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Activists
preparing for the COP28 climate talks in the UAE
express concern over potential surveillance and
arrests by the strict authorities, despite the
country's assurance of allowing "peaceful
assembly" in designated areas. The UAE's history
of limiting protests and suppressing civil
society, including the imprisonment of human
rights defenders, raises fears among activists,
who also worry about extensive surveillance
capabilities. While the COP28 gatherings are
restricted to the UN-managed "blue zone" for
security reasons, activists remain determined to
address human rights issues within the confines
of the conference.
A
recent analysis by the non-profit think tank
InfluenceMap reveals that many major companies,
such as Glencore, ExxonMobil, and Stellantis,
are engaging in lobbying activities that
contradict their net-zero emissions commitments.
The study, examining 293 companies from the
Forbes 2000 list, suggests that nearly 60% of
those with net-zero or similar climate targets
risk "net zero greenwash" due to conflicting
lobbying efforts. The findings underscore the
need for companies to align their
policy-influencing actions with their climate
commitments, as emphasized by the United Nations
ahead of the COP28 climate summit later this
month.
The
upcoming COP28 climate conference is set to
focus on a landmark report, "Power Up for
Climate Justice: Financing and Implementing a
Global Renewables Target," advocating for a
tripling of renewable energy capacity to over
11,000 gigawatts by 2030. The report emphasizes
the necessity of accompanying this target with a
robust energy package, including financial
support for the Global South and reforms in the
financial system. To ensure climate justice, the
report calls for a binding commitment in the
COP28 final text to phase out fossil fuels by
2050, supported by concrete processes and
resources for implementation, including debt
cancellation, $100 billion in concessional
finance, and $200 billion in grants
yearly.
Greenpeace
activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise have been
monitoring and protesting against The Metals
Company, a leading entity in the deep-sea mining
industry, during one of its last expeditions in
the Pacific before seeking approval for
commercial operations. With kayaks and banners,
Greenpeace activists disrupted the industry's
exploration tests, emphasizing the environmental
risks and rallying against the destruction of
the seabed. Over a million people, supported by
hundreds of scientists and 24 governments, are
opposing deep-sea mining, asserting its
unsustainability and potential for irreparable
harm to the ocean ecosystem.
A new
report from the UN Environment Programme warns
that the world is on track for 2.5 to 2.9
degrees Celsius of heating this century under
current Paris Agreement climate plans. Urgent
action is required to prevent this outcome, with
the report highlighting the need for a 28%
reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions to
stay within the 2-degree limit and a 42%
reduction to preserve the 1.5-degree target.
Despite progress since the 2015 Paris Agreement,
the report notes missed opportunities to cut
emissions and emphasizes the critical need for
strengthened mitigation efforts in the coming
decade.
UN's
top climate official, Simon Stiell, has urged
world leaders to take urgent and drastic action
on carbon emission cuts as global temperatures
hit record highs, making this year the hottest
on record. Stiell, overseeing the upcoming COP28
climate summit, emphasized that everyone is now
on the frontline of the climate crisis, and
further delays in addressing emissions would be
dangerous. With temperatures heading towards a
potentially disastrous 3C increase, Stiell
called for significant leaps in climate action
to stay within the crucial limit of 1.5C above
pre-industrial levels.
Efforts
to reduce air pollution, particularly sulphur
dioxide (SO2) emissions from sources like coal
plants, have led to an unmasking effect, where
the removal of pollutants has allowed more solar
radiation to reach the Earth, leading to an
increase in temperatures. This phenomenon has
been observed in China, where a successful "war
on pollution" led to significant reductions in
SO2 emissions but also a 0.7-degree Celsius rise
in average temperatures since 2014. The
unmasking effect could have a greater impact on
warming than greenhouse gases in some industrial
Chinese cities, and experts warn that similar
jumps in warming may occur in other highly
polluted regions if they clean the skies of SO2
and related aerosols.
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