Bonn, Germany | AFP | Climate change imperils one in four natural World Heritage sites, including coral reefs, glaciers, and wetlands — nearly double the number from just three years ago, a report said Monday. The number of sites at risk has grown to 62 from 35 in 2014, when one …
Read More »UN chief says $100 bln climate fund far from guaranteed
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said a $100 billion annual fund to help developing countries tackle climate change was crucial to achieve the goals of the Paris climate deal. “We need to mobilize the agreed $100 billion annually for developing countries,” Guterres …
Read More »Syria not invited to Paris climate talks despite joining accord
Paris, France | AFP | Despite signing up to the Paris climate accord Syria has not been invited to a summit on the pact in the French capital in December, the French foreign ministry said Wednesday. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad joins US President Donald Trump in being omitted from the list …
Read More »Syria to join Paris climate pact, isolating US
Bonn, Germany | AFP | Syria told the UN climate talks in Bonn on Tuesday that it would join the Paris Agreement, leaving the United States as the only nation in the world opting to stay outside the landmark treaty. “We are going to join the Paris Agreement,” the Syrian delegate, …
Read More »Deadly heat from climate change may hit slums hardest
Miami, United States | AFP | With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the …
Read More »What is the Paris Agreement?
Paris, France | AFP | On December 12, 2015, 195 countries gathered in the French capital to conclude the first truly universal climate treaty, the Paris Agreement, aimed at preventing the worst-case scenarios of global warming. The Palestinian Authority and Nicaragua have since also signed up, while President Donald Trump announced …
Read More »Sydney, Melbourne warned to prepare for 50-degree days
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Sydney and Melbourne could regularly face 50 degree Celsius (122F) days within 25 years even if Australia meets its Paris global warming targets, a new study warned Wednesday. Other areas across the country should also prepare for extreme heat, said the research led by the Australian …
Read More »Planet-warming methane from livestock underestimated: study
Paris, France | AFP | Emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from livestock are larger than previously thought, posing an additional challenge in the fight to curb global warming, scientists said Friday. Revised calculations of methane produced per head of cattle show that global livestock emissions in 2011 were 11 percent …
Read More »US role in spotlight as nations meet on Paris climate deal
Montreal, Canada | AFP | A top European environment official said Saturday the United States appeared to be softening its stance on the Paris climate accord, but the White House quickly pushed back. The remark came as environment ministers from some 30 countries gathered in Montreal seeking headway on the Paris …
Read More »Report finds staggering decline in Canada wildlife
Montreal, Canada | AFP | Half of the vertebrate populations in Canada are in staggering decline, despite the country’s vast outback, according to a WWF report Thursday that highlighted threats to beluga whales and caribou. The World Wildlife Fund in its Living Planet Report pointed to 451 shrinking animal populations out …
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