Ecuadorian Magnitude 4.4 Earthquake Part of April 14, 2016 Cluster

area map for Thursday, April 14, 2016, earthquake centered near Palora, Ecuador: USGS, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program

Seismologists at the United States Geological Survey are giving the Ecuadorian magnitude 4.4 earthquake recorded April 14, 2016, at 18:24:01 Ecuador Time (ECT) and 23:24:01 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) remote southeastern occurrences.

The earthquake brings to a total of five the final tally of quakes, magnitude 1.5 or greater, occurring since 12:01 ECT (5:01 UTC) in South America. USGS seismologists calculate the depth of the earthquake at 105.01 miles (169 kilometers) below the surface at a location 26.09 miles (42 kilometers) southeast of Palora. They describe a placement 35.42 miles (57 kilometers) northeast of Macas, 41.63 miles (67 kilometers) south-southeast of Puyo and 67.73 miles (109 kilometers) east-southeast of Riobamba.

Quito, national capital 134.22 miles (216 kilometers) north-northwest of the site of occurrence, ends up as the city with the greatest name recognition outside the Republic.

The Ecuadorian magnitude 4.4 earthquake fits into the intermediate-depth category, one of three zones that USGS seismologists establish to describe the subsurface aspects of seismic activity.

Chile’s 4.3-magnitude earthquake at 12:44:53 ECT (17:44:53 UTC) and 6.21 miles (10 kilometers) underground 44.74 miles (72 kilometers) west-northwest of La Ligua gets a shallow-depth classification. Peru’s magnitude 4.4 quake at 22:50:46 ECT (17:50:46 UTC) and 53.44 miles (86 kilometers) underground 31.07 miles (50 kilometers) south-southeast of Matucana has an intermediate-depth classification. Argentina’s magnitude 4.7 tremor at 2:35:04 ECT (7:35:04 UTC) and 74.56 miles (120 kilometers) underground 22.37 miles (36 kilometers) east-northeast of Calingasta likewise is deemed intermediate-depth.

The magnitude 5.1 tremor, from 67.73 miles (109 kilometers) underground at 4:38:44 ECT (9:38:44 UTC), jars Chile from 19.26 miles (31 kilometers) south-southeast of Puente Alto.

An arc more than 4,349.59 miles (7,000 kilometers) in length keeps Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru seismically active and makes possible the Ecuadorian magnitude 4.4 earthquake. It labels on tectonic summary maps the point where the Nazca oceanic plate’s crust and lithosphere start going beneath the South America plate’s western continental portion.

The northerly part of the Nazca Plate moves northeastward at a yearly rate of 2.56 inches (65 millimeters), in contrast to the southerly’s 3.15 inches (80 millimeters). USGS seismologists note South American occurrences of frequent, large earthquakes in the shallow-depth zone of zero to 43.49 miles (0 to 70 kilometers) below the surface. The USGS analyses obtain a shallow, 20.52-mile (33-kilometer) depth May 22, 1960, for Chile’s Valdivia magnitude 9.5 quake, “the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in the world.”

South America’s intermediate-depth earthquakes, at zones 43.49 to 186.41 miles (70 to 300 kilometers) below the surface, generally produce “relatively limited” impacts over more restricted areas. Northern Chile and southwestern Bolivia primarily and northern Peru and southern Ecuador secondarily qualify for cluster-occurring, intermediate-depth earthquakes at 68.35- to 80.78-mile- (110- to 130-kilometer-) depths.

Deep-focus earthquake-producing zones run 310.68 to 403.89 miles (500 to 650 kilometers) below the surfaces at the Brazil-Peru border and from central Argentina to central Bolivia. Chile’s 7.8-magnitude Tarapacá earthquake June 13, 2005, and Bolivia’s 8.2-magnitude Amazon jungle quake June 9, 1994, serve as recent examples of respectively intermediate-depth- and deep-focus-generated tremors.

The Ecuadorian magnitude 4.4 earthquake tends to meet expectations as part of a cluster even though its occurrence is away from the earthquake-prone Chile-Peru coastal bend.

U.S. Geological Survey seismologists place the April 14, 2016, Palora earthquake at a depth of 105.01 miles (169 kilometers): Earthquake Update @EarthquakeView, via Twitter April 15, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

area map for Thursday, April 14, 2016, earthquake centered near Palora, Ecuador: USGS, Public Domain, via USGS Earthquake Hazards Program @ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005i7p#general

U.S. Geological Survey seismologists place the April 14, 2016, Palora earthquake at a depth of 105.01 miles (169 kilometers): Earthquake Update @EarthquakeView, via Twitter April 14, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/EarthquakeView/status/720765856456646656

For further information:

Earthquake Update @EarthquakeView. 14 April 2016. "Earthquake : M 4.4 - 46km SE of Palora, Ecuador: DYFI? - ITime2016-04-14 23:24:01 UTC2016-04-14 18:24:01 -05:00 at... dlvr.it/L3fQj3." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/EarthquakeView/status/720765856456646656

“M4.3 – 42km SE of Palora, Ecuador.” United States Geological Survey > Earthquake Hazards Program > General Summary.
Available @ http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us20005i7p#general

Daffodils in North America’s Perfectly Flowering Bulb Gardens

Summary: Daffodils inspire festivals that celebrate North America’s perfectly flowering bulb gardens and plantings of ever more spring and summer blooming bulbs.

