In order to achieve its goals, Conexant developed a Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) that is used as framework to develop and manage programs that prevent pollution, minimize the company's overall environmental impact, reduce health and safety risks, promote integrity and fair labor practice, and continually improve business practices and performance. Conexant's SEMS is certified to ISO 14001:2004 (International Organization for Standardization - Environmental Management Systems) and conforms to the requirements of OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Administration Standard - Health and Safety Management Systems), and the EICC (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition - Electronic Industry Code of Conduct).

Conexant's recent environmentally friendly accomplishments include:

-- Achieving greater than 98 percent compliance meeting restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)/green requirements for legacy products, and 100 percent compliancy for all new products.

-- Reducing energy consumption throughout worldwide facilities by at least 10 percent, while reducing carbon emissions by hundreds of tons per year through initiatives that reduced power requirements for lighting, AC/heating, computing, printing, and data storage.

-- Reducing energy consumption and air emissions from employee travel by approximately 57 percent through the use of various work-collaboration tools

-- Lowering fuel/emissions/impact on landfills by reducing the amount of packing materials by 60 percent.

-- Increasing the use of post-consumer recycled materials by approximately 25 percent.

About Conexant

Conexant's comprehensive portfolio of innovative semiconductor solutions includes products for imaging, audio, embedded-modem, and video applications. Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. For more information, visit www.conexant.com.

About Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Supply & Demand Chain Executive is the executive's user manual for successful supply and demand chain transformation, utilizing hard-hitting analysis, viewpoints and unbiased case studies to steer executives and supply management professionals through the complicated, yet critical, world of supply and demand chain enablement to gain competitive advantage. On the Web at www.SDCExec.com.

Conexant is a registered trademark of Conexant Systems, Inc.

SOURCE: Conexant Systems, Inc.

Conexant Systems, Inc. 
Gwen Carlson 
(949) 483-7363

In early 2008, Con-way launched a formal sustainability program across its operating companies -- Con-way Truckload, Con-way Freight and Menlo Worldwide Logistics -- and at its trailer manufacturing division, Road Systems, Inc. (RSI). Sustainability highlights across the enterprise include:

Con-way Freight (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2006)

--  SmartWay Excellence Award winner -- 2008
--  Speed reduction -- 65 to 62 mph in 2008
--  Installed low-profile tires to improve rolling resistance and reduce
    weight
--  Set idling monitors to three minutes
--  Annual diesel fuel savings: 3,594,377 gallons (3.8 percent)
--  Annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction: 601,928 tons
--  Annual particulate matter emissions reduction: 32.09 tons

Con-way Truckload (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2005)

--  SmartWay Excellence Award winner in 2006 and 2007
--  Speed reduction -- 70 to 65 mph in 2008
--  100 percent of tractors converted to single wide-base tires
--  Truck spec weight lowered by 670 pounds, saving 11,400 gallons of
    diesel fuel each year
--  Annual diesel fuel savings: 3,050,060 gallons
--  Annual carbon dioxide emissions reduction: 340,872 tons
--  Annual particulate matter emissions reduction: 21.63 tons

Menlo Worldwide Logistics (SmartWay Transport Partner since 2007)

--  85 percent of network miles run by SmartWay-approved carriers, with 75
    percent carrier participation
--  Implemented no-idling policy at distribution centers
--  Launched the first LEED-certified warehouse
--  Installed more efficient lighting and motion detection systems to
    reduce energy consumption
--  Conducted energy audits at 18 company locations

RSI

--  Recycled 80 percent of old trailers, eliminating 7,424 pounds of waste
    per 28-foot trailer
--  Recycled all aluminum components, suspension and wheel end components,
    tires and wheels
--  Established a facilitywide recycling program for paper, plastic and
    aluminum

"Working to shrink our carbon footprint in meaningful, tangible ways is a continuous process of improvement and waste reduction, not unlike Lean and Six Sigma methodologies," added Miller. "Effective green initiatives can and should be founded in good business practice that achieves environmental goals while contributing to efficiency and the bottom line. It provides competitive advantage on several fronts while benefiting our customers and their sustainability strategies."

Follow Con-way on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Con_way_.

