Navigator
Facebook
Search
Ads & Recent Photos
Recent Images
Random images
Welcome To Roj Bash Kurdistan 

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 » Sun Oct 10, 2021 11:56 pm

Earth will be alien to humans by 2500

There are many reports based on scientific research that talk about the long-term impacts of climate change — such as rising levels of greenhouse gases, temperatures and sea levels — by the year 2100. The Paris Agreement, for example, requires us to limit warming to under 2.0 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of the century

Every few years since 1990, we have evaluated our progress through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) scientific assessment reports and related special reports. IPCC reports assess existing research to show us where we are and what we need to do before 2100 to meet our goals, and what could happen if we don’t.

The recently published United Nations assessment of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) warns that current promises from governments set us up for a very dangerous 2.7 degrees Celsius warming by 2100: this means unprecedented fires, storms, droughts, floods and heat, and profound land and aquatic ecosystem change.

While some climate projections do look past 2100, these longer-term projections aren’t being factored into mainstream climate adaptation and environmental decision-making today. This is surprising because people born now will only be in their 70s by 2100. What will the world look like for their children and grandchildren?

To grasp, plan for and communicate the full spatial and temporal scope of climate impacts under any scenario, even those meeting the Paris Agreement, researchers and policymakers must look well beyond the 2100 horizon.

After 2100

In 2100, will the climate stop warming? If not, what does this mean for humans now and in the future? In our recent open-access article in Global Change Biology, we begin to answer these questions.

We ran global climate model projections based on Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP), which are “time-dependent projections of atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations.” Our projections modelled low (RCP6.0), medium (RCP4.5) and high mitigation scenarios (RCP2.6, which corresponds to the “well-below 2 degrees Celsius” Paris Agreement goal) up to the year 2500.

We also modelled vegetation distribution, heat stress and growing conditions for our current major crop plants, to get a sense of the kind of environmental challenges today’s children and their descendants might have to adapt to from the 22nd century onward.

Figure showing temperature and sea level rise to 2500 CE under RCP2.6, 4.5, and 6.0.
Global mean near-surface air temperature (solid lines) and thermosteric sea level rise (dotted lines) anomalies relative to the 2000-19 mean for the RCP6.0, RCP4.5 and RCP2.6 scenarios. Shaded regions highlight the time horizons of interest and their nominal reference years. The bottom panel shows spatial anomalies relative to 2000-19 mean for the 2100, 2200 and 2500 climates under the three RCPs. (Lyon et al., 2021)

In our model, we found that global average temperatures keep increasing beyond 2100 under RCP4.5 and 6.0. Under those scenarios, vegetation and the best crop-growing areas move towards the poles, and the area suitable for some crops is reduced. Places with long histories of cultural and ecosystem richness, like the Amazon Basin, may become barren.

Further, we found heat stress may reach fatal levels for humans in tropical regions which are currently highly populated. Such areas might become uninhabitable. Even under high-mitigation scenarios, we found that sea level keeps rising due to expanding and mixing water in warming oceans.

Although our findings are based on one climate model, they fall within the range of projections from others, and help to reveal the potential magnitude of climate upheaval on longer time scales.

To really portray what a low-mitigation/high-heat world could look like compared to what we’ve experienced until now, we used our projections and diverse research expertise to inform a series of nine paintings covering a thousand years (1500, 2020, and 2500 CE) in three major regional landscapes (the Amazon, the Midwest United States and the Indian subcontinent). The images for the year 2500 centre on the RCP6.0 projections, and include slightly advanced but recognizable versions of today’s technologies.

The Amazon

A triptych of a landscape near a river showing the how human activities affect the climate
The top image shows a traditional pre-contact Indigenous village (1500 CE) with access to the river and crops planted in the rainforest. The middle image is a present-day landscape. The bottom image, considers the year 2500 and shows a barren landscape and low water level resulting from vegetation decline, with sparse or degraded infrastructure and minimal human activity. (Lyon et al., 2021), CC BY-ND

Midwest U.S.

A triptych of agriculture and changes in crops over time due to climate change
The top painting is based on pre-colonisation Indigenous cities and communities with buildings and a diverse maize-based agriculture. The second is the same area today, with a grain monoculture and large harvesters. The last image, however, shows agricultural adaptation to a hot and humid subtropical climate, with imagined subtropical agroforestry based on oil palms and arid zone succulents. The crops are tended by AI drones, with a reduced human presence. (Lyon et al., 2021), CC BY-ND

The Indian subcontinent

A triptych of social and infrastructure changes over time due to the severity of climate change

An alien future?

Between 1500 and today, we have witnessed colonization and the Industrial Revolution, the birth of modern states, identities and institutions, the mass combustion of fossil fuels and the associated rise in global temperatures. If we fail to halt climate warming, the next 500 years and beyond will change the Earth in ways that challenge our ability to maintain many essentials for survival — particularly in the historically and geographically rooted cultures that give us meaning and identity.

The Earth of our high-end projections is alien to humans. The choice we face is to urgently reduce emissions, while continuing to adapt to the warming we cannot escape as a result of emissions up to now, or begin to consider life on an Earth very different to this one.

Link to Article - Photos - Graphs:

https://theconversation.com/our-climate ... obal-en-GB
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

Sponsor

Sponsor
 

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Oct 12, 2021 10:27 pm

Image

Adapt or die warning

Hundreds of people could die in floods in the UK, the Environment Agency has warned in a hard-hitting report that says the country is not ready for the impact of climate change

Earlier this year in Germany, dozens of people died in floods.

"That will happen in this country sooner or later" unless the UK becomes more resilient to increasingly violent weather, the agency concludes.

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the agency, said: "It is adapt or die."

The apocalyptic tone is deliberately intended to startle governments, companies and communities into preparing for global warming effects such as higher sea levels and more extremes of rainfall and drought.

The new report, seen by the BBC ahead of its publication on Wednesday, assesses the country's readiness to cope with the many different risks of climate change.

In its response, environment department Defra said it was taking key measures to protect the UK from the effects of global warming.

We are currently heading for an increase in the global average temperature of just under 3C by the end of the century.

But the agency projects that even a smaller rise of 2C would have severe consequences:

    Winter rainfall up by 6% by the 2050s and 8% by the 2080s (compared with 1981-2000)

    Summer rainfall down by about 15% by the 2050s

    London's sea level up by 23cm by the 2050s and 45cm by the 2080s

    By the 2050s, peak river flows could be up 27% while summer flows could be down as much as 82% An extra 3.4 billion litres of extra water needed every day before 2050, on top of the 15 billion used now
According to Ms Howard Boyd: "We can successfully tackle the climate emergency if we do the right things, but we are running out of time to implement effective adaptation measures.

"Some 200 people died in this summer's flooding in Germany. That will happen in this country sooner or later, however high we build our flood defences - unless we also make the places where we live, work and travel resilient to the effects of the more violent weather the climate emergency is bringing."