Daffodil Festival, Gibbs Gardens, Ballground, Georgia; Thursday, March 17, 2016: Erin Brierley (*ErinBrierley*), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

The air, the soils and the waters of the Emerald Isle are world-friendliest to perfectly cultivated bulbs even though perfectly flowering bulb gardens are possible in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Perfectly cultivated, perfectly flowering bluebells, crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths and tulips bring North America’s home gardeners springtime rewards for following proper planting procedures during the previous autumn. Perfectly grown, perfectly blooming begonias, dahlias, gladioluses and lilies can be counted among North America’s summertime rewards for respecting correct cultivational techniques during the preceding spring. Brightly colorful spring and summer flowering bulbs draw visitors as much as the National Cherry Blossom Festival to the United States National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. They embellish the Brooklyn, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, New York and Tulsa botanical gardens, and Bonhoeffer in Washington, Lewis Ginter in Virginia and Tower Hill in Massachusetts.

Daffodil festivals furnish many reasons for visiting Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts (especially Cape Cod and Nantucket Island), Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington, and British Columbia, Canada.

This year’s American Daffodil Society National Convention goes from Tuesday, April 6, 2016, to Monday, April 11, 2016, in St. Louis, location of daffodil-filled botanical gardens.

The website maintained by the American Daffodil Society has helpful information and interesting facts regarding perfectly flowering bulb gardens through online resources in its library section. The website maintained by the American Horticultural Society is a similar source of educationally entertaining information on bulb-filled and bulb-relevant events, such as its annual conference.

Virginia juggles history in historic garden tours from Saturday, April 23, 2016, to Saturday, April 30, 2016, with modernity in Gloucester’s festival and Lewis Ginter’s gardens.

Perfectly flowering bulb gardens keep gardeners, tourists and vacationers busy visiting not only North America’s provinces and states but also the Emerald Isle’s counties and provinces.

Beechill Bulbs Ltd. of Beechill in Ballyduff, Tullamore, County Offaly, leads the list of bulb and flower suppliers to visit in the midlands of central Ireland. Damian and Janet, owner-operators since 2008, make waves in landscape design as co-sponsors of the National Botanical Gardens’ James Joyce Portrait from over 20,000 tulip bulbs. They note the importance of digging over the pre-planting area to free the soil of air bubbles that obstruct water infiltrating, and percolating through, pore spaces.

Horizontal spacing two to three times the bulb’s width and planting depths two to three times the height, pointed end planted upward, offer the best flowerings.

Bulbs prove to be particularly cooperative with naturalized planting in grasses when they are hand-scattered, with spacing intervals no less than the width of the bulb.

Layering qualifies as a bulb-friendly planting style for perfectly flowering bulb gardens that must fit into limited yard space or within planters, pots and window boxes. It requires a 16- by 18-inch (40.64- by 50.8-centimeter) hole with two 3-inch (7.62-centimeter) layers, one of sand and another of compost-enriched soil, under bulb-planted layers. It starts successive 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) soil-separated layers with lily bulbs on the lowest, then alliums and daffodils, then tulips, then crocuses and finally shallow-planted tuberous begonias.

North America’s perfectly flowering bulb gardens turn up in historic settings and modern events and turn out bright blooms spring after spring and summer after summer.

Cape Cod's annual daffodil festival takes place at the end of April: CapeCast @capecast, via Twitter Feb. 17, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Daffodil Festival, Gibbs Gardens, Ballground, Georgia; Thursday, March 17, 2016: Erin Brierley (*ErinBrierley*), CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/erin_brierley/25407159134/

Cape Cod's annual daffodil festival takes place at the end of April: CapeCast @capecast, via Twitter Feb. 17, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/capecast/status/700065886837829632

For further information:

“April 23-30, 2016: House & Garden Tours Offered Statewide.” Garden Club of Virginia > Historic Garden Week.
Available @ http://www.vagardenweek.org

CapeCast‏ @capecast. 17 February 2016. "First daffodils of the season on cape cod?" Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/capecast/status/700065886837829632

“DaffLibrary – Books, Articles and Journals about Daffodils.” American Daffodil Society > Links.
Available @ http://dafflibrary.org

“Gardening Resources.” American Horticultural Society.
Available @ http://ahs.org/gardening-resources

“Gardening Tips and Techniques.” Beechill Bulbs > Tips & Techniques.
Available @ http://www.bulbs.ie/tips--techniques-page.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 30 March 2015. "Narcissus pseudonarcissus: Graceful Spring Welcome by Wild Daffodils." Earth and Space News. Monday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/03/narcissus-pseudonarcissus-graceful.html

Perfect Cut Flowers for Mother’s Day and Any Other Special Occasion

Summary: Perfect cut flowers are feats worth achieving since they celebrate Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day and whatever other day the giver and the recipient cherish.