Con-way images are available at www.con-way.com/en/about_con_way/newsroom.

About Con-way Inc.

Con-way Inc. (NYSE: CNW) is a $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. A diversified transportation company, Con-way delivers industry-leading services through three primary operating companies: Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide Logistics. These operating units provide high-performance, day-definite less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload and intermodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services and trailer manufacturing. Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries operate from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries. For more information about Con-way, visit www.con-way.com.

Contacts:
KG Partners
Belinda Donovan/Amber Caouette
(207) 773-0700
bdonovan@kgmoment.com
acaouette@kgmoment.com

Con-way Inc.
Tom Nightingale
(734) 757-1609
nightingale.tom@con-way.com

SOURCE: Con-way Inc.

mailto:bdonovan@kgmoment.com
mailto:acaouette@kgmoment.com
mailto:nightingale.tom@con-way.com

(NASDAQ: CHKP - Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.)

(NASDAQ: CHRD - Chordiant Software, Inc.)

(NASDAQ: CLRT - Clarient, Inc.)

(NASDAQ: CMED - China Medical Technologies, Inc.)

(NASDAQ: CNXT - Conexant Systems, Inc.)

www.StockMarketingInc.com

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email us!! info@StockMarketingInc.com or call 1-866-583-8960

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(OTCBB: XCEL - Xcellink International Inc.)

LATEST NEWS!!

Xcellink Signs Agreement With Technology Giant 3i Infotech for iPhone Integration

LAS VEGAS, NV, Nov 10, 2009 -- Xcellink International Inc. (OTCBB: XCEL), a developer of a patented mobile payments & banking platforms, is pleased to announce that is has executed an agreement with 3i Infotech for the development and integration of its patented software with Apple's iPhone technology.

Work will be carried out by 3i Infotech's development team, and it is expected that the new technology will be ready for testing in early January 2010. The board of Xcellink is extremely excited by this relationship due in part to the 3i Infotech Group of Companies, which includes Regulus Group, a subsidiary of the global information technology company 3i Infotech, and one of North America's largest payment processors.

Regulus Group is one of the brightest stars in the payment processing industry providing statement and bill presentment services to clients in the financial services, health care, insurance, telecommunications, and utilities industries. Regulus handles about 2 billion paper and electronic transactions each year.

After the testing has been completed on the iPhone, the next step will be software development and integration for Research in Motion's Blackberry software and also for Nokia smart phones.

There are more than 40 million worldwide owners of the iPhone/iPod Touch platform, over 25 million blackberry subscribers and Nokia, the world's largest maker of smartphones, controlled 45 percent of the market in the second quarter of 2009.

A company spokesman commented, "Xcellink is building out its relationships with major providers of both software development and mobile technologies. Our goal is to have the majority of smart phone technologies integrated with our patented software, and roll out some of our products by year's end." About 3i Infotech 3i Infotech is a global Information Technology company, which provides technology solutions to over 1,500 customers in more than 50 countries across 5 continents, spanning a range of verticals -- Insurance, Financial Services, and Governments. 3i Infotech was promoted by the NYSE-listed ICICI Bank, India's largest private sector bank. The Company integrates its products and services to create customized solutions to allow you to undertake technology-based business transformation that allows reorganization in line with today's dynamic digital business environment. Please see http://www.3i-infotech.com About Xcellink Xcellink International Inc. is a developer of advanced platform-independent customer-centric payment systems and methodologies. Xcellink's patented system has the technical ability to replace all credit, debit, charge and smart cards, providing all functions of order, warehousing, delivery and payment for all types of goods and services in a customer-centric manner that is more efficient, economical, and secure than systems operating today. Xcellink's unique process enables customers, rather than the merchant, to initiate, control and pay for all transactions, without the need for credit cards, in real-time anywhere, anytime, and at a fraction of the cost of current transactions.

Please visit www.xcellink.com

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(NASDAQ: CHKP - Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.)

LATEST NEWS!!