The agency calls for new thinking on flood protection, closer partnerships between government and businesses, and projects to restore natural systems that absorb carbon and hold back rainwater.

Ms Howard Boyd added: "With the right approach we can be safer and more prosperous. So let's prepare, act and survive."

The loss of life in Germany last July is a reminder of the last time flooding led to a massive death toll in the UK.

Back in 1953, a storm surge killed 307 people in England and 19 in Scotland.

That tragedy forced a radical rethink about flood protection and a massive investment in coastal defences that eventually led to the Thames Barrier in London.

Now, as officials across the UK weigh up future phases of flood defence, the report identifies what it calls five "reality checks" about climate change:

    The Environment Agency alone "cannot protect everyone from increasing flood and coastal risks". Agency staff have long warned of the long-term dangers of an accelerating rise in sea level and of shifts in rainfall patterns

    Climate change "makes it harder to ensure clean and plentiful water". This comes as demand for water rises as the population grows, especially in eastern and south-east England

    Environmental rules are "not yet ready for a changing climate". The regulations on water use and pollution weren't drawn up with such rapid changes in mind

    "Ecosystems cannot adapt as fast as the climate is changing". This is a factor in the losses in biodiversity, particularly among freshwater species

    There'll be "more and worst environmental incidents". Emergencies in flooding, water shortages and pollution will strike more often and with greater severity
The agency calls for new thinking on flood protection, saying that "business as usual" approaches are no longer adequate.

In practical terms, that means better co-ordination between companies, national agencies and local authorities, with businesses and homeowners encouraged to take basic steps to flood-proof their own properties.

It wants more investment in natural ways of reducing flood risk, such as restoring upland areas that can retain rainwater upstream and improving management of the soil so there's less run-off.

The agency also suggests trialling new arrangements and technologies for warning local communities about flood risks, and having closer coordination with other emergency services.

The agency acknowledges that billions of pounds have been spent on flood defences - and that more is earmarked.

And it recognises that the UK, as host of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow next month, is highlighting the importance of helping communities and nature adapt to climate change.

In response, Defra highlighted several key measures designed to adapt to a changing climate: £5.2bn to protect 336,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion better; a national framework to manage water supplies; and a £640m Nature for Climate Fund to tackle climate change and adaptation together.

A spokesperson said: "We are taking robust action to improve resilience to climate change across the whole country and economy, and adaptation to climate change is integrated in policies throughout government.

"We're also using our COP26 presidency to drive climate adaptation around the world, protecting communities and natural habitats."

Link to Article - Photos - Graphs:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-58883234
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Oct 13, 2021 12:03 am

Image

Toxic air crisis crippling London

The quality of air you breathe should not be dictated by the neighbourhood you live in, or the colour of your skin. That simple idea — that everyone should be able to breathe without getting sick — is what helped to bring us together to fight air pollution in London

Over the past five years, the policies London has enacted have substantially reduced exposure to toxic air pollution for all Londoners. New data we are releasing shows that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) — probably the single greatest danger to health — has been dramatically reduced, with low-income areas benefiting most. The difference in exposure between the highest and lowest income areas has been cut by 50 per cent.

This success demonstrates how smart and well-designed policies can have enormously positive effects on our health. But we still have much more to do. The new data shows communities with lower incomes or a higher proportion of people from a non-white ethnic background are still more likely to be exposed to greater air pollution and the serious health problems it creates — from stunting the growth of young lungs to worsening chronic illnesses.

City Hall and Bloomberg Philanthropies are today launching the Breathe London community programme. Through this new effort, community groups, businesses and individuals can apply for a free air quality sensor to be installed in a location of their choice. It will provide real time, hyperlocal data about the air quality on their street, how it varies throughout the day or what the effect has been of a recent change — for example, a road closure. The sensor network, expanding to 350 sensors, will be managed by a team at Imperial College London with constantly updating results available on a public platform, breathelondon.org. Only with proper monitoring and transparency like this can air pollution be managed effectively in the communities that need it most.

Of course, air pollution is not merely a local issue. It kills almost four million people around the world each year. In a few weeks leaders from around the globe will gather in Glasgow for COP26, the United Nations climate change conference. Air pollution must be a key part of the discussions because the same sources of air pollution that are terrible for our health are also wreaking havoc with the climate.

Major cities, like London and New York, have critical roles to play by showing what’s possible. New York has already proved a city’s carbon footprint can be reduced at impressive rates, even as its economy grows. In just six years, the Bloomberg administration cut the city’s carbon emissions by 12 per cent while raising its air quality to the cleanest levels in more than half a century — while creating a record number of jobs. London has created a world-first Ultra Low Emissions Zone, which has reduced carbon emissions and cut harmful pollution levels by half. Later this month it will expand by 18 times to incorporate a further 3.8 million residents. And the capital’s buses and black taxis are also being turned into some of the greenest in Europe.

COP26 is an important opportunity to jump-start unified global action towards ending the climate crisis and tackling air pollution, and to see the same bold commitment, co-operation and coordination that city mayors and local leaders around the world have shown in recent years. In London, we have seen how public-private partnerships drive progress, and governments, businesses and non-profits can all do more. Despite the magnitude of the problem, less than one per cent of international aid is aimed at cutting air pollution, and less than 0.1 per cent of philanthropic funding. The good news is — as cities and nations develop economic recovery plans — the same steps that reduce air pollution and fight climate change will also support job creation in growing industries with good wages, including both clean energy and energy efficiency.

As we begin to emerge from the worst of the pandemic, and as we prepare for the global climate gathering in Glasgow, we have a unique opportunity to do more, faster — to save lives and to build a healthier and more equitable future for all people, in all neighbourhoods.

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/toge ... _content=2
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:01 pm

Image

A simple guide to climate change

World temperatures are rising because of human activity, and climate change now threatens every aspect of human life

Left unchecked, humans and nature will experience catastrophic warming, with worsening droughts, greater sea level rise and mass extinction of species.

We face a huge challenge, but there are potential solutions.

What is climate change?

Climate is the average weather in a place over many years. Climate change is a shift in those average conditions.

The rapid climate change we are now seeing is caused by humans using oil, gas and coal for their homes, factories and transport.

When these fossil fuels burn, they releases greenhouse gases - mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). These gases trap the Sun's heat and cause the planet's temperature to rise.

The world is now about 1.2C warmer than it was in the 19th Century - and the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by 50%.

Temperature rises must slow down if we want to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, scientists say. They say global warming needs to be kept to 1.5C by 2100.

However, unless further action is taken, the planet could still warm by more than 2C by the end of this century.

If nothing is done, scientists think global warming could exceed 4C, leading to devastating heatwaves, millions losing their homes to rising sea levels and irreversible loss of plant and animal species.

What is the impact of climate change?

Extreme weather events are already more intense, threatening lives and livelihoods.

With further warming, some regions could become uninhabitable, as farmland turns into desert. In other regions, the opposite is happening, with extreme rainfall causing historic flooding - as seen recently in China, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

People in poorer countries will suffer the most as they do not have the money to adapt to climate change. Many farms in developing countries already have to endure climates that are too hot and this will only get worse.