Cut flower bouquet ~ Perfect cut flowers form a colorful bouquet that celebrates a special occasion, such as Mother's Day, or creates a special occasion: Manfred Brückels (Eisenacher), CC BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons

Perfect cut flowers are difficult to achieve even though April showers and Mother’s Day bring May-cut blooms, according to the May 2016 issue that Consumer Reports releases a month early, in April.

Mandy Walker, Flower Power author in the Product Updates section, brings long-lasting blooms into discussions of FTD, 1-800-Flowers and ProFlowers online flower-delivery services for Mother’s Day. Holiday delivery costs can escalate, and National Retail Federation surveys total USD $2.1 billion spent on Valentine bouquets and $2.4 billion on Mother’s Day in 2015. The author describes coupons and price cuts by accessing the online flower-delivery website a couple of times before ordering and reducing delivery costs by pre-holiday shipments. She explains that flowers can be replaced, or money refunded, if customers are dissatisfied with deliveries or if the blooms do not last for seven days.

Market research by IBISWorld finds that revenue for the last five years is annually down 1.2 percent for walk-in flower shops and up 2.5 for online. Some online orders get passed on to local florists whose flower arrangements arrive in vases whereas virtual businesses have central warehouse flower deliveries sent in boxes.

Local and virtual florists have the same challenge of selling floral arrangements that survive delivery schedules and that sustain fresh fragrances and looks for seven days. Anecdotal information indicates that a penny plunked inside a water-filled vase makes perfect cut flowers from gardens, markets and shops last beautifully at least seven days.

Immediate immersion, placement in cool spots, removal of below-water foliage, replacement of water and stem trims join a penny’s leached nutrients in keeping fragrant flowers fresh.

Kristin Schleiter, associate vice president for outdoor gardens and senior curator at the Bronx's New York Botanical Garden, knows of three temperatures for perfect cut flowers. She leaves cool season-flowering bulbs such as anemones, daffodils and tulips in cool water; other fresh-cut flowers in room-temperature water; and unopened blooms in warm water.

Cut flowers, home-grown or store-bought, must be submerged immediately, before or while removing below-water foliage and stem bottoms, respectively to prevent bacteria and release trapped air bubbles. The bottom one-half-inch (1.27-centimeter) needs to be trimmed from stems every three days since cut flowers take in air bubbles that obstruct proper absorption of water.

Trapped air bubbles occur with greatest frequency when flower arrangements are delivered in boxes or when floral bouquets are transported with stems bound by rubber bands.

Proximity to direct and reflected sunlight and to heating ducts and vents proves to be damaging, deadly or desiccating to perfect cut flowers, home-grown or store-bought.

Packets from local and online flower shops qualify as life preservers since citric acid ensures low pH levels, powder is anti-bacterial and sugar serves as nourishment. A crushed vitamin C tablet diluted in several drops of bleach, gin or vodka and of clear soda or superfine sugar realizes the same life-extending results. The home-made or store-bought refreshment for floral bouquets serves to bolster the additional life-extending measures of changing vase water and trimming stem bottoms every three days.

Perfect cut flowers, be they special home-grown or store-bought ornamental combinations or wildflower mixes, turn Mother’s Day into a fragrant event this coming May 8, 2016.

Pro tips for keeping flowers fresh include immediate immersion and removal of below-water foliage: Consumer Reports @ConsumerReports, via Twitter April 4, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Cut flower bouquet ~ Perfect cut flowers form a colorful bouquet that celebrates a special occasion, such as Mother's Day, or creates a special occasion: Manfred Brückels (Eisenacher), C BY SA 3.0 Unported, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnittblumenstrauss.jpg

Pro tips for keeping flowers fresh include immediate immersion and removal of below-water foliage: Consumer Reports @ConsumerReports, via Twitter April 4, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/ConsumerReports/status/716898123545751552

For further information:

Consumer Reports @ConsumerReports. 4 April 2016. "Plunking a penny into a vase of water won’t keep flowers fresh. But these 7 pro tips will." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/ConsumerReports/status/716898123545751552

Walker, Mandy. May 2016. “Flower Power.” Consumer Reports.

