Bangladesh ranked sixth in a new list of nations hardest hit by two decades of storms, floods and landslides that killed more than half a million people, climate analysts reported, warning of more frequent disasters if Earth’s overheating cannot be…
Category: Talks
Group of-77, China detail on moving climate negotiations forward
Paris, 3 December (Chee Yoke Ling and Hilary Chiew) – The Group of 77 and China made a detailed proposal on moving forward the negotiations for the Paris agreement at a stocktake session of the Contact Group of the Ad…
Delegates under pressure as negotiations reach frenzy mode
Paris, 2 December (Meena Raman and T. Ajit) — Negotiations to reach a deal on the Paris agreement is in a frenzy mode, as delegates are under intense pressure to conclude their work by the evening of Thursday, 3 December,…
COP21 climate negotiations update
Paris, 30 November (TWN) ‘” Incoming French President of the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations FrameworkConvention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Laurent Fabius, assured Parties that theprocess of reaching an agreement in…
Hollande calls for “universal, differentiated and binding” agreement
Paris 1 Dec, (Hilary Chiew) – French President Francoise Hollande said the agreement from the Paris climate talks can be universal, differentiated and binding where developed countries must assume their historical responsibility as they are the ones that for years…
4 top climate scientists challenge COP21 climate confce
Paris, France — Four of the world’s leading climate scientists, Dr. James Hansen, Dr. Tom Wigley, Dr. Ken Caldeira and Dr. Kerry Emanuel, will issue a stark challenge to world leaders and environmental campaigners attending the COP21 climate summit at…
Worldwatch newsfeed direct from Paris
Worldwatch will contribute to the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) starting in Paris, France today by advising governmental delegations, participating in high-level consultations, and speaking at…
Germany ready to help Bangladesh
German Ambassador in Dhaka Thomas Prinz has said his country is ready to help Bangladesh prepare for climate change impacts.The German embassy in Dhaka issued a statement on Monday when world leaders met in Paris to discuss climate change.“Due to…
Rockey road from Durban to Paris
30 Nov, Paris (TWN) — Around 7 am on a Sunday, 11 December 2011, the seventeenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) concluded in Durban, South Africa, with the establishment of a new subsidiary body to the…
Climate change root cause of Syrian war: Prince Charles
Britain’s Prince Charles has pointed to the world’s failure to tackle climate change as a root cause of the civil war in Syria, terrorism and the consequent refugee crisis engulfing Europe. The heir to the British throne is due to…
147 world leaders to attend Paris climate summit
Paris – A total 147 heads of state and government so far will attend a climate summit due to start in Paris next week, the French government said Tuesday. The November 30-December 11 conference is tasked with signing the first-ever…
Cloud over climate summit: Sarkozy wants it postponed
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy will demand the upcoming UN climate talks in Paris be postponed by several months following a wave of deadly attacks on the city, his party sources said, news agency AFP reported on Sunday. The French…
People’s climate march in Dhaka Nov 28
In solidarity with the global climate march a people’s climate march will be organised in Dhaka on 28 November. The National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans, NCSS, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, BAPA, Water Keepers Alliance, WKA and AVAAZ Bangladesh, have jointly…
Developing countries caution against new concepts not in UNFCCC
Bonn (Indrajit Bose and Chee Yoke Ling) — During the last climate talks in Bonn, developing countries cautioned against the introduction of new terms and concepts in the draft agreement to enhance climate actions expected to be adopted in Paris…
Addressing climate change vulnerabilities
Climate experts at a workshop in Dhaka on Tuesday have stressed the need for adopting right policies and adaptation measures to address the vulnerabilities emerging due to climate change. They said Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change due to…
Prof Nicholas Stern warns humanity on climate crossroads
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Court tells Dutch government it must cut back emissions
In a landmark ruling, the law has stepped in to demand that the Netherlands does more to tackle the “imminent danger” of climate change. A Dutch court has made history by ordering the Netherlands government to make deeper cuts than…