Our oceans and its habitats are also under threat. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, for example, has already lost half of its corals since 1995 due to warmer seas driven by climate change.

Wildfires are becoming more frequent as climate change increases the risk of hot, dry weather.

And as frozen ground melts in places like Siberia, greenhouse gases trapped for centuries will be released into the atmosphere, worsening climate change.

In a warmer world, animals will find it harder to find the food and water they need to live. For example, polar bears could die out as the ice they rely on melts away, and elephants will struggle to find the 150-300 litres of water a day they need.

How will different parts of the world be affected?

Climate change has different effects in different areas of the world. Some places will warm more than others, some will receive more rainfall and others will face more droughts.

If temperature rise cannot be kept within 1.5C:

    The UK and Europe will be vulnerable to flooding caused by extreme rainfall

    Countries in the Middle East will experience extreme heatwaves and farmland could turn to desert

    Island nations in the Pacific region could disappear under rising seas

    Many African nations are likely to suffer droughts and food shortages

    Drought conditions are likely in the western US, while other areas will see more intense storms
    Australia is likely to suffer extremes of heat and drought
What are governments doing?

Countries agree climate change can only be tackled by working together, and in a landmark agreement in Paris in 2015, they pledged to try to keep global warming to 1.5C.

The UK is hosting a summit for world leaders, called COP26, in November, where countries will set out their carbon reduction plans for 2030.

Many countries have pledged to get to net zero by 2050. This means reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and balancing out remaining emissions by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

Experts agree that this is achievable, but it will require governments, businesses and individuals to make big changes.

What can individuals do?

Major changes need to come from governments and businesses, but scientists say some small changes in our lives can limit our impact on the climate:

    Take fewer flights

    Live car-free or use an electric car

    Buy energy efficient products, such as washing machines, when they need replacing

    Switch from a gas heating system to an electric heat pump

    Insulate your home.
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/science-environment-24021772

    "Take fewer flights"
I have a brilliant idea!

    STOP USING PLANES/DRONES TO
    DROP BOMBS ON PEOPLE/ANIMALS
Please feel free to share
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Oct 17, 2021 4:30 pm

Six things to tackle climate change

Boris Johnson: The government has backed wind and other renewable to green the electricity grid

The government is due to announce its plan for how to reduce the UK's carbon emissions, possibly this coming week.

It has already signed up to ambitious targets, attempting to set an example to other countries before November's COP26 meeting of world leaders in Glasgow.

The government has pledged to reduce emissions sharply by 2035 and put the UK on track to be net zero by 2050 - meaning the country will absorb as much carbon dioxide (through things like tree planting) as it emits.

But as the hosts of the Glasgow meeting, the UK will also need to show it is ready to act. As the Queen and Greta Thunberg have both seemingly put it, in different ways - less talking, more doing.

So what could be in the government's net zero strategy?

1. Subsidise warmth

It's not just the protestors blocking motorways - just about everyone agrees that tackling the way we heat our homes is a priority.

So the government is likely to make clear how it will meet previous manifesto commitments on insulating homes, especially social housing, and promoting the switch to cleaner heating sources.

It could set a date for ending the sale of gas boilers. And it could go further.

There's a cleaner alternative to gas boilers: heat pumps. They are much cheaper to run but the initial cost, at £6,000 and upwards, puts most people off.

Nick Mabey at environmental consultancy E3G suggests the government could support firms to supply them with interest-free loans.

"You'd get it in a hire purchase kind of way," says Mr Mabey. "Spread it over the lifetime of the heat pump and people would be saving money."

The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) representing businesses agrees the government should "get the ball rolling" - with the expectation that in the long run heat pumps come down in price and the subsidies can be phased out.

2. Cut the burger rate

Prince Charles has a couple of meat-free days a week. The government could call for more of us to follow suit.

They may be reluctant to tell shoppers what to put in their baskets, but according to a survey by the think tank Demos, more than 90% of us would be in favour of a government-led campaign to reduce meat and dairy consumption.

A more radical move would be to set higher taxes for meat, or lower taxes on fruit and veg, to influence what we buy.

But the government appeared to take that idea off the table earlier this year, saying it would not be putting a tax "on the great British banger or anything else".

As well as looking at consumer demand, Polly Mackenzie, chief executive of Demos, says the government should use agricultural policy to move away from simply subsidising production.

"We've repatriated control of agricultural subsidies because of Brexit," she says. "We can change what we pay farmers to do, shift that effort and investment into encouraging rewilding, better upland land management, reforestation."

3. Streetlamp charging

The switch to electric vehicles (EVs) is underway but there's a roadblock: not enough charging points.

You can't easily charge a car from a fifth floor flat and according to the AA around 30% of homeowners don't have access to somewhere to charge at home or at work.

MPs have proposed requiring property developers to include public charging points, and said councils should make sure charging infrastructure is built.

But low income, remote and rural areas risk being left behind if it's left to the commercial sector to install charging points, says E3G's Nick Mabey.

Firms like Ubricity have been installing charging points in streetlamps for several years already

One way to help plug the gap, he says, would be to turn more streetlamps into charging points - something that's being widely trialled already.

Charging is slower than at a custom-built charging points, but the installation can be relatively cheap.

Above all though the chancellor needs to backs local government financially to make sure charging points are rolled out for all, he says.

4. Climate accounting

Nick Mabey's number one priority though is something which sounds more mundane: company reporting.

The problem is most company bosses aren't in the job long enough to think past the short term, he argues, and he wants new rules obliging firms to publish their longer term plans to reach net zero.

No other country has managed to do this yet.

"It would change the whole face of British business. Investors would fight shy of firms that can't show they're ready," he says.

"Firms should be planning for the transition anyway. If they are, they can show investors those plans. If they aren't, why aren't they? And do you want to put your pension in a firm that has its head stuck in the sand?"

Many businesses are supportive says the CBI, but they aren't yet doing it voluntarily.

5. Taxing carbon

The UK already has a sort of tax on carbon because industry has to pay for emissions permits. There are fuel duties too.

Economists like the principle: charge people to burn carbon and you give them an incentive not to.

So we could raise these taxes further. However, the CBI argues that tax breaks would be more appropriate.

These businesses are precisely the ones that need to make huge investments to decarbonise, argues Tom Thackray, programme director for decarbonisation at the CBI. "There's a case for supporting them not financially penalising them."

Heavy industry already pays for permits to emit greenhouses gases

But what about a direct tax on the stuff we buy?

In its favour: it doesn't cost the government anything up front and could even raise a bit of revenue.

The problem: a carbon tax would make up a bigger proportion of day-to-day spending for society's poorest which seems unfair.

Those in favour of carbon taxes say there are ways around this - redistributing the proceeds to people on low incomes for example or using the money to reduce the cost of fruit and vegetables or public transport.

