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Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate change

This is where you can talk about every subject (previously it was called shout room)

Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Oct 26, 2021 11:41 am

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Turkish deforestation of Kurdistan

Turkey has resumed cutting down trees in Duhok province months after they suspended the practice, according to local sources. Villagers have threatened to protest at Turkish military bases if the deforestation continues

Photographs, taken in Hirore village on Sunday noon, sent to Rudaw English by a local official, show cut down trees and roadsides filled with logs. The person who took the photographs works closely with the contractors who cut down the trees but did not want to be identified.

“We are in contact with the governor and the photographs have been sent to higher places,” Reving Hirori, a member of Kurdistan Region’s parliament, told Rudaw English on Monday, adding that the deforestation “is a crime against the environment of Kurdistan.”

“Some people have come to our area from Uludere [district in Turkey’s Sirnak province] since last week. They have been cutting down trees excessively in Hirore,” the lawmaker said, warning that if no one stops these people, nearby areas could be next.

“I have spoken with the person [contractor] who is accused of cutting down the trees. He told me that it is not them who cut the trees but the Turkish army does it to warm themselves,” he added.

Reports about Turkey’s deforestation of the Kurdistan Region’s bordering areas in Duhok in May drew the ire of Kurds, who called for immediate suspension of the act. Turkey seemingly stopped the deforestation afterwards.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) expressed its “concern and dissatisfaction at the Turkish government’s deforestation and harm caused to the Kurdistan Region’s environment,” adding that it has “officially warned Turkey to cease deforestation at the border areas, which is unacceptable.”

The Turkish defense ministry said in late May that it shows “maximum sensitivity and attention” to civilians, the environment, and historical and cultural sites in their operations.

Sulaiman Omar, a member of Hirore village council, told Rudaw English on Monday that they have requested the KRG do something to stop the deforestation “or else we will hold protests against the MIT [National Intelligence Organization] base” in the area, referring to Turkey’s military bases there. He added that all villagers are ready for the protest.

Azad Azid, the mukhtar (chieftain) of Hirore, told Rudaw English on Monday that they have given the KRG a deadline that expires on Thursday and that if they do not receive good news they will go ahead with their demonstrations.

The MP said they have “evidence” that the trees have been sold in Turkey’s markets.

A large tree was allegedly cut down by Turkey in Hirore village, pictured on October 24, 2021. Photo: submitted

The deforestation earlier this year was linked to new roads the Turkish army built into the Kurdistan Region.

Sheikh Mus Babat, a contractor who had been asked to clear paths for Turkish soldiers in Duhok, confirmed the deforestation to Rudaw in June, saying, “We have built a road at Haftanin that extends 74 kilometers into Iraq and another company has built a 38-kilometer road between Ashite village and the Kesta Mountains.”

“It is true the trees have been cut down, however it is only to provide heat for the Turkish soldiers,” he added. “The trees have not been sent to Turkish cities."

Wim Zwijnenburg, a conflict and environment analyst with the Dutch peace organization PAX, confirmed the deforestation on the border in a series of tweets at the time, providing satellite images of the area before and after the deforestation that he said showed extensive road construction.

Satellite imagery of deforestation in northern Kurdistan Region, seen on September 1, 2021. Credit: PAX

Looking at updated satellite imagery, he told Rudaw English on Tuesday, “Satellite analysis of region where these activities have taken place shows that road construction through forested areas north of Hirore started mid-June 2021. A quick and dirty calculation shows that a 15km long road was built since then, that could be linked with the anecdotal evidence of cut-down trees in this area."

The Kurdistan Region’s Forest Police and Environment Directorate told Rudaw last May that more than 4,000 dunams of land and green spaces had been burned by Turkish bombardments in Duhok province since January.

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/26102021

Turkey have been using deforestation as a weapon against Kurds for over 50 years, though they seldom stopped at deforestation in the past

Turkish troops destroyed small villages, vast swathes countryside, farms along with the lands and animals, rendering the land unusable and forcing farmers from their way of life to live in poverty on the outskirts of cities
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Oct 26, 2021 11:14 pm

China unveils new climate plan

China has outlined a plan to hit peak greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the decade, releasing a long-awaited blueprint just days ahead of the UN’s COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

The world’s biggest energy consumer was the latest country to launch new climate policies ahead of COP26. Australia also set net zero emissions goals on Tuesday, following another laggard, Saudi Arabia, at the weekend. Those plans rely on the continued production of fossil fuels.

They joined the dozens of other countries that have formed new climate pledges in the summit run-up, in the effort to limit global warming to below 2C since pre-industrial times, or ideally 1.5c.

However, it was announced that Queen Elizabeth will not attend the summit. Buckingham Palace said that the 95-year-old monarch, who last week spent a night in hospital, “regretfully” would no longer visit Glasgow for a reception on Monday evening.

“Her Majesty is disappointed not to attend the reception but will deliver an address to the assembled delegates via a recorded video message,” the palace said.

The preparations for the summit came as the UN secretary-general warned that, even with the new pledges, countries were still “utterly failing” to keep the goals of the Paris climate accord within reach.

“We are still on track for climate catastrophe,” António Guterres said as he criticised the lack of detail in many climate plans, without singling out any specific country.

“These announcements are for 2050 [or 2060], so it is not clear how they will materialise,” he said, adding: “Obviously an announcement for 2060, without a programme for how to get there, well, it has the value that it has.”

Existing climate plans put the world on track for 2.7C of warming by 2100, far beyond the goals of the Paris climate pact, according to the latest report from the UN Environment Programme released this week.

If the world’s main emitters such as the US and China succeed in achieving their net zero greenhouse gas emissions targets by mid-century, the warming would be brought down to about 2.2C, the report concluded.

China’s new road map, which had been keenly anticipated after Beijing last year set a target of net zero emissions by 2060, includes steps to expand hydropower and energy storage.

The State Council, China’s cabinet, published the policy document as it outlined how the country planned to peak carbon emissions before 2030.

From 2025, all new buildings would be built according to green standards. By 2030, 40 per cent of new vehicles, including ships and cars, would be powered by clean energy, according to the document.

However, it stopped short of any firm commitments to reduce reliance on coal, except for a previously announced target of capping coal use during the years 2025-2030. China has not yet updated its formal climate targets submitted to the UN.

Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said China’s plan “gives the government a lot of flexibility” but it failed to set out a detailed timeline on how much emissions would increase before 2030 and how fast they will decline after.

“The plan is not sufficient,” he said. “It’s urgent that global emissions peak and that is hard to accomplish if China’s emissions continue to increase.”

Make-or-break issues facing COP26 climate summit

With COP26 set to begin in five days, the faultlines among the world’s biggest economies around issues such as coal are becoming increasingly clear. UK prime minister Boris Johnson said this week that it was “touch and go” whether COP26 would be a success.

Most countries with net zero targets do not yet have the policies to back up their goals, according to Thomas Hale, associate professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford university and one of the UNEP report authors.

