Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility

STAP has released four new publications for the 41^st Council of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). These studies address:

• the science behind some of the most relevant emerging global environmental challenges; and

• specific practical advice on how to address these challenges through GEF interventions.

Two of these publications – “Hypoxia and Nutrient Reduction in the Coastal Zone: Advice for Prevention, Remediation and Research” and “Marine Debris as a Global Environmental Problem: Introducing a solutions based framework focused on plastic” – belong to the first category, and inform the GEF Council, its partners and the global environmental community about the growing threats facing our oceans – namely the increasing number of oxygen-depleted zones caused by eutrophication and hitherto unrecognized damage to marine ecosystems from plastic pollution, respectively.  These two documents reflect upon our increasing understanding of consumption and production patterns on land, and their impact on the global health of the oceans – potentially with irreversible consequences for its ecosystems. In addition to looking at the scientific evidence behind these problems, the STAP documents propose a range of innovative ways on how to address these pressing global environmental concerns, particularly by the GEF.  

The third document, “Selection of Persistent Organic Pollutant Disposal Technology for GEF Projects”, provides practical advice to  GEF recipient countries and the GEF Agencies on the selection of environmentally sound technologies for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) disposal; thereby, addressing a prolonged advisory gap. This document is timely given the increasing number of GEF proposals addressing the priority actions identified by the National Implementation Plans, including the disposal and management of POPs stockpiles and waste.

The fourth document, STAP’s advisory document on “Experimental Project Designs in the Global Environmental Facility: Designing projects to create evidence and catalyze investments to secure global environmental benefits”,  describes and justifies how the GEF can leverage its project investments to generate more credible evidence about what works and under what conditions through experimental project designs.

The science and course of actions covered in these four documents also apply to the wider scientific community, practitioners in the field, and policy-makers working on the global environment.  Further details about these STAP publications can be found below.

Hypoxia and Nutrient Reduction in the Coastal Zone: Advice for Prevention, Remediation and Research – A STAP advisory document. September 2011

Hypoxia (or oxygen depletion) occurs when waters are overloaded with too many nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous and silicon, often arriving in coastal areas from farm fertilizers, municipal sewage systems and livestock waste. This report was inspired by the increasing number of hypoxic zones globally, which have doubled every 10 years over the past five decades, such that there are now over 500 such areas recorded. The authors of this report examined data about ocean areas where oxygen is drastically reducedalong with the social and environmental difficulties that arise with loss in marine life, fisheries, tourism, and decline in human health.  The study found that one of the most efficient ways to reduce oxygen depletion was to stem the flow of nutrients from fertilizers, municipal sewage or livestock waste into coastal waters. The report recommends that the GEF and its partners “urgently increase their support to nutrient reduction projects, building on GEF’s experience and leadership.” It also recommends, inter alia, that there be established principles to support tests of management responses to permanent and seasonal hypoxic zones, and that a toolkit for evaluating hypoxia and/or for addressing hypoxia and nutrient reduction should be developed for inclusion in the work of the GEF International Waters focal Area, including its Transboundary Diagnostic Analyses and Strategic Action Programs.

Marine Debris as a Global Environmental Problem: Introducing a solutions based framework focused on plastic - A STAP information document. November 2011

The focus of this document is on land-based sources and types of plastic debris which represent the major debris components in many regions of the world. At present, the causes of marine debris are addressed primarily through implementation of waste management practices, such that end-of-pipe solutions are central to action. However this document explores the underlying cause of land-based plastic debris entering the marine environment, specifically production and consumption patterns of our economies. This includes the design and marketing of products without appropriate regard for their environmental fate or ability to be recycled, waste management infrastructure, inappropriate disposal, as well as the geographical separation between production in relatively developed economies, and consumption/disposal, which is global. In this document, the STAP proposes a revised framework in addressing plastic debris that advocates the use of the five R’s (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Redesign and Recover) in a regional context. The document also has a number of specific recommendations for the GEF, including: (i) a proposal to focus on piloting the life cycle approach to plastic debris prevention, reduction, and management in one of the areas covered by the Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans; and (ii) facilitating a global public-private partnership, a key focus of which would be to reduce the environmental impacts associated with single-use plastics packaging.