The other stumbling block, how to avoid untaxed goods from overseas undercutting tax-paying UK producers, is trickier. But then that is what conferences like COP26 are there for: international cooperation.

6. Throw money at it

Rishi Sunak may not be keen on further big outlays after the past 18 months.

But, both employers and workers organisations believe it is crucial. The CBI is calling for a "wall of investment" from government and the TUC puts a figure on it saying over the next two years £85bn should be spent on everything from faster broadband to reforestation.

The CBI's Tom Thackray says "those costs have to be weighed up against the cost of inaction."

As well as the impact of severe weather, without investment the UK risks being left behind in the global green tech race, he says.

Some businesses have already experienced the impact of severe weather

Mika Minio-Paluello from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says government investment will drive private investment, and the UK could establish some "international leadership."

Other G7 nations area already pumping money into helping industries like steel decarbonise, she says.

"If we are ahead of the game, developing technology, that helps future exports.

"If we're late to the game our steel industry is not going to be competitive. For us it's about hitting those climate targets but it's also about future-proofing UK jobs and industries."

Action not words

Of course there are dozens more policy options, from building more nuclear generation - which the government is reported to favour - to a frequent flyer levy; supporting carbon capture and storage to restoring peatlands; investing in public transport networks to generating energy from household waste.

But whatever the net zero strategy contains, it will be judged not only on its direction and priorities, but also on how concrete its proposals are, so that people and businesses waiting to take action can work out what their next step might be.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58885545
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:45 am

Image

Nightmare of India's tallest rubbish mountain

More than 16 million tonnes of rubbish make up Deonar's waste mountain

The "mountains of garbage" dotting India's cities will soon be replaced with waste treatment plants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised earlier this month. Author Saumya Roy reports from the country's oldest and tallest mountain of rubbish - some 18 storeys high - in the western coastal city of Mumbai.

Every morning, Farha Shaikh stands on top of a more-than-a-century-old rubbish mountain in Mumbai, waiting for garbage trucks to make their way up.

The 19-year-old waste picker has been scavenging through these heaps in the Deonar suburb for as long as she can remember.

From the gloopy trash, she usually picks up plastic bottles, glass and wire to sell in the city's thriving waste markets. But most of all she looks out for broken mobile phones.

Every few weeks, Farha finds a "dead" mobile phone in the trash. She digs into her meagre savings and gets it repaired. Once it flickers to life, she spends her evenings watching films, playing video games, texting and calling friends.

When the phone stops working again days or weeks later, Farha's connection with the world outside snaps again. She is back to working long days, collecting the remains of the city to resell - and looking for another phone to restore.

More than 16 million tonnes of trash make up Deonar's rubbish mountains - eight of them spread over a 300-acre sprawl - that are said to be India's largest and oldest. Waste is piled as high as 120ft (36.5m). The sea forms the outer edge of the mountains and slums have been built into the sturdy heaps of rubbish.

The decomposing waste releases noxious gases such as methane, hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide. In 2016, it erupted in fires that burned for months and caused smoke in much of Mumbai. Rubbish fires at landfills contributed 11% of particulate matter, a major cause of air pollution in the city, according to a 2011 study by India's pollution regulator.

A 2020 study by a Delhi-based think tank, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), found 3,159 such mountains containing 800 million tonnes of rubbish across India.

    In Mumbai, a court case has been going on for 26 years to close down the Deonar grounds but the dumping of waste continues
India's waste mountains have long vexed officials and politicians. On 1 October, Mr Modi announced nearly $13bn (£9.54bn) for a national cleanliness programme that would include setting up a number of sewage treatment plants to gradually replace open air rubbish dumps such as the one in Deonar.

But experts are sceptical. "While it has been done in smaller cities, it is hard to provide a remedy for waste mountains at this scale," says Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, deputy program manager at CSE.

"There is an acknowledgement that this is a problem but we have accepted that if we are to live in big cities like Mumbai or Delhi, these garbage mountains come with it," says Dharmesh Shah, country co-ordinator for the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, a coalition of groups that advocate for reduced waste.

Since 2000, India has passed rules asking municipalities to process waste. But most states report only partial compliance, and there are not enough waste treatment plants.

Mumbai, India's commercial and entertainment capital and home to some 20 million people, has just one such plant. There are now plans for a waste-to-energy plant at Deonar.

Mr Modi said he expects the plan to create new, green jobs. But that worries waste pickers like Farha who have been doing this job all their lives.

It has become much harder for them to access the waste mountains after the fires in 2016. The municipality has increased security to prevent waste pickers from going in and lighting fires - the flames melt the lighter trash, bringing up metal that fetches high prices.

The waste pickers who manage to sneak in are often beaten, detained and sent back. But some bribe the guards or enter before the security patrols begin at daylight. So, little segregation happens at the grounds in Denoar now - instead, a lot of the waste is segregated in the city itself, and what arrives at Deonar has reduced over time.

Farha hasn't had a phone for months. She has to bribe guards at least 50 rupees ($0.67; £0.49) every day to get in and work at the Deonar grounds. To recover this, she even thought of picking through the rubbish that began arriving from the city's Covid hospital wards last year.

But her family asked her not to pick up the "harmful" Covid waste. So, she hangs close, watching pickers wear protective gear in the rain to keep collecting plastic to resell.

The city was sending new trash, and as they had for years, the mountains had to accommodate it and pickers had to collect and resell it.

"Hunger will kill us if not illness," Farha says.

Link to Article - Photos - Video:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-58866834

Must Watch Video:

https://youtu.be/WfGMYdalClU
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Oct 20, 2021 2:13 am

UK plans to cut greenhouse gas

Another big push towards electric vehicles is being made in the UK government's latest strategy to make the great shift to a virtually zero-carbon economy

Ministers are investing £620m in grants for electric vehicles and street charging points.

Car makers will be mandated to sell a proportion of clean vehicles each year.

An extra £350m is promised to help the automotive supply chain move to electric.

The new plan set out by the government is supposed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to reach a target of net zero by 2050.

The announcement comes 12 days before global leaders meet in Glasgow to negotiate how to curb climate change.

Achieving net zero means the UK will no longer be adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Without action on climate change, the world faces a hotter planet, rising sea levels and extreme weather that threaten many forms of life.

The UK has already made progress in cutting emissions compared to the levels released in 1990. In 2019, the country released 40% less than in 1990.

On Tuesday the government also announced a strategy to address emissions from the UK's 30 million buildings.

The Labour party's Ed Miliband responded to the strategy, saying the "plans falls short on delivery" adding "we've waited months for a heat and buildings strategy, it's a massive let-down".

Prof Lord Nicholas Stern, Chair of LSE's Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, said the plan will require "strong investment and innovation" and would generate a "new and attractive form of growth". But he warned that low-income households will need support.

And Prof Dan Lunt, Professor of Climate Science at University of Bristol, called the strategy's approach to flying weak and unambitious.

Environmental group Friends of the Earth criticised the strategy as "riddled with holes and omissions".