Check Point Awarded International Common Criteria EAL4 Certification for Full Disk Encryption

Check Point Data Security Solutions Ensure Customers Benefit From the Highest Encryption Standard

REDWOOD CITY, CA, Nov 09, 2009 -- Check Point(R) Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced Check Point Endpoint Security(TM) Full Disk Encryption, Pointsec(R) PC 6.3.1 has received Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4) certification from the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP). Government agencies and security-conscious enterprises that require EAL4 certification can now benefit from the data protection Full Disk Encryption offers.

Full Disk Encryption provides the highest level of data security for laptops and PCs through a combination of pre-boot authentication and strong encryption algorithms. The solution can be deployed independently or as part of Check Point Endpoint Security, the first and only single agent that combines all the critical components for total security on the endpoint.

EAL4 certification is the highest standard level existing encryption products can receive, and indicates the product has passed a long and stringent evaluation process. The International Standard Organization initially adopted Common Criteria and uses EAL levels as global standards. EAL4 certification provides assurance to government agencies, and any organization protecting mission critical assets, that Check Point security solutions meet or exceed strict criteria. Many government agencies require data security solutions to have at the minimum EAL4 certification.

"Information on endpoint devices is most vulnerable to theft or loss, so to achieve complete protection, it's essential that an organization's endpoint security solution include data encryption," said Ben Khoushy, vice president of endpoint products at Check Point. "EAL4 certification not only allows additional government entities to benefit from Check Point's leading data encryption solutions, but also objectively validates the overall design and functionality of Check Point endpoint solutions. Full Disk Encryption ensures data remains protected, regulatory requirements are met and the organization's reputation stays intact." In addition to Full Disk Encryption for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux based computers, Check Point offers customers port and removable media protection through Check Point Media Encryption and mobile phone encryption through Pointsec Mobile. Check Point encryption products are quick and simple to deploy, scale to any size organization, are proven in many industry and government deployments around the world, and support the broadest set of platforms.

EAL4 certification for Full Disk Encryption is the latest of many industry standards Check Point products consistently meet. More information on third-party certifications received by Check Point can be found at: www.checkpoint.com/products/certifications/.

"Through Check Point, customers benefit from the industry's most secure security solutions, as demonstrated by Check Point's ability to consistently meet stringent industry certifications," concluded Khoushy.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com), worldwide leader in securing the Internet, is the only vendor to deliver Total Security for networks, data and endpoints, unified under a single management framework. Check Point provides customers uncompromised protection against all types of threats, reduces security complexity and lowers total cost of ownership. Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology. Today, Check Point continues to innovate with the development of the Software Blade architecture. The dynamic Software Blade architecture delivers secure, flexible and simple solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact security needs of any organization or environment. Check Point customers include tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes including all Fortune 100 companies. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumers from hackers, spyware and identity theft.

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(NASDAQ: CHRD - Chordiant Software, Inc.)

LATEST NEWS!!

Chordiant Software Named to FinTech 100 List of Financial Services Providers for Sixth Year in a Row

American Banker, Bank Technology News, and IDC Financial Insights Include Chordiant on List of Top Global Technology Providers to the Financial Services Industry

CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov 09, 2009 -- Chordiant Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHRD), the leading provider of Customer Experience (Cx(TM)) software and services, today announced that American Banker, Bank Technology News, and IDC Financial Insights, an independent research services firm, have included Chordiant in the sixth annual FinTech 100 rankings of the top global technology providers to the financial services industry. This year, Chordiant was ranked 73rd and has been ranked on the Fin Tech 100 every year since the list's inception.

"We are very pleased to be listed on the Fintech 100 for the sixth year in a row," said Steven R. Springsteel, chairman, president and CEO, Chordiant Software. "Our continuous inclusion clearly reflects the fact that global financial services companies turn to our customer experience solutions to improve their competitiveness, which is paramount during the current economic climate." The FinTech 100 includes vendors that derive more than one-third of eligible revenue from the financial services industry. All rankings are based on Financial Insights' revenue estimates including information provided by public and private companies. Financial Insights conducted analysis on more than 400 companies for this recognition.

To obtain a complete copy of the report, please visit: http://www.americanbanker.com/fintech100/ About Chordiant Software, Inc.

