent need for concrete activities to promote adaptation and mitigation action. From our viewpoint, negotiations about climate finance must advance, and deliver a concrete result, so that funds can be turned into action. A first step must be to agree on a joint definition of climate finance.

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Mattias Söderberg, Senior advocacy advisor in DanChurchAid. Was elected co-chair for the ACT Alliance advisory group on climate change advocacy and was the acting head of the ACT delegations to UN climate talks from 2010 to 2015. Was co-chair of the ACT EU climate change working group from 2007 to 2009, and head of the ecumenical COP15 secretariat in 2009. Mattias is originally from Sweden, but lives in Denmark.

Too often developed countries see climate change as a burden for their industrialised activities because the level of innovation and the systemic change required are of unprecedented scale. Indeed several economic sectors need major shifts in thinking about current methods of production and consumption.

It is a matter of risk perception. If governments wait too long to embrace the low carbon transition, the costs of climate change will be so great that economies will suffer and the survival of mankind will be at stake.

To make our societies climate-compatible and limit global warming to 1.5C all sectors must rely on renewable energy systems which are sustainable and decentralised in order to increase efficiency and allow production of sufficient energy for all. Large-scale renewable energy power plants such as hydroelectric dams can sometimes be necessary but cannot be compared to the greater potential of every household and company becoming energy producers through the use of solar panels or other renewable technology.

The impacts of current global warming are already dangerously affecting biodiversity with vital consequences for human life. The sustainability of energy projects is essential to preserve our environment and can mostly be achieved with the deployment of small-scale power production systems.

Large energy power plants are the model of the past century. A paradigm shift is also necessary to think how energy production and distribution must be shaped. And this is one of the greatest opportunities to allow millions of poor communities to finally get access to energy. A minor increase in energy and energy stability would have exponential positive effects on the life of those who struggle every day. Having this basic need covered will help people living in poverty to cover other basic needs and free more time for their educational and economic development. Sustainable energy for all would benefit everyone.

Later this month, the next round of climate negotiations (COP23) will be hosted by Fiji– a country which committed last year, alongside other climate vulnerable countries, to transform their energy mix into 100% renewable energy as soon as possible. This is true leadership, sending a clear vision to all stakeholders, in particular, the public and private investments sectors. The COP23 Fijian presidency will have the difficult task of preparing the first global round of assessment due to take place next year, called the Facilitative Dialogue. It will be an important step to recognise the gap between what countries committed to in Paris two years ago and the scale of greenhouse gas reduction needed.

It is essential that governments, under the lead of a vulnerable but innovative country, Fiji, agree to make this Facilitative Dialogue a moment of truth and action with as a clear objective: revising all national climate plans to increase mitigation targets before the Paris Agreement starts in 2020. The methodology of such dialogue might not be perfect and lessons will have to feed into the next round of stock-take in 2023. However, it is a question of survival for countries to commit to a real collective assessment process instead of being all talk and no action.

The concept that governmental action will solve all problems is also an idea from the past century. Today– and more importantly with the urgency of tackling climate change– every stakeholder in every county must be involved in this energy transition. A great number of initiatives have been created over the past three years as part of the Global Climate Action Agenda, such as the African Renewable Energy Initiative, the Sustainable Energy For All initiative and the Solar Alliance. These initiatives are key to stimulating action by the private sector, civil society organisations and religious communities. These initiatives must be encouraged and follow strict principles guaranteeing environmental and social sustainability in order to avoid creating further problems.

ACT Alliance will continue advocating for an ecological and just energy transition as well as for an international process which delivers rapid progress. For many years, climate change has brought injustice. Today, bringing more justice by eradicating poverty with this transition is not a burden, but an opportunity for all.

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Bruno Nicostrate works as Policy and Advocacy Officer for ACT Alliance EU. He is a European public policy specialist working on climate change justice, resilience and relief.

From 5^th till 17^th November 2017, all countries will meet for the 23^rd annual Conference of Parties (COP23) of the international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). While the negotiations will focus mostly on defining the rules of the Paris Agreement and preparing the first global stocktaking of climate actions next year, several discussions will continue in parallel to develop solutions for responding to climate-induced impacts. Land use is one of those issues discussed in ‘side events’ but the challenge is big. The ACT Alliance can contribute by raising the voice and the views of indigenous people, farming communities and female custodians of seeds in this debate, supporting them with facts and evidence on how biodiverse agricultural systems contribute to adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

Land is our future. Secure livelihoods for poor, rural communities and indigenous peoples depend on secure land rights. Their sense of belonging makes them custodians of natural forests and diverse landscapes. Stolen Land is Stolen Future. Consumption and production patterns of rich countries threaten the land rights and land use of poor communities. Citizens in the developed world claim land for purposes of carbon sinks and for the offsetting of greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for their unsustainable lifestyles. In such cases, the land is deprived of its ecosystem functions and is reduced to carbon stocks and carbon sinks.

As a result of climate change, we are likely to continue to witness huge and potentially conflicting challenges over land use and land rights. Global warming has already led to large cuts in agricultural productivity in most parts of the world, and this may have potentially disastrous consequences for global food security. The pressure to produce more food, feed, fuel and fiber, while at the same time reduce GHG emissions and store greater levels of carbon than before, increases the demand placed on land and thus, enhancing conflicts over land use.

Discussions about land use have made it to the center of international climate politics.  An important underlying concept in the UNFCCC negotiations, is carbon or climate neutrality. This means achieving a balance between anthropogenic emissions (from transport, industry, agriculture, digital infrastructure, etc) and emission removals by sinks of GHG (bio-energy, carbon capture and storage in forests and on land, etc). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been taking stock of carbon budgets and makes assumptions on how to attain carbon or climate neutrality.  All of the IPCC reports rely heavily on emitting CO2 that could be removed later (negative emissions). Unfortunately, this simply means allocating all risks to future generations and vulnerable communities.

Many of the solutions put forward in dealing with the issues of land use come in disguise. For example, many agricultural practices that are promoted in fact lock farmers and consumers into unsustainable food systems which are prevalent across the developed world today. In such a system, only a few crop varieties and livestock breeds are intensively produced as single commodities, often for export, using large amounts of fossil-fuel intensive fertilizers and pesticides as well as patented, transgenic and uniform seed. The result is monocropping. Deserted land. Evicted and displaced people. All of which comes in the name of mitigation, of modernising agriculture and of neutralising carbon budgets.

The next IPCC report due in October 2018 will look at solutions of staying within the 1.5 C scenario. This is an opportunity to seize. We must raise the profound ethical questions or moral dilemma over land use. We can uplift marginalized voices and existing solutions of land restoration by the custodians of biodiversity and ecosystems integrity, and the guardians of forests and diverse landscapes. We know that there will be no socially and ecologically acceptable solution without the involvement of people and communities to restore and revive our land and our forests. Because done in the wrong way it will put people, biodiversity and climate at risk.

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Karin Ulmer is Senior Policy Officer with ACT Alliance EU (previously APRODEV), specialising in EU trade policies and global food security. The current focus is on human rights and trade, land and seed issues, agricultural policy and research. Based in Brussels. Educational background in cognitive, social and human science. German nationality.