Climate Action

Photo: Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. The tropical rainforests of South America contain the largest diversity of species on Earth, including some that have evolved within the past few hundred thousand years. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Scientists Urge Radical Change in 'Stewardship of the Earth'

By J C Suresh

TORONTO (IDN) – A group of eminent scientists has issued a terse warning that to prevent widespread misery and catastrophic biodiversity loss, humanity must practice a more environmentally sustainable alternative to business as usual. "Soon it will be too late to shift course away from our failing trajectory, and time is running out," they caution, backed by 15,364 scientist signatories from 184 countries.

In 'A Second Notice' to Humanity, published in the latest issue of BioScience, William J. Ripple, Christopher Wolf, Thomas M. Newsome, Mauro Galetti Mohammed Alamgir, Eileen Crist, Mahmoud I. Mahmoud, and William F. Laurance, write: "This prescription was well articulated by the world's leading scientists 25 years ago, but in most respects, we have not heeded their warning."

: J C Suresh; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 17 December 2017

Photo: In the third row from top, French President Macron (right) and UN Secretary-General Guterres (on his right) listen to a presentation at the One Planet Summit. Credit: A.D. McKenzie.

One Planet Summit Spotlights Funding to Fight Climate Change

By A.D. McKenzie

PARIS (IDN) – Financing is key in the fight against climate change, said delegate after delegate at the One Planet Summit in Paris December 12, and this meeting was all about the money: where to invest it and where not.

The World Bank Group announced that it would not be financing upstream oil and gas after 2019, except for certain projects in the “poorest countries”, where there is a clear benefit in terms of energy access for those in need.

“The policy will change and change dramatically,” said World Bank president Jim Yong Kim.

: SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 13 December 2017

Photo: Delegates gather for the 3rd UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi. Credit: UN Environment.

UN Environment Assembly Galvanises Nations to Act on Taming Pollution

By Justus Wanzala

NAIROBI (IDN) – Amid a cacophony of voices, interests and expectations, the third high level United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), held in Nairobi from December 4-6, had a common denominator – a sense of strong desire and willingness among delegations for action to ensure a pollution-free world.

Some walked the talk. Indeed, in a bid to support the war against pollution, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Norway, Republic of Korea, Sweden and Switzerland committed 35 million dollars to the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), a partnership of five UN agencies to support countries in greening their economies and tackling environmental challenges, while promoting better jobs and stable economic growth.

: Justus Wanzala; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 08 December 2017

Photo: Monks and nuns taking a Buddhist Volunteer Spirit for Communication training course at the BDP’s Training Center, Wat Nakhoun Noi, Nasaythong District, Vientiane Credit: Toung Eh Synuanchanh.

Village Buddhist Monks in Laos Initiate Environmentally-Aware Development

By Toung Eh Synuanchanh

This article is the 19th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

BEUNGSANTHUENG, Laos (IDN) – A quiet revolution is taking shape in rural Laos, where environmentally-conscious village Buddhist monks are teaching people morality and meditation to spearhead a movement mobilising the people to economically develop their communities for living in harmony with nature rather than destroying it in the name of development.

At the Ban Beungsanthueng community, in Nongbok District in Khammouane Province of Laos, about 400 km south of the capital Vientiane, monks educate the villagers in Sila (Buddhist morality) and the way to live a good life (Right Livelihood), while protecting the environment. In this nominally communist country, the monks explain the linkage between humans and nature to villagers, and its importance to their livelihoods and well-being.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 07 December 2017

Climate Change Hopes Vanish into Thin Air

By Andrea Vento*

ROME (IDN) – The great hopes for a historical understanding to contain global warming in the wake of the proclamations of world leaders prior to the recent UN climate change conference in Bonn have evaporated.

The ‘climate’ of confidence surrounding the conference – held in Bonn from November 6 to 17, officially known as the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 23) and presided over by Fiji – soon disappeared into thin air as environmental experts looked at what, if anything, had been achieved.