Chordiant Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:CHRD), the leading provider of Customer Experience (Cx(TM)) software and services optimizes the customer experience to help global brands multiply customer lifetime value. Chordiant arms marketing, customer service and customer loyalty executives with a suite of intelligent conversation management applications to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in customer experience. By maximizing the value of every conversation across all channels, Chordiant enables today's fast-paced brands to engage more effectively with customers and quickly measure whether business strategies are succeeding, resulting in faster acquisition, improved competitiveness, less churn, and superior customer service.

For more information please visit www.chordiant.com.

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(NASDAQ: CLRT - Clarient, Inc.)

LATEST NEWS!!

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Nov 09, 2009 -- Clarient, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLRT), a premier technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that it is scheduled to make presentations at two upcoming investor conferences in New York City.

The first presentation will be made at the Lazard Capital Markets Sixth Annual Healthcare Conference at 1:40 pm EST on Tuesday, November 17. The conference will be held at the St. Regis Hotel November 17-18.

The second presentation will be made at the 21st Annual Piper Jaffray Health Care Conference at 10:30 am EST on Wednesday, December 2. The conference will be held at the New York Palace Hotel December 1-2.

Live webcasts of the Company's presentations at the conferences will be available via a link provided at http://www.clarientinc.com/investor. Archived replays of the presentations will also be available shortly after the presentation time for a period of at least 60 days.

About Clarient Clarient combines innovative diagnostic technologies with world-class pathology expertise to assess and characterize cancer. Clarient's mission is to become the leader in cancer diagnostics by collaborating with the healthcare community to translate cancer research and development into better patient care. Clarient's principal customers include pathologists, oncologists, hospitals and biopharmaceutical companies. The rise of individualized medicine has created the need for a centralized resource which provides leading oncology diagnostic technologies, such as flow cytometry and molecular testing. Clarient is that resource, having created a state-of-the-art commercial cancer laboratory, which provides the most advanced oncology testing and diagnostic services available. Resulting diagnostic reports and analyses are made available to customers through Clarient's Internet-based portal, PATHSiTE(TM). Clarient also plans to develop and market new, proprietary "companion" diagnostic markers for therapeutics in breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers, and leukemia/lymphoma. www.clarientinc.com

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(NASDAQ: CMED - China Medical Technologies, Inc.)

LATEST NEWS!!

China Medical Technologies Receives SFDA Approval for its Leukemia BCR/ABL Fusion Gene Detection FISH Probe

BEIJING, Nov 09, 2009 / -- China Medical Technologies, Inc. (the "Company") (Nasdaq: CMED), a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced in-vitro diagnostic products, today announced that the Company has received approval for its Leukemia BCR/ABL fusion gene detection FISH Probe (the "Leukemia BCR/ABL FISH Probe") from the State Food and Drug Administration of China (the "SFDA"). The Leukemia BCR/ABL FISH Probe is a molecular diagnostic test kit that uses DNA probes for accurate detection of Philadelphia translocation, which is a specific chromosomal abnormality associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia ("CML"), acute lymphoblastic leukemia ("ALL") and acute myelogenous leukemia ("AML"). Philadelphia translocation is the result of a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. The translocation results in the presence of a fusion gene which is created by juxtapositioning of a part of the breakpoint cluster region ("BCR") gene from chromosome 22 to the Abelson ("ABL") gene on chromosome 9. CML, ALL and AML are some of the most common types of leukemia, and detecting Philadelphia translocation is a critical diagnosis and prognosis guidance for selecting different treatment protocols for patients with CML, ALL and AML.

As of today, the Company has received SFDA approvals for all the major FISH probes that the Company acquired as part of the FISH business in March 2007, which include HER-2 FISH Probe, Prenatal FISH Probe, Cervical Cancer FISH Probe, Bladder Cancer FISH Probe and Leukemia BCR/ABL FISH Probe. The FISH probes that the Company developed after its acquisition of the FISH business in March 2007, such as the EGFR molecular diagnostic kits, Prostate Cancer FISH Probe, Lymphoma FISH Probe, Sarcoma FISH Probe and FISH probes related to other forms of leukemia, are either in the clinical trial stage or under SFDA review.

