Falling coal use in China and the US and a worldwide shift towards renewable energy have kept greenhouse gas emissions level for a second year running, one of the world’s leading energy analysts has said. Preliminary data for 2015 from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed that carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector have levelled off at 32.1bn tonnes even as … [Read more...]
Nuclear goes ahead, despite omission from NDC
Nuclear was not part of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC document)which our country submitted to COP21 ahead of the conference. Yet now we are going ahead with nuclear? Ahead of COP21 in Paris last year, civil society met with the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to give input into the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution for South Africa (INDC). … [Read more...]
Unfolding the gift of tomorrow: leaving a legacy
A daily diet of environmental news from across the planet might sound like quite a radical regime. Yet I firmly believe in the right to know how my species is changing the world into which I have delivered three children. It matters to me that they, and all vulnerable species, are comfortable and protected. Breaking down this home, our planet, is as good as a gang of people … [Read more...]
Paris climate agreement the world’s greatest diplomatic success
In the final meeting of the Paris talks on climate change on Saturday night, the debating chamber was full and the atmosphere tense. Ministers from 196 countries sat behind their country nameplates, aides flocking them, with observers packed into the overflowing hall. John Kerry, the US secretary of state, talked animatedly with his officials, while China’s foreign minister … [Read more...]
Paris talks a fraud, says climate change founder James Hansen
Mere mention of the Paris climate talks is enough to make James Hansen grumpy. The former Nasa scientist, considered the father of global awareness of climate change, is a soft-spoken, almost diffident Iowan. But when he talks about the gathering of nearly 200 nations, his demeanour changes. All words, no action “It’s a fraud really, a fake,” he says, rubbing his head. “It’s … [Read more...]
More immediate steps needed for effective climate action
World governments finalized a global agreement today in Paris that lays a foundation for long-term efforts to fight climate change. More effort is needed to secure a path that would limit warming to 1.5C. This new agreement should be continuously strengthened and governments will need to go back home and deliver actions at all levels to close the emissions gap, resource the … [Read more...]
First ever security resolution to recognise important role of youth
The United Nations Security Council adopted an historic resolution on youth, peace and security, which for the first time in its history focuses entirely on the role of young men and women in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism. The resolution, sponsored by Jordan, represents an unprecedented acknowledgement of the urgent need to engage young peacebuilders in … [Read more...]
Paris climate deal: nearly 200 nations sign in end of fossil fuel era
Governments have signalled an end to the fossil fuel era, committing for the first time to a universal agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and to avoid the most dangerous effects of climate change at crunch UN talks in Paris. After 20 years of fraught meetings, including the past two weeks spent in an exhibition hall on the outskirts of Paris, negotiators from nearly … [Read more...]
Coalition of business leaders challenges 2C climate change target
A group of high-profile business leaders has challenged governments to set strong targets and not slam the door on limiting warming to 1.5C. On Monday, a Paris meeting aimed at reaching a global deal to fight climate change kicks up to a gear, with government ministers taking charge of negotiations. As ministers arrived in Paris, the chief executives of companies such as … [Read more...]
‘Red line’ issue exposes deep divisions in Paris climate talks
Buried in the detail of the Paris Accord could be some innocuous-looking words that will have a powerful impact on whether it ever delivers the greenhouse gas reductions it promises. The words could “paper over” deep divisions about whether countries ever have to properly report and account for the promised emission reductions that collectively limit global warming to the … [Read more...]
SA landscape will ‘change drastically’ due to climate change
The South African landscape will change dramatically over the next few years, as the effects of climate change take hold, said the Department of Environmental Affairs. "Adaptive interventions are needed to ensure food & water security in the future," said Minister Edna Molewa. She added South Africa wants to secure a legally binding agreement on how to adapt to … [Read more...]
Small Arctic water bodies emit greenhouse gasses
Carbon and hot gaseous emissions from small water bodies in the Arctic continental shelf have emerged as a major cause of concern, more worrying than the speed of thawing Arctic glaciers. Having spent 20 years studying water bodies formed when permafrost thaws, a team of Russian scientists have found that these thermokarst lakes are sources of carbon dioxide and hot methane … [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...]
