Why does tackling climate change need international cooperation

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and the rise of food insecurity and inflation around the world are reasons to strengthen, not weaken, international commitments to end reliance on fossil fuels, the U.K.’s COP26 president has said. Speaking in Glasgow six months after the end of the COP26 climate summit, Alok Sharma focused on the successes of the conference, but noted that in the half-year since, global events had further highlighted the need for economies to move away from using coal, oil and gas as quickly as possible. “The world has changed,” Sharma said. “The clouds have darkened over the international landscape: war has returned to Europe ... debt is mounting, energy prices are rising, and globally people are struggling to feed their families.” These crises, Sharma went on, “should increase, not diminish, our determination to deliver on what the world agreed here in Glasgow,” noting that Russia’s invasion … [Read more...] about ‘Climate Security Is Energy Security’: COP26 President’s Warning To The World

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Last week I did a talk entitled ‘2030’ – a topical title these days given the cloudy outlook and there are already some decent books such as Jim Stavridis’ ‘2034’ that look out that far. Yet, the fallacy of forecasting is to try to imagine discrete events in the future – a better starting point in looking ahead eight years is to go back eight. Russian invasion If we travel back to 2014, the key events were Russia invading Crimea, Britain’s existential political struggle (Scottish independence), an epidemic (Ebola in Africa), pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, an economic crisis in Europe, the election of Modi in India and Iranian nuclear talks. Many of these phenomena are still with us (Modi, Iran), others ‘we’ failed to take seriously as portending more serious developments (Russia, Brexit, Epidemic, HK). In particular, the last four have stress tested globalization and found it wanting each time. If, based on … [Read more...] about 2030 – What Does The Future Hold?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Pollution was responsible for more than 9 million deaths around the world in 2019, according to a study published in Lancet Planetary Health on Tuesday, equivalent to one in every six, a growing global problem researchers warn poses an “existential threat” to humanity but receives little political attention or funding to mitigate the crisis. Key Facts Air pollution, for example from burning fossil fuels, accounted for the vast majority of these, nearly 75%, and was responsible for 6.67 million deaths, the peer-reviewed analysis of global mortality data found, contributing towards higher rates of issues like cancer, heart disease and respiratory illness. Water pollution and toxic chemicals like lead were also responsible for millions of deaths, the researchers said, 1.36 million and 1.8 million deaths, respectively, leading to issues like sickness from unsafe drinking water, damage to the immune system … [Read more...] about ‘A Planetary Threat’: Pollution Responsible For 9 Million Deaths Each Year, Study Finds

New Delhi (CNN Business) A month ago, as Russia's war in Ukraine pushed the world to the brink of a food crisis, India's prime minister Narendra Modi offered to help countries facing shortages. "We already have enough food for our people but our farmers seem to have made arrangements to feed the world," Modi said in April. "We are ready to send the relief from tomorrow itself." The world's second biggest producer of wheat after China was already walking the talk. In the 12 months to March, India cashed in on soaring global prices, exporting a record 7 million metric tons of the grain. That was up more than 250% on the previous year's volumes. It had also set record export targets for the coming year. Now, those lofty goals have been abandoned and wheat exports banned as life-threatening heat waves in South Asia stunt output and push local prices to record highs. India bans wheat exports as heat wave hurts crop, … [Read more...] about India offered to help fix the global food crisis. Here’s why it backtracked

Kevin Johnson is an Iraq War veteran and board director of the American Resilience Project and Environmental Defense Action Fund. Mark Ruffalo is an actor, environmental advocate and co-founder of We Stand United. Both are founding members of the Clean Energy Freedom campaign. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own. As energy tensions continue to rise in Europe amidst the war in Ukraine, Americans are feeling the effect at home. Russia shut off natural gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria last month, and the European Union recently proposed a ban on Russian oil imports. Meanwhile, just last week, the US Consumer Price Index showed that gas prices were up 44% (on an unadjusted basis) in the 12 months ended in April, and the national average is currently hovering around $4.52 a gallon. It's clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to weaponize Europe's dependence on his country's fossil fuels to deter support for Ukraine. This moment … [Read more...] about Opinion: How President Biden can win the energy war with Russia — and lower gas prices