"We believe we have become a leading developer and manufacturer of FISH probes in China with the most comprehensive FISH probes for clinical screening, diagnosis and prognosis," commented Mr. Xiaodong Wu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "We believe our FISH probes will continue to drive a healthy growth for our company by generating sustainable and recurring revenue. We are also confident that our newly developed FISH probes will be approved by the SFDA in the future on a timely basis." About China Medical Technologies, Inc.

China Medical Technologies is a leading China-based medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets advanced in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) products using Enhanced Chemiluminescence (ECLIA) technology, Fluorescent in situ Hybridization (FISH) technology and Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) technology to detect and monitor various diseases and disorders. For more information, please visit http://www.chinameditech.com .

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(NASDAQ: CNXT - Conexant Systems, Inc.)

LATEST NEWS!!

Conexant Wins 2009 Green Supply Chain Award

Company's Green Business Practices Recognized by Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Nov 09, 2009 -- Conexant Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNXT), a leading supplier of innovative semiconductor solutions for imaging, audio, embedded-modem, and video applications, today announced that it won a 2009 Green Supply Chain Award from Supply & Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) magazine. Conexant was recognized for implementing a "green" or sustainable supply chain strategy within its own organization. Winners were selected based on a variety of criteria including the impact of the results to date, and projected results.

"We are proud to have earned SDCE's 2009 Green Supply Chain Award in this year's competition," said Sailesh Chittipeddi, co-president of Conexant. "Conexant is committed to the preservation of the environment and the health and safety of our employees, and we will continue to implement green business initiatives that support this pledge. The cost-savings we have achieved to date with our green initiatives also support our operational financial objectives, and demonstrate that environmentally friendly practices can also be good for business." In order to achieve its goals, Conexant developed a Social and Environmental Management System (SEMS) that is used as framework to develop and manage programs that prevent pollution, minimize the company's overall environmental impact, reduce health and safety risks, promote integrity and fair labor practice, and continually improve business practices and performance. Conexant's SEMS is certified to ISO 14001:2004 (International Organization for Standardization - Environmental Management Systems) and conforms to the requirements of OHSAS 18001:2007 (Occupational Health and Safety Administration Standard - Health and Safety Management Systems), and the EICC (Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition - Electronic Industry Code of Conduct).

Conexant's recent environmentally friendly accomplishments include: -- Achieving greater than 98 percent compliance meeting restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS)/green requirements for legacy products, and 100 percent compliancy for all new products.

-- Reducing energy consumption throughout worldwide facilities by at least 10 percent, while reducing carbon emissions by hundreds of tons per year through initiatives that reduced power requirements for lighting, AC/heating, computing, printing, and data storage.

-- Reducing energy consumption and air emissions from employee travel by approximately 57 percent through the use of various work-collaboration tools -- Lowering fuel/emissions/impact on landfills by reducing the amount of packing materials by 60 percent.

-- Increasing the use of post-consumer recycled materials by approximately 25 percent.

About Conexant Conexant's comprehensive portfolio of innovative semiconductor solutions includes products for imaging, audio, embedded-modem, and video applications. Conexant is a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif. For more information, visit www.conexant.com.

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-- The World Resources Institute was awarded $200,000 to support the "Green House Gas Protocol" initiative, a program that defines and promotes public reporting of companies' greenhouse gas emissions, and to the Green Supply Chain Group's program to strengthen the environmental performance of the supply chain industry in China.

-- Earth Day Network was awarded $150,000, which will go toward its National Civic Education Project and a related Education Media Campaign program.

-- Keep America Beautiful received $200,000 to be used for its 2010 Community Improvement program, which is focused on recycling, conservation, education and employee engagement.

-- The National Arbor Day Foundation received $50,000 for reforestation efforts in northern California's Plumas National Forest damaged by recent fires.

-- The National Council for Science and the Environment was awarded $90,000 for its "Campus to Careers" green jobs internship program, and sponsorship support for the National New Green Economy Conference in January 2010.

-- The National Park Foundation received $150,000 for the First Bloom youth engagement and education program, which provides children in grades 4-6 with hands-on native plant restoration projects and lessons.

-- The Nature Conservancy received $250,000 for reforestation and protection of forests in Kenya; the development of a carbon offset program in Brazil, and completion of the first part of a climate change assessment in China.