“The next step is they need to put the policies in place,” said Hale, pointing out that while 18 of the G20 countries now had net zero targets, the details were still quite vague for some of them.

A shortfall in climate finance to developing countries was also revealed this week, as wealthier nations admitted they would not reach a promised target of $100bn in 2020.

Follow @ftclimate on Instagram

https://www.ft.com/content/bb5e8f78-59b ... ce1a42088f
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:42 pm

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Thousands of sea creatures dead

Massive "waist high" piles of sea creatures including crabs and lobsters have been washing up on Teeside beaches leading to an investigation into the cause

Massive numbers of sea creatures have suddenly started to wash up on some North East beaches with the mystery leading to see if there is a link to pollution.

Dead and living crabs, lobsters and many different species of crustaceans have been found on the beach between Marske and Saltburn in Teesside with piles that are "waist deep" in some cases.

They have also been washed up in Seaton Carew and further North at Seaham, reported TeessideLive.

The Environment Agency confirmed on Monday it has launched an investigation into the occurrence and looking at whether a pollution incident is to blame.

Marske resident Sharon Bell, who walks the stretch of beach near her home every day, said the numbers of creatures have steadily increased over the past two weeks, describing it as the worst case she has ever seen.

She was out early on Monday morning photographing the sunrise with her husband Christopher and when the pair arrived at the beach they were horrified to find all the sea creatures. They spent the next four hours trying to return live ones to the sea.

"I have been along my usual walk from Marske to Saltburn and was utterly shocked and saddened to see in some parts, waist deep seaweed full of thousands of dead and alive crabs and lobsters, all kinds and species," said Mrs Bell, 48.

"I have never seen anything like this.

"My husband and I have spent hours putting as many live ones as we could back in the sea, something is very, very wrong here. This has been building up for a couple of weeks, along our coast and no-one is doing anything about it."

She has lived in the area for 21 years and, she says, has never seen anything like the scene there on Monday morning - even after a rough high tide or a storm.

"It was just awful to see. It has been building up over the last couple of weeks but I have never seen anything like that. It was so deep in some parts and piled that high."

A spokesman for the agency told TeessideLive on Monday they are considering whether a pollution incident might be to blame.

"We are working with partners at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture and North Eastern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority to investigate why hundreds of dead crabs have washed up along the shore in the Tees Estuary and neighbouring beaches," said a spokesman for the Environment Agency.

“Samples of water, sediment, mussel and crab have been collected and are being sent to our labs for analysis, to consider whether a pollution incident could have contributed to the deaths of the animals. We have also shared samples with CEFAS labs for disease analysis."

Redcar MP Jacob Young said: "Deeply worrying that this seems to be continuing on our coastline.

"I have raised it with ministers and will continue to, until the cause is identified.

"My thanks to the Environment Agency and CEFAS for their investigations so far."

Redcar residents have also taken to social media to voice their concerns after images of the scene of the beach were posted on Monday morning.

"This awful wildlife getting killed. This needs investigating. What is going on along north coast?" said one resident.

"This is awful someone must be held responsible, if it is killing our wildlife then it could kill humans as well," said another.

A phone number has been set up for people to report any incidents of pollution they might see.

“If you are aware of pollution affecting wildlife, please report it to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060," added the EA spokesman.

Link to Article - Photo - Video:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/t ... 6XU5VA5Yx0
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:14 am

The Pope on climate change

Pope Francis delivered his message urging 'radical' climate response in message for BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day

In a message recorded exclusively for the BBC, Pope Francis has called on world leaders meeting next week at the UN Climate conference in Glasgow to provide "effective responses" to the environment emergency and offer "concrete hope" to future generations.

Speaking from the Vatican for BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, the Pope talked of crises including the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and economic difficulties, and urged the world to respond to them with vision and radical decisions, so as not to "waste opportunities" that the current challenges present.

"We can confront these crises by retreating into isolationism, protectionism and exploitation," the pontiff said, "or we can see in them a real chance for change."

He evoked the need for "a renewed sense of shared responsibility for our world", adding that "each of us - whoever and wherever we may be - can play our own part in changing our collective response to the unprecedented threat of climate change and the degradation of our common home."

The Pontiff is due to meet US President Joe Biden at the Vatican later. Mr Biden's domestic climate policies remain on hold after his party postponed a vote on his spending plans.

The message is a reminder of the emphasis Francis has placed on environmentalism throughout his pontificate.

He has frequently evoked the climate crisis in speeches, and in 2015 published an encyclical, or papal document, called Laudato Si' focusing on the issue. In the text, subtitled On Care for our Common Home, he decried environmental destruction, stressed the need to take mitigating measures and gave an unambiguous acceptance that climate change was largely manmade.

The letter was issued before the 2015 UN climate conference in Paris, COP21, and was seen as having some impact on pushing leaders towards an agreement.

It was evoked during discussions, including by the president of Paraguay, who spoke of the Pope's "dramatic warning that we face a crisis and need to protect the world upon which we rely for life".

Six years on, world leaders are preparing to gather in Glasgow for this year's climate summit, COP26.

With growing evidence that the commitments made in Paris to keep global temperature rises "preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels" aren't being met, Pope Francis has again focused on the issue, hoping his intervention will have a similar impact.

COP26 climate summit - The basics

    Climate change is one of the world's most pressing problems. Governments must promise more ambitious cuts in warming gases if we are to prevent greater global temperature rises.

    The summit in Glasgow is where change could happen. You need to watch for the promises made by the world's biggest polluters, like the US and China, and whether poorer countries are getting the support they need.

    All our lives will change. Decisions made here could impact our jobs, how we heat our homes, what we eat and how we travel.
Earlier this month, he gathered almost 40 faith leaders from across the world at the Vatican to sign a joint appeal calling on COP26 to stick to pledges on global warming, carbon neutrality and support for poorer nations to transition to clean energy. In return, the leaders committed to educating and informing their faithful about the climate emergency.

There was an expectation that the Pope would attend the conference in Glasgow, telling journalists over the summer that his speech was being written. But at the last minute the Vatican announced that the 84-year-old pontiff would not be going, giving no reason.

That is a blow for COP26's organisers, who had hoped his presence would lend added weight to a summit dubbed "the world's best last chance to get runaway climate change under control".

And so this message through the BBC is intended to give his guidance from afar.

"Every crisis calls for vision… to rethink the future of the world," he said, urging "radical decisions" and "a renewed sense of shared responsibility for our world".

"The most important lesson we can take from these crises is our need to build together, so that there will no longer be any borders, barriers or political walls for us to hide behind."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59075041
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Oct 29, 2021 10:32 am

Arnold Schwarzenegger angered by climate policies

Arnold Schwarzenegger says leaders who claim combating climate change hurts the economy are either "stupid or liars"

Ahead of the COP26 climate summit, the former governor of California told the BBC that cutting carbon emissions will benefit global economies.

The Terminator actor said reducing meat intake does not have to mean sacrificing something - instead cutting his own has led him to be healthier.

He also took aim at pollution caused by international trade.

