United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States is on track to meet the targets of the Paris climate agreement despite President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the accord, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Thursday. Guterres said emissions-cutting plans put in motion by American businesses, regional governments …
Read More »World cities go dark as Earth Hour climate campaign circles globe
Paris, France | AFP | The Sydney Opera House, the Eiffel Tower and Moscow’s Red Square were among the world landmarks to go dark Saturday, as part of a global campaign to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change. Earth Hour, which started in Australia in 2007, is being …
Read More »Warming climate will displace millions in coming decades: World Bank
Washington, United States | AFP | The wave of refugees fleeing crop failures, droughts and rising sea levels will grow drastically over the next three decades if world governments do not intervene, the World Bank warned Monday. By 2050, 143 million “climate migrants” will face an “existential threat” and be …
Read More »World needs ‘greener’ water policies as demand rises: UN
Paris, France | AFP | Governments should focus on “greener” policies to improve the supply and quality of water as climate change and a growing global population threaten the water security of billions, the United Nations said on Monday. In its 2018 World Water Development Report, the UN calculated that an …
Read More »World water problems on tap at Brazil conference
Brasília, Brazil | AFP | Brazil — the country with the world’s greatest fresh water reserves — hosts an international conference next week on growing fears over the fragility of drinking water supplies in a heating planet. Under the slogan “sharing water,” the 8th World Water Forum will bring together …
Read More »Macron pledges 700 million euros for new solar projects
New Delhi, India | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday pledged hundreds of millions of dollars for solar projects in developing countries, as world leaders met in India to promote greater investment in renewable energy. Macron, who in December warned that the global shift to a green energy future …
Read More »Italy, China propose solution to Lake Chad’s water problem
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | It sounds like something from Wakanda, the futuristic African kingdom of the hit movie “Black Panther”. But “Transaqua” is a very real proposal for a very real problem — how to replenish the shrinking waters of Lake Chad. It imagines a 2,600-km (1,600-mile) canal from …
Read More »COMMENT: Uganda’s climate change policy
Specific interventions needed as uncertainty and variability of rainfall threatens economic progress COMMENT | MILDRED BARUNGI & FLORENCR NAKAZI | In the past five years, Uganda has experienced climate change and variability. This has been mainly exhibited through uncertainty of rainfall patterns for the two main cropping seasons (i.e. March to May …
Read More »Water: Why the taps run dry
Paris, France | AFP | The world has abundant freshwater but it is unevenly distributed and under increasing pressure, UN agencies say, as highlighted by the severe shortages in Cape Town. – Water, water ‘everywhere’ – More than 97 percent of the planet’s water is salty, most of it in …
Read More »Sea level rise is accelerating: study
Miami, United States | AFP | Sea level rise is accelerating and could reach 26 inches (66 centimeters) by century’s end, in line with United Nations estimates and enough to cause significant problems for coastal cities, a study said Monday. The past annual rate of sea level rise — about three …
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