Walker, Mandy. March 31, 2016. “How to Keep Flowers Fresh.” Consumer Reports > Home & Garden.
Available @ http://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/how-to-keep-flowers-fresh/

Walker, Mandy. 31 March 2016. “Ordering Flowers Online: Do the Pictures Match What You Get?” Consumer Reports > Shopping Websites.
Available @ http://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/how-to-keep-flowers-fresh/

Nauru Submits Second 2016 Climate Plan Formalized by Paris Agreement

Summary: The Micronesian island Republic of Nauru submits the second 2016 climate plan formalized by the 2015 Paris Agreement for logging into UN Registry.

aerial view of Pacific Island Republic of Nauru, location of second ARM facility in Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) region; image taken Thursday, June 17, 1999: U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The United Nations Climate Change Secretariat’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions) Registry logs the second official climate change commitment Friday, April 8, 2016, as the Micronesian island Republic of Nauru submits the second 2016 climate plan formalized by the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Nauru's submission follows, by a little over two weeks, the receipt of Papua New Guinea's nationally determined contribution Thursday, March 24, as the first 2016 climate plan formalized under 2015's Paris Agreement.

A cover letter, dated April 7, from Marlene Moses as Nauru’s ambassador and permanent representative, conveys the accompanying nationally determined contribution to Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, on behalf of Baron Divavesi Waqa, 14th President of Nauru.

Under the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, the Republic of Nauru’s submission now formalizes its intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) as its nationally determined contribution (NDC). Nauru’s climate action plan notes the circumstances that drive the republic’s commitment to the success of the Paris Agreement.

“Like other small island nations Nauru has been profoundly disturbed with the implications of climate change since the problem appeared on the world scene. Being one of the smaller low lying island nations it is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including sea level rise,” the formal document explains.

“With only around 10,000 persons, Nauru has very limited capacity to respond to a global threat of this magnitude. As such its response has to be streamlined to sit within its capabilities. In this respect its main concern is adaptation,” the document states.

Nauru’s nationally determined contribution, entered in the NDC Registry as the second 2016 climate plan formalized by the Paris Agreement, identifies significant national adaptation strategies for tackling global warming.

“One such improvement will be transition to untapped clean energy sources, such as renewable resources rather than relying on the traditional imported dirty liquid fuels. The other pressing adaptation strategy is to improve the indigenous food supply and portable water availability and storage,” the document states.

Nauru’s official climate action plan pinpoints installation of a large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) system and of a complementary demand side energy management system as key mitigation interventions for the island republic. The solar system would replace an archaic power system, dating back to the early 1950s, that is based on diesel generators.

Nauru estimates the cost of the key mitigation measures at around $50 million. The solar photovoltaic system costs $42 million. The demand side energy system prices at $8 million. The demand side energy system addresses Nauru’s “high night time electrical load.” The demand side energy system would store energy either electrically via batteries or thermally via chilled water.

As a developing country, Nauru looks to climate finance sources to provide funding and technical assistance.

Carbon dioxide emissions contributed by Nauru in 2014 amount to under 0.0002 percent of total global emissions. Despite its small contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, Nauru faces serious threats to survival as a result of the overall effects of global emissions.

Nauru is an oval-shaped island with an area of 8.1 square miles (21 square kilometers). Nauru is the world’s smallest island country. Nauru’s stature as a low-lying, resource-depleted island places the republic among the world’s areas most drastically threatened by climate change’s rising sea levels.

“In conclusion, although a very small nation, Nauru wishes to play its part in the enormous challenge presented to the world by threat of global warming. In Nauru’s case the threat is to its very existence,” states Nauru’s formalized climate action plan.

illustrated map in Nauru International Airport, Yaren District, southwestern Republic of Nauru; Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, 07:02:41: Sean Kelleher, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

aerial view of Pacific Island Republic of Nauru, location of second ARM facility in Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) region; image taken Thursday, June 17, 1999: U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aerial_view_of_Nauru.jpg;
ARM User Facility, CC BY NC SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/armgov/4708951747/

illustrated map in Nauru International Airport, Yaren District, southwestern Republic of Nauru; Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, 07:02:41: Sean Kelleher, CC BY SA 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/seankelleher/15223281457/

For further information:

“Republic of Nauru Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) Under the United Nations Convention on Climate Change.” NDC Registry. April 8, 2016.
Available @ http://unfccc.int/files/focus/ndc_registry/application/pdf/nauru_indc_submission_final.pdf

Marriner, Derdriu. “Papua New Guinea Submits First 2016 Climate Plan under Paris Agreement.” Earth and Space News. Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/papua-new-guinea-submits-first-2016.html

Peruvian Presidential Candidate Keiko Fujimori May Win in April 2016

Summary: Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori must await the second presidential elections round in June 2016 since she may not have enough votes in April.

At least 30,000 protesters marched in Lima Tuesday, April 5, 2016: Iliana R.Santibáñez @ilrodrig, via Twitter April 6, 2016

At least 30,000 protesters are estimated to be causing Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori to re-think her campaign strategy and to suspend last-minute events before Sunday's national presidential elections April 10, 2016.