In a wide-ranging interview for BBC Radio 4's 39 Ways to Save the Planet series, Mr Schwarzenegger claimed California's continued economic success and prolific job creation proves carbon dioxide reduction and boosting wealth go hand in hand.

"They are liars, they are stupid. Or they don't know how to do it, because we figured how to do it and it's all about having the balls to do it," he argued.

Mr Schwarzenegger became a champion of clean air and renewable energy while governor between 2003 and 2011 - setting targets to reduce exhaust fumes and greenhouse gas emissions.

Arnold Schwarzenegger has argued green policies will benefit economies around the world.

Since leaving office he has used his fame and influence to promote carbon-cutting policies, notably with the Schwarzenegger Climate Initiative.

Mr Schwarzenegger is also critical of an environmental agenda focused on lifestyle sacrifice.

The former champion bodybuilder says he has reduced his meat intake by around three-quarters in the last few years, but argues he is "gaining" as a result.

"Since eating more vegetables and plant-based foods my heart doctor said my arteries have stopped narrowing," he said.

"So how have I given up something? I gained my health, it gave me an extra two years."

Mr Schwarzenegger also believes technology is delivering solutions and cites his Hummer - a massive military style off-road vehicle - that he switched from diesel to battery power as evidence, given the electric version goes faster with more horsepower.

'Smart about competition'

All our lives will change. Decisions made here could impact our jobs, how we heat our homes, what we eat and how we travel.

He expressed particular alarm about the air pollution and greenhouse gases coming from shipping, and suggested the most important thing we can do as individuals to cut carbon is to shop local.

"Buy local products. Every time you buy something from overseas, that is evil for the environment - this is like the worst thing you can do."

When challenged over whether, as a Republican politician, he should support global capitalism that drives this kind of trade, Mr Schwarzenegger rejected this characterisation.

"You can have competition but you have to be smart about it… because if people are dead, they are dead. It's over."

He is planning to be at the climate talks in Glasgow next week, but doesn't put huge faith in the top-down system - preferring to see the solution coming from popular pressure and technological change.

However, Mr Schwarzenegger remains optimistic and still believes: "There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

Link to Article - Video:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59036814
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Oct 29, 2021 3:44 pm

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Thunberg joins London finance protest

Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg joined protesters at a noisy demonstration outside the London offices of Standard Chartered bank on Friday to demand that financial institutions stop funding the extraction of fossil fuels

The diminutive face of the global climate protests appeared briefly on the streets of the City of London, the financial heart of the British capital which is home to some of the world's biggest banks and financial firms.

One placard at the demonstration attended by a few dozen protesters said "Keep It In The Ground" while another said "Can You Breathe Money?".

The 18-year-old Thunberg is expected to appear also at demonstrations in Glasgow where world leaders will gather from Sunday for the United Nations climate summit, or COP26, to try to strike a deal to slow rising temperatures.

Mobbed by television crews and photographers, Thunberg stood alongside other young protesters behind a banner saying "Defund Climate Chaos", before leaving shortly afterwards.

She has recently berated politicians for 30 years of "blah, blah, blah" rather than acting to curb global warming.

Campaigners were due to gather in other cities New York and Frankfurt to argue that big financial institutions should stop pumping money into the extraction of fossil fuels.

https://www.reuters.com/business/enviro ... 021-10-29/

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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:57 pm

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Activists gather in Glasgow

Thousands of activists arrived in Scotland's largest city to make their climate change concerns known, they included Greta Thunberg who was mobbed as she arrived by train in Glasgow

The Swedish activist was surrounded by police, media and activists at the city's Central Station.

Earlier, faith groups making pilgrimages to Glasgow converged in the city as protests build ahead of COP26 which starts on Sunday.

Many had walked thousands of miles to join in a procession through the city centre.

The event was an "opening ceremony" to a series of non-violent protests planned in Glasgow, and around the world, during the United Nations convention.

Ms Thunberg travelled by train from London Euston, carrying a cardboard placard saying Fridays for Future, the name of the youth movement inspired by her school strikes in 2018.

Hundreds of people from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Faith and pilgrimage groups converged at the McLennan Arch on Glasgow Green, where XR Scotland's "Blue Rebels" formed a guard of honour for them.

The bells at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow led a UK-wide toll from 18:00, offering a traditional warning to humanity to "pay heed to the climate crisis".

Those arriving in the city include Marcha Glasgow, a group of Spanish activists who took a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth to embark on a 30-day hike to Glasgow.

Camino to COP26 members have walked from London and Bristol to Glasgow in just under two months.

Young Christian Climate Network activists arrived in the city on Saturday after walking 1,200 miles from Cornwall.

Ecumenical Pilgrimage for Climate Justice arrived in Glasgow from Poland, Sweden and Germany and Pilgrimage for COP26 has walked from Dunbar to Glasgow.

Glasgow-based artists Zoe Walker and Neil Bromwich paraded the Serpent of Capitalism, a 30m (100ft) sculptural artwork alongside the pilgrimage groups.

'Spiritual duty of care'

Alex Cochrane, of XR Glasgow, said: "COP26 must end a growing crime against humanity by wealthy governments where the global south are sacrificed to bear the brunt of the global north's affluent, carbon-intensive lifestyles.

"We welcome the pilgrims of faith - and no faith - who are walking to COP26 to demand governments also walk the walk for the global south."

Yaz Ashmawi, of XR Pilgrim, said: "Countries around the world are already suffering the consequences of our historic emissions in the west, and small island states like the Maldives will be submerged by rising seas if no immediate action is taken on the climate.

"As people of faith we have a spiritual duty of care to those who are less fortunate than us, so we have been using this walk to raise money for activists in financially disadvantaged countries that are already impacted, to empower them to join this conversation themselves."

A group of indigenous leaders from North and South America were welcomed to Glasgow by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

She said that although Scotland did not have a place at the negotiating table, the Scottish government would help Minga Indigena get their message heard.

"As representatives of indigenous peoples and the Global South, they have an important message to convey on behalf of those least responsible for the global climate emergency, who are often first and most severely affected by its consequences," Ms Sturgeon said.

Calfin Lafkenche, Mapuche leader from Patagonia, Chile, Minga Indígena said: "We are the guardians of 70% of the world's biodiversity. It is everyone's task to reach an understanding and move to a new paradigm where all humanity protect nature.

"We need to face the greatest challenge in history together."

The group have so far been unable to bring all their representatives to Glasgow because of a shortage of accommodation in the city. Several members have been given accommodation by local people but organisers still hope to get access to a large property where more of them can stay together.

Ocean Rebellion arrived early to stage its "visual performances" ahead of the summit

Over the next two weeks about 30,000 people are expected to attend the climate conference.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, Scotland's most senior police officer, previously said his force would respond "swiftly and robustly" to protesters who tried to disrupt the event.

He said the force - together with 7,000 officers from other parts of the UK who have been deployed to Scotland to help police COP26 - was "ready for the challenges that lie ahead".

Dramatic protests from other groups have already begun in other parts of the city.