SEVERAL flood mitigation projects are in the pipeline to prevent flooding in Perak especially in Ipoh. State housing, local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi said some areas that had previously never experienced flooding were now affected as well, especially during downpours. Several projects have been approved while some are in progress, she said. “There are various projects under the local councils’ purview that started last year. “Last year, 81 infrastructure-upgrade projects were approved. “This year, 27 projects have been approved until March. “The projects include the upgrade of main drains, repairs due to erosion and upgrades of pump houses.” Nolee Ashilin said with the unpredictable weather lately, flooding has been a main concern, especially in Ipoh and rural areas. She hoped the projects would resolve the flooding issues. Rainwater filling a monsoon drain in the Anjung Bercham area recently. Among areas in … [Read more...] about Awash with flood woes

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This is Part II of a three-part series from an extensive interview with the former finance minister of Ukraine. The third one includes how to help Ukraine. She also gave career advice. Part I is here. Part II: The Hidden Power Of ESG As explained in Part I of this series, the Russian invasion of Ukraine reflects the weakness in the core of the “liberal peace” doctrine believed for decades — that global commerce would disincentivize conflicts — in part because of dark money, argued Natalie Jaresko, the former finance minister of Ukraine, in an extensive interview on my Electric Ladies Podcast. Furthermore, she argues that taking Russian money is inconsistent with the commitments to ESG, or environment, social and governance principles, that dozens of companies and countries have declared. ESG commitments from companies and countries, and investments in ESG funds, have swelled over the past few years. ESG funds … [Read more...] about The Hidden Power Of ESG – Part 2 Of 3-Part Series: Interview With The Former Finance Minister Of Ukraine

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Fashion’s environmental impacts are often calculated (and communicated) through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs). LCAs assess the impact of goods or services, typically from cradle (raw materials) to gate (when they are shipped to consumers); And they are commonly used to determine ‘how sustainable’ something is. This makes LCAs critical decision-making tools as the industry stares down a target of 45% emissions reductions by 2030 (amongst other environmental targets). Life Cycle Assessment is typically conducted using primary and/or secondary data according to International Standards Organisation guidelines (specifically, ISO 14040:2006 ). It is often arduous, expensive and highly subjective, providing high levels of specificity, but low levels of comparability with other materials, products or processes. However, in practice, that’s precisely what LCAs are regularly used for, leading to ‘apple and oranges’ comparisons and … [Read more...] about Environmental Impact Assessments Could Undermine Sustainable Fashion—Experts Explain Why.

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Stephanie Johnstone and Tamar Kobakhidze come from two different worlds – one hails from Germany while the other from the Republic of Georgia. But, when Johnstone put out a call for a traveler interested in aiding her on a several-month expedition through much of Central Asia, following along the ancient Silk Road route, Kobakhidze would turn out to be the perfect fit. The two females will travel for seven months and more than 8,899 kilometers through some of the remotest corners of our world to shine a light on remarkable human stories to give viewers a window to a kinder and more compassionate world. "When we look beyond our culture and religion, where we live, upbringing, and preferences, we realize that we are all citizens of this beautiful planet we call Earth," says Johnstone. Additionally, each week, the expedition will be paired with a global call to action for kindness. I sat down with them to learn more … [Read more...] about Two Female Film Makers Are Taking On A 8,899 Kilometer Journey To Share Remarkable Human Stories

Wayne Swanson, who owns a 32-acre family farm in Henry County, Georgia, is trying to persuade his fellow farmers to rethink long-held beliefs about their trade. “We’ve been trained since kids [to think] that farms were places with big, huge silos, and 1,000 acres,” Swanson says. But his philosophy is that less is more: The less farmers disturb the soil, the more produce they’ll get from it. The fewer synthetic chemicals they spray, the more nutritious the food. The less money spent, the more money made. And it’s all accomplishable on smaller plots of land. advertisement advertisement He travels to other farms to convert them to his credo. “I’m Captain Obvious because I’m telling you stuff that you probably have already known,” he tells other farmers. “You just never practiced it. You didn’t think that it could be done.” regenerative agriculture, a holistic way to farm that’s rooted in Indigenous traditions, where farmers ensure animals, plants, and … [Read more...] about How family farmers are working to get federal support for regenerative agriculture