"The rapid electrification of new vehicles is certainly welcome, but many of the carbon savings this could bring will be wiped out by the government's £27 billion road programme," it said.

What does the net zero plan say?

It also offers a further £120m to develop SMRs - small "modular" nuclear reactors that can be factory-built. These might go to the Wylfa site in Wales, although that's not certain.

These mini-reactors are being promoted heavily by Rolls Royce, although critics say the technology won't be mature in time to meet the UK's carbon targets.

On large nuclear: there's been much speculation about a go-ahead for Sizewell C in Suffolk. But funding has been a key sticking point and it seems an announcement has been put off until the Chancellor's spending review next week.

There will be an extra £625m for tree-planting and peat restoration, too - even though the current schedule is running way behind its targets.

The government is committing £140m to two clusters promoting carbon capture and storage to produce hydrogen. The hubs will be the North-West of England and North Wales, with Teesside and Humberside - the government has previously promised £1bn to support CCS.

Heavy industries in these areas will be fuelled by hydrogen split from natural gas. The resulting CO2 emissions will be pumped into undersea rocks for storage.

This will be controversial because environmentalists believe hydrogen should be obtained instead through electrolysis - using surplus wind energy.

It looks unlikely that there will be much hydrogen left over to heat people's homes, which is why the government is postponing any decision about hydrogen boilers until 2026.

The Treasury has hinted tax rises may be necessary to fund the government's net zero strategy.

In a review exploring the economic impact of decarbonising, the Treasury said: "There will be demands on public spending, but the biggest impact comes from the erosion of tax revenues from fossil fuel-related activity."

It said future governments "may need to consider changes to existing taxes and new sources of revenue" rather than relying on higher borrowing.

Ministers are keen to stress their intention that the so-called net zero transition will be led by business.

They say it will create 440,000 jobs and draw in up to 90bn of private investment by 2030.

The government says since the Prime Minister announced his 10-point plan for the climate a year ago, it has invested £26bn of public funds into the low-carbon revolution.

Part of that portfolio will be an extra £500m fund for low carbon innovation.

Environmentalists will be scrutinising the numbers to see if various recent policy announcements will add up to the policy portfolio needed to present a plausible plan for decarbonising the economy by 2050.

So what's missing from the strategy? Well, there's no reference to eating less meat - which the government's advisers say is needed. And the aviation strategy - putting no constraint on flying - runs counter to advisers' opinions.

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/science-environment-58899006
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:15 pm

UK tax on meat and frequent-flying

A blueprint to change public behaviour to cut carbon emissions, including levies on high-carbon food and a reduction in frequent flying, was published by the government alongside its net zero strategy on Tuesday but was withdrawn within a few hours

Recommendations in the blueprint are in contrast to Boris Johnson’s promise in the strategy foreword that transitioning to net zero could happen without sacrificing the things we love. “This strategy shows how we can build back greener, without so much as a hair shirt in sight,” the foreword stated.

“In 2050 we will still be driving cars, flying planes and heating our homes, but our cars will be electric, gliding silently around our cities, our planes will be zero emission, allowing us to fly guilt-free, and our homes will be heated by cheap, reliable power drawn from the winds of the North Sea.”

    Car gliding silently around our cities no doubt knocking down children and running over blind little old ladies - more than two million people in the UK are living with sight loss that has a significant impact on their daily life - it will have even more of an impact on them as they will be housebound for fear of being run over by the silently gliding cars
The blueprint, however, emphasises that tackling the climate crisis requires “significant behavioural change”. According to the document, titled Net Zero: principles for successful behaviour change initiatives, and produced by the behavioural insights team, or “nudge unit”, the British public may have to reduce its demand for high-carbon activities such as flying and eating ruminant meat, among other changes.

The report raises concerns over the expansion of airports contained in government policy and tax exemptions given to the aviation sector. “The UK government can lead by example, and recognise the hugely impactful signal it sends to, for example, approve airport expansions, or financially support the airline industry with little demands for decarbonisation in return,” the removed report states. It says a more realistic transition to net zero would be through tactics including reducing the number of frequent business flyers.

The report outlines nine key principles needed to change public behaviour to meet net zero. These include making clear to people what changes they have to make, making those changes easy and affordable, and aligning commercial interests with net zero outcomes.

It recommends tax and statutory interventions to force change, including carbon taxes, a financial levy on food with a high-emission footprint, using the law to force the public to change, and forcing the markets to be more transparent to enable consumers to choose more sustainable options.

“Laws … matter and can powerfully cement emerging shifts in normative values,” the report says. “Looking at past government-led initiatives, significant societal behaviour changes related to, for instance, reductions in harm from smoking, increasing worker or motor vehicle safety or uptake of vaccinations have all involved taxes, bans, mandates and other regulatory measures beyond soft persuasion.

“We do not have time to nudge our way to net zero, and so a focus on building sufficient political capital and public support to instigate bolder action will be needed.”

Behavioural change will be vital if we are to reach net zero, according to the Climate Change Committee, which pointed out in its sixth carbon budget that about 60% of the emissions savings that need to be made over the next 15 years will come from a combination of behaviour and technology.

The issue is a difficult one for the Conservatives, who fear that many of their supporters will resist anything too top-down, such as a meat tax or a levy on frequent flyers.

Dr Alex Chapman, a senior researcher at the New Economics Foundation, said the government had not included any mention of aviation in its strategy, and government analysis found the strategy would lead to no material reduction in air travel emissions between now and 2037.

“At the heart of this is the government’s refusal to accept that we cannot continue to grow the size of the aviation sector in a climate emergency. Betting on the rollout of as-yet-undeveloped miracle technologies represents a huge gamble with our futures,” Chapman said.

“Now, with this hastily withdrawn research paper, we learn that the government is in fact well aware of this contradiction. Indeed … major concerns are raised about the ongoing expansion of UK airports and the current tax exemptions enjoyed by the aviation sector. It is time the government stopped living a delusion and took meaningful action to prevent aviation emissions driving us off a climate cliff.”

The report says that politicians and policymakers could suffer from “optimism/overconfidence bias – the more so, the more senior they are”.

It also says implementation of policies is everything. It says the government should push the message that it is following the science, as it has in the Covid-19 pandemic, and it calls for close cooperation with experts.

The report says changing behaviours requires a clear narrative from the government, which is not easy. “We must recognise that we are often asking people to swim against the current if the cheap, readily available, enjoyable, convenient, normal and default option is the unsustainable one.

“This is often the case: it’s hard to avoid plastic packaging when the shops are full of it; hard to drive an [electric vehicle] if you don’t have off-street parking to install a charge point; hard to take the train when the plane is cheaper and quicker; hard to give up red meat when our shops, restaurants and cultural norms are brimming with it.”

The document said it would be extremely important to ask for public behavioural change: acceptance of changes to policy and infrastructure; willingness to adopt new technologies; and direct individual action.

