Environment

The 1.5 degrees Celsius Target from Paris (Probably) Died on November 5th.

By Felix Dodds and Michael Strauss
So, the worst has happened. American voters have apparently just elected the most chaotic and kleptocratic individual in their country’s political history as their president. (We say ‘apparently’, because these days nothing can be certain about the integrity of the US political or electoral system – as is the case with far too many other countries.)

Countdown Begins in Defining Twelve Days to Historic Global Climate Deal

By Joyce Chimbi
The 29th session of the Conference of the Parties on climate change has officially kicked off in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the promise of striking yet another historic global climate deal and finance adaptation, gender responsive action and financing, and forgotten issues such as food waste are top on the agenda as every action is as crucial as every fraction in the rise or fall of a Celsius degree.

4 Reasons Why the Climate Coalition Will Win Despite Trump

By Erik Solheim
The nation which more than any other caused the climate crisis will leave it to the rest of the world to sort out the mess. That is a takeaway from the US election last week.

COP29: Making Space Applications Work for Women in Agriculture

By Xinyi Qu, Kareff Rafisura and Gomer Padong
When the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, orbited the Earth in 1963, there were only three active Earth observation satellites. Today, the number is 114 times greater.

Cryosphere Crisis: Scientists Warn of Devastating Global Impacts Without Urgent Climate Action

By Tanka Dhakal
Scientists warn of vastly higher impacts on billions of people’s livelihood and cost to the global economy by the accelerating losses in the world’s snow and ice regions, aka the cryosphere. Over 50 leading cryosphere scientists released an annual report on the status of the world’s ice stores on Tuesday (November 12) at the UN Climate Conference (COP29) in Baku. An updated report on the world's ice warns of “drastically higher costs without immediate emissions reductions.” 

Lahore’s Dangerous Smog: Where Disease and Death Stalk

By Zofeen Ebrahim
"It's been horrible; I've been sick on and off for the last 10 days," said 29-year-old asthmatic Natasha Sohail, who teaches A-Level students at three private schools in Lahore. Last week, her condition worsened with a vertigo attack and fever. “It’s criminal what is happening here,” said an incensed Sohail, referring to the “band-aid measures” taken by the Punjab government.

Without Supercharging Adaptation Funding Global Temperatures Could Surge

By Umar Manzoor Shah
The Head of Impact Assessment and Adaptation, Henry Neufeldt, UN Environment Programme Copenhagen Climate Centre, has called for increased climate adaptation funding, particularly for developing nations facing significant climate risks.

Leather Cooperative Stops Unemployment in Northeast Brazil

By Carlos Müller
The small community of Ribeira stands out in the Northeast, the poorest region of Brazil. There is no unemployment here. One in five inhabitants make a living directly or indirectly from the Arteza Cooperative of Tanners and Leather Artisans.

Farming in Crisis: Suicides and Climate Change Threaten India’s Agrarian Future

By Aishwarya Bajpai
"Farming is in my blood, and I can’t imagine doing anything else," said Mahim Mazumder, a farmer from Assam. "Even though the past three to five years have seen drastic changes—with temperatures rising so much that even sitting under a tree no longer offers relief—I will keep farming, even if it only yields a small harvest. I've spent my entire life farming, and despite all the challenges, I’ll continue."

Climate Justice


 
Climate change continues to pose an existential threat to humanity. Recent science estimates that we may have less than six years left to change course.

UN Climate Summit Needs Action – not a COP-Out

By Deodat Maharaj
The Paris Agreement on climate change is a decade old this month. While there has been progress - with new net zero pledges and new technological solutions, we are still grappling with the reality that global temperatures continue to soar. 2023 was the hottest year ever on record.

Cities Will Be Hit Hardest By Climate Change, UN Report Warns

By Oritro Karim
Cities are in a unique position, simultaneously the biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses and the most affected areas of the greenhouse effect. As a new UN report shows that rapid urbanization and industrialization have adverse effects on the environment, causing a rise in sea levels, prolonged rainfalls and flooding, and an increase in overall temperature. The coastal areas that cities most often inhabit face the brunt of these effects, with marginalized populations being the most vulnerable.

UNEP: Nations Must Step Up Adaptation—Starting with Bold Finance Action at COP 29

By Umar Manzoor Shah
The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2024 Adaptation Gap Report has warned that adaptation actions are not keeping pace with the surging demands of a warming planet. Released ahead of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, the report—titled Come Hell and High Water—projected a bleak future where vulnerable communities bear the brunt of climate-induced hardships. 

Arab Region Leaders, Experts Gather to Find Solutions to Water Scarcity, Sustainable Development

By Joyce Chimbi
The Arab region is among the most water-scarce areas globally, as nearly 392 million people live in countries facing water scarcity or absolute water scarcity. So dire is the situation that, of the 22 Arab countries, 19 fall below the annual threshold for water scarcity in renewable resources, defined as 1,000 cubic meters per person.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: Preserving the Cultural Heritage

By Jan Lundius

 
More durable than bronze, higher than Pharaoh’s
pyramids is the monument I have made,
a shape that angry wind or hungry rain
cannot demolish, nor the innumerable ranks
of the years that march in centuries.
I shall not wholly die:
some part of me will cheat the goddess of death.

How Blue Carbon Ecosystems are Saving the Philippines’ Sinking Islands

By Anne Cortez
Imagine living with water up to your knees for half of the year, where homes are flooded, and people constantly fear that the sea might one day engulf the town and everyone in it.

As Forests Felled Wood Shortage Hits Villagers in Zimbabwe

By Jeffrey Moyo
Linet Makwera (28) has a baby strapped on her back as she totters barefoot, picking tiny pieces of wood on both sides of a dusty and narrow road, peering fearfully at people passing by along the road in Chimanimani’s Mutambara area in Gonzoma village located in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, east of the country.

Mexican Cooperative Promotes Energy Transition on Indigenous Lands

By Emilio Godoy
What began as a search for fair prices for indigenous handicrafts in 1985 has evolved into a women's organisation in Mexico that promotes climate justice while advocating for land and environmental rights.

Voices from the Margins: Small-Scale Fishers Demand Rights, Recognition at COP16

By Aishwarya Bajpai
Small-scale fishers play a fundamental role in feeding people—they use sustainable methods of catching and processing fish products and are a significant force in the employment and livelihoods of millions of people internationally—yet, until now, they have been excluded from climate and biodiversity conferences.

Diverse Diets Are Essential for Nourishing a Healthy Planet as Well as Healthy People

By Shakuntala Thilsted and Cargele Masso
It’s often said that we are what we eat. However, our diets are also a reflection on the health of our food systems, the environment and agricultural biodiversity.

Armed Violence and Floods Aggravate Humanitarian Crisis in Chad

By Oritro Karim
Chad is currently in the midst of a dire humanitarian crisis due to persisting armed conflict, mass displacement, widespread hunger, natural disasters, and an overall lack of essential services. Due to security challenges from the Boko Haram militant group, millions of Chadians have faced decreased mobility as well as human rights violations including imprisonment, beatings, kidnappings, and killings.
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