Africa and India push rich nations to phase out fossil fuels
16/10/2023: Noting the key principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” in UN climate conferences, the African Group of negotiators wants rich countries to stop greenlighting new fossil fuel production projects by 2030. Major nations like the US, UK, Australia and Norway have continued to approve oil and gas pumping and have not set end dates for fossil fuel production.
Source: Climate Home News
Ignoring water crisis could cost global economy
16/10/2023: Research by WWF suggests that governments would take more action on water scarcity if they were more aware of the economic value of freshwater systems. Already, half the global population experiences water scarcity on a monthly basis and 55 million people are affected by droughts each year.
Source: Devex
Staggering cost of invasive species worldwide revealed
30/9/2023: Scientists estimate that each year sees another 200 invasive species become established worldwide, rising in their cost by 400% each decade. A new report has advised a shift in focus to prevention of the establishment of alien species, avoiding expensive eradication programmes.
Source: BirdGuides
Ministers fail to progress loss and damage talks
28/9/2023: The creation of a loss and damage fund to help countries rebuild after climate disasters was agreed by world leaders at COP 27 last year. A high level meeting was held at the UN on Sept. 22, designed to encourage compromise on key differences around the fund’s design, resulted only in governments repeating their established positions.
Source: Devex
Ratification of high seas treaty receives boost at UNGA
22/9/23: Seventy-six countries and the European Union have now signed the high seas treaty, a significant step forward to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. Once 60 nations have ratified it, the treaty will finally come into force.
Source: Mongabay
Rich countries ‘confident’ $100bn climate finance delivered in 2023
19/9/2023: Ministers from richer countries believe that their $100 billion a year climate finance promise will be met in 2023, but not confirmed until 2025 at the earliest. The delay means governments will go into Cop28 and Cop29 without assurance that the goal has been met, doing nothing to ease tensions between developed and developing countries.
Source: Climate Home News
Six of nine planetary boundaries have been crossed
13/9/2023: Six of nine planetary boundaries are being crossed, while simultaneously pressure in all boundary processes is increasing, new research published in the journal Science Advances shows. The new study is the third major assessment of the planetary boundaries framework, first introduced in 2009.
Source: Stockholm Resilience Centre
Small islands open case at landmark maritime court hearing
11/9/2023: The heads of small island states most vulnerable to climate change have criticised “endless” climate change negotiations. At the start of an unprecedented maritime court hearing, they have called for legally binding obligations, rather than empty promises that go unfulfilled.
Source: Climate Home News
Stop calling people ‘climate refugees’
11/9/2023: Despite the rejection of the term “climate refugee” by the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Organization on Migration, it persists in popular media. “Climate refugee” implies that populations displaced by climate change are protected by the 1951 Refugee Convention. They are not.
Source: Climate Home News
More leadership needed from G20 countries
9/9/2023: In response to the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the World Resources Institute warns that these countries must shift more rapidly away from fossil fuels - and do more to address the severe lack of finance and debt crises that climate-vulnerable countries face.
Source: World Resources Institute