The 24th anniversary of presidential interventions in the central government’s judicial and legislative branches brought protesters to Lima, the Republic's national capital April 5, 2016. The demonstrations concerned Keiko Sofía Fujimori Higuchi, eldest daughter of Alberto Kenya Fujimori Fujimori, 45th President of Peru from July 28, 1990, to Nov. 22, 2000. The signs of demonstrators declared Fujimori Nunca Más (Fujimori Never Again), Keiko No Va (Keiko, No Way) and Jurado Nacional, Vergüenza Nacional (National Jury, National Shame). They expect her to pardon her father, whose Alianza por el Futuro (Alliance for the Future), until 2010, and Fuerza Popular (Popular Force) run her campaigns.

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori finds herself the only one of nine campaigners whose cultural connections and political legacies are advantageous and disadvantageous, controversial and conventional. Her political experience goes back to her service, from Aug. 23, 1994 to Nov. 22, 2000, between the ages of 19 and 25 as First Lady. She holds the record for receiving the most votes thus far as National Congresswoman elected to represent Lima, from July 28, 2006, to July 28, 2011. The 2016 campaign is her second presidential candidacy, with her first run placing second in the first and the second rounds of the 2011 presidential elections.

Sixty-two year-old Rafael Rey Rey, running mate in 2011, and 71-year-old Clemente Jaime Yoshiyama Tanaka, Fujimori administration minister, join as Vice and Second Vice Presidential candidates.

Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori keeps less public ties with her mother Susana than with Satomi Kataoka, hotel magnate and stepmother since April 6, 2006.

Susana Shizuko Higuchi Miyagawa, Frente Independiente Moralizador (Independent Moralizing Front) Congresswoman for Lima, from July 28, 1990 to July 27, 2000, leads in criticisms of her ex-husband. Her allegations of criminal misdoings before, during and subsequent to filed and finalized divorce proceedings between 1994 and 1996 mark the first significant expression of anti-Fujimorism. Her 77-year-old ex-husband needs a presidential pardon to be released from the Lima area police base where, since 2007, his 25-year sentence is being carried out.

Convictions in December 2007 for illegal searches and seizures and in April, July and September 2009 for human rights violations, embezzlement and bribery occasioned the imprisonment.

The decrease in the number of political rivals from 18 campaign competitors to nine proves to be a major criticism of Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori. Lima’s demonstrators question the Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (National Jury of Elections) barring two front-runners for distributing cash during campaigns and for violating minor electoral procedures. They resent a similar disqualification not being declared against the Fujimori political campaign for Popular Force aides allegedly engaging in similar distributions of cash and gifts.

The results of Ipsos polls suggest that 45 percent of Peruvians, who are required by law to vote, will vote for one of four front-running rivals.

Political analysts and pollsters think that the second round of presidential elections June 5, 2016, will declare Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori Peru's president, or not.

Keiko Fujimori's passport: Keiko Fujimori @KeikoFujimori, via Twitter Aug. 15, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

At least 30,000 protesters marched in Lima Tuesday, April 5, 2016: Iliana R. Santibáñez @ilrodrig, via Twitter April 6, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/ilrodrig/status/717694241435033601

Keiko Fujimori's passport: Keiko Fujimori @KeikoFujimori, via Twitter Aug. 15, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/KeikoFujimori/status/632591414250065920

For further information:

“At Least 30,000 March in Peru Protesting against Presidential Candidate Keiko Fujimori.” ABC News.
Available @ http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-06/at-least-30000-march-in-peru-protesting-against-keiko-fujimori/7305516

Collyns, Dan. 6 April 2016. “Thousands Protest against Presidential Bid by Daughter of Corrupt Former Peru Leader.” The Guardian > World > Americas > Peru.
Available @ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/06/peru-anti-fujimori-protests-days-ahead-of-elections

Iliana R. Santibáñez @ilrodrig. 6 April 2016. "Protests in Peru against Keiko Fujimori's campaign @AJEnglish." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/ilrodrig/status/717694241435033601

Keiko Fujimori @KeikoFujimori. 15 August 2015. "Siempre he tenido un sólo pasaporte, una sola nacionalidad y una sola bandera: La peruana." Twitter.
Available @ https://twitter.com/KeikoFujimori/status/632591414250065920

Marriner, Derdriu. 6 June 2016. "2016 Peruvian Presidential Elections: Kuczynski Second-Round Winner?" Earth and Space News. Monday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/06/2016-peruvian-presidential-elections.html

“Protests in Peru against Keiko Fujimori’s Campaign.” Aljazeera > Politics > 6 Apr 2016.
Available @ http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/04/keiko-fujimori-presidential-bid-angers-peruvians-160406090339183.html

Reuters Staff. 6 April 2016. “Peru Erupts in Anti-Fujimori Protests Days Ahead of Elections.” Reuters > Edition: U.S. > World.
Available @ http://www.reuters.com/article/us-peru-election-idUSKCN0X30GY

Taj, Mitra; and Cespedes, Teresa. 7 April 2016. “As Peru’s Fujimori Splits Voters, Race Is on for Runner-up.” Yahoo! News.
Available @ https://www.yahoo.com/news/perus-fujimori-splits-voters-race-runner-171553919.html

“Tens of Thousands in Peru Protest against Presidential Candidate Fujimori.” 6 April 2016. DW > World > Latin America.
Available @ http://www.dw.com/en/tens-of-thousands-in-peru-protest-against-presidential-candidate-fujimori/a-19170219

All Four BASIC Countries Accept 2016 Earth Day Signing Ceremony Invite

Summary: All four BASIC countries accept 2016 Earth Day Signing Ceremony invite, as announced Thursday, April 7, by Indian Minister of State Prakash Javadekar.

