Developing countries need up to $387bn a year to adapt to climate change but flows of international public cash are faltering at the same time as the effects of global warming become more disastrous, the UN has said.The amount needed had increased by some $47bn since the last annual assessment by the UN Environment Programme,...
Global: A human rights-focused Loss and Damage Fund for climate change is vital to alleviate suffering
With negotiations on how to finance and manage an international Loss and Damage Fund on the brink of failure before the COP28 climate summit begins later this month, Amnesty International’s Climate Advisor Ann Harrison said: “A functioning and effective Loss and Damage Fund which can help communities shattered by catastrophic climate events to recover is...
‘Warmest October ever’ as expert declares climate goal deader than a doornail
The world experienced its warmest October on record as a leading climate scientist warned the global 1.5C climate goal is “deader than a doornail”. A preliminary assessment found that October was about 0.3C warmer globally than the previous October record. If confirmed, it will mark the fifth record warm month in a row, cementing scientists’...
Climate experts warn of fossil fuel tactics at COP28
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...
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...
Enough Meaningless Phrases on Fossil Fuels
A sphinxlike term keeps popping up in discourse around phasing out fossil fuels: “unabated.” Easily overlooked, it’s an important modifier that changes an ambitious demand — stop burning fossil fuels — into phrases with more elusive meanings. The European Union has decided it will push for the phasing out of unabated fossil fuels at COP28 in Dubai. More...
Africa Energy Week: Where climate science makes way for the gods of gas and coal
In the weeks leading up to COP28 in Dubai, the world’s largest climate change conference, Cape Town hosted a very different kind of event – Africa Energy Week (AEW) 2023. Billed as the “biggest energy event in Africa”, AEW was a four-day gathering of oil and gas executives, policy-makers, government officials and investors from around...
India unlikely to join global cooling pledge at COP28 – govt sources
India is unlikely to sign onto a global pledge to reduce cooling-related emissions at the COP 28 climate meeting, citing the need for the world’s most populous country to have affordable cooling, two government officials told Reuters. The pledge to cut cooling-related carbon dioxide emissions by at least 68% by 2050 compared with 2022 levels...
Albania, Colombia, Moldova: Which countries are doing the most for air pollution and climate?
G20 countries are failing to integrate air pollution into their climate plans, a new study finds. The authors want that fixed at COP28. When we think about the dangers of fossil fuels, we tend to imagine the climate consequences on a grand scale from wildfires to flooding. But there is, of course, a more insidious...