Page 12 - Climate Change Talks

Equity, CBDR must be central to discussion on transition pathways: India

The principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) must be central to discussions on plans for fair and equitable transition to low-carbon economies, India has said at the ongoing Bonn climate talks. At COP27 in Egypt's Sharm el Sheikh, parties to the Paris Agreement had introduced a 'Just Transition Work Programme' to ensure the development of low-carbon pathways that include socio-economic dimensions aligned with nationally defined development priorities. At an informal discussion on the 'Just Transition Work Programme' at Bonn on Tuesday and Wednesday, India said discussions around just transition pathways must not focus only on mitigation but also take into consideration the challenges in adaptation and the means of implementation. "This is why we believe that linkages of just transitions should not just be with the mitigation work programme but must also foreground discussions on aspects of adaptation and means of implementation we concur with other

We must encourage tech transfer to deal pollution challenges: NHRC

Adopting a rights-based approach to environmental protection ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can live in a clean and safe environment, NHRC chairperson justice (retd) Arun Kumar Mishra said on Monday. In a written message on World Environment Day, issued by the National Human Rights Commission on Monday, he said environmental protection has a "vital connection" with human rights. Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on June 5 since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world, the UN says on its website. "The day reminds us that sustainable development envisages protecting the environment, which is crucial for human existence. Adopting a rights-based approach to environmental protection ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can live in a clean and safe environment," justi

SC's intervention positively impacted Taj city's environment: Activists

The 'Green Activists' of the Agra city on Monday said that the cumulative impact of dozens of pollution abatement measures at the intervention of the SC has made Taj city environment cleaner

HP CM Sukhu flags off awareness rally on World Environment Day in Shimla

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday flagged off an awareness rally here on the occasion of World Environment Day. Students of Government Senior Secondary Schools Portmore, Sanjauli and Shimla Public School, as well as volunteers from the Shimla Municipal Corporation, took part in the rally, an official statement said. Sukhu flagged off the awareness rally from his official residence Oakover, it said. Emphasising that the state government has implemented several measures for the preservation of the environment, Sukhu said Himachal Pradesh is the first state in the country to ban single-use plastic. Recognised as Devbhoomi, Himachal Pradesh aims to instil a sense of environmental consciousness among the youth through awareness drives, he said. Cyclists also joined the rally, the statement said. Highlighting the state's commitment towards the preservation of the environment, Sukhu said that the state government has presented a green budget, which incorpo

UN talks on a treaty to end global plastic pollution open in Paris

A United Nations committee is meeting on Monday in Paris to work on what is intended to be a landmark treaty to bring an end to global plastic pollution, but there is little agreement yet on what the outcome should be. The Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for Plastics is charged with developing the first international, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. This is the second of five meetings due to take place to complete the negotiations by the end of 2024. At the first meeting, held six months ago in Uruguay, some countries pressed for global mandates, some for national solutions and others for both. Humanity produces more than 430 million tons of plastic annually, two-thirds of which are short-lived products that soon become waste, filling the ocean and, often, working their way into the human food chain, the United Nations Environment Program said in April. Plastic waste produced globally is set to almost triple by 2060, with a

Rich countries not doing enough to control climate change: Pacific island

Pacific Island leaders are criticising rich countries for not doing enough to control climate change despite being responsible for much of the problem, and for profiting from loans provided to vulnerable nations to mitigate the effects. Leaders and representatives from Pacific Island nations demanded at a UN climate change conference on Monday in Bangkok that the world make more effort to put aside differences in combating the environmental impact, especially as their countries emerge from the economic devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands said the finance model for combatting climate change giving out loans to reduce the impact is not the way to go for countries in his region with such small populations that produce inconsequential amounts of carbon emissions but suffer the most from the effects. He encouraged a shift toward grants or interest-free loans to help ease the financial burden on poorer countries. All we're doing is adding

People think climate change is becoming more real, is here and now

Most people already think climate change is here and now', despite what we've been told

Online guide launched to help cities reduce light pollution on wildlife

A new online guide was launched on Wednesday to help cities around the world reduce the impacts of light pollution on wildlife

Human-caused climate change resulting into increased flash droughts: Study

'Flash droughts', or droughts that start and develop rapidly, have become more frequent due to human-caused climate change and the trend is predicted to accelerate in a warmer future, according to a new research. An international team of researchers, including those from the University of Southampton, UK, said that flash droughts are fast becoming the 'new normal' for droughts, making forecasting and preparing for their impact more difficult. Their research is published in the journal Science. Flash droughts, caused by low precipitation and high evapotranspiration and leading to quick depletion of soil of water, can develop into severe droughts within a few weeks. While they start quickly, the droughts can last for months, damaging vegetation and ecosystems, and triggering heat waves and wildfires. The researchers wanted to understand if there had been a transition from conventional 'slow' droughts to flash droughts and also how the trend would develop under different carbon emiss

