Climate pledges for 2030 put world far off 1.5 degrees goal, UN warns
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Updated plans to reduce emissions, submitted so far by about 75 nations ahead of November’s COP26 summit, barely make a dent in the huge cuts needed to meet global climate goals, the UN climate chief said on Friday, calling for redoubled efforts. A UN report summarising the revised climate action plans – covering […]
World welcomes US return to Paris climate accord, readies wish-list for Biden
Brussels, BelgiumReuters Climate-change leaders and campaigners worldwide welcomed US President Joe Biden’s move to rejoin the 2015 Paris Agreement but said Washington must also cut emissions and use its influence to encourage other countries to do the same. In one of his first acts as president, Biden issued an executive order on Wednesday to bring […]
In inaugural address, Biden will appeal to national unity
Washington DC, USAP President-elect Joe Biden will deliver an appeal to national unity when he is sworn in Wednesday and plans immediate moves to combat the coronavirus pandemic and undo some of President Donald Trump’s most controversial policies, his incoming chief of staff said Sunday. Biden intends a series of executive actions in his first […]
Climate primer: Why is everyone talking about ‘net zero’?
Thomson Reuters Foundation As the Paris Agreement marks its fifth anniversary, a UN-backed global campaign to slash climate-changing emissions has added new high-profile members to its ranks, including high-street fashion retailer Primark and consumer electronics giant Sony. The “Race to Zero”, launched on World Environment Day in June, brings together businesses, cities and other organisations that […]
Global warming trends highlight ‘enormous challenge’ of meeting Paris climate pledge, WMO says
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Global temperatures will continue to warm over the next five years, and may even temporarily rise to more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization said on Thursday. That does not mean the world would be crossing the long-term warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), which scientists […]
Paris accord under threat if coronavirus trumps climate change, says Japanese minister
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi warned on Monday that the Paris climate accord could face death if steps to fight global warming were put on the backburner to facilitate the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Many economists and policymakers are forecasting a steep global recession this year as countries are forced into […]
Fossil fuel subsidies are wrecking the world, says UN chief
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Subsidies that promote the use of fossil fuels are helping “to destroy the world”, and are a bad way to deploy taxpayers’ money, the head of the United Nations said on Tuesday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a gathering of politicians and business people in Austria that pollution should be taxed, […]
Australian islanders to lodge landmark UN complaint on climate change
Kuala LumpurThomson Reuters Foundation A group of Indigenous people will file an unprecedented legal complaint against Australia on Monday, lawyers involved in the action said, accusing the government of breaching their human rights by falling short on its Paris climate accord pledges. Eight residents of the Torres Strait Islands, a group of more than 270 […]