World has ‘the tools’ to unlock $1.3 trillion in climate finance: COP30 report
The 81-page report was released by the heads of last year's COP29 conference in Azerbaijan and the upcoming COP30 gathering...
Economy
Plastic pollution treaty talks in disarray as dozens of countries reject draft text
Geneva, Switzerland - Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on...
Economy
UN biodiversity conference in Colombia: what’s at stake?
Paris, France - The world's pledges to halt humankind's destruction of nature will be put to the test when the 16th...
- The COP16 is the first meeting of the international community since the adoption two years ago of an unprecedented roadmap to stop humankind's destruction of nature
- But putting that agreement into practice risks not moving fast enough to stop the destruction of land, oceans and species by a 2030 target date
Can biodiversity credits unlock billions for nature?
Paris, France - For supporters, biodiversity credits could unlock billions in much-needed funding for nature, but critics fear a repeat of...
- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has mooted a global fund for rainforest conservation that considers paying countries for forest areas that are protected or restored
- Many environment groups are wary, fearing money generated from biodiversity credits will not benefit conservation or indigenous communities living closely with nature
World Bank boosts climate financing by 10 percent
Washington, United States - The World Bank announced Thursday that it delivered a record $42.6 billion in climate change financing in...
- In December, the Bank committed to raising the proportion of its annual financing that goes to climate change adaptation from 35 percent to 45 percent
- This figure included lending, along with other financial instruments such as grants and guarantees, a World Bank official told AFP by email
UN draft on climate finance highlights deep divisions ahead of COP29
Paris, France - The UN has published a draft on climate financing due to be presented at the COP29 in November,...
- The document is the basis for negotiating an accord that is due to be reached at COP29 in Baku under Azerbaijan's presidency
- Arab countries say developed countries should commit at least $441 billion a year in grants between 2025-2029 to mobilise loans and private financing
Dubai airport diverts flights as ‘exceptional weather’ hits Gulf
Dubai, the Middle East's financial centre, has been paralyzed by the torrential rain that caused floods across the UAE and...
- The world's busiest air hub for international passengers confirmed a halt to arrivals at 7:26 pm (1526 GMT) before announcing a "gradual resumption" more than two hours later
- Earlier the airport, which had been expecting more than 100 flight arrivals on Tuesday evening, briefly halted its operations in the chaos caused by the storm
Geostrategy
Top Europe rights court to issue landmark climate verdicts
STRASBOURG, FRANCE – Europe's top rights court will on Tuesday issue unprecedented verdicts in three separate cases on the responsibility of...
- In a sign of the importance of the issue, the cases have all been treated as priority by the Grand Chamber of the ECHR.
- All three cases accuse European governments of inaction or insufficient action in their measures against global warming.
Business
Electric cars credited with lower CO2 emissions in US neighborhoods
LOS ANGELES, US – The booming use of electric vehicles in parts of California is reducing CO2 emissions in those areas,...
- Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, say a network of sensors has logged a small drop in the volume of carbon dioxide.
- Carbon dioxide is one of the main contributors to global warming, the human-caused phenomenon of rising temperatures.
Economy
Climate change is slowing heat waves, prolonging misery
While previous research has found climate change is causing heat waves to become longer, more frequent and more intense, the...
- "If a heatwave is moving slower, that means heat can stay in a region longer, so that has effects on communities," senior author Wei Zhang of Utah State University told
- Researchers used climate models to determine what the results would have looked like absent human-caused climate change, and found manmade factors loomed large
Economy
Sprinklers and drip irrigation help Iraqis beat drought
After four years of drought, Iraqi farmer Mohammed Sami was about to abandon his father's parched land, but then a...
- Last year the WFP's water management project helped more than 1,100 farmers "in areas most affected by climate change and drought," said Khansae Ghazi from the UN agency
- The new irrigation systems "use 70 percent less water than traditional methods such as flooding" -- the vastly more wasteful method used for millennia
Geostrategy
Poorer countries need money before raising climate targets, says COP29 head
Copenhagen, Denmark - Developing countries should not have to set stricter targets for cutting their carbon emissions before funds are available...
- Addressing the meeting, Azerbaijan's Mukhtar Babayev said "there is a growing gap between the needs of developing countries and what's available.
- This year, "finance will lie at the heart of climate diplomacy", said Babayev, the ecology and natural resources minister of Azerbaijan, host of COP29 climate summit.
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World has ‘the tools’ to unlock $1.3 trillion in climate finance: COP30 report
The 81-page report was released by the heads of last year's COP29 conference in Azerbaijan and the upcoming COP30 gathering...
Economy
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UN climate chief warns ‘lot more to do’ before COP30
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil as there...
Science
Nations advance ocean protection, vow to defend seabed
UN Ocean Conference wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when...
Geostrategy
UN summit to tackle ’emergency’ in world’s oceans
Nice, France - A global summit on the dire state of the oceans kicks off Monday in France, with calls...
Science
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Geostrategy
UAE orders all companies to monitor emissions in new climate law
Under the new law, companies are required to report and reduce their emissions of the greenhouse gases that are responsible...
- "By institutionalizing emissions monitoring and climate adaptation, the UAE is setting a compelling example for countries across the region," she said.
- Public and private companies now have to regularly monitor emissions and take steps to reduce them, or risk fines of up to two million dirhams ($545,000).
Economy
UAE tops 50C in highest May temperature on record
The United Arab Emirates registered a sizzling 50.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, the highest on record for May, following weeks...
- Worshippers at Friday prayers reported feeling faint and some residents appeared unsteady on their feet, even in a country that is accustomed to extreme temperatures
- The highest temperature was recorded in an area of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the oil-rich Gulf state that lies in one of the world's hottest regions
Arts & Culture
AI talking trees feature at Chelsea Flower Show
London, United Kingdom -- Talking trees powered by AI, drought-resistant crops and sweet potatoes sprouting among flowers -- the prestigious...
- More than 140,000 visitors are expected to view what the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) bills as "the pinnacle of horticultural excellence".
- In the Intelligent Garden, plant-lovers can truly talk to the trees thanks to artificial intelligence.