Eleven days of negotiations produced a slimmer but still-troubled version of a climate deal on Wednesday, with negotiators from 195 countries divided over how far to go in curbing global temperature rises – and how to pay for it.”We’ve made…
Category: Environment
Migrant Forum in Asia statement on Human Rights Day
Today we celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights by the UN General Assembly in 1948, a momentous step forward in the recognition of the dignity of all human beings. Human Rights Day this…
Unplanned navigation degrade Sunderbans, cloak its animal poaching
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The need for making lasting arrangements to secure the Sunderbans forests from oil spill and other abuses by ships navigating through its rivers and canals instead of relying on contingencies to face accidents was emphasised at a…
Call for party-driven, text-based talkss for Paris agreement
Paris, 8 December (T Ajit)— Many developing countries called for Party-driven, text-based negotiations in an open setting during the first meeting of the ‘Paris Committee’ held on Monday, 7 December. During the meeting which was held in the evening of…
REDD+ Handed in Paris
Jutta Kill Berlin – It’s been 30 years since the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations launched the Tropical Forestry Action Plan, the first global intergovernmental initiative to halt forest loss. Since then, deforestation has continued unabated, and…
Alternative Paris
by Sunita Narain I wrote last about what I expect will happen at the Paris climate change conference. But what should happen? First, the world must strongly underscore the need to keep the temperature rise below 2°C at the very…
UN counts climate’s human cost
In the 20 years since the first UN conference on climate change, weather-related disasters have claimed 606,000 human lives, damaged or destroyed 87 million homes, and injured, displaced or left helpless a total of 4.1 billion people.A new study from…
US, EU want loss-damage as a toothless tiger in Paris deal
Ask vulnerable countries to explicitly give up the right to raise issues of compensation and liability in future Nitin Sethi Indian paper Business Standard accessed the proposal that the US put forth informally before other countries demanding that poor and…
Smooth sharing of text for climate agreement sans consensus
Paris (Hilary Chiew and Meena Raman) – Negotiations of the Paris agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has moved to a process under the Presidency of the Conference of Parties. Four years of work by…
EU grants Tk68 Crore to build climate change resilience
The European Commission has decided to support resilience building at community level in Bangladesh, through the Global Climate Change Alliance+ Flagship Initiative (GCCA+). Starting early 2016, a new four-year project will be implemented by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural…
Not just an agreement, but a just agreement needed
By: Tetet Nera-Lauron Paris – Three days into the 21st Conference of Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), negotiations are nearing fever pitch as the December 4 deadline for a revised draft text of…
How agroecology can transform agro-food system, nourish planet
A new book discusses how agroecology can nourish the world and transform the currently unsustainable agro-food system. The focus is on small-scale farmers who, all over the world, are prone to food insecurity, but who nevertheless feed more than 80%…
Dhaka needs $400b in 15 years to face climate change
An assistance of $ 4,000 crore will be needed over the next 15 years to address the challenges of climate change faced by the people living in Bangladesh’s coastal areas. The Bangladesh delegation to the ongoing COP 21 in Paris…
Water, wars and an uncertain future
By Sundeep Waslekar In December 2009, I met Walid Muallem, Foreign Minister of Syria, in his office in Damascus, along with an eminent British politician. He rolled out before us his vision of peace process with Israel in phases. He…
Adaptation fund ‘in danger’, Kyoto Protocol in bleak state
Paris, 4 December (Marjorie Williams) – While attention at the ongoing climate talks is focused on a “new Paris agreement”, the state of the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is bleak. Parties at…
‘Developed and developing countries differentiation still relevant’
Paris, 4 December (T Ajit) — The world has not changed since 1992 and differentiation between developed and developing countries continues to be relevant through common but differentiated responsibilities, the bedrock of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change…
G77 frustrated at refusal to negotiate key issues
Paris, 4 December (Chee Yoke Ling and Meena Raman) – The Group of 77 and China are deeply frustrated over the refusal of some developed countries to engage in negotiations of the Paris agreement on the issues of importance for…
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…
Chennai Airport runway, ‘built on river is doomed to suffer’
If the runway of a city’s airport is built over a dry river, there is that once-in-a-lifetime possibility of the river running over its banks and flooding the airport. On Tuesday, December 1, that’s exactly what happened when the otherwise…
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…
Paris still the best city in World for students
By Pierre Longeray Paris has been rated the world’s most student-friendly city for the fourth year running. Melbourne comes in second, followed by Tokyo. The ranking of “the world’s leading urban destinations for international students” was published Tuesday by QS,…
From Worldwatch Institute at UN Climate Change Negotiations
Washington, D.C – 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,…
Agroecology in Africa addresses climate change, hunger, poverty
The Oakland Institute today released 33 case studies that shed light on the tremendous success of agroecological agriculture across the African continent in the face of climate change, hunger, and poverty. “Released just two weeks ahead of the COP21 Conference…
Paris summit eyes breakthrough
World leaders launched an ambitious attempt on Monday to hold back rising temperatures, with the United States and China leading calls for the climate summit in Paris to mark a decisive turn in the fight against global warming.In a series…
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…
No surprises in Paris, assures French Presidency
Paris, 30 Nov (TWN) — Incoming French President of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations climate treaty, Laurent Fabius, assured Parties that the process of reaching an agreement in Paris would be transparent and any text…
Report release: Extreme biotech meets extreme energy
Paris, 24 Nov – At the upcoming Climate summit in Paris, some governments and much of civil society will be pushing for an urgent transition away from the carbon-rich fossil fuels responsible for climate chaos. However, one hi-tech sector, the…
CSO urged PM to demand climate compensation in Paris confererence
STAFF REPORTER Rights based civil society organizations (CSO) in Bangladesh yesterday urged the Prime Minister to lead country in the Paris Climate Conference and urged her to demand the climate compensation from the countries mainly responsible for the climate change.