Climate Change

States Must Act Now to Protect Indigenous Peoples During Migration

By UN experts* on Indigenous Peoples
States around the world must take effective action to guarantee the human rights of indigenous peoples, says a group of UN experts. In a joint statement marking International day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the experts say it is crucial that the rights of indigenous peoples are realised when they migrate or are displaced from their lands:

Why the Flooding in Grenada is a Clear Reminder of its Vulnerability to Climate Change

By Desmond Brown
Grenada is still tallying the damage after heavy rainfall last week resulted in “wide and extensive” flooding that once again highlights the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to climate change.

VIDEO: Climate Change Could Have Devastating Consequences for Saint Lucia

By Desmond Brown
The Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia is home to more than 2,000 native species — of which nearly 200 species occur nowhere else in the world. Though less than 616 square kilometres in area, the island is exceptionally rich in animals and plants.

Amidst Rising Heat Waves, UN says Cooling is a Human Right, not a Luxury

By Thalif Deen
The rising heat waves in the world’s middle income and poorer nations are threatening the health and prosperity of about 1.1 billion people, including 470 million in rural areas without access to safe food and medicines, and 630 million in hotter, poor urban slums, with little or no cooling to protect them, according to the latest figures released by the United Nations.

As It Recovers, Argentina’s Beef Production Faces Environmental Impact Questions

By Daniel Gutman
Beef is one of the symbols historically identified with Argentina. After lean years, production and exports are growing, as is the debate on the environmental impact of cattle, which is on the radar of environmentalists and actors in the agricultural value chain.

Land Degradation: A Triple Threat in Africa

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Sustainability, stability, and security—the three overlapping issues are an increasing concern among many especially in Africa where land degradation is displacing citizens and livelihoods.

Is Thailand Making Progress Towards Reaching its Climate Change Mitigation Goals?

By Sinsiri Tiwutanond
As preparations are underway for an important formal discussion between countries committed to the Paris Agreement; Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, has been determining its progress towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 20 to 25 percent by 2030. But experts have warned against merely emphasising policies to affect real changes.

Caribbean Builds Resilience Through Enhanced Data Collection

By Zadie Neufville
By the end of September 2018, the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) would have installed the last of five new data buoys in the Eastern Caribbean, extending the regional Coral Reef Early Warning System (CREWS) network as it continues to build resilience to climate change in the Caribbean.

Q&A: Indonesia Takes Steps to Reduce Emissions – But It’s Not Enough

By Kanis Dursin
The South Asian nation of Indonesia is the world’s fifth-largest emitter of greenhouses gases (GHG) and is ranked as the world’s second-largest plastic polluter of oceans, just behind China. So when the country committed in the Paris Agreement to limit the rise in average global temperatures to below 2°C by unconditionally reducing its emissions by 29 percent with using its own finances and by 41 percent with international funding, many felt the goals too ambitious.

Building the Caribbean’s Climate Resilience to Ensure Basic Survival

By Desmond Brown
In 2004, when the Category 4 hurricane Ivan hit the tiny island nation of Grenada and its 151 mph winds stalled overhead for 15 hours–it devastated the country. But not before pummelling Barbados and other islands, killing at least 15 people.

Limiting Global Temperature Rise to 1.5 Degrees

By Saleemul Huq
In the run-up to the negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in its 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) in December 2015, one of the most politically contentious issues was whether the limit of the long-term global temperature rise should be kept at 2 degrees centigrade or changed to 1.5 degrees.

Humanitarian Situation Worsens as Over 800,000 Displaced People Face Cold and Heavy Rains in Ethiopia

By International Organization for Migration
Over 800,000 internally displaced persons are living without adequate shelter and safe sanitation in Ethiopia, resulting in a worsening humanitarian situation further exacerbated by cold, wet weather brought on by the rainy season.

Q&A: Raising the Profile on the Largest Environmental Issue of Our Time

By Tharanga Yakupitiyage
Land degradation caused by human activities is occurring at an alarming rate across the world, and the cost will be steep if no action is taken.

Forests and Marine Resources Continue to Shrink

By Maged Srour
Deforestation and unsustainable farming are depriving the planet of forests, while destructive practices in fishing are limiting the chance to sustainably manage our oceans.

Strengthening Cuban Coastal Landscape in the Face of Climate Change

By Ivet González
Strong winds agitate the sea that crashes over Punta de Maisí, the most extreme point in eastern Cuba, where no building stands on the coast made up of rocky areas intermingled with vegetation and with sandy areas where people can swim and sunbathe.

Urgent Action Needed to Safeguard Saint Lucia’s Biodiversity

By Desmond Brown
Wildlife conservationists consider it to be one of the most striking parrots of its kind. Saint Lucia’s best-known species, the endangered Amazon parrot, is recognised by its bright green plumage, purple forehead and dusty red-tipped feathers. But a major conservation organisation is warning that climate change and a lack of care for the environment could have devastating consequences for Saint Lucia’s healthy ecosystems and rich biodiversity, including the parrot.

Ocean Conservation Is an Untapped Strategy for Fighting Climate Change

By Eliza Northrop
The ocean contributes $1.5 trillion annually to the global economy and assures the livelihood of 10-12 percent of the world’s population. But there’s another reason to protect marine ecosystems—they’re crucial for curbing climate change.

Experts Decry Exclusion of Africa’s Local Farmers in Food Security Efforts

By Miriam Gathigah
Joshua Kiragu reminisces of years gone by when just one of his two hectares of land produced at least 40 bags of maize. But that was 10 years ago. Today, Kiragu can barely scrape up 20 bags from the little piece of land that he has left – it measures just under a hectare.

War, High Tariffs and Nationalisation – their Cost to Africa’s Climate

By Issa Sikiti da Silva
Africa’s political instability, its armed conflicts and regulatory issues are placing at risk investment needed to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the continent. 

Bamboo, A Sustainability Powerhouse

By Ed Holt
A landmark conference bringing more than 1,200 people from across the world together to promote and explain the importance of bamboo and rattan to global sustainable development and tackling climate change has ended with a raft of agreements and project launches.

West Africa Moves Ahead with Renewable Energy Despite Unpredictable Challenges 

By Issa Sikiti da Silva
The West African nation of Guinea may be a signatory of the Paris Agreement, a global undertaking by countries around the world to reduce climate change, but as it tries to provide electricity to some three quarters of its 12 million people who are without, the commitment is proving a struggle.
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