Sing The Change brought choirs together in George Square to sing an arrangement of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World.

Four XR protesters locked themselves to the Memorial Gates at the University of Glasgow on Friday to demand that the establishment adopt the Green New Deal - a climate strategy developed by students and staff at the university.

Protestors want to raise awareness about trawling the ocean bed releasing carbon into the atmosphere

Ocean Rebellion activists poured "oil" in front of Glasgow's Cop26 venue in protest ahead of the event.

Andrew Darnton, an Ocean Rebellion activist and climate change researcher, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme his group had arrived in Glasgow early to get media coverage before the summit began, and had been warmly welcomed by the people of Glasgow.

They use "striking visual performances", such as setting fire to their boats or pools of dead mermaids, to convey their message about blue carbon - how the seas store carbon.

"We are bringing people news about the state of the seas and the degradation of the oceans and pointing out how important that is in relation to getting any kind of meaningful progress on cutting carbon," Mr Darnton said.

"You can't do that without the seas."

He added: "We'd like people simply to understand that you won't fix the climate crisis without attending to the ocean.

"Bottom trawling of the ocean, stirring up the ocean bed, produces more carbon in a year that the whole of aviation, the whole of flying, because the seas lock up so much carbon for us. They provide most of our breathable oxygen."

Rail companies worked together to bring young people, politicians and representatives from non-governmental organisations from Europe to Glasgow.

Debates on sustainable travel were held during the journey to London. Passengers then travelled to Glasgow on a Pendolino clad with a new design to celebrate the Climate Train journey.

The COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow in November is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control. Almost 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions, and it could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-59102422
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Nov 01, 2021 1:27 pm

COP26 Summary

    UN chief António Guterres tells world leaders that we are "digging our own graves" by failing to act fast enough on climate change

    Echoing that, UK PM Boris Johnson says that the world is running out of time

    The COP26 host says he wants countries to end the use of coal, phase out petrol-powered cars, and reverse deforestation

    More than 120 leaders are in Glasgow - and they will later outline their climate commitments

    Major polluters including China, India, Australia and Brazil are in the spotlight

    The goal is to keep warming limited to 1.5C, or at worst 2C, by 2100 but we are on track for 2.7C - which the UN says would result in "climate catastrophe"

    Small island countries sound the alarm, saying they face "terrifying" impacts
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-59103425
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Nov 01, 2021 1:43 pm

Issues standing in way of progress

World leaders are asked to make ambitious cuts in warming gases to prevent further global temperature rises

As negotiators prepare for two intense weeks of talking, here are five major challenges that have to be overcome.

1. Trust

Forget talk of temperature rises or dirty coal. The real challenge facing negotiators at this key conference is the issue of trust, or the lack of it.

The key relationships that led to success at the major climate conference in Paris in 2015 have all taken a battering.

The US and China came together then to reach agreement. After four years of Donald Trump and increasing rivalry, the two countries now eye each other with deep suspicion.

COP26 climate summit - The basics

    Climate change is one of the world's most pressing problems. Governments must promise more ambitious cuts in warming gases if we are to prevent greater global temperature rises.

    The summit in Glasgow is where change could happen. You need to watch for the promises made by the world's biggest polluters, like the US and China, and whether poorer countries are getting the support they need.

    All our lives will change. Decisions made here could impact our jobs, how we heat our homes, what we eat and how we travel.
The so-called "high ambition coalition" of island states, developing economies and the EU that really pushed things forward in France in 2015, is now not the force it was.

On top of all that, there's also money problems: The failure of the international community to make good on the delivery of a long-promised $100bn to help poorer countries cope with climate change has gone down badly.

However you dress it up, it has dented trust at a critical time.

Speaking at the G20 meeting in Rome just before flying to Glasgow for the COP, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres underlined just how important the question of trust was.

"If we want real success, and not just a mirage, we need more ambition and more action," he said. "That will only be possible with a massive mobilization of political will. And that requires trust among the key actors."

"Today, trust is in short supply. There are serious questions of credibility."

Unless this deficit is overcome, Glasgow is likely to fall well short.

2. Credibility

Key to any success in Glasgow has to be the credibility of the host nation.

France is generally seen as setting the bar for what a successful presidency looks like, when it hosted the Paris COP in 2015.

UK minister Alok Sharma will be in charge of the negotiations for COP26

The UK faces some challenges in this area, though it has some credit in the bank too.

"The UK has led from the front for many years," said Kaveh Guilanpour, a long-time climate negotiator and now with the Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions.

The government's strong commitment to the Paris goal of achieving net zero by 2050 - that is, to not add any more carbon emissions to the atmosphere than it can remove - creates credibility, he says.

However, on the other side of the ledger, the UK government has run into trouble over plans for a coal mine in Cumbria, and by announcing cuts to air passenger duty just last week.

Of even more importance perhaps is the cut to Overseas Development Aid (ODA), which saw that UK's annual support reduced from 0.7% of national income to 0.5%.

"Boris Johnson and his Cabinet have undoubtedly made life additionally difficult for themselves," said Richard Black, a senior associate at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit.

3. The workload

One of the biggest challenges for this COP is the sheer volume of work.

The postponement of last year's meeting due to Covid is one cause, but it's also because efforts to carry out the negotiations virtually haven't worked. Delegates were happy to talk, but refused to take decisions until they met face to face.

So Glasgow has a huge agenda, particularly on the question of financing how countries deal with climate change.

There are also complex details about how the Paris agreement should be implemented that still haven't been resolved. Questions on transparency, carbon markets, and having the same timeframes for cutting carbon emissions, have defied the best efforts of negotiators in the six years since Paris.

"There is a real risk that failure on a relatively small issue at the end of the second week could be the headline," said Mr Guilanpour.

"The huge backlog means there are highly controversial items that could cause delays with serious consequences for getting all the work done."

4. The process itself

There is a growing sense among many participants that this UN negotiating process is no longer fit for purpose.

The need for consensus from 197 parties, and the legalistic and technical nature of the talks, means there is, in reality, very little room for actual negotiations.

For this summit, the UK has been determined to bring in real world examples of success to show that fighting climate change can be good for the planet and good for business.

The UK is also eager to conclude a series of side deals on questions like deforestation, on methane, on coal and on protecting nature - it believes that the COP needs to be seen as not just a dull talking shop, but a space to highlight best practice and encourage action.

Some participants believe the climate crisis is now so serious they want to see real reform of the COP to bring in carrots and sticks for countries to meet their pledges.

"There has to be an accountability factor, because otherwise, countries can pledge anything and can promise anything," says Dr Deborah Brosnan, who's advising the Antigua and Barbuda team here.

5. The spin

For months, politicians, negotiators and journalists have been arguing over what success at this conference looks like.

This isn't Paris in 2015 or Copenhagen in 2009, where deal/no deal made it very easy to tell if it was thumbs up or down.

The UK's stated aim to "keep 1.5C alive" - referring to the limit to the annual rise in average temperatures, compared to pre-industrial times. It is a handy sound bite that belies the massive shift in ambition required to achieve it.