Selection of Persistent Organic Pollutant Disposal Technology for GEF Projects - A STAP advisory document. November 2011

This advisory document builds on the original 2004 STAP study on the selection of POPs disposal technologies for GEF-financed projects. It utilizes experience gained during GEF-4, with updates on developments related to technology availability, and issues associated with their application in the context of GEF financing in developing countries and CEITs. More importantly, it also places disposal of POPs stockpiles and waste within the broader context of the POPs management process and sound chemicals management.The document lays out guidance on the attributes that technologies should demonstrate when GEF funding is involved,  thus providing a consistent overall framework for the application of GEF funding in this area.  Use of such a framework would take into account local project conditions of operation, and help streamline the design, development, review, implementation, execution, and extraction of lessons learned of GEF funded POPs disposal projects, enabling further refinement in the approach to project design and maximization of impact and sustainability. The document is not intended to duplicate or supersede technology evaluations provided by the Basel Convention, Stockholm Convention, or other groups. It is specifically directed to recipient countries, implementing agencies and the GEF Secretariat; but may also serve as guidance to technology developers and proponents.

Experimental Project Design in the Global Environment Facility – Designing projects to create evidence and catalyze investments to secure global environmental benefits - A STAP advisory document. October 2011

As one of the largest multilateral donors for environmental programs, STAP believes the GEF should be a leader in the production of evidence. With multi-nation investments in common environmental policies and programs, the GEF is uniquely placed to generate credible evidence about improving the performance of these programs. Such evidence would not only increase returns to GEF investments, but it can also catalyze broader investments and actions by making the connection between environmental investments and the effects of these investments clearer to external audiences.

This advisory document describes one important way in which the GEF can leverage its project investments, to be better informed about what works and under what conditions. Experimental project design implys that entire projects, or components of projects, are designed with the intention of better understanding the causal relationships between project actions and desired effects.

Experimental project designs that test important hypotheses about project implementation are at the nexus of science and project management. They thus contribute less to traditional environmental science and more to a form of adaptive, implementation science that applies scientific principles to enhance our understanding of how the generation of results from project implementation can be improved. 

STAP Advisory Document on Dead Zones

The STAP advisory document, Hypoxia and Nutrient Reduction in the Coastal Zone:  Advice for Prevention, Remediation and Research" was released at the Sixth GEF Biennial International Waters Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia on 19 October 2011.

STAP Meeting, October 2011

STAP's fall meeting was held in the offices of the GEF Secretariat on 13-14 October 2011.  Please visit the Events/STAP Meetings page for more details.

STAP Seeks New Panel Members

STAP is currently accepting applications from highly qualified candidates with outstanding academic and technical credentials, and a passion for advancing and improving the science/policy interface, in the areas of Climate Mitigation, Climate Adaptation, and International Waters.  To review the full Advertisement, the detailed Terms of Reference for each position, and information about how to apply, please visit Recruitment of New Panel Members.

STAP at the GEF Council Meeting

Thomas Lovejoy, STAP Chair, presents the Report to 40th Meeting of the GEF Council on 24 May, 2011.  Please visit the GEF website for a full array of Council documents.

STAP Meeting, 17-18 March 2011

STAP held its twice annual meeting at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria, from 17-18 March 2011.  Please visit Events/STAP Meeting Vienna for more information.

Panel Member for Land Degradation Approved by GEF Council

Dr. Nternaya Sanginga has been appointed to succeed Dr. Mary Seely as Panel Member in advising the GEF on Land Degradation issues. The endorsement by the GEF Council was in effect from 1 January 2011.  For more see About STAP - Panel Members.

New STAP Secretary takes office 1 November 2010

Thomas Hammond joined UNEP as the STAP Secretary on 1 November 2010.  He was formerly with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, IUCN and WWF.  For more information, please visit the Secretariat page.

STAP at the Fourth GEF Assembly
At the GEF Assembly in Punte del Este, Uruguay, STAP hosted a Side Event "New Science for a Sustainable Planet", N.H. Ravindranath, Panel Member, said that an additional investment of US$10.5 trillion, equal to an annual investment of US$430 billion, is required to limit warming to 2ºC and 450 CO₂ e ppm. He stressed the large mitigation potential of land-based options, particularly reducing deforestation and peat land degradation. Louisa Wood, UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre, describing drivers of change and impacts on ocean ecosystems, said 30% of world fisheries have collapsed and underscored the importance of coastal management for climate change mitigation. Patricio Bernal, IUCN, spoke on developing science for the protection of ecological services in the high seas and said oceans are responsible for the equivalent of 70% of oxygen production. Georgina Langdale, Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), gave an overview of the TEEB study, highlighting increased interest in valuation of ecosystem services. She added that an important target audience of TEEB is the financial sector.

STAP meeting held at IFAD in Rome on March 8th, 2010
The recent STAP meeting held on March 8th, 2010 at the headquarters of IFAD, Rome was attended by many GEF Agencies and for the first time, some GEF Council Members as observers.