Climate change threatens survival of tigers in Sunderbans: Conservationists

Climate change is increasing the intensity of forest fires, reducing vegetation and degrading natural habitats, forcing the wildlife to move out and come into conflict with humans, conservationists said on Friday. In its latest all-India tiger estimation report, released recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) highlighted the "silent and surmounting" threats of climate change-related impacts on habitats and the loss of the quality of forests over time. It added that climate change threatens the survival of tigers in the Sunderbans and is one of the major challenges facing the wildlife in the Western Ghats. While the big cat population in the Sunderbans is steady, it has come down substantially in the Western Ghats where 824 tigers were recorded in 2022 against 981 in 2018. Mohammad Sajid Sultan, the NTCA's assistant inspector general of forests, said the wildlife is being affected by climate change with new pests and diseases ...

New green industrial age needed to achieve climate targets: United Nations

Financing Sustainable Transformations says urgent, massive investments are needed to accelerate transformations, including in electricity supply, industry, farming, transportation, and buildings

Airports should develop resilience strategy to mitigate climate risk: Study

Airports should conduct periodic vulnerability assessments and develop a resilience strategy as well as collaborate with insurers to mitigate climate risk, according to a study. The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) initiated the global study on disaster resilience of airports and various airports were surveyed. Airports which conduct periodic vulnerability assessments are anticipating lower impact on their organisation as compared to airports without a periodic assessment practice, it said, adding that airports should engage local and regional stakeholders for increasing airport resilience practices. "Airports should conduct periodic vulnerability assessments and develop a resilience strategy," the study said. Further, it noted that airports should move towards a more proactive approach rather than reactive towards hazard management and resilience planning. "Airports and insurers should collaborate to mitigate climate risk, this will be mutually beneficial."

Threat of back-to-back cyclones amid rise in sea level and climate change

One hurricane is terrible enough, but according to a recent study from Princeton University's engineering department, back-to-back hurricanes may become regular for many regions in the decades to come

Text of UN biodiversity pact agreed at COP15 with 2030 vision released

After two days of agreeing the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the final text of the historic framework has been released

Bill Gates upbeat on climate innovation even if 1.5 deg C goal out of reach

Given "the overall scale of our industrial economy, we're going to have to do mind-blowing work to stay below 2 degrees," he said

UN chief to convene 'no-nonsense' climate ambition summit in Sept next year

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday announced that he will convene a no-nonsense climate ambition summit in September next year where countries will have to come with credible and new action plans, with no room for back-sliders, blame-shifters or repackaging of announcements of previous years. Addressing journalists at his end of year press conference here, Guterres said climate change is an area where good news can be hard to find. We are still moving in the wrong direction. The global emissions gap is growing. The 1.5-degree goal is gasping for breath. National climate plans are falling woefully short, he said. Guterres said that going forward, he will keep pushing for a Climate Solidarity Pact, in which all big emitters make an extra effort to reduce emissions this decade in line with the 1.5-degree goal and ensure support for those who need it. There is no doubt that without it, the 1.5-degree goal will soon disappear. I have pulled no punches on the imperative for a

WWF welcomes global deal to reverse nature loss, seeks quick implementation

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) welcomed the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Agreement, committing the world to halting and reversing cby 2030

COP27: A mirage in the desert

We cannot be parties to this procrastination and lack of intent

How world's oldest digital currency could solve climate change crisis

But what if there was an overlooked digital currency that could help to solve the climate crisis, rather than just doing less to exacerbate it?

Climate talks should have done more on pollution cuts: US climate envoy

US climate envoy John Kerry said last month's international global warming talks didn't do enough to speed up cuts in emissions of heat-trapping gases. Kerry told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that there was progress on some aspects of reducing carbon pollution during the United Nations summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. But he said there could and should have been much more and that what was done on the issue was overshadowed by a historic, but what he called potentially pyrrhic, agreement to establish a compensation fund for poor nations victimized by a warming world. We needed to significantly accelerate the reduction of emissions," Kerry said. "I would have liked to have seen greater outcome from Sharm with respect to mitigation, which is what climate negotiators call cutting carbon pollution. But we're just going to have to keep pushing, he added. We have to increase the mitigation and that's the one thing that I thought should have been highlighted even more,