Look a little closer and what the UK actually means is that it wants to deliver a "roadmap" (odd choice of word) that will essentially mean that all countries revise their carbon cutting targets in the very short term, not every five years as is currently the case.

Alternatively, and more likely, the COP might finish with a bun-fight where developing countries reject any attempt to get them to come back with improved offers in a year or three.

The UK might be left with a wishy-washy political declaration that aspires to more but doesn't commit anyone to actually do anything.

And all the extra commitments on issues like cutting methane emissions, shipping emissions and so on, might be an unenforceable wish list, dressed up to impress.

Once the final gavel comes down, expect a head-turning flurry of spin from the UK and others to convince the world that Glasgow has really delivered.

"Briefings go directly from the political leader's office to political journalists who rarely have any background in the UN climate process," said Richard Black, who is also a former BBC environment correspondent.

"News coverage often focuses on political theatre rather than the actual issues. Rhetorical leadership gets mistaken for the real thing."

But keep the central question in mind. Is the prospect of keeping the world under 1.5C of warming now more likely?

"If there's a golden rule to cutting through the spin, it's to try and understand the issues, and look at what leaders do, not at what they say," said Mr Black.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59114255

Matt McGrath has been covering climate change for the past 15 years, reporting from 10 COPs along the way. You can follow him on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc.
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Nov 01, 2021 6:00 pm

National Geographic

26 facts that bring home the reality of climate change

UNDERSTANDING the many challenges facing our world on the eve of COP26 isn't easy. It's hard to understand a water crisis when some countries are flooding. It's hard to appreciate the Arctic ice disappearing when the winter news is filled with stories of extreme weather events.

But it's this instability of the climate, caused by the slow heating of our world, that is perpetuating these extremes. The consequences can devastate economies, infrastructure and political stability – a situation described in 2011 by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon as an 'unholy brew'. In the same speech Ban called climate change the 'defining issue of our time'. Evidence for that is simply down to the facts.

Greenhouse gases are at a 4.5 million-year high

Mastodons and woolly mammoths roamed the Earth the last time the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached today’s levels, at 417 parts per million, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists say levels of CO2, which as a greenhouse gas traps heat and causes global warming, are now comparable to the Pliocene Age, between 4.1 and 4.5 million years ago, when sea level was about 24 metres (78 feet) higher than today and the average temperature was nearly 4 degrees Celcius (°C) (7 degrees Fahrenheit (°F)) warmer.

Earth's seen 20,000 years of change in just 170 years

Since 1850, human activities have driven up CO2 concentrations by 48%. It took 20,000 years for levels to rise naturally by this extent, from the Last Glacial Maximum, when the Laurentide Ice Sheet covered the northern third of North America as far south as New York City up until 1850.

July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded

First place is the worst place in this race, as July 2021 secured its ranking as the hottest month ever recorded since records began 142 years ago, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Around the world, the combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 0.93°C (1.67°F) above the 20th-century average of 15.8°C (60.4°F).

Between 1979 and 2018, the proportion of sea ice five years old or more in the Arctic has reduced from 30% to 2%.

Tree planting isn't enough

A noble and regenerative activity for sure – but relying on it to absorb enough carbon emissions to achieve ‘net zero’ by 2050 would require 1.6 billion hectares of new forests. That’s five times the size of India, or more than all the farmland in the world, says Oxfam.

UK rain is on the rise...

The UK is suffering more extreme weather events as the climate changes. This summer alone, Greater London has seen 48% more rainfall than the city’s long-term average, and increases of a similar scale have been recorded in Hampshire (up 49%), Surrey (up 54%) and West Sussex (up 52%). Last year was the UK's fifth wettest year since 1862, with 116% of the 1981–2010 average and 122% of the 1961–1990 average rainfall, according to the International Journal of Climatology.

...and so are heatwaves

The Met Office issued its first ever amber heat warning for the UK in July 2021, and Northern Ireland broke its all-time temperature record on July 21, as the mercury soared to 31.3°C at Castlederg.

Spring is coming earlier

Nature is racing to keep pace with the earlier springs and later autumns brought by rising temperatures. The ‘first leaf’ date for the pedunculate oak in the UK was 10 days earlier in 2020 than the average for 2000–09, according to the International Journal of Climatology.
The dry, salt-crusted Lake Poopo. Poorly irrigated land, logging or evaporation can cause desertification. The amount ...

The dry, salt-crusted Lake Poopo. Poorly irrigated land, logging or evaporation can cause desertification. The amount of the Earth that is becoming arid grows each year.

Antarctica loses an Everest of ice every year

Antarctica is losing 151 billion tonnes of ice per year, roughly equivalent in weight to the rock that makes Mount Everest, according to NASA’s Grace Follow-On satellite.

The homes of 200 million people will be below sea level in 70 years

200 million people in the world, more than three times the UK population, will live below the tideline by the end of this century if levels continue to rise, according to Nature Communications. Sea levels have risen by 178mm (7 inches) since 1900 and are rising by 3.4mm per year. They reached record heights in 2020 for the ninth consecutive year – about 91.3mm (3.6 inches) higher than the 1993 average, when satellite altimeter records began. Sea levels rise because heat stored in the ocean causes water to expand, while melting ice sheets and glaciers are adding to the volume of water. China, Bangladesh and India are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels, coastal storm surges and flooding, as are the Netherlands and parts of the UK.

Deserts are growing

Each year, more than 12 million hectares of land are lost to desertification, land degradation and drought, according to the UN – a surface area equivalent to the entire arable land of Germany.

Fires are getting more frequent – and worse

Wildfires, from Australia to California and Greece, are raging for longer and spreading farther than ever before, says the United Nations (UN), which calculates that the blazes devastated roughly 30 million acres of land from 2018-2020, 10 times the size of Yorkshire.

A million species are at risk

A chilling number of Earth's other denizens, including 40 percent of all amphibians known to science (about 3,200 species) is under threat due to human impact, according to the UN. Climate change, pollution, deforestation, overfishing, development, and invasive species are putting biodiversity in peril.

Plastic production is speeding up

Plastic production and use is forecast to double over the next 20 years, and quadruple by the early 2050s, warns the Heinrich Böll Foundation, despite the fact that greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, are released at every stage of plastic’s lifecycle – from the extraction and refinery of oil to the manufacturing process and end-of-life disposal and incineration. Every year, 17 million barrels of oil are used to make plastic and 13 million tonnes of plastic leak into the ocean, calculates the UN.

75 million kids suffer food insecurity

At least 155 million people, 2.3 times as many as live in the UK, were pushed into acute food insecurity in 2020 due to extreme weather, as well as conflict and economic shocks, says the World Food Programme. Among those suffering were over 75 million children under the age of five who displayed the symptoms of stunted growth. “Weather extremes will continue to exacerbate acute food insecurity in fragile economies,” says the WFP.