Brazil's José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho (left) with India's Prakash Javadekar (right): MoEF&CC @moefcc, via Twitter April 7, 2016

A joint statement delivered Thursday, April 7, 2016, by Prakash Javadekar, India’s Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, announces that all four BASIC countries accept the 2016 Earth Day Signing Ceremony, taking place April 22 at United Nations headquarters in New York.

“BASIC countries’ ministers and countries have agreed that they will sign Paris Agreement in New York in UN headquarters on 22nd April, and we will start process of ratification in our countries. And we have urged other countries to do the same,” minister Javadekar states.

The announcement by Minister of State (Independent Charge) Javadekar takes place in New Delhi, India, at the conclusion of the 22nd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change. Joining him in BASIC’s acceptance of the 2016 Earth Day Signing Ceremony of the Dec. 12, 2015, Paris Agreement are José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho, Under Secretary-General for the Environment, Energy, Science and Technology in Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations; Maesela David Kekana, Chief Directorate of International Climate Change Relations and Negotiations in South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs; and Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Representative for Climate Change.

Minister Javadekar notes in opening that the 22nd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change is the first important post-Paris climate change meeting.

“We welcomed Paris as a milestone agreement in global climate cooperation. We welcomed Paris because it is to enhance the implementation of [the] Convention. We welcomed Paris because Paris reiterates principles of equity, CBDR and RC,” minister Javadekar says in sketching the 21st annual Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as the setting for the landmark global climate change agreement.

The principle of differentiation, expressed as common but differentiated responsibilities (CMDR) and respective capabilities (RC) is a decades-long sensitive issue in global climate change conversations. Familiarly phrased as “the polluter pays,” the principle traces its first global introduction back to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from June 3 to 14, 1992.

The conference’s document, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, promotes, in principle 16, “the approach that the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest and without distorting international trade and investment.”

The principle’s expression as CBDR and RC emerges March 21, 1994, with the entering into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

On Nov. 28, 2009, Brazil, South Africa, India and China formed the BASIC bloc as four newly industrialized countries with common positions on greenhouse gas emissions and climate finance. All four countries subscribe to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

The 18-point document summarized by minister Javadekar at the press conference emphasizes the ongoing importance of the CBDR-RC principle for the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement.

“The Ministers stressed the differentiated obligations in mitigation actions of developed and developing countries, as well as for the provision of support, and emphasized that developed countries should continue to take the lead. They also recalled that the Paris Agreement specifically mentions that the time frame for peaking will be longer for developing countries. Ministers felt that proper anchoring of differentiation in contributions of developed and developing countries is a sound basis for ambitious actions,” states point 9 of “Joint Statement Issued at the Conclusion of the 22nd BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change.”

Minister Javadekar’s concluding remarks note, “So this is what we deliberated for two days. And it was a very useful meeting, because on 22nd more than 100 countries will sign the Paris Agreement. And immediately thereafter there is a meeting of major economy forum, where all four of us will be there. And therefore today, last two days’ meeting and deliberations, we are proud of many points on which we can work together and also convince the world to make Paris Agreement a success.”

(left to right) Brazil's José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho, South Africa's Maesela Kekana, India's Prakash Javadekar and China's Zhenhua Xie: Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekar, via Twitter April 7, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Brazil's José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho (left) with India's Prakash Javadekar (right): MoEF&CC @moefcc, via Twitter tweet of April 7, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/moefcc/status/717987750012563456

(left to right) Brazil's José Antônio Marcondes de Carvalho, South Africa's Maesela Kekana, India's Prakash Javadekar and China's Zhenhua Xie: Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekar, via Twitter April 7, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/PrakashJavdekar/status/718040982810337280

For further information:

“Joint Statement Issued at the Conclusion of the 22 BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change.” Republic of South Africa Department of Environmental Affairs. April 7, 2016.
Available @ https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/basic2016_ministerialmeeting

Marriner, Derdriu. “2016 Earth Day Signing Caps 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.” Earth and Space News. Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-earth-day-signing-caps-2015-paris.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "U.S.-China Joint Statement Accepts Paris Agreement Earth Day Signing." Earth and Space News. Friday, April 1, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/us-china-joint-statement-accepts-paris.html