A government spokesperson said: “This was an academic research paper, not government policy. We have no plans whatsoever to dictate consumer behaviour in this way. For that reason, our net zero strategy published yesterday contained no such plans.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... o-strategy

The Guardian views the climate crisis as the defining issue of our time. It is already here. Mega-droughts, wildfires, flooding and extreme heat are making growing parts of our planet uninhabitable. As parts of the world emerge from the pandemic, carbon emissions are again on the rise, risking a rare opportunity to transition to a more sustainable future.

The Guardian has renounced fossil fuel advertising, becoming the first major global news organisation to do so. We have committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2030. And we are consistently increasing our investment in environmental reporting, recognising that an informed public is crucial to keeping the worst of the crisis at bay.
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:34 am

Image

The World is Getting Warmer

COP26: What is the Glasgow climate conference and why is it important?

The UK is hosting a summit that is seen as crucial if climate change is to be brought under control.

The meeting in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November could lead to major changes to our everyday lives.

What is COP26 and why is it happening?

The world is warming because of fossil fuel emissions caused by humans.

Extreme weather events linked to climate change - including heatwaves, floods and forest fires - are intensifying. The past decade was the warmest on record, and governments agree urgent collective action is needed.

Please click to enlarge this and following charts/images:
1339

For this conference, 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut emissions by 2030.

They all agreed in 2015 to make changes to keep global warming "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels - and to try aim for 1.5C - so that we avoid a climate catastrophe.

This is what's known as the Paris Agreement, and it means countries have to keep making bigger emissions cuts until reaching net zero in 2050.

What will be decided at COP26?

Most countries will set out their plans to reduce emissions before the summit starts - so, we should get a sense of whether we are on track beforehand.

But during the two weeks we can expect a flurry of new announcements.

Many are expected to be very technical - including rules still needed to implement the Paris Agreement, for example.

But some other announcements could include:

    Making a faster switch to electric cars

    Speeding up the phasing out of coal power

    Cutting down fewer trees

    Protecting more people from the impacts of climate change, such as funding coastal-defence systems.
Up to 25,000 people are expected in Glasgow, including world leaders, negotiators and journalists.

Tens of thousands of campaigners and businesses will also be there to hold events, network - and hold protests. Extinction Rebellion, for example, are calling for an immediate end to the use of fossil fuels.

At the end of the conference, some form of declaration is expected.

Every country will be required to sign up and it could include specific commitments.

Are there likely sticking points?

Expect a lot of talk about money and climate justice. Developing countries tend to pollute less per head of population and are not responsible for most emissions in the past.

But they experience some of the worst effects of climate change.

1340

They need money to help reduce their emissions and to cope with climate change. It could mean more solar panels in countries that depend on energy from coal and flood defence systems.

There will also be a battle over compensation for developing countries affected by climate change.

Wealthy countries previously pledged $100bn (£720m) a year to help poorer nations by 2020. A UN assessment last year said the target was likely to be missed, so richer countries are being asked to commit more money.

1341

China's commitments at COP26 will also be very important. It is now the world's biggest polluter and has investments in coal stations all over the world.

Many observers will be watching how quickly China - and other major fossil fuel producers - will be willing to reduce their reliance on them.

How will COP26 affect me?

Some commitments made in Glasgow could directly affect our daily lives.

For example, it could change whether you drive a petrol car, heat your home with a gas boiler, or take as many flights.

You will hear a lot of jargon

    COP26: COP stands for Conference of the Parties. Established by the UN, COP1 took place in 1995 - this will be the 26th

    Paris accord: The Paris Agreement united all the world's nations - for the first time - in a single agreement on tackling global warming and cutting greenhouse-gas emissions

    IPCC: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change examines the latest research into climate change

    1.5C: Keeping the rise in global average temperature below 1.5C - compared with pre-industrial times - will avoid the worst impacts of climate change, scientists say
How will we know COP26 is a success?

As host nation, the UK will likely want all countries to back a strong statement that recommits to net zero emissions by 2050 - as well as big reductions by 2030.

It will also want specific pledges on ending coal, petrol cars and protecting nature.

Developing countries will want a significant financial package over the next five years, to help them adapt to rising temperatures.

Anything short of this is likely to be judged inadequate because there simply isn't more time to keep the 1.5C goal alive.

However, some scientists believe world leaders have left it too late and no matter what is agreed at COP26, 1.5C will not be achieved.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56901261
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:58 pm

Iraq’s climate migration

Water shortages and worsening quality in southern Iraq are driving migration of rural populations into “complex” urban settings where they face multiple social problems including financial hardships and difficulty accessing rights and safety, according to a study by the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) published Thursday

Thousands of Iraqis in recent years have been forced off their agricultural lands because of water problems and into urban areas like Basra that “already struggle with economic security and governance, and may not be well prepared to absorb influxes of migrants,” the IOM stated in a press release for the study.

The IOM study estimated that 12 percent of Basra city’s population are migrants and 49 percent of them moved because of water scarcity, and their migration is permanent as the majority of them sold their land and livestock.

Iraq has been named by the UN as the fifth-most vulnerable nation in the world country to the effects of climate change, especially rising temperatures and water shortages. This year, winter crops will be slashed by half because of water shortages and wheat production in Nineveh is expected to be down by 70 percent. Low precipitation and upstream dams in Turkey and Iran are drying out Iraq and increasing saline levels by as much 50-fold. In Basra, at least 118,000 people were hospitalized in 2018 because of unsafe drinking water, leading to protests.

In 2019, the IOM identified more than 21,000 people displaced in southern Iraq because of water issues.

“This climate-induced migration is made even more difficult when considering the wider degradation in economic security and governance that both rural and urban populations of the south continue to face,” the IOM study stated.

After violent protests in recent years over lack of government services, unemployment, and endemic corruption, “cities in the south of Iraq may not be well prepared to absorb this recent (and likely increasing) influx of population,” it added.

According to IOM, most migrant families depend on low-wage, informal employment and 53 percent say they cannot afford enough food or basic items. They largely live in rudimentary houses built on public land without permission or public infrastructure, “clustering in poorer, less formal, and less safe areas of the city.”

“The current social climate is similarly fragile and prone to eruption given the limited, ineffectual (or willfully passive) institutional responses to grievances up until now,” IOM stated, noting that local residents of Basra and migrants both feel neglected and marginalized.

Iraq is dependent on water sources that come from outside its borders. The water ministry signed an agreement with Turkey that came into force last week over sharing water. "One of the provisions of the agreement includes the launch of a fair and equitable quota for Iraq across the Tigris and Euphrates rivers," Minister Mehdi Al-Hamdani told state media.

Baghdad signed the Paris climate accord last year and one of the main issues it will focus on under the agreement is water security, Jassim al-Falahi, undersecretary of Iraq’s Ministry of Environment and Health, told Rudaw in an interview this summer.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/22102021
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Oct 24, 2021 2:03 am

Greta Thunberg:

'We need public pressure, not just summits'

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has told the BBC that summits will not lead to action on climate goals unless the public demand change too

In a wide-ranging interview ahead of the COP26 climate summit, she said the public needed to "uproot the system".

