The lead author of the 2006 Stern Review on the economics of climate change says that although there will be an agreement at the UN climate conference in Paris in December, it is what happens afterwards that is crucial.
Category: Climate
Climate textual negotiations begin in seven ‘spin-off’ groups
Bonn (Hilary Chiew) – After a tumultuous start to the penultimate round of climate talks for an agreement to be adopted in Paris this December, text-based negotiations finally began on Tuesday, 20 October following the establishment of seven spin-off groups.…
Step-change must for Paris deal to be ambitious, fair: Civil Society
Bonn, Germany – A review of country climate targets reflecting the twin pillars of science and equity has been released by civil society ahead of the UN climate conference in Paris. By early October, a total of 146 countries, representing…
Observers barred as Bonn climate negotiations finally begin
Bonn (Indrajit Bose) – Japan has objected to observers’ presence in spin-off groups that will negotiate the Paris climate agreement, even as 134 countries in the Group of 77 and China (G77 and China) stressed that negotiations must remain transparent…
Dev countries propose to rebalance “lop-sided” texts for Paris outcome
Bonn – (Meena Raman) – It was a dramatic and rocky start to the climate talks in Bonn, Germany, which began on 19 October, under the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) of the…
Forecasts fail to predict seesawing sea levels
Manila – The ongoing El Niño underscores an urgent need for better risk forecasting models to help small island developing states (SIDS) in the Pacific adapt to rapid swings in sea levels, researchers say. “Enhanced lead time before a sea…
South Asian monsoon might be affected by air pollution
British scientists are using aircraft packed with high-tech air monitoring equipment to predict what is happening in the lower atmosphere as the climate warms. While the extra heat in the oceans and on land, which can be measured, is known…
Paris climate negotiations ‘need redesign’?
The UN climate negotiations are heading for failure and need a major redesign if they are to succeed, scientists say. The pledges that individual countries are offering ahead of the Paris climate summit in December are too entrenched in self…
Great role ahead is identifying solutions to climate change, Prof Lee
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the international body for assessing the science related to climate change – has elected South Korean economist Prof Hoesung Lee as its new chair. Lee will lead the organisation into its next…
‘Climate change threatens global financial crisis’
A warning that climate change might make the world’s stock markets and banks unstable and lead to a financial crash has come from Mark Carney, chairman of the G20 countries’ Financial Stability Board. Carney, who is also Governor of the…
UN battle looms over finance as nations submit climate plans
By Matt McGrath Divisions over money between rich and poor countries re-emerged as nations submitted their plans for tackling climate change to the UN. India, the last big emitter to publish its contribution, said it would need $2.5 trillion to…
Building climate trust
Rachel Kyte Washington DC – In less than 80 days, world leaders will have the opportunity to strike a once-in-a-generation agreement in the fight against climate change. The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December could mark a…
UN adopts global goals to combat poverty, inequality and climate change
World leaders on Friday adopted the most sweeping agenda ever of global goals to combat poverty, inequality and climate change, described by the United Nations secretary-general as “a to-do list for people and planet”.
Stop the killing fields
by Sunita Narain This is our season of despair. This year, it would seem, the gods have been most unkind to Indian farmers. Early in the year came the weird weather events, like hailstorms and freak and untimely rains that…
National workshop on climate change, dialogue with Govt held
As a part of preparation for the 21st session of Conference of Parties (COP21), a national workshop on climate change and dialogue with the government was held on 9 September 2015 at YWCA conference hall of Asad Avenue in Dhaka.…
Greens for roadmap to Paris climate summit
Several green groups on Wednesday demanded a roadmap towards preparation and process of Paris climate conference, which should be inclusive, participatory and transparent. They also urged the Prime Minister to take lead in CoP (Conference of Parties) 21 Paris climate…
Amphibious architecture to tackle rising sea levels
As global warming causes water levels around the world to rise, an old architectural form, floating architecture, is being updated to enable living in flood-prone areas. Floating architecture has been around for centuries, particularly in low-lying parts of Europe such…
Climate change shrinking Uganda’s lakes and fish
By Wambi Michael KAMPALA, Aug 22 2015 (IPS) – Climate change is reducing the size of several species of fish on lakes in Uganda and its neighbouring East African countries, with a negative impact on the livelihoods of millions people…
Mobilising against climate change
Billions of Muslims around the world have been called on to take action against climate change. In an event co-hosted by Islamic Relief Worldwide in Istanbul this week, religious leaders presented The Islamic Declaration on Climate Change and called on…
Lack of education hampers climate awareness
People in Africa and Asia are more likely to consider global warming a personal threat if they notice changes in the local temperature, according to an analysis based on a survey of 195,000 people from 119 countries. Subsistence farmers in…
Magura baby shooting suspect arrested
RAB has confirmed arresting one of the main accused in Dhaka in a case lodged over a shooting that killed one person and wounded a mother and the baby in her womb in Magura. Magura police have caught another accused,…
Text of resolution for adoption at the post-2015 Summit
THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OUTCOME DOCUMENT FOR THE UN SUMMIT TO ADOPT THE POST-2015 DEVELOPMENT AGENDA TEXT FOR ADOPTION Preamble This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal…
In a contest between extremism and global warming, we all lose
John Nuttall and Amanda Korody haven’t turned out to be exactly helpful poster children for the “be afraid, be very afraid” school of thought in the interminable arguments Canadians like to have with one another about terrorism. The ongoing trials…
UN’s Post-2015 Development Agenda under fire
UN, Jul (IPS) – The U.N.’s highly ambitious post-2015 development agenda, which is expected to be finalised shortly, has come fire even before it could get off the ground. A global network of civil society organisations (CSOs), under the banner…
In B’desh, coastal villagers pay price for climate change
Stephan Uttom, Satkhira and Rock Ronald Rozario, Dhaka Since 2010, Seeta Rani Mohaldar and her husband have lived like refugees. Her home now is a small, one-room structure with no electricity or running water. Seeta treks kilometers into the forest…
Global warming’s record-breaking trend continues
Detailed update by hundreds of scientists on climate indicators in 2014 reveals highest recorded rises in temperatures, sea levels and greenhouse gases. Forget talk of a slowdown in global warming. Scientists say the climate is heading smartly in the opposite…
Campaign to reclaim future opposing the corporate “development” agenda
AID/WATCH, Australia has launched a campaign to oppose the corporate development agenda being promoted by multilateral agencies at the cost of peoples’ goals for sustainable development. A canpaign statement prepared by it has been circulatged worldwide for endorsement by people’s…
Act on climate change now, top British institutions tell govts
Joint letter by 24 scientific, medical and engineering bodies say mitigation will also bring economic and health benefits An unprecedented coalition of the UK’s most eminent scientific, medical and engineering bodies says immediate action must be taken by governments to…
Seas could rise 6 meters even if govts curb warming: study
OSLO – Sea levels could rise by at least 6 meters (20 feet) in the long term, swamping coasts from Florida to Bangladesh, even if governments achieve their goals for curbing global warming, a study published Thursday said. Tracts of…
UN postpones action to halt deforestation under industry pressure
New York: The Global Forest Coalition [1] reacted furiously to the final draft of the Sustainable Development Goals released this week. Despite the fact that most Sustainable Development Goals were agreed upon in July 2014, the latest draft, which will…