Criticism has centred on the failure to establish either a "compliance control committee" or a "sanctioning mechanism" against countries which do not respect the commitments they have entered into.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 26 November 2017

Photo: Leaders from Indigenous communities speak at a press conference in COP 23. Credit: Stella Paul | IDN-INPS

COP23 Finally Provides a Platform for Indigenous People on Climate Talks

By Stella Paul

BONN (IDN) – Patricia Gualinga has been coming to the UN climate change conferences for several years. She usually receives 2-3 minutes on a panel of a side event on indigenous issues during which she tells about the struggles of her community – the Kichwas of Ecuador.

The struggles are, typically, of surviving in an environment where water is fast depleting, air is polluted, land is taken away and tribe members are evicted from their homes – all in the name of development. Sarayaku – where Gualinga comes from – is an Amazonian province in which the degradation is often caused by large oil explorers.

: Stella Paul; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 20 November 2017

Photo: COP23 Venue. Credit: German Environment Ministry

Further, Faster, Together On Climate - From Bonn To Katowice

By Ramesh Jaura

BONN (IDN) – The two-week long intensive and multilevel talks concluded in Germany's former capital city in the early hours of November 18 tasking the negotiators to focus on 'Where are we, where do we want to go and how do we get there?' before they meet in Poland in December 2018.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat said the Bonn Climate Conference – officially known as COP23, the 23rd session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention – had become "launch-pad for higher ambition".

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 19 November 2017

Photo: A side event at COP23. Credit: IISD/ENB | Angeles Estrada

Climate Change Impact in Asia-Pacific Needs Innovative Finance Solutions

By Jaya Ramachandran

BONN (IDN) – While global estimates range between US$55 trillion and $93 trillion to stay within 2 degree Celsius of temperature increase by 2030-2035, developing countries in Asia alone need an estimated US$3.6 billion per annum up to 2030 to transition toward net zero emissions and increased resilience, according to ESCAP News.

If finance is to be scaled-up to these levels, it is essential to use lending and capital market channels to shore up resources to effectively tackle the impact of climate change, according to countries in Asia-Pacific which gathered on November 16 on the sidelines of global climate talks in Bonn to discuss opportunities to raise ambition to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement through innovative finance solutions. It was acknowledged that additional support from the international community was required to support this effort.

: Jaya Ramachandran; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 November 2017

Inaction is Not an Option in the Face of Climate Emergency

By John Scales Avery*

John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist noted for his research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. Presently an Associate Professor in quantum chemistry at the University of Copenhagen, he is working on a book with the title 'THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY: Two time scales'. A first draft of the book can be downloaded from: http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/library/climate.pdf. The following are excerpts from introduction to the book. – The Editor

COPENHAGEN (IDN) - Quick change is needed to save the long-term future. The central problem, which the world faces in its attempts to avoid catastrophic climate change, is a contrast of time scales. In order to save human civilization and the biosphere from the most catastrophic effects of climate change, we need to act immediately. Fossil fuels must be left in the ground. Forests must be saved from destruction by beef or palm oil production.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 18 November 2017

Photo: Over 20,000 people were mobilized in Bonn on 4 November 2017.to demand an end to coal and dirty energy and call for climate justice ahead of COP23. Credit: Amelia Collins/Friends of the Earth International

Rich Countries Criticised For Lack of Serious Action on Climate Change

By Jaya Ramachandran

BONN (IDN) - As the UN climate talks in Bonn (COP23) drew to a close, Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) bashed the rich countries for once again showing poor leadership by not taking serious action on climate change – despite new evidence showing emissions are on the rise.

FoEI's Dipti Bhatnagar said: "Rich nations, including those calling themselves 'climate leaders', have brought crumbs to the table on pre-2020 climate action. But this is meaningless, as they continue to push dirty energy at home and overseas, and fail to support energy transformation in the South. As we learnt this week, emissions are set to rise again for the first time in three years. If nothing changes, then these so-called leaders have booked their spot on the wrong side of history."