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 […]
UN chief opens climate summit with call for hope over “surrender”
Madrid, SpainReuters The world must choose hope over surrender in the fight against climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday, warning a summit in Madrid that governments risked sleepwalking past a point of no return. Two weeks of talks aimed at bolstering the 2015 Paris Agreement to curb global warming began against a […]
“Perfect storm” awaits farming and fisheries if world doesn’t curb emissions
Rome, ItalyThomson Reuters Foundation The world needs to urgently cut its planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to avoid a “perfect storm” that will lead to simultaneous falls in food production from both farming and marine fisheries, researchers said. If emissions continue to rise rapidly, nearly “90 per cent of the world’s population…are projected to be exposed […]
Pope Francis reflects on three decades of international cooperation on climate change
Vatican CityRNS Only a few days after the United States officially gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, Pope Francis took the opportunity to praise a gathering of environmental regulators meeting in Rome this week. In a statement to participants of the 31st meeting for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that […]
Trump administration begins Paris climate pact exit
Washington DC, USReuters The Trump administration said on Monday it filed paperwork to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the first formal step in a one-year process to exit the global pact to fight climate change. The move is part of a broader strategy by President Donald Trump to reduce red tape on […]
Indonesia’s new green fund urged to focus on rainforest protection
Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaThomson Reuters Foundation A new green fund being set up by Indonesia should prioritise protecting its rainforests and creating a carbon trading programme to help the country meet its goals to curb climate change, environmentalists and officials said. Indonesia’s environment ministry launched an agency earlier this month to manage funds to repair environmental […]
Asian cities turn to electric vehicles in anti-pollution drive
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Asian cities are switching to electric vehicles in a bid to tackle worsening air quality, cut climate changing emissions, and expand their public transport networks, climate experts said last week. Transport is the fastest-growing source of climate-warming greenhouse gases, with the vast majority of projected increases expected to come from developing […]
Heatwaves and heavy rain predicted to last longer with climate change
Barcelona, SpainThomson Reuters Foundation Countries in the northern hemisphere can expect longer summer heatwaves, as well as more consecutive days of heavy rain with harmful consequences, if internationally agreed goals to limit global warming are exceeded, scientists warned on Monday. A study published in the journal Nature Climate Change said more hotter-than-average days would cluster together if […]
Producing bitcoin currency could void climate change efforts – scientists
Thomson Reuters Foundation Demand for bitcoin could single-handedly derail efforts to limit global warming because the increasingly popular digital currency takes huge amounts of energy to produce, scientists said on Monday. Producing bitcoin at a pace with growing demand could by 2033 defeat the aim of limiting global warming to two degrees Celsius, according to […]
“Paris of the oceans” pact crucial to save seas, says WWF head
Thomson Reuters Foundation To save the world’s oceans from rampant over-fishing, pollution and degradation, countries should hammer out a deal like the Paris Agreement on climate change that sets stringent targets for protection, said the head of global conservation group WWF. Such an accord would help the world’s poorest who depend on the seas for […]