Africa: COP29 Must Kickstart Stalled Progress On the Lifeline That Is Adaptation

[ad_1] Targets for adapting to climate change are meaningless without the means to act. It's time for a clear adaptation finance goal. 2024 has been another brutal year for Africa in terms of climate change. From the Horn of Africa to Mozambique, Malawi and the Congo, the continent has faced record-breaking temperatures, devastating floods, and severe El-Niño induced droughts. With parts of Africa warming faster than the global average, each additional degree of heating brings harsher impacts on the continent's […]

October 29, 2024 4

Africa

Africa: Superyachts and Jets of Europe’s Elite Emit More Carbon Pollution in a Week Than the World’s Poorest 1 Percent Emits in a Lifetime

[ad_1] The carbon footprint of a super-rich European, accumulated from nearly a week of using super yachts and private jets, matches the lifetime carbon footprint of someone in the world's poorest 1 percent, a new Oxfam report reveals today. The first-of-its-kind study, "Carbon Inequality Kills", tracks the emissions from private jets, yachts and polluting investments and comes ahead of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, amidst growing fears that climate breakdown is accelerating, driven largely by the emissions of the richest people. […]

October 28, 2024 1

Africa

Africa: At COP16, Biodiversity Credits Raising Hopes and Protests

[ad_1] Cali, Columbia — At the end of the first week at the 16th Conference of Parties on Biodiversity (COP16), finance emerges as the biggest issue but also shrouded in controversies. On Saturday, as the COP moved closer to its most crucial phase of negotiations, resource mobilization--listed under Target 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF)--took centerstage, with most parties demanding faster action, greater transparency and the adoption of true solutions to halt biodiversity loss. Biodiversity finance: Expectation vs […]

October 28, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Billionaires Emit More Carbon Pollution in 90 Minutes Than the Average Person Does in a Lifetime

[ad_1] Fifty of the world's richest billionaires on average produce more carbon through their investments, private jets and yachts in just over an hour and a half than the average person does in their entire lifetime, a new Oxfam report reveals today. The first-of-its-kind study, "Carbon Inequality Kills," tracks the emissions from private jets, yachts and polluting investments and details how the super-rich are fueling inequality, hunger and death across the world. The report comes ahead of COP29 in Baku, […]

October 28, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Without Accelerated Action, We Will Miss the Chance to Limit Warming to 1.5°c, Says UNEP Chief Climate Advisor

[ad_1] Copenhagen & Srinagar — Anne Olhoff, Chief Climate Advisor at UNEP, underlined the urgent need for accelerated climate action ahead of COP29 in an exclusive interview with IPS. "The next six years are crucial--without accelerated action, we will miss the chance to limit warming to 1.5°C," she warned. Olhoff stressed that while ambition is essential, "What we need most is immediate action." Olhoff also termed the role of the Emissions Gap Report as a bridge between science and policy, […]

October 28, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: Bioeconomy Offers Path to Mitigating Climate Change, Enhancing Food Production

[ad_1] Nairobi — Bioeconomy is the production, use, and conservation of biological resources to produce goods that sustain communities. A new report says the promotion of bioeconomy as a way to deal with climate change holds promise for rural areas in Africa and elsewhere. As the world grapples with how to cope with the effects of climate change on the environment, food production, and people's livelihoods, experts say the bioeconomy can offer solutions to those challenges and help achieve sustainable […]

October 28, 2024 3

Africa

Africa: Polluters Must Pay – How COP29 Can Make This a Reality

[ad_1] The 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) takes place in Azerbaijan in November 2024. The annual climate change conference must focus on holding corporations and countries accountable for greenhouse gas emissions. The "polluter pays" principle has been a key part of climate discussions for years. It says a polluter should bear the costs of managing its pollution, to prevent damage to human health and the environment. Although the principle is widely accepted in theory, it hasn't been put into […]

October 28, 2024 2

Africa

Africa: What Must Happen After the Summit of the Future?

[ad_1] What would the manifesto for a more inclusive world look like if it were drafted by people with disabilities? It was, a few weeks ago at a UN Summit. But is it enough? Not long ago, I sat in a classroom in Freetown, Sierra Leone, taking it all in as a young visually impaired student ran her fingers across a braille version of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Five years ago, these global promises for a better future […]

October 25, 2024 5

Africa

Africa: Avian Architects – Weaver Birds in Africa Have Unique Building Styles

[ad_1] From afar, the acacia trees look like they have been decorated with grass pom-poms. The birds have been busy, building shelters of straw and grass. Up close the real shape of the "pom-poms" becomes clear: grass tubes in the form of an upside down "U", with an opening at each end. These structures are the work of white-browed sparrow weavers (Plocepasser mahali). White-browed sparrow weavers are cooperative breeders. Within a multi-generational family group, only one dominant pair will reproduce; […]

October 25, 2024 2