Bonn, 8 Nov (T Ajit) — On the 2nd day of the ongoing climate talks in Bonn, developing countries called for emphasis to be given to a particular finance issue dealing with quantitative and qualitative information on projected levels of…
Category: climate
Loss, damage linked to climate change impact in focus
Bonn, 7 Nov (Jade Chiang and Meena Raman) – Developing countries raised several key concerns at the opening of the 47th session of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI 47) on 6 Nov., which was held after the official opening…
Climate talks for urgent steps against extreme weather
Bonn, 7 November (Zhu Zhenyan) – Meetings of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol (KP) and Paris Agreement (PA) as well as those of the Subsidiary Bodies serving these treaties kicked off on…
Climate Change Summit a step further, yes… but where to?
By Baher Kamal Rome, Nov 6 (IPS) – The UN Climate Change Summit in Bonn is a step further, most experts say. Fine, but towards what? On the one hand, the organisers – the UN, Fiji and Germany – express…
Bonn climate confce begins: Strong calls to uphold Paris Deal
Dhaka, Nov 6 – This year’s UN Climate Change Conference kicked off in Bonn, Germany on Monday with strong, unified calls to hold to the path of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The opening of the conference (COP23, November 6-17)…
What to expect at the Bonn climate change talks?
Bonn, 6 Nov. (Meena Raman) – The annual climate change talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Paris Agreement (PA) are taking place in Bonn, Germany from Nov. 6 to…
Monsoon rains kill 12, displace thousands in southern India
New Delhi, Nov 4 (AP/UNB) – Thousands of people have taken refuge in relief camps as torrential monsoon rains flooded parts of southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, killing at least 12 people this week.
Got climate questions? Climate Watch has answers
By Johannes Friedrich and Andrew Pickens Washington DC, Nov 3 (IPS) – Negotiators and stakeholders headed to Bonn, Germany, for next week’s UN climate summit continue to confront a range of questions surrounding one essential query: How do we meet…
Climate leadership means ending fossil-fuel production
Tzeporah Berman and Lili Fuhr Vancouver/Berlin – The end of the fossil-fuel era is on the horizon. With renewables like solar and wind consistently outperforming expectations, growth in electric vehicles far exceeding projections, and governments worldwide acknowledging the urgency of…
National GHG pledges bring only one-third of Paris deal reductions
The eighth edition of UN Environment’s Emissions Gap report, released ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, finds that national pledges only bring approximately one-third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030 to meet climate targets, with…
US likely to live up to Paris accord: UN environment chief
Geneva, Oct 31 (AP/UNB) – The head of the U.N. environment program said Tuesday the United States is likely to live up to the Paris climate deal despite President Donald Trump’s planned pullout, because “all the big American companies” are…
In defence of the 1.5°C climate change threshold
Loren Legarda Manila – The Earth today is more than 1°C hotter than it was in pre-industrial times, and the terrible symptoms of its fever are already showing. This year alone, back-to-back hurricanes have devastated Caribbean islands, monsoon flooding has…
Depression over coastal Odisha: Signal no 3 for BD ports
Dhaka, Oct 20 – A depression over coastal Odisha and adjoining area moved Northwestwards and was centred at 06 am on Friday over Odisha and adjoining area as a land depression.
Aid network’s ‘innovation labs’ to prepare 4 countries for disasters
A global network of aid agencies has launched four new “innovation labs” in Bangladesh, Jordan, Kenya and the Philippines, aimed at finding fresh ways to help local communities prepare for disasters.
Flying insects have declined by over 75% in 30 years
By Helen Briggs It’s known as the windscreen phenomenon. When you stop your car after a drive, there seem to be far fewer squashed insects than there used to be.
$500m Green Climate Fund for REDD-plus results-based pay
Delhi, 17 October (Indrajit Bose) — The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has decided to allocate up to USD 500 million for a request for proposals (RFP) for the pilot programme for ‘reducing emissions from deforestation and forest…
Finding a permanent trustee of Green Climate Fund
Delhi, 16 October (Indrajit Bose) — The Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) faced a conundrum over the selection process for the permanent trustee of the Fund at its most recent 18th meeting, held in Cairo, Egypt, from 30…
Movement against channelling the Brahmaputra mulled
Dhaka – Water activists of Bangladesh and Northeast India at a consultation meeting in Dhaka on Wednesday called for collaborative people’s movement against a move for large structural interventions on the Brahmaputra without caring about its environmental, economic and ecological…
A world without exhaust pipes
Monica Araya The growing popularity of electric vehicles is set to curb one of the largest sources of global pollution. But a consumption bias continues to impede many buyers’ embrace of the technology, and until it is addressed, electric mobility…
Depression in the Bay: Signal 3 continues for seaports
Dhaka, Oct 9 – The well-marked low over coastal areas of Bangladesh, West Bengal and adjoining northwest bay moved slightly north-northwestwards and intensified into a land depression.
Disrupting climate change
Jules Kortenhorst Despite a surge of apocalyptic weather and fears of runaway climate change, there is still time to stem global warming and save the planet. The clean-energy transformation has already begun – and it will play out faster than…
US states declare emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Nate
Mexico City, Oct 7 (AP/UNB) – Tropical Storm Nate gained force as it sped toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula Friday after drenching Central America in the rain that was blamed for at least 21 deaths. Forecasters said it was likely to…
Back-to-back hurricanes take heavy toll on the Caribbean
By António Guterres UN, Oct 4 (IPS) – As you know, we are coming off a jam-packed High-level week and the opening of the General Assembly. Some of the most important speeches during that period came from leaders of Caribbean…
Making an economic case for climate action
By Tharanga Yakupitiyage UN, Oct 2 (IPS) – Having faced a year of record temperatures and devastating hurricanes, the United States stands more to lose if it doesn’t take steps to reduce the risk and impact of climate change, according…
Plastic sheets to cover Rohingyas in open-air camps
Dhaka, Sept 30 – The United Nations refugee agency has announced that it has started distributing plastic sheeting and essential relief items to Rohingyas arriving in Bangladesh from Myanmar as part of a massive effort to cut the time refugees…
Asian cities’ endless summer
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber and Bambang Susantono Potsdam/Manila – It’s monsoon season in Asia – marking an end to months of scorching temperatures. But the extreme heat will return, with cities facing particularly brutal conditions. Already, Asia’s urban areas experience twice…
The weather report is climate science too
Dawn Stover If you turned to any cable news channel lately, you probably saw in-depth coverage of the hurricane du jour. A sombre meteorologist pointed to a map depicting the storm’s predicted path, then cut away to the latest satellite…
Sea is rough Maritime ports to hoist signal 3
Dhaka, Sept 17 – Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted local cautionary signal no three.
Int’l Ozone Day Saturday
Dhaka, Sept 15 – The International Ozone Day will be observed here on Saturday as elsewhere in the world for creating awareness about the depletion of the ozone layer and its adverse effects on this planet’s environment. Since 1995, the…
‘Sea monster’ on Texas beach after Hurricane Harvey
A mysterious fanged sea creature that washed up on a beach in Texas following Hurricane Harvey has been identified.