UN biodiversity chief urges COP26 climate talks to prioritise nature
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation Any new pledges made at the upcoming COP26 climate summit must include protection and restoration of natural areas, said the UN biodiversity chief – a move that could give a boost to ongoing efforts to broker a separate global nature pact. About 195 countries are set to finalise a new […]
Tears flow as politicians fail to dispel “climate darkness”
Madrid, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Standing before a captive audience at this month’s climate change conference in Madrid after entertaining them with a dance in her traditional Pacific island costume, 21-year-old Tabita Kaitamakin Awira Awerika’s smile turned to angry tears. The student from Kiribati spoke of her anguish at the threat to her low-lying atoll nation […]
New clean shipping fuel rules, but who polices the polluters?
London, UKReuters Sweeping new fuel rules aiming to cut pollution belching from ships and save lives are now just a couple of weeks away but with no central policing agency and several countries still not signed up to them, compliance is a major concern. From January 2020, ships must use fuel with a sulphur content […]
Political heat is on for 2020 climate deadline after lukewarm Madrid talks
Barcelona, MadridThomson Reuters Foundation The unwillingness of some big carbon-emitting countries to clean up their act at this month’s UN climate talks suggests Britain faces political heavy-lifting to make a success of next year’s make-or-break summit in Scotland, analysts have warned. The November conference, to be held in Glasgow with the backing of Italy, is […]
Removable solar panels boost storm readiness in Dominica
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation When Hurricane Maria flattened the Caribbean island of Dominica in 2017, the fierce storm left the country in the dark. “Everything was out. There was no electricity. The whole electrical grid was down,” recalled Williams Fitzroy, an engineer and inspector for the Ministry of Public Works. A view of rooftop solar […]
PHOTO ESSAY: FAITH COMES TO THE FORE AT UN CLIMATE SUMMIT
Photographer ALBIN HILLERT was at the UN Climate Summit held in Madrid, Spain, for the Lutheran World Federation, over the past couple of weeks. Here’s a gallery of images that give a glimpse into some of the faith-based activism that went on…
Major states snub calls for climate action as UN summit wraps up
Madrid, SpainReuters A handful of major states resisted pressure on Sunday to ramp up efforts to combat global warming as a UN climate summit ground to a close, angering smaller countries and a growing protest movement that is pushing for emergency action. The COP25 talks in Madrid were viewed as a test of governments’ collective […]
Europe launches ‘Green Deal’ as Thunberg denounces climate inaction
Brussels, Belgium/Madrid, SpainReuters Europe sought on Wednesday to bolster the world’s faltering battle against climate change with its “Green Deal” to slash fossil fuel dependence, while teen activist Greta Thunberg rebuked global leaders for dragging their feet. With fires, floods and droughts ruining millions of lives around the world, the European Union’s new executive cast […]
Runaway warming could sink fishing and reef tourism, researchers warn
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Countries from Egypt to Mexico could lose 95 per cent of their income from coral reef tourism, and parts of West Africa could see their ocean fisheries decline by 85 per cent by the turn of the century if planet-warming emissions continue to rise, oceans experts have warned. “Action in reducing […]
Activist Thunberg warns governments in Madrid that “change is coming”
Madrid, SpainReuters Teen activist Greta Thunberg took her call for bold action to tackle climate change to a UN summit in Spain on Friday, warning world leaders that a growing youth-led protest movement meant they could no longer hide. Accorded rock-star status by young environmental activists, the 16-year-old had crossed the Atlantic by boat to […]