Deaths from heatwaves are up – a lot

Blistering temperatures are proving fatal, with The Lancet reporting that during the past 20 years there has been a 53·7% increase in heat-related mortality in people older than 65 years. Globally, this caused the premature deaths of 296,000 people in 2018 alone, enough to fill all the seats at Wembley Stadium three times over.

The concept of tipping points is scary

What many don't realise about the warming of the present Earth is that once we pass a certain threshold, physics takes over. This is at least true for the ice sheets, which – once they hit a rate of melting – can no longer sustain their mass. Known as the surface mass balance (SMB) passing this tipping point means that the ice sheet can no longer sustain its colossal mass based on the amount it is replenished by precipitation, and begins an unstoppable and accelerating decline humans are powerless to stop.

With strong mitigation – limiting global temperature rise to ideally 1.5 degrees C, the levels agreed by nations administering the Paris Agreement – the ice sheets will continue to lose mass, but won't pass this critical tipping point. Without it, in a high emissions scenario, scientists are unsure when that tipping point may be hit. But based on the last century, it doesn't look good.

Ice colour matters

It's no good just having cold winters to replenish ice levels. White ice – the long term, multi-year ice – reflects sunlight, helping to stave off warming. Thin, black seasonal ice doesn't do that nearly as effectively. Which is why the decline in Arctic sea ice is particularly alarming. According to the IPCC, between 1979 and 2018, the amount of sea ice five years old or above dropped from 30% to 2%.

A hurricane batters the Florida coast. Scientists believe hurricanes are becoming more intense and moving more slowly due to climate change, increasing their impact on human settlements.

Climate change is causing extreme weather events

Studies conducted between 2015 to 2020 have shown the ‘fingerprints’ of climate change in 76 floods, droughts, storms, and temperature anomalies, as well as dramatically increasing the risk of wildfires in 114 countries.

Dangerous diseases are on the move

Climate change is accelerating the spread of infectious diseases, such as dengue fever and malaria, creating conditions in more regions where the infections can thrive. In 2018, dengue had expanded by as much as 15% compared to a 1950s baseline, according to medical experts at The Lancet.

All Earth faces warming

Nowhere on the planet is spared the impact of climate change. In 2020, record temperatures were recorded in Belarus, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine, as well as Japan, Mexico, Russia, Seychelles, while the town of Blenheim, New Zealand reported a record-breaking 64-day dry spell, according to the National Centres for Environmental Information.

Antarctica saw t-shirt temperatures in 2020. The Arctic was sweltering

The eve of mid-summer’s day 2020 saw the warmest ever temperature recorded within the Arctic Circle – a crazy 38°C at Verkhoyansk, Russia. Similar warming is evident at the other end of the Earth, where, the Esperanza Station in Antartica reached 18.3°C (64.9°F) on February 6, 2020, the highest temperature ever recorded on the continent.

Coastal erosion stats are staggering

From permafrost thaws causing cliff collapse in Alaska to rising seas and reduced sediment flow in the Mississippi causing a mind-boggling football field sized area of land to be lost every hour from the Louisiana coast, the combination of a warming climate, extreme storms, sea level rise and human activities is literally taking the land from under us.

The wealthy aren't so green

Between 1990 and 2015, the richest 1% of the world’s population were responsible for more than twice as much carbon emissions as the poorest 50% of humanity, calculates Oxfam. The estimated average carbon footprint of the world’s richest 1% could be up to 175 times larger than that of someone in the poorest 10%.

The Great Barrier Reef has suffered an apocalypse

The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is estimated to have lost half its corals since the 1990s as a sustained rise in ocean temperatures bleached them white and made them uninviting to its colonising organisms. It only takes a spike of 1–2°C in water temperature to have a devastating impact, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Reefs cover less than 0.1% of the ocean floor, but are home to more than one quarter of all marine fish species.

One third of the most precious habitats are under threat

Vulnerable ecosystems are under threat from climate change, with the IUCN warning that 83 of 252 natural World Heritage sites are at risk, including the Pantanal Conservation Area of Brazil and the Cape Floral Region Protected Areas of South Africa.

EVs have a hidden cost

Electric cars may emit zero tailpipe emissions, but they still have a sizeable carbon footprint from their manufacturing process. One manufacturer's electric SUV has to drive anywhere between 29,000 miles (47,000km) and 90,000 miles (146,000km) – depending on whether it is recharged with wind power or a ‘global energy’ mix that includes electricity generated from fossil fuels – before its greenhouse gas emissions are lower than the petrol model. Walking, cycling and shared public transport offer greener travel options.

Link to Article - Depressing Photos:

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/26 ... obal-en-GB
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Nov 02, 2021 2:57 am

Leaders promise end to deforestation

More than 100 world leaders will promise to end and reverse deforestation by 2030, in the COP26 climate summit's first major deal

Brazil, where large parts of the Amazon rainforest have been cut down, will be among the signatories on Tuesday.

The pledge includes almost £14bn ($19.2bn) of public and private funds.

Experts welcomed the move, but warned a previous deal in 2014 had "failed to slow deforestation at all" and commitments needed to be delivered on.

Felling trees contributes to climate change because it depletes forests that absorb vast amounts of the warming gas CO2.

The two-week summit in Glasgow is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control.

The countries who say they will sign the pledge, including Canada, Brazil, Russia and Indonesia, cover around 85% of the world's forests.

Some of the funding will go to developing countries to restore damaged land, tackle wildfires and support indigenous communities.

Governments of 28 countries will also commit to remove deforestation from the global trade of food and other agricultural products such as palm oil, soya and cocoa.

These industries drive forest loss by cutting down trees to make space for animals to graze or crops to grow.

More than 30 of the world's biggest companies will commit to end investment in activities linked to deforestation.

And a £1.1bn fund will be established to protect the world's second largest tropical rainforest - in the Congo Basin.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hosting the global meeting in Glasgow, will call it a "landmark agreement to protect and restore the earth's forests".

"These great teeming ecosystems - these cathedrals of nature - are the lungs of our planet," he is expected to tell the event.

Prof Simon Lewis, an expert on climate and forests at University College London, said: "It is good news to have a political commitment to end deforestation from so many countries, and significant funding to move forward on that journey."

But he told the BBC the world "has been here before" with a declaration in 2014 in New York "which failed to slow deforestation at all".

He added that this new deal did not tackle growing demand for products such as meat grown on rainforest land - which would require high levels of meat consumption in countries like the US and UK to be addressed.

Ana Yang, executive director at Chatham House Sustainability Accelerator, who co-wrote the report Rethinking the Brazilian Amazon, said: "This deal involves more countries, more players and more money. But the devil is in the detail which we still need to see.

"This is a really important step at COP26. This meeting is around increasing the level of ambition and keeping global temperature rises below 1.5C - this is a big building block," she added.

Tuntiak Katan, from the Coordination of Indigenous Communities of the Amazon Basin, welcomed the deal, telling the BBC that indigenous communities were on the frontline of stopping deforestation.

Mr Katan, an indigenous Shuar from Ecuador, said indigenous communities globally protected 80% of the world's biodiversity but faced threats and violence.