"The change is going to come when people are demanding change. So we can't expect everything to happen at these conferences," she said.

She also accused politicians of coming up with excuses.

The COP26 climate summit is taking place in Scotland's largest city, Glasgow, from 31 October to 12 November.

It is the biggest climate change conference since landmark talks in Paris in 2015. Some 200 countries are being asked for their plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming.

Ms Thunberg, who recently launched a global series of concerts highlighting climate change called Climate Live, confirmed she would be attending COP26. She said her message to world leaders was to "be honest".

"Be honest about where you are, how you have been failing, how you're still failing us... instead of trying to find solutions, real solutions that will actually lead somewhere, that would lead to a substantial change, fundamental change," she told the BBC's Rebecca Morelle.

"In my view, success would be that people finally start to realise the urgency of the situation and realise that we are facing an existential crisis, and that we are going to need big changes, that we're going to need to uproot the system, because that's where the change is going to come."

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.
"Unfortunately there are no climate leaders today, especially not in the so-called global north. But that doesn't mean that they can't suddenly decide that now we're going to take the process seriously," she said.

Speaking about the targets for reaching net zero - which means not adding to the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere - she said that it was a "good start", but cautioned that it "doesn't really mean very much in practice" if people continued to look for loopholes.

COP26 will be attended by climate activists from across the world.

Kevin Mtai, a climate justice campaigner from Kenya, told the BBC that inclusivity at the summit was important.

"I hope this climate conference is going to be an inclusive conference, to include all voices in the talks. They need to use indigenous people in the talks, marginalised people in the talks, people from the most affected areas," he said.

"It's very important for people from the global south to speak for themselves, not other parts of the globe to speak on their behalf. Because we are the ones who have been affected by climate change, so it's very important we can hear from our own people, with our own ideas, our own voice."

From her home in Sweden, Ms Thunberg also spoke about her own role as a campaigner.

"I don't see myself as a climate celebrity, I see myself as a climate activist... I should be grateful because there are many, many people who don't have a platform and who are not being listened to, their voices are being oppressed and silenced.

"I'm a completely different person when I'm in private. I don't think people would recognise me in private. I'm not very serious in private. I appear very angry in the media, but I am silly in private."

When asked about why she sang a Rick Astley hit at the launch of Climate Live, she said that it was a climate movement in-joke. She has previously taken part in the internet phenomenon "rick-rolling" by tweeting out what she said was a link to a new speech, but actually linked to the music video for the song.

Link to Article - Video:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59022846
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:45 pm

Image

Toxic heavy metals in Garmiyan dam

KIFRI, Kurdistan: The water level in Bawashaswar dam in the Kurdistan’s southern Garmiyan administration is the lowest it has even been since the dam was completed a decade ago. Farmers are worried about losing their crops and an expert is warning about toxic levels of heavy metals in the water

“We’re going to lose everything if the dam dries out. We’ll have nothing left,” said farmer Fetah Hama Gharib.

Last year, he lost his wheat crop because of lack of rain. This year, he decided to plant vegetables, depending on water from the dam to irrigate the land, but he risks losing that too because there is less than a million cubic meters of water in the dam, down from 3.5 million cubic meters a year ago.

“We release 24 inches of water every day. Even less than half of that water flows into the dam,” said dam manager Aziz Mohammed.

It has been a dry year across Iraq and neighbouring countries. Aid agencies said the wheat harvest is down by half in Kurdistan and the Iraqi government announced plans to slash the area they will irrigate for winter crops.

As the volume drops in Bawashaswar dam, the color of the water has changed and an expert warned that the concentration of minerals poses a threat to people and livestock.

“We discovered that in the water there is an excess of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, aluminum, and some others that have direct effects on the health of humans,” said Abdulmutalib Rafaat, a geologist at the University of Garmian. “People should refrain from using the water. People should not use it for drinking or, to a certain extent, farming.”

Iraq is heavily dependent on water that comes from outside its borders and both Turkey and Iran are building dams on shared rivers. Baghdad recently signed an agreement with Ankara over sharing water that includes “a fair and equitable quota for Iraq across the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers,” Water Resources Minister Mehdi al-Hamdani told state media earlier this month.

According to the United Nations, Iraq is the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures and water shortages.

Link to Article - Video:

https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/24102021
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:48 pm

Image

Is Iran to blame for water shortages

Iraq’s water ministry has suggested Baghdad file a case against Iran with the International Court of Justice in order to guarantee its right to shared water resources, state media reported Sunday

“The Ministry of Water Resources submitted a memorandum and an official letter to the higher authorities in the Council of Ministers, the president’s office, the [parliament] speaker’s office, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to file a case at the international court in The Hague to establish Iraq’s water rights with neighbouring Iran,” technical advisor to the ministry Aoun Dhiab told state media.

Iraq is heavily dependent on water sources that are shared with neighbouring countries Iran and Turkey, which are both building dams on their rivers.

Baghdad signed an agreement with Ankara that includes “a fair and equitable quota for Iraq across the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers” and came into force earlier this month, said Water Resources Minister Mehdi al-Hamdani.

The ministry had hoped to reach a similar deal with Tehran, but failed to do so this summer, partly because of a new government in Iran and elections in Iraq, according to Dhiab.

This is not the first time Baghdad has made such a threat. In July, Minister Hamdani suggested taking Tehran to the international court after it stopped the flow of water to Diyala completely.

Tehran has accused Baghdad of holding political motives in their dispute over water and says that while Iran has been subjected to years of drought, Iraq’s situation is much better as farmers are able to use the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris.

Iran says the Iraqi establishment is to blame for their water shortages, pointing to a failure of successive Iraqi governments to implement a water policy or build new infrastructure like dams since the 1960s, while the population has grown from 10 million in the 1970s to 40 million today.

"The area under agricultural cultivation in Iraq in 1970 was 6 million hectares... Data from the Iraqi ministry of agriculture last March said that the total land under cultivation was 3.75 million hectares," state-run IRNA reported on July 27 after Baghdad threatened to take Iran to court.

IRNA went on to blame the US for keeping Iraq “backward” for the last 18 years and noted a lot of water goes to waste in Iraq where the government has not installed water meters in residential houses.

The Iraqi government last week announced it would slash in half the amount of land it will irrigate for winter crops. The province of Diyala is not included in the irrigation scheme and farmers there will have to depend on wells for their fields.

Diyala is fed by several rivers that originate in and are dammed by Iran, including the Sirwan.

Dhiab warned that “Winter agriculture is currently subjected to great limitations in Diyala due to the lack of sufficient water coming from Iran.”

The Middle East is the most water-insecure regions in the world and the situation will be made worse because of climate change. This year was a dry year across Iran, Iraq, and Turkey.

