Discussions at 'From Sendai to Rio: Cultivating a Disaster-Resilient Society for Sustainable Development,' on April 11 in New York City. Source: UCCRN.

Rio+20, the 20th Annual United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, is set for June 20-22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Rio+20 is a high-level conference centered on seven critical global issues in an effort to address the current progress, challenges, and implementation of sustainable development initiatives from previous summits and to “secure renewed political commitment” for sustainable development.

Disaster resilience is a highlight topic leading to the June meeting, “moving centre stage for Rio+20.” The dialogue, “From Sendai to Rio: Cultivating a Disaster-Resilient Society for Sustainable Development” took place in New York on April 11, hosted by Columbia University. Challenges to disaster risk reduction were discussed, such as the difficulty by small island states to evacuate during hurricane and flooding events. Henrietta Elizabeth Thompson, executive coordinator of Rio+20, stated at the meeting that “part of the goal of Rio+20 is to identify new ways in which disasters are impeding sustainable development.”

(See articles from Earthzine’s Disaster Management theme)

On April 22, International Mother Earth Day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon declared Rio+20 as a means “to promote better respect for nature and to cultivate an environment – natural and social – in which all children feel safe and all people can prosper.”

On May 8, the Achieving Sustainable Energy for All in Small Island Developing States Conference concluded in Jamestown, Barbados, with 20 small island developing states (SIDS) adopting the “Barbados Declaration.” Through this declaration, these SIDS have committed to take actions toward “modern and affordable renewable energy services, while protecting environment, ending poverty, and creating new opportunities for economic growth.”

The host country plans to increase the share of renewable energy to “29 percent of all electricity consumption by 2029.” The declaration also states that “the outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference must be ambitious and convey the urgency of fully embracing the sustainable development agenda including the fulfillment of all commitments related to SIDS.”

From May 11- 12, the Dhaka+20 Model UN Conference on Sustainable Development took place in Bangladesh, aimed at initiating youth participation in sustainable development issues. At Dhaka+20, 120 delegates from 60 different countries convened to participate in the UN process and take action in sustainable development initiatives. The main topic of Dhaka+20 was “Disaster Readiness toward a safe and sustainable city.” The outcomes of the conference will be summarized in a final report for the Government of Bangladesh’s Rio+20 Conference Delegate Committee, ensuring that the youth voice is heard at Rio+20.

For further information on Rio+20 and events leading to the conference, visit http://www.uncsd2012.org/rio20.

Cryosat’s map of Arctic sea ice thickness, April 2011. Source: CPOM/UCL/ESA.

The announcement of the high resolution map generated from the radar altimeter, along with a digital elevation model (DEM) of Greenland, was presented at the Royal Society in London, a joint effort between ESA and the U.K. Space Agency.

Cryosat’s altimeter measures the height by which the ice extends above the water surface in order to detect annual variations.

Since its launch in 2010, scientists have been working to calibrate and validate the data with a combination of airborne instruments and in-situ measurements.

In June 2011, the Cryosat team, led from University College London, revealed the first map of Arctic sea-ice thickness using data acquired from January and February of the same year.

The most recent update from ESA presents a seasonal variation map of sea-ice thickness, processed from the complete 2010-2011 winter season map.

Professor Volker Liebig, director of Earth Observation at ESA, announced that “Cryosat is working extremely well. Its data are very reliable and the measurements we have match reality.” Dr. Liebig told the BBC News “we now have a very powerful tool to monitor the changes taking place at the poles.”

Containing about 7.5 million points, the DEM of Greenland also demonstrates Cryosat’s capabilities in capturing the details of the ice sheets in higher resolution than previous satellite measurements, using its interferometric mode to discern intricate sea ice sheet surface characteristics. As the main payload, the Synthetic Aperture Interferometric Radar Altimeter (SIRAL) is the first radar altimeter designed for ice.

The future for Cryosat continues with the precise mapping of yearly changes in sea-ice thickness in the Arctic, in an effort to better understand the effects of climate change over the region.

For more information, visit ESA and the BBC News on Cryosat’s update on the high precision views of Arctic sea ice.

– Discovery ultimately could lead to better climate understanding and prediction.

– There have been several recent papers on ice sheets and sea level that have gotten a bit of press of the journalistic whiplash variety.

– If we must open the Arctic Ocean to oil and gas development we should at least do it in a way that doesn’t harm wildlife, but the signs don’t look good.

– A big increase in reports of Asian tiger shrimp along the U.S. Southeast coast and in the Gulf of Mexico has federal biologists worried the species is encroaching on native species’ territory.