In 2008, The UPS Foundation added "Environmental Sustainability" as one of its focused giving areas to complement its focus on environmentally responsible business practices.

Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation's major areas of focus include community safety, non-profit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2007, The UPS Foundation donated more than $46 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS's community involvement.

For additional information on The UPS Foundation's environmental commitment, visit www.sustainability.ups.com/community.

SOURCE: The UPS Foundation

UPS 
Keisha Simmons, 404-828-6798 
keishasimmons@ups.com 
or 
Fleishman-Hillard 
Kathryn McClelland, 314-982-9133 
kathryn.mcclelland@fleishman.com

Bidegain said that while landlocked countries in this region like Bolivia and Paraguay would especially suffer the rise in temperatures, coastal countries like Argentina and Uruguay would be hit harder by the effects of the rising sea level.

In the meantime, Brazil is investing millions of dollars in efforts to study and adapt to impacts like the gradual transformation of the Amazon jungle into savannah, and has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 36.1 or 38.9 percent - depending on GDP growth levels - by 2020.

The expert said Uruguay - which is sandwiched between Argentina and Brazil - will not escape the impacts. The last five-yearly report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in 2007, said that in the best-case scenario, the average global temperature would rise between two and 2.5 degrees by 2050.

The report by Tierramerica, a specialised news service on the environment and development produced by the IPS (Inter Press Service) news agency with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that is published by 20 newspapers in the region, is based on the responses of 23 climate change experts who were sent an extensive questionnaire by email, which was then supplemented by telephone contacts.

Several of the experts are members of the IPCC, like Bidegain, who was a reviewer of the Climate Change 2007 - The Physical Science Basis Working Group I Contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC and of the IPCC Technical Paper on Climate Change and Water (2008).

The aim of the special 40-page Tierramerica report, "Latin America and the Irreversible Effects of a Warmer Planet", which is available on-line in Spanish, is to analyse the state of global warming in the region, by consulting with experts, scientists and authorities, and representatives of civil society and international bodies. Updated reports will be produced periodically.

The report was presented Thursday in Montevideo by its author, Cristina Canoura, and IPS regional editor for Latin America, Diana Cariboni, ahead of the Dec. 7-18 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

In the Danish capital, delegates from around the world will try to reach agreement on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.

"A worrisome aspect for Uruguay is the rise in the average sea level. There is even greater uncertainty in that respect from a scientific point of view, because there is enormous debate, and even today the models used to project this kind of variable are not entirely reliable at a global level," said Bidegain.

The IPCC projected a 60 cm rise in sea level by the end of the century, although other researchers believe that is an overly conservative estimate and warn that it could rise by over a metre.

This is especially alarming for Uruguay, said the scientist, given that this country has only seen a 10-cm rise in sea level in the past 60 years. "This would be at least six times that, which is overwhelming," he remarked.

"This, naturally, has all kinds of effects on daily life that you can't even imagine. The rise in sea level won't only cause coastal flooding, but a process of salinisation of lakes, like at the mouth of the Santa Lucia river, where Montevideo gets its water," he said.

The scientist said adaptation efforts should be prioritised over mitigation initiatives. "The change is going to happen. The greenhouse gases that we have already emitted will remain in the atmosphere. What we are seeing now is not because of what we're emitting today, but what we have released into the atmosphere in past decades," he explained.

"Global warming is inevitable in the next 50 years. That must be understood. It's inevitable, no matter what we do. What will be negotiated in Copenhagen is an agreement to achieve an at-least voluntary reduction in greenhouse gases to try to curb the warming, but unfortunately it is going to continue for several decades."

Bidegain explained the concept of irreversibility discussed in the Tierramerica report.

"There are scientists in the world pointing out that with a more than two degree rise in the average global temperature, the climate system could stabilise at a certain level, which no one knows what that would be, but at which we would all suffer. But later, even with voluntary or coordinated greenhouse gas cuts, there would be no return, even to current levels," he said.

"Our society is based on the consumption of fossil fuels which, whether coal or oil, emit greenhouse gases when we burn them. We have to think of a new kind of society, a new way of life," said Bidegain.

