What African governments must fight for at COP27
11/10/2022: The Africa Climate Justice Collective is calling for the November COP27 conference to acknowledge the reality of "dirty energy colonialism." Countries in the Global North are indulging in $400 billion worth of new natural gas projects in Africa – while simultaneously giving lip service to phasing down oil and gas.
Source: African Arguments
Adesina quantifies Africa’s needs for climate finance
11/10/2022: The president of the African Development Bank has put figures to the scale of the climate crisis facing countries in Africa. He says the cost of of climate-related losses will soar to $50 billion annually by 2030 and that an annual average of $124 billion is needed for adaptation.
Source: Devex
How has the Amazon rainforest changed under Bolsonaro?
2/10/2022: The Amazon rainforest is regarded as one of the tipping elements capable of destabilizing the global climate. Around 60% of the rainforest's total area lies within the territory of Brazil. After several years in which deforestation rates dropped significantly, they rose again sharply after the right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro took office as president of Brazil in 2019.
Source: DW
UN chief links windfall profits to climate loss and damage
21/9/2022: UN secretary general António Guterres has called on developed economies to tax the windfall profits of oil and gas companies, in part to support poorer countries suffering loss and damage caused by the climate crisis. Wealthy nations have remained conspicuously silent on how to finance extreme climate impacts.
Source: Climate Home News
One-third of China’s land protected under ecological scheme
19/9/2022: Nearly a third of China's land is now off-limits to development, bringing the country in accord with global biodiversity targets. Critics say the enforcement of the scheme has remained uneven.
Source: CNA
Poorer countries demand global tax to pay for climate damage
19/9/2022: Low income countries have submitted proposals for a world global carbon tax for discussion at the UN General Assembly. Options for taxation include air and shipping transport and financial transactions. Richer countries have acknowledged the need for a framework for climate loss and damage.
Source: The Guardian
EU seeks to ban imports of deforestation-linked commodities
15/9/2022: The European Parliament has approved a bill that would block imported commodities sourced from deforested areas. Experts believe that a central objective is to address the deforestation of the Amazon to produce beef, soy and timber.
Source: Mongabay
Pakistan floods highlight flaws in concept of climate adaptation
14/9/2022: The scale of devastation in Pakistan challenges the notion of “adaptation” as a core strategic response to climate change. Additional provision for “loss and damage” can help but the real urgency is to limit the degree of climate change.
Source: Inter Press Service
Warming above 1.5C could trigger multiple tipping points
8/9/2022: New research raises concerns about temperature-related tipping points that can trigger large-scale and potentially irreversible changes in the Earth system. It finds that five tipping elements are already within reach.
Source: Carbon Brief
European leaders shun climate adaptation summit
6/9/2022: The Africa Adaptation Summit was recently held in Rotterdam in preparation for the COP27 climate negotiations. Presidents of Senegal, DRC and Ghana criticised the poor representation of richer countries responsible for unmet promises of climate finance for adaptation.
Source: Climate Home News