Climate change will breed financial crises and plummeting living standards unless leading states force companies to be transparent about their true carbon emissions, governor of the Bank of England (BoE) Mark Carney has said. Speaking at a conference hosted by Lloyd’s of London on Tuesday, Carney warned insurers are heavily exposed to risks posed by climate change. He argued … [Read more...]
Pakistan court rules ‘climate council’ needed to protect people
Pakistan was the second country in a matter of months to be compelled by a court to protect its citizens from the dangers of a warming climate. The high court of justice in the capital city of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Lahore, recently ruled that the country must do more to protect its citizens from climate change, ordering the creation of a “climate council” to ensure … [Read more...]
Even after dark, vast Spanish solar plant harnesses sun’s power
In December this year the UN Climate Conference takes place in Paris. Ahead of the summit, we will release a series of stories, titled "Earthprints," that show the ability of humans to impact change on the landscape of the planet. From sprawling urban growth to the construction of new islands, each site has profoundly changed in the last 30 years. Each story has accompanying … [Read more...]
Renewables to meet energy needs in Africa and beyond
Attracting 3 600 delegates from 82 countries, the South African International Renewable Energy Conference was officially opened by the South African Minister of Energy, Ms Tina Joemat-Pettersson, in Cape Town today. The sixth in a series of International Renewable Energy Conferences (IRECs), first held in Bonn, Germany in 2004, SAIREC is the first such conference to take … [Read more...]
Climate hearings heat up with an eye on Paris
Many moving events are happening in the build up to the most important conference ever on the future of this planet. Last week parliament's Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs devoted one and a half days to holding Climate Hearings. Here was a bumper full hall of colourful people from our rainbow nation – from all sectors and walks of life – pleading with the … [Read more...]
Russia blocks mass poisoning via GMOs
Russia has announced a total ban on the cultivation of GMO crops. Yay! This whilst Monsanto's corruption is infiltrating every corner of U.S. academia, government regulators and corporate-controlled media. "A senior Russian government member told reporters the cabinet decided that any food production in the country will completely exclude any genetically-modified organisms … [Read more...]
Is South Africa fudging its INDC figures?
WWF South Africa is concerned by the vague and defensive position taken by the SA government in its latest climate change statement of intent (its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution – INDC to the 21st United Nations climate change negotiations conference). There is much room for improvement, and there is still time to do this before the INDC goes to the … [Read more...]
Demand justice for Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe
Cecil the Lion was the most famous lion in Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park – but now he's dead, and his killer may not even face any jail time. Reporters are working to confirm the horrifying details of Cecil's death. Here's what sources are saying: this month an American dentist named Walter James Palmer used bait to lure Cecil out of the park, then shot him with a bow and … [Read more...]
Africa Progress Panel supports G7 fossil fuel & renewable energy targets
The Africa Progress Panel welcomes the commitment made by the G7 to make deep cuts in emissions and to phase out of fossil fuels by the end of the century. In this year’s Africa Progress Report, “Power, People, Planet: Seizing Africa’s Energy and Climate Opportunities”, the Panel calls on the countries that emit the most to raise their level of ambition and implement their … [Read more...]
Scientific model flags risk of civilisation’s collapse by 2040
If we don’t change course, in less than three decades industrial civilisation will essentially collapse due to catastrophic food shortages, triggered by a combination of climate change, water scarcity, energy crisis, and political instability, show new scientific models supported by the British government's Foreign Office. Before you panic, the good news is that the … [Read more...]
President Obama announces ambitious new climate target
President Obama has made a new commitment to curbing climate change: federal agencies must cut their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025. Late last year, in an historic joint announcement with China, President Obama set an ambitious goal for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change – a clear sign that the United States’ commitment to leadership … [Read more...]
Cansa launches fracking transparency initiative
Cansa is worried hazardous substances & carcinogens could contaminate drinking water in the Karoo. The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) has launched an initiative which it hopes will force companies to be transparent, should fracking for shale gas become a reality in the Karoo. The association is worried hazardous substances and known carcinogens, which are … [Read more...]
Social cost of carbon six times higher than thought
The economic damage inflicted by climate change could be six times worse than previously thought, US scientists have warned. The US government takes climate policy decisions on the basis that emitting one tonne of carbon dioxide incurs US$37 of social costs. In a study published in Nature Climate Change, researchers from Stanford University reached a figure of US$220 a … [Read more...]
