By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE (IDN) — At COP 27 in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El Sheikh, the Global South led by Asia and the South Pacific (as well as Africa) are demanding that nature rights and climatic justice be recognized as a human right and COP (Conference of Parties) process go beyond pledges […]
COP27: A Win for Loss and Damage
By Busani Bafana SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — After much horse-trading, loss and damage is on the agenda at the COP27 raising expectations of an agreement for funding to promote resilience and address longer-term impacts of climate change. For the first time since the adoption of the UN climate convention, the contentious issue of loss […]
As Die-Off of Kenyan Wildlife Spikes, No End Seen to Punishing Drought
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | NAIROBI (IDN) — A new report titled “Impacts of the current drought on wildlife in Kenya” by Wildlife Research and Training Institute gives a devastating picture of the high mortality of wildlife across the East African nation whose animal kingdom has been the backbone of tourism […]
UN Climate Panel Warns of Sea ‘Swallowing’ Alexandria and Other Historic Cities
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is brimming with delegates, organizers and observers – here to take part in the UN Climate Conference, better known by its acronym “COP27” (Conference of the Parties). This year’s conference will be an “African COP” where the positions […]
Egyptian Civil Rights Activists View COP27 as a Carefully Managed Theatre
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | SHARM EL-SHEIKH (IDN) — Some civil rights activists suspect this year’s UN climate conference, held in a country reputed for holding thousands of political prisoners, will give the host country a great opportunity to remake its image and position itself as the voice for the Global […]
UN’s Development Goals are Not Far Behind COP27
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — When the two-weeklong COP27 climate summit began negotiations November 6, the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were not far behind. At the conference centre in the Egyptian coastal town of Sharm el-Sheikh, the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) is hosting an SDG Pavilion for […]
COP 27: An ‘Implementation COP’ To Save People and the Planet
By Meena Raman The author is a Senior Researcher at the Third World Network in Penang, Malaysia. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (IDN) — The annual climate conference under the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement kicked off in the Egyptian coastal resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh on November […]
UN Climate Conference Must Make Funds for Poor Nations A Priority
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Water stress, withering droughts and devastating floods are hitting African communities, economies and ecosystems hard. Rainfall patterns are disrupted, glaciers are disappearing and key lakes are shrinking. In South Africa, the extreme rainfall that triggered one of the country’s deadliest disasters of this century was […]
NASA Study Finds Climate Extremes Affect Landslides in Surprising Ways
A NASA News Feature WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — Climate change is driving more volatile precipitation patterns around the world—very dry stretches punctuated by storms that drop large amounts of rain or snow in a short amount of time. While wetter and drier spells may have certain effects that are easy to predict, such as on […]
University Scientists in El Salvador Research to Protect Biodiversity
By J. Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — The Cerrón Grande reservoir, the largest water body in El Salvador—and home to over fifteen species of fish and a wide variety of submerged and floating flora—is currently threatened by the accumulation of solid waste, erosion, eutrophication, pollution, and the presence of invasive species. To mitigate these environmental […]