"For years we have protected our way of life and that has protected ecosystems and forests. Without us, no money or policy can stop climate change," he said.

The deal's signatories will include a number of key countries.

Indonesia is the world's largest exporter of palm oil, a product found in everything from shampoo to biscuits. Production is driving tree destruction and territory loss for indigenous people.

Meanwhile, Russia's huge natural forests, with more than one fifth of the planet's trees, capture more than 1.5 billion tonnes of carbon annually.

In the planet's biggest rainforest, the Amazon, deforestation accelerated to a 12-year high in 2020 under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

"Having Brazil signing the deal is really important because it holds a large chunk of tropical forests. But the money must be channelled to people who can make this work on the ground," Ms Yang said.

Many people living in the Amazon, including in its urban areas, depend on the forest for their livelihoods and they need support in finding new incomes, she added.

Trees are one of our major defences in a warming world. They suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, acting as so-called carbon sinks. They absorb around one third of global CO2 emitted each year.

Currently an area of forest the size of 27 football pitches is lost every minute

Depleted forests can also start to release CO2. If too many trees are cut down, scientists are worried that the planet will reach a tipping point that will set off abrupt and unpredictable climatic change.

On the second day of the two-week climate summit, the US and EU are also launching an initiative that aims to drive global efforts to cut emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas which comes from sources including fossil fuel extraction and livestock farming.

Dozens of heads of state will join the pledge, which commits countries to cut their emissions of the gas by 30% by 2030.

The opening day of the conference in Glasgow saw India pledge to cut its greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2070 - missing a key goal of the COP26 summit for countries to commit to reach that target by 2050.

Among those to address the summit was the Queen, who urged world leaders in a video message to act "for our children and our children's children" and to "rise above the politics of the moment".

Link to Article - Photos:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59088498
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Nov 02, 2021 3:55 pm

Five who will influence COP26 outcome

Climate negotiations require knowledge, tact and endurance

While Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough and world leaders will attract most of the media attention at COP26, the real work of getting 197 countries to commit to changes will fall to lesser-known diplomats and ministers - the negotiators.

Their complex role requires a sharp mind, a deep reserve of tact and incredible endurance. Talks often go through the night and rarely finish on time.

One participant likened the job to playing four-dimensional chess with spaghetti.

Not only do countries have differing national priorities, but to make things even more confusing, nations forge alliances with each other and form negotiating blocs within the talks. Countries can be members of several different groups at the same time.

Here are five negotiators who will have a major influence on the summit's success or failure.

Xie Zhenhua: China's man for all seasons

It had been presumed that China's veteran climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua had retired, but he was called back into the role at the start of the year, probably because of his close working relationship with Senator John Kerry, the current US climate envoy.

Their relationship was critical in the forging of the Paris agreement in 2015, which committed countries to reducing emissions.

Their COP26 priorities, however, are very different. Mr Kerry wants countries like China to commit to deeper carbon cuts, while during a recent and rare briefing with international media, Mr Xie made it clear that for him, Glasgow is about finalising the rules of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Technical arguments about carbon markets and other issues have been hanging over the process for the last three years - finalising them in Glasgow is seen as important to the process's credibility.

China's importance is because of its size - it's the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide - and at COP26 it is a key member of several negotiating blocs, including the biggest developing country grouping, known as the Group of 77 and China (although confusingly it now has 134 members).

It is also part of the Like-Minded developing countries group, in alliance with Saudi Arabia and India, as well as being in the Basic group with India and South Africa.

Saudi's resolute defender - Ayman Shasly

Many Arab countries and developing nations take their cue in climate talks from the Saudis. Without their agreement, a successful outcome in Glasgow will not be possible.

For the past decade, Saudi Arabia's Ayman Shasly has been chairman of the Arab group of climate negotiators.

Formerly an employee of state oil company Saudi Aramco, Mr Shasly now wears many hats. He leads the Saudi team at the IPCC and is also a member of the board of the Green Climate Fund.

While Saudi Arabia has long been seen as opposed to rapid action on climate change, the world's largest oil exporting nation has softened its public tone in recent year and made a net zero commitment last month.

In recent days it has announced plans to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, and to cut emissions of methane by 30% by 2030. All while, however, continuing to produce and export oil for decades to come.

Mr Shasly has a formidable reputation in the negotiations, with a strong focus on defending Saudi's national interest.

"We are impacted by climate change, perhaps more than anybody else," he told the Carbon Brief website in a rare interview in 2018.

"We are a desert country that heavily relies on this single source of income. We have such a vulnerable economy, fragile economy, and with oil, we eat, we feed, we travel, we educated our people, we have medical care and everything."

Alok Sharma: The Briton in the middle

The man tasked with bringing all the different threads of the COP26 talks to a successful conclusion is UK minister Alok Sharma.

Having spent his career trying to be, in his own words "extremely boring", Mr Sharma has now been thrust into the full glare of the world's media.

So far, he's been praised for his efforts to find common ground between countries - but things will change up a gear when he is confirmed in the role of COP president at the beginning of the meeting.

His every word and action will be subject to intense scrutiny, and he will be mindful of history when he takes his seat at the top table.

His role model will likely be Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister who successfully guided the Paris text to adoption in 2015. Mr Fabius, with the air of a firm but respected schoolmaster, was able to encourage and cajole reluctant countries towards a historic compromise.

Sheikh Hasina: The voice of the vulnerable

The prime minister of Bangladesh speaks on behalf of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, a grouping of 48 of the countries most threatened by climate change.

She's an experienced and straight-talking politician, who will bring the lived experience of climate change to the COP. Just last year, about one-quarter of Bangladesh was underwater as floods threatened a million homes.

"People like Prime Minister Hasina put a human face on climate change and can help world leaders understand what climate change already looks like," said Dr Jen Allan, an expert in international relations from Cardiff University.

Despite the fact that they are among the poorest nations, the Climate Vulnerable and the Least Developed Countries group have a strong track record in the negotiations.

These countries "punch above their economic weight, so to speak", says Dr Allan.

"Because they are a strong moral voice, and because decisions are taken by consensus, they have been able to get a good deal of progressive decisions through the UN machinery."

According to Quamrul Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi negotiator, who works as part of Sheikh Hasina's team, the vulnerable nations are coming to Glasgow with a clear set of goals.

"There are over one billion people now on the hook of adverse climate impacts," he told me. "We want to get them off the hook by getting the richest countries to steeply cut back emissions, to fix the outstanding Paris rules, to ramp up climate finance and to address loss and damage."

Teresa Ribera: Europe's bridge-builder

The third vice-president and minister of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Spain's Teresa Ribera has a long track record of involvement with climate conference

Spain's Teresa Ribera has been involved in the UN climate negotiations process for decades, and she is also an experienced politician, currently serving as Spain's minister for the ecological transition.

In government, she helped oversee Spain's transition away from coal, which has been hailed as a model for how countries can make the move to renewables without destroying jobs and communities.

