Philippines inquiry finds oil majors accountable for human rights
6/5/2022: The Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines has issued the final report of its multi-year investigation into 47 investor-owned corporations. It finds the carbon majors liable for obfuscation of climate science and continued oil explorations for speculative purposes.
Source: Greenpeace International
The Mekong delta’s transboundary water problems
30/4/2022: The fragmentation of the Mekong River due to the construction of large-scale hydropower dams illustrates the inability of downstream states to shape the Mekong Agreement of 1995 into regional aims, rather than centred around national interests. The Mekong River is the lifeblood of countries in the region .
Source: East Asia Forum
DR Congo ready to auction oil blocks in tropical peatland
3/5/2022: The planned tender for new oil blocks in the Democratic Republic of Congo comes amid serious concerns over the government’s commitment to climate-friendly development. At least three of 16 oil blocks overlap with the world’s largest tropical peatland complex.
Source: Climate Home News
Freshwater planetary boundary oversteps the line
27/4/2022: Humanity’s modification of the water cycle has pushed the world further beyond a safe operating space for continued life on Earth, say scientists. Water is the sixth boundary to be transgressed, out of the nine identified by the Planetary Boundaries Framework, first published in 2009.
Source: Mongabay
Degraded lands and soils under spotlight of UN Convention
27/4/2022: The Global Land Outlook published by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification calls for ambitious plans for sustainable land use to protect human health. By 2050 an additional area the size of South America will be degraded if the world continues along the current trajectory.
Source: Inter Press Service
Worrying insights from assessment of water security in Africa
6/4/2022: Only 29 African countries have made progress in water security over the past three to five years. Twenty-five have made none. The UN’s concept of water security encompasses various criteria and more effort is needed to establish global standards for data and assessment.
Source: The Conversation
Sharing cross-border water resources: Cooperation or conflict?
6/4/2022: From the Euphrates to the Mekong, dams that ensure one country's water supply risk leaving others parched. With 40% of the global population dependent on rivers that cross international borders, climate change is aggravating tensions.
Source: DW
What really happened at Geneva’s crucial biodiversity negotiations?
2/4/2022: Talks ahead of the key Cop15 summit on halting mass extinction of life were slow – and much has been asked of the developing world. Little progress was made on the targets and goals due for approval at the major biodiversity summit in Kunming, China, later this year.
Source: The Guardian
US backs away from Green Climate Fund obligations
29/3/2022: The Director of the Green Climate Fund has warned that the pipeline of carbon-cutting projects in developing countries is at risk. President Biden had requested Congress to approve $1.25bn for the Green Climate Fund but negotiations brought the amount down to zero.
Source: Climate Home News
UN talks fail to finalize a treaty to manage the high seas
21/3/2022: UN member states have failed to reach consensus on several key points of a treaty governing the high seas, including how to establish marine protected areas. This was the last of four diplomatic sessions planned since 2017. There is now pressure to complete a treaty in 2022.
Source: Mongabay