MoEF&CC @moefcc. "Other Ministers - South Africa - Mr. Maesela Kekana, China - Mr Zhenhua Xie, Brazil - Mr J Antonio Marcondes." Twitter. April 7, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/moefcc/status/717987750012563456

MOS (IC) Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Government of India. “Joint Statement Issued at the Conclusion of the 22nd Basic Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change.” YouTube. April 7, 2016.
Available @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3zeY9BbngY&feature=youtu.be

Prakash Javadekar @PrakashJavdekar. "#TransformingIndia BASIC countries to sign #ParisAgreement on 22 April 2016 @UN." Twitter. April 7, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/PrakashJavdekar/status/718040982810337280

“Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.” United Nations > General Assembly. General Distr. Aug. 12, 1992.
Available @ http://www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm

Papua New Guinea Submits First 2016 Climate Plan Under Paris Agreement

Summary: Papua New Guinea submits first 2016 climate plan under Paris Agreement for logging into UN Climate Change Secretariat's NDC Registry.

Lush greenery of Papua New Guinea's dense rainforests contrasts with Australia's landscape, as viewed from space: NASA World Wind, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

On Thursday, March 24, with the 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony only 30 days away, Papua New Guinea submits the first 2016 climate plan under the 2015 Paris Agreement to the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat in Bonn, Germany.

“I congratulate Papua New Guinea on this first NDC,” Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat, states in an announcement released Tuesday, March 29, by the United Nations Climate Change Newsroom.

The climate change executive secretary explains the context of Papua New Guinea’s significant formal submission.

“Before the UN climate change conference in Paris, the international community had already envisioned an unprecedented response with almost every nation on Earth setting out their preliminary action plans to address climate change. These provide the foundation upon which the world will over time strengthen their ability to keep a global temperature rise well under 2 degrees C if not 1.5 degrees C, and build resilient societies,” Christiana Figueres notes.

“Much more remains to be done but NDCs under the Paris Agreement represent one of the next key steps alongside the opening for signature of the Agreement in New York on April 22 en route to it swiftly coming into force,” the UN Climate Change executive secretary observes.

The 21st annual Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held from Monday, Nov. 30, to Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015. Prior to COP21, participating countries were encouraged to submit intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) that identified national climate action strategies that contribute to the global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

After adoption of the Paris Agreement by consensus at the close of COP21, the 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony at United Nations headquarters in New York figures as the next major step within the United Nations climate change framework. The Paris Agreement takes effect within 30 days of signed acceptance by at least 55 countries that account for a global greenhouse gas emissions total of at least 55 percent.

Papua New Guinea’s submission of the first climate plan under the Paris Agreement points to the landmark agreement’s authority to accept formal commitments to climate change actions. Previously communicated intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) now undergo formalized submission as nationally determined contributions (NDCs).

In addition to congratulating Papua New Guinea for the first 2016 climate plan under the Paris Agreement, the UN Climate Change Newsroom release also announces the creation of a new page, NDC Registry, on the website for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The creation of the NDC Registry complies with the Paris Agreement’s provision, via Article 4, paragraph 12, that “Nationally determined contributions communicated by Parties shall be recorded in a public registry maintained by the secretariat.”

The Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) submitted its intended nationally determined contribution in September 2015.

“GoPNG is informing the UNFCCC Secretariat that we are satisfied with our INDC becoming our first NDC and our INDC can be uploaded to the interim registry of NDCs,” Joe Pokana, acting managing director of Papua New Guinea’s Climate Change and Development Authority, states in a cover letter to Christiana Figueres.

Papua New Guinea's submission March 24, 2016, counts as first climate action plan under 2015 Paris Agreement: Christiana Figueres @CFigueres, via Twitter March 29, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Lush greenery of Papua New Guinea's dense rainforests contrasts with Australia's landscape, as viewed from space: NASA World Wind, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PNG-climate.png

Papua New Guinea's submission March 24, 2016, counts as first climate action plan under 2015 Paris Agreement: Christiana Figueres @CFigueres, via Twitter March 29, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/CFigueres/status/714827162176593920

For further information:

Christiana Figueres @CFigueres. "Congrats, Papua New Guinea, 1st country to send in #climateaction plan under #ParisAgreement." Twitter. March 29, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/CFigueres/status/714827162176593920

“NDC Registry.” United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Available @ http://unfccc.int/focus/ndc_registry/items/9433.php

“Papua New Guinea Sends in First Climate Plan under Paris Agreement; UNFCCC Secretariat Starts New List of NDCs.” UN Climate Change Newsroom. March 29, 2016.
Available @ http://newsroom.unfccc.int/unfccc-newsroom/papua-new-guinea-sends-in-first-climate-plan-under-paris-agreement/

2016 Earth Day Signing Caps 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement

Summary: Scheduled for April 22 at the United Nations in New York, the 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony caps 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Ségolène Royal and Ban Ki-moon: Ségolène @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter April 1, 2016

The 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony, scheduled for April 22 at the United Nations in New York, caps the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement and, with 55 signers representing at least 55 percent of global emissions, leads into enforcing 2015’s crowning global warming achievement.