The researcher underlined that Uruguay has made progress, especially with the creation this year of the National System of Response to Climate Change, although he also stressed the need to design concrete long-term plans for agriculture and livestock, chief economic sectors in this country that will be affected.

Winter crops like wheat and barley will be hit hardest, according to experts. "It's necessary to think about that with respect to the future, how Uruguay is going to cover that shortage. We will have practically no flour to make bread. Are we going to replace it with another crop? Climate change presents us with opportunities as well as challenges," he said.

One of the experts surveyed for the Tierramerica report, Agustin Gimenez, said "the most evident and negative effects of climate change in Uruguay and in the region (southern Brazil and the pampas in Argentina) are the increase in climate variability and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events."

Gimenez is national coordinator of the National Institute of Agricultural Research unit on research and development on agro-climate and information systems.

The Tierramerica report says that Latin America and the Caribbean could suffer a loss of agricultural revenue of up to 12 percent, in a scenario of mild climate change, and of up to 50 percent in a more severe scenario.

Bidegain also underscored the need for these problems to be given priority in the plans of the future government of Uruguay, which will be elected in the Nov. 29 presidential runoff election.

Tierramerica is a multimedia platform that offers news reports, interviews and columns on the environment and development in Spanish, English and Portuguese in print, audio and images. It is sponsored by UNEP, the UNDP and the World Bank.

He believes innovation is critical in facilitating CCA, which involves adjusting natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climatic stimuli, particularly as authorities noted the country is already experiencing climate change?s repercussions like onslaught of increasingly violent weather disturbances.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change lead coordinating author Dr. Rodel Lasco also pointed to the urgency of generating needed resources, reporting CCA between 2010 and 2050 will likely cost developing countries around USD75-billion to USD90-billion annually.

?Gross cost will be highest in the Asia-Pacific region where the Philippines is,? he told the conference participants.

Unless the Philippines adapts successfully to climate change, Paje projects poverty incidence nationwide to worsen.

Environmentalist Sen. Loren Legarda is backing CCA, noting about 75 percent of rural people living below the USD1.25 per day international poverty line are vulnerable to weather fluctuations and hazards.

?They have little or no surplus capacity to absorb loses,? she said at the event.

She raised this point while warning climate change is turbo-charging smaller-scale disasters and this helps diminish capital for the poor.

Adaptation and mitigation are the two strategies government identified in its newly enacted Republic Act 9729, the Climate Change Act of 2009, to address the climate change issue.

Mitigation involves human interventions to lower emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) which experts already identified as accumulating in the atmosphere and trapping heat there, causing global warming leading to climate change.

To help generate resources for CCA, Paje is recommending that power plant owners pay for rehabilitating watersheds where these draw water used in electricity production.

He rationalized this proposal by pointing out power plants can?t produce electricity if watersheds run out of water.

The River Basin Control Office earlier said environmental degradation, soil erosion and implementation of incongruent land uses are among factors destroying the country?s watersheds.

Paje also said authorities must invest in forests part of financial gains from such eco-systems so these can be preserved better and sustainably used more for future generations.

Presidential Adviser on Global Warming and Climate Change Sec. Heherson Alvarez is backing calls to protect forests and to replant denuded areas.

?Our forests can absorb some 20 percent of the Philippines? carbon dioxide emission,? he said.

As head of the country?s delegation to international negotiations for a new climate deal that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol, he is urging developed nations to institute ?deep and early cuts? in respective GHG emissions.

This will help avert ?runaway climate change? that will otherwise ensue if global temperature rises by an additional two degrees due to continuous increase in GHG emissions, he said.

?The problem will be unmanageable if carbon dioxide emission, its first cause, isn?t diminished,? he said at the conference.

Alvarez is supporting CCA?s implementation and said climate change is triggering onslaught of more violent weather disturbances.

He recalled such disturbances were uncommon just 40 years ago.

?We need to adapt,? he said.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda expects best CCA practices to be identified during the conference which carries the theme ?Moving Forward on Albay Declaration 2007.?

He said these practices will serve as input for establishing the Philippine Strategic Framework on CCA.

In 2007, typhoon-weary Albay under his helm hosted the conference?s initial staging to explore options on addressing potential impact of climate change and its policy implications for local government units.