U.N. starts climate change strategy site

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A new United Nations online database showcases successful strategies by U.S. and world businesses and communities to adapt to climate change, officials said.

The database on the Web site of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change features more than 100 examples from companies such as Coca-Cola Co., Levi Strauss & Co., Microsoft Corp. and Starbucks Coffee Co., sharing the details of their business-friendly adaptation practices, they said.

"By showcasing private sector adaptation success stories, we intend to help both communities and businesses become more climate-resilient and to put the benefits and business sense of adaptation firmly on the agenda of the private sector," UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres said.

"Climate risks which affect communities around the world are always also business risks," she said.

Examples in the database include efforts to make drinking water clean and safe in developing countries and efforts to improve the yield of coffee beans in regions that are particularly vulnerable to climate change, China's official Xinhua news agency reported.

The database is part of an effort by UNFCCC following the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, to prioritize adaptation efforts.