Ségolène Royal is enthusiastically pursuing her responsibilities as newly appointed president of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), the 21st session of the Paris Agreement’s host framework, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). On Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, François Hollande, 24th president of France, appointed Ségolène Royal as successor to Laurent Fabius, who resigned from the COP21 residency in a letter dated Monday, Feb. 15.

On Feb. 17, Ségolène Royal tweets in French: “Très honorée de présider la conférence des Nations Unies sur le Climat. Appliquer l’accord de Paris et les Solutions.”

The new COP21 president then tweets an English translation: “Very honored to become President of #COP21. Let’s build on the results of the Paris conference.”

Ségolène Royal identifies for Le Monde reporters her top three priorities as newly appointed president of COP21.

“Les trois priorités sont de faire en sortie que l’accord de Paris se concrétise, que les contributions nationales soient effectivement appliquées par les pays et que l’agenda des solutions soit mis en oeuvre afin que l’action se poursuivre entre aujourd’hui et 2020,” she explains Thursday, Feb. 18, in the evening article by Le Monde reporters Sophie Landrin, Pierre Le Hir and Simon Roger announcing Royal’s appointment.

(Translation: “The three priorities are to ensure that the Paris Agreement is put into effect, that countries effectively implement their national contributions, and that the solutions agenda is implemented in order for action to continue from now to 2020.”)

Ségolène Royal quickly focuses on the hurdle of garnering the required number of signatures for the landmark Paris Climate Change Agreement. Early in March, 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony invitations, signed jointly by Ségolène Royal as COP21 president, Ban Ki-Moon as Secretary General of the United Nations and François Hollande as president of the French Republic, are sent to world letters (Chefs d’État et de Gouvernment). On Friday, March 11, the invitational letter is publicized during an organizational meeting for the 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony at United Nations headquarters in New York.

The invitation is issued in French and also in English.

invitation in French to ceremony of Signature Accord de Paris: SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter March 18, 2016

A huge step toward a successful 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony takes place Thursday, March 31. The White House’s Office of the Press Secretary releases a statement of joint acceptance by China and the United States, the two biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

“The United States and China will sign the Paris Agreement on April 22 and take their respective domestic steps in order to join the Agreement as early as possible this year,” the two presidents, 44th U.S. President Barack Obama and 7th President of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping, state in their joint acceptance of the 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony invitation.

Another step toward a successful 2016 Earth Day signing ceremony takes place Wednesday, March 30, the day before the issuing of the U.S.-China Joint Presidential Statement on Climate Change. The southwestern Pacific Island nation of Papua New Guinea submits its final Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Papua New Guinea claims the honor of being the first country to submit a final national climate action plan under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Papua New Guinea’s official climate action plan commits to transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Most of Papua New Guinea, celebrated for its faunal and floral biodiversity, lies low in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The island nation’s 600 islands account for more than 17,000 kilometers (10,563 miles) of coastline. About 500,000 people live in Papua New Guinea’s nearly 2,000 coastal villages. Papua New Guinea’s citizens number among the most vulnerable (les plus vulnérables) identified in Ségolène Royal’s joint invitational letter.

invitation in English to the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement on climate change: SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter March 18, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Ségolène Royal and Ban Ki-moon: Ségolène Royal @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter April 1, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/RoyalSegolene/status/715978115537846273

invitation in French to ceremony of Signature Accord de Paris: SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter March 18, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/RoyalSegolene/status/710862778052059136

invitation in English to the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement on climate change: SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene, via Twitter March 18, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/royalsegolene/status/710865577611534336

For further information:

Landrin, Sophie, Pierre Le Hir and Simon Roger “Ségolène Royal deviant président de la COP21.” Jeudi 18 février 2016.
Available via Twitter @ https://twitter.com/RoyalSegolene/status/700354946684813312

Marriner, Derdriu. "Kerry Malcorra Talk Week Begins March 30, 2016, in Washington, D.C." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, March 30, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/kerry-malcorra-talk-week-begins-march.html

Marriner, Derdriu. “U.S.-China Joint Statement Accepts Paris Agreement Earth Day Signing.” Earth and Space News. Friday, April 1, 2016.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/us-china-joint-statement-accepts-paris.html

SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene. "22 april NY: signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement on climate change." Twitter. March 18, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/royalsegolene/status/710865577611534336

Ségolène Royal @RoyalSegolene. "Ban Ki moon : un record historique de signatures se profile pour le 22.04. Le SG remercie pr le travail post #COP21." Twitter. April 1, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/RoyalSegolene/status/715978115537846273

SégolèneRoyal @RoyalSegolene. "Signature Accord de Paris sur le climat, mobilisation Chefs d'État." Twitter. March 18, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/RoyalSegolene/status/710862778052059136