Iraq and Syria, which also shares the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, have signed up to the United Nations Watercourses Convention of 1997 governing sources that cross borders, but Turkey and Iran have not.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/241020212
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Mon Oct 25, 2021 12:18 pm

Insulate Britain:
Protesters block London roads

The Metropolitan Police said 52 demonstrators had been arrested and are en route to custody

In a statement, the campaign group said that 61 demonstrators had blocked three locations on Upper Thames Street, Bishopsgate and Limehouse Causeway. Footage posted on social media showed drivers hauling protesters from the road and lying them on the pavement.

Another clip showed police struggling to remove protesters who had superglued themselves to the road.

City of London police confirmed that officers remained at the scene.

They wrote: “Bishopsgate is currently closed at the junction with Wormwood Street due to protest activity. Police are at the scene but please avoid the area if possible as this is causing disruption to traffic.

“Police are also at Southwark Bridge at the junction with Upper Thames Street, which is also closed in both directions, due to protest activity.

“Please avoid the area if possible.”

The group has blocked the roads near Canary Wharf again after suspending their campaign for 11 days

Protester Tony Hill, who claimed to be a former police officer, soldier and councillor, and said he had travelled from near Kendal in Cumbria to join the protest in Bishopsgate, said Insulate Britain’s call to insulate all UK homes is a “no brainer”.

The 71-year-old said: “I’m here today out of anger, fear and determination.

“We’re saying insulate as many buildings as we can. It’s a no brainer. It’s something we can all do, it’s a solution.

“We’ve got the money; all we need is the willpower from our Government to do it. It will save money, create jobs, save lives and save the planet.”

Members of the public heckled protesters blocking the road at the junction of Bishopsgate and Camomile Street.

One man, who shouted as he walked by, said: “We all have jobs to go to.”

It marks a return for the protest group after they suspended their activities for 11 days following resistance from motorists.

In an open letter to the Prime Minister on October 14, they announced they would suspend their campaign in the runup to the COP26 conference in Glasgow.

Insulate Britain – an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion – wants the Government to insulate all UK homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions.

The group blocked roads on 14 days over the five weeks to October 14, with activists often gluing their hands to the carriageway to increase the length of time it takes for police to remove them.

Liam Norton from Insulate Britain said: “We know that the public is frustrated and annoyed at the disruption we have caused. They should know that one way or another this country will have to stop emitting carbon.

“We can do that now in an orderly, planned way, insulating homes and preventing thousands of deaths from fuel poverty or we can wait until millions have lost their homes and are fighting for water or starving to death.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/ ... 62269.html
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

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

PostAuthor: Anthea » Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:13 am

Sir David Attenborough act now warning

"If we don't act now, it'll be too late." That's the warning from Sir David Attenborough ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow

The broadcaster says the richest nations have "a moral responsibility" to help the world's poorest.

And it would be "really catastrophic" if we ignored their problems, he told me in a BBC News interview.

"Every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted," he said.

Sir David and I were speaking at Kew Gardens in London during filming for a new landmark series, The Green Planet, to be aired on BBC1 next year.

Our conversation ranged from the latest climate science to the importance of COP26 to the pace of his working life.

The UN climate science panel recently concluded that it is "unequivocal" that human activity is driving up global temperatures.

And Sir David said that proved that he and others had not been making "a fuss about nothing", and that the risks of a hotter world are real.

"What climate scientists have been saying for 20 years, and that we have been reporting upon, you and I both, is the case - we were not causing false alarms.

"And every day that goes by in which we don't do something about it is a day wasted. And things are being made worse".

But he said the report had not convinced everyone and that they are acting as a brake on efforts to tackle climate change.

"There are still people in North America, there are still people in Australia who say 'no, no, no, no, of course it's very unfortunate that there was that forest fire that absolutely demolished, incinerated that village, but it's a one-off'.

"Particularly if it's going to cost money in the short term, the temptation is to deny the problem and pretend it's not there.

"But every month that passes, it becomes more and more incontrovertible, the changes to the planet that we are responsible for that are having these devastating effects."

His call for an urgent response reflects the latest scientific assessment that to avoid the worst impacts of rising temperatures, global carbon emissions need to be halved no later than 2030.

That's why the coming years are described as "the decisive decade" and why the COP26 talks are so crucial for getting the world on a safer path now.

As things stand, emissions are projected to continue rising rather than starting to fall, and Sir David was sounding more exasperated than I've heard before.

"If we don't act now, it will be too late," he said. "We have to do it now."

We turned to the question of responsibility, a highly contentious issue which will loom large at the conference. Developing countries have for years accused the richest nations, which were the first to start polluting the atmosphere, of failing to shoulder their share of the burden.

The argument is that they should be making the deepest cuts in carbon emissions and providing help to those who need it most. A long-standing promise of $100bn a year for low carbon development and to build stronger defences against more violent weather has yet to be fulfilled - reaching that total will be a key test of whether COP26 succeeds or fails.

For Sir David, this is one of the most worrying challenges, and he says it would be "really catastrophic" if threats to the poorest nations were ignored.

"Whole parts of Africa are likely to be unliveable - people will simply have to move away because of the advancing deserts and increasing heat, and where will they go? Well, a lot of them will try to get into Europe.

"Do we say, 'Oh, it's nothing to do with us' and cross our arms?

"We caused it - our kind of industrialisation is one of the major factors in producing this change in climate. So we have a moral responsibility.

"Even if we didn't cause it, we would have a moral responsibility to do something about thousands of men, women and children who've lost everything, everything. Can we just say goodbye and say this is no business of ours?"

Finally I asked about his own hectic workload at the age of 95 - from filming documentaries to addressing the G7 summit, the UN Security Council and the Duke of Cambridge's Earthshot Prize.

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.

"I don't plan very far ahead - as you say, I'm 95. How long can you go on? It isn't within our gift to say those things or to know those things.

"All I know is that if I get up tomorrow and I feel that I'm able to do a decent day's work, then I shall jolly well do it and be grateful.

"And the day is going to come when I'm going to get out of bed and say, I don't think I can do that. When that's going to be, who knows? I don't."

Having watched him filming for five hours straight, and remaining not only focused but also good-humoured, I suggested that he still loved what he was doing.

"At the moment, I feel it would be a waste of an opportunity just to back out and not do the things I think are very important to do in which I am well placed to do."

And the next major engagement in the Attenborough diary? Nothing less than speaking, virtually or in-person, to what's set to be the largest ever gathering of global leaders on British soil: COP26, in a few days' time.

Link to Video - Chart - Photo:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59039485
Good Thoughts Good Words Good Deeds
User avatar
Anthea
Shaswar
Shaswar
Donator
Donator
 
Posts: 28352
Images: 1155
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2012 2:13 pm
Location: Sitting in front of computer
Highscores: 3
Arcade winning challenges: 6
Has thanked: 6019 times
Been thanked: 729 times
Nationality: Kurd by heart

PreviousNext

Return to Roj Bash Cafe

Who is online

Registered users: Bing [Bot], Google [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot]

cron
x

#{title}

#{text}