Oil-rich Gulf states have positioned themselves as both champions of climate innovation and guardians of fossil fuel interests — a balancing act experts warn could derail action at COP28 in Dubai. This year’s United Nations climate summit is being chaired and hosted by the United Arab Emirates, a country dubbed “an oil company with a...
Category: Environment
In 2023 we’ve seen climate destruction in real time, yet rich countries are poised to do little at Cop28
Prof Saleemul Huq OBE and I wrote and submitted this article before his untimely death on Saturday 28 October, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Huq was a visionary and steadfast leader on climate justice, a champion of developing countries at climate negotiations, an advocate for the global poor, and a source of inspiration to thousands worldwide. He continually pushed...
Climate change is affecting bears, and humans need to learn more to avoid conflicts
In 1967, two simultaneous grizzly bear attacks in Montana’s Glacier National Park launched an era of research into human-bear conflicts. Studies showed the importance of stopping two specific bear behaviours: food conditioning and habituation to people. Those pioneering findings translated readily into advice and policies, saving many bear and human lives. Read more: theconversation.com Photo: unsplash.com
Is climate change picking (off) the best pumpkins this year? Extreme weather decimates crops
Will climate change make Halloween pumpkins a thing of the past? US farmers say there’s ‘no future’ for their trade. “There’s no future after me,” says Colorado pumpkin farmer Alan Mazzotti. “My boys won’t farm.” He’ll keep farming pumpkins for a bit longer, but water shortages, climate change and spiralling costs are making his livelihood...
Clash Over ‘Fossil Fuels’ Pits U.A.E. Against Public Health Experts
Can you talk about the health impacts of climate change without mentioning the burning of fossil fuels, its leading cause?An intergovernmental declaration on the health impacts of climate change led by the United Arab Emirates, which is presiding over this year’s global climate talks, and circulated among countries for their potential endorsement, does just that.Several...
Dear COP 28 President-Designate Sultan Ahmed Al-Jaber,
This year, world leaders gathering in the UAE to take stock of their climate commitments will for the first time engage in official programming focused on health. We, the signatories of this letter, support your leadership in bringing health front and center at COP28. As global health leaders, we are committed to achieving health and...
Future of fossil fuels leaves nations at odds ahead of UN climate summit
The world’s nations remained at odds over any agreement for an end to new oil and gasprojects ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit, with France, Spain, Ireland, Kenyaand 11 other countries calling for the phasing out of fossil fuel production at preliminarytalks this week.After discussions over the past two days in Abu Dhabi in...
“Carbon bombs”: The nation states, the primary culprits in the exploitation of fossil reserves
Governments are being urged to stop granting new permits for coal, oil, and gas extraction, 10 nations are the ones producing more than three-quarters of the biggest CO2-emitting sites. While the focus is often on major energy companies, the responsibility for coal extraction projects also lies with` the states that authorize drilling. A small number...
Caterpillars struggle to survive climate change, says study
Research on nature reserves and at an allotment has revealed how susceptible caterpillars are to climate change. The University of Cambridge study found the larvae are “really bad at temperature regulation” making them less likely to survive extreme weather. Dr Esme Ashe-Jepson said this could result in fewer “beautiful, charismatic butterflies”, impacting on pollination and...
Climate change to slash seafood nutrients by 30% in low-income countries
The nutrients available from seafood could drop by 30 per cent for low-income countries by the end of the century due to climate change, suggests new UBC research. That’s in a high carbon emissions and low mitigation scenario, according to the study published today in Nature Climate Change. This could be reduced to a roughly 10...