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Dec192022 by adminNo Comments

COP15: Nations reach ‘historic’ deal to protect nature

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BBC/H BriggsBy Helen BriggsEnvironment correspondent in MontrealA new deal to protect nature has been agreed at the UN biodiversity summit, COP 15.The "historic" plan will put 30% of the planet under protection by the end of the decade.There will also be targets for safeguarding vital ecosystems such as rainforests and wetlands.The agreement was finalised in the early hours of Monday in Montreal, Canada.The following points were agreed:Maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecosystems, including halting species extinction and maintaining genetic diversity of populations of wild animals."Sustainable use" of biodiversity - essentially ensuring that species and habitats can provide the services they provide for humanity, such as food and clean water, without being destroyed.Ensuring that the be...

Nov212022 by adminNo Comments

COP27: Climate costs deal struck but no fossil fuel progress

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This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Georgina RannardClimate reporter in Sharm el-SheikhA historic deal has been struck at the UN's COP27 summit that will see rich nations pay poorer countries for the damage and economic losses caused by climate change.It ends almost 30 years of waiting by nations facing huge climate impacts.But developed nations left dissatisfied over progress on cutting fossil fuels."A clear commitment to phase-out all fossil fuels? Not in this text," said the UK's Alok Sharma, who was president of the previous COP summit in Glasgow.This year's talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, came close to collapse, and overran by two days.Luke-warm applause met the historic moment the "loss and damage fund" was agreed in the ea...

Mar292022 by adminNo Comments

Biodiversity: Pressure grows for deal to save nature

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Getty ImagesA global agreement to reverse the loss of nature and halt extinctions is inching closer, as talks in Geneva enter their final day.International negotiators are working on the text of a UN framework to safeguard nature ahead of a high-level summit in China later this year.Observers have slammed the "snail's pace" of negotiations and are pressing for a strengthening of ambitions.Divisions remain, including over financing the plans."The science is very clear, we do not have any more time to waste; we need to take action now," Bernadette Fischler Hooper, head of international advocacy at WWF-UK, told BBC News. "Not only on biodiversity loss, but also on climate change which is a very inter-linked issue. So that is what's at stake here; it's actually the future of the planet and its...

Nov122021 by adminNo Comments

COP26: Coal compromise as leaders near climate deal

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Getty ImagesA draft agreement at the COP26 climate summit has watered down commitments to end the use of coal and other fossil fuels, as countries race to reach a deal after two weeks of talks. While the language around fossil fuels has been softened, the inclusion of the commitment in a final deal would be seen as a landmark moment.A deal must be agreed by the end of the summit, which is in its final hours.The UN meeting is seen as crucial for limiting the effects of global warming.The draft agreement, which was published early on Friday following all-night talks, also asks for much tighter deadlines for governments to reveal their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And it also strengthens support for poorer countries fighting climate change.Negotiations over a final deal could str...

Nov102021 by adminNo Comments

COP26: Draft deal calls for stronger carbon cutting targets by end of 2022

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Getty ImagesCountries are being urged to strengthen their carbon-cutting targets by the end of 2022 in a draft agreement published at the COP26 Glasgow climate summit.The document says vulnerable nations must get more help to cope with the deadly impacts of global warming.It also says countries should submit long-term strategies for reaching net-zero by the end of next year. Critics have said the draft pact does not go far enough but others welcomed its focus on the 1.5C target.The document, which has been published by the UK COP26 presidency, will have to be negotiated and agreed by countries attending the talks. COP26 president Alok Sharma said he expected "near final texts" to be published overnight, adding that the agreement that comes out of the conference would "set the future for ou...