Spain is part of the EU, which is a stand-alone bloc in the climate negotiations. Europe likes to see itself as the most ambitious group of richer nations in pushing for deeper emissions cuts. Experienced negotiators like Ms Ribera know that the key to progress on climate is to build coalitions of the willing.

The Paris Agreement was the result of a compromise between groups representing rich and poor countries and island states, says Michael Jacobs, a former climate adviser to ex-UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown and now professor of political economy at the University of Sheffield.

"Once these groups had hammered out a common position, they were then able to persuade the other countries to come on board, which they did."

Ms Ribera was seen to be a key player in developing this broad-based coalition. She is known to have very good connections with South America, China and the US - relationships that will be key if Glasgow is to deliver.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59053257

Matt McGrath has been covering climate change for the past 15 years, reporting from 10 COPs along the way. You can follow him on Twitter @mattmcgrathbbc
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:06 am

Turkey signs COP26 forest pledge

Turkey joined more than a hundred countries on Tuesday in signing an agreement to combat deforestation at the global climate summit in Glasgow, though it continues to cut trees in Kurdish-populated areas at home and in the Kurdistan Region

Turkey was one of 105 countries to sign onto a declaration to end deforestation by 2030 at the COP26 climate summit and agreed to strengthen shared efforts to “facilitate trade and development policies, internationally and domestically, that promote sustainable development, and sustainable commodity production and consumption, that work to countries’ mutual benefit, and that do not drive deforestation and land degradation.”

The signatories also reaffirmed their “respective commitments to sustainable land use, and to the conservation, protection, sustainable management and restoration of forests, and other terrestrial ecosystems.”

Despite Turkey’s commitment at COP26, it is accused of using deforestation as a tactic in its war with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group struggling for the increased cultural and political rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara has designated the group as a terrorist organization.

Huseyin Kacmaz is an outspoken lawmaker for the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), representing his hometown of Sirnak. The Kurdish politician has closely followed Turkish military activities and accuses the army of deforestation. He plans to take up the issue in the parliament.

Kacmaz told Rudaw English on Tuesday that the Turkish army has been burning forests in Kurdish areas at home and in the Kurdistan Region “deliberately” since the 1990s through its armed conflict with the PKK.

“However, they have begun cutting trees deliberately in the last two days,” he said, claiming the decision came from the Turkish leadership. Mountainous areas of Sirnak are “naked because Turkey sees them as a threat,” he added.

The PKK largely operates and has bases in rural, mountainous areas.

A local Kurdish official in Sirnak province, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Rudaw English on Tuesday that Turkey has recently ceased cutting trees in their village “because there is none left.”

“They were cutting trees last year, but now they are deforesting the surrounding areas,” said the source, adding that most of the trees are then sold.

Kacmaz noted Turkish parliament ratified the 2015 Paris climate agreement last month, but when it comes to Kurdish areas, Ankara “does not abide by agreements and its own laws.”

Turkey is also accused of deforestation across the border. Last week, Rudaw English reported that Ankara had resumed cutting down trees near Hirore village in the Kurdistan Region. Initial reports of this practice in May drew the ire of Kurds and the regional government.

Reving Hirori is a member of the Kurdistan parliament. He has spoken out against the deforestation in his village, Hirore, and raised the issue with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Turkish consulate general in Erbil.

He welcomed Turkey’s decision to sign the Glasgow deal and said he hopes to see it implemented. “We hope that Turkey will abide by the agreement and preserve the environment,” he told Rudaw English on Tuesday.

The Kurdistan Region’s forests are also damaged by fires sparked from the conflict. The Forest Police and Environment Directorate told Rudaw last May that more than 4,000 dunams of land and green spaces had been burned by Turkish bombardments in Duhok province since January.

Peter Schwartzstein is an independent environmental journalist and non-resident fellow at the Center for Climate and Security. He told Rudaw English on Tuesday that many countries “struggle to reconcile their environmental rhetoric with their environmental realities, and in this respect Turkey is no different.”

“This kind of disconnect is often particularly acute when military action is involved because environmental protection will always come a very distant priority to the successful pursuit of strategic goals. But what can feel especially troubling about Turkey's campaign against the PKK is that the environmental damage can seem like precisely the point. By torching huge chunks of its own woodland and Iraqi Kurdistan's to deny cover to the group, the Turkish state is leaving a truly outsized scar on the regional landscape,” he said.

“Signing pledges is easy,” Richard Pearshouse, head of Crisis and Environment at Amnesty International, told Rudaw English on Tuesday. “The key is implementation.”

    The Turkish defence ministry said in late May that it shows “maximum sensitivity and attention” to civilians, the environment, and historical and cultural sites in their operations
Turkey is seeing the devastating effects of climate change. Water shortages have caused drought-like conditions and devastating wildfires raged in several locations this summer. Some in Turkey blamed the fires on the PKK, which denied any involvement.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeas ... y/02112021
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Nov 03, 2021 1:30 am

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Kurdistan to join COP26

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani announced on Tuesday that his government will join the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference climate summit (COP26), which will last for two weeks in the Scottish city of Glasgow

Representatives of some 200 countries are gathering to negotiate cuts in emissions that ultimately lead to climate change, a phenomenon that has made natural disasters more frequent and more dangerous in recent years.

"Encouraged by the discussions at the COP26 Summit to accelerate action against a global threat. The KRG has joined the summit to play its part in this global effort," Barzani said in a tweet.

    Encouraged by the discussions at the #COP26 Summit to accelerate action against a global threat. The KRG has joined the summit to play its part in this global effort. The time to act is now. pic.twitter.com/Yn74wLexFG
    — Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) November 2, 2021
The leader stressed, "The time to act is now."

Over 100 leaders, accounting for more than 86 percent of the world’s forests, have committed to work together to halt and then reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030 in the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use.

https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/26 ... -effort%27
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Re: Updates: polution; hunting; animal slaughter; climate ch

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Nov 03, 2021 3:31 am

Yet more trees destroyed

After occupying Afrin in March 2018, the Turkish state and allied gangs cut down and burned thousands of olive trees. Olive producers from Afrin have been suffering a great loss ever since

The Turkish army and allied mercenaries continue looting local people’s olives, one of the most important sources of life in Afrin that makes up 30 percent of total production in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that members of al-Hamza Division looted and harvested over 100 olive trees belonging to a civilian from Qugman village in Jinderes district in the Afrin countryside.

On the other hand, 65 olive trees have been cut down in Bilbile district belonging to a civilian from the Haiama village.

According to the data provided by Syria-Afrin Human Rights Organisation, there were 18 million olive trees with around 50 thousand tons of yield. Due to the Turkish state’s brutal policies based on looting living spaces and targeting humanity, productivity has drastically dropped.

The Turkish army and its mercenary gangs have burned nearly 400 thousand trees, cut down over 17 thousand trees and uprooted 20 thousand trees since they invaded the region in violation of international law

Olive producers from Afrin long for pre-invasion times as olives are one of the most important sources of life in Afrin and makes up 30 percent of total production in Syria. The olive of Afrin is also well-known for its high quality.
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