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climate crisis

International Court Of Justice Begins Hearings In Landmark Climate Case

A landmark case that began in a Pacific classroom and could change the course of future climate talks is about to be heard in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The court will begin hearings involving a record number of countries in The Hague, in the Netherlands, on Monday Its fifteen judges have been asked, for the first time, to give an opinion about the obligations of nations to prevent climate change — and the consequences for them if they fail. The court's findings could bolster the cases of nations taking legal action against big polluters failing to reduce emissions, experts say. They could also strengthen the hand of Pacific Island nations in future climate change negotiations like COP.

Small Farming, Urbanisation And Climate Migration

Bangladesh is a small country that sits within the Northeast of South Asia with India wrapped around it, and Myanmar to the South. Despite its small size and relatively recent independence, Bangladesh plays an oversized role in the way poverty, development, climate change and urbanisation are imagined globally. Often in discussions of climate change the conversation turns to Bangladesh as a country imagined to be sinking, throwing out waves of climate migrants across the world. For many reasons this vision is wrong. I don’t have space to go into this in depth here  (see further references below). Instead, I want to tell a different but connected story about Bangladesh, urbanisation and the environment.

Emergency Summit Regarding Antarctic Meltdown

Hundreds of scientists gathered in Australia for an “emergency summit” within the auspices of the inaugural Australian Antarctic Research Conference d/d November 2024. This gathering of 450 mostly “early-career” polar scientists flexed scientific muscles to alert the world to the what’s happening to our planet, taking off the gloves and coming out swinging. They claim we’re got a bigger problem than generally realized: “Efforts to slow down climate change through coordinated global action are paramount to protect the future of Australia, Antarctica, and our planet,” Ibid.

With COP29 Failure Global Struggle Needed To Save The Planet

The year 2024 is on track to be the warmest year ever. Since January there have been more destructive hurricanes, cyclones and tornadoes than any time in history. Around the globe, record rainfalls have resulted in massive mudslides that wiped away entire towns. As the year’s end approaches, climate scientists report that 2024 “will be the first year in which the world’s average surface temperature exceeded the pre-industrial average by 1.5 degrees Celsius.” (Truthout, Nov. 22) Global warming “tipping points” established decades ago appear to be on the brink of being surpassed, and many climate scientists already considered the 1.5 degrees Celsius temperature limit to be too high.

Ahead of Plastics Treaty Talks, Millions Demand Production Cuts

With the fifth and final round of global plastics treaty negotiations set to begin Monday in Busan, South Korea, an estimated 1,500 people took to the city's streets and nearly 3 million more signed a petition calling for a legally binding pact "to drastically reduce production and use, and protect human health and the environment." The Saturday march at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center was led by the global Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) movement and local allies from the Uproot Plastics Coalition. They want the treaty to include targets to slash production.

Coal Ships Blocked As Rising Tide Activists Form Line Across Channel

The Rising Tide “People’s Blockade” of the world’s largest coal port at Muloobinba/Newcastle began on November 19. The protestival is demanding: “No new coal and gas projects; 78% tax on fossil fuel export profits to fund workers’ transition; and end coal exports from Newcastle by 2030”.

As COP29 Winds Down, Poorer Nations Reject Wealthy Countries’ Offer

The COP29 United Nations Climate Conference extended into overtime on Friday, as the offer by the world’s richest countries of $250 billion annually by 2035 to assist poorer nations struggling with the most dire effects of the climate crisis was rejected as inadequate. “I’m so mad. It’s ridiculous. Just ridiculous,” said Juan Carlos Monterrey Gómez, Panama’s special representative for climate change, as Reuters reported. “It feels that the developed world wants the planet to burn.” Representatives from nearly 200 nations at the summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, have been given the goal of coming to an agreement on a financing plan to deal with climate change.

Climate Crisis Activists Trying To Head Off Trump Destruction

This month’s regular FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) meeting was anything but calm after four climate crisis activists were removed for disrupting the proceedings. That event, along with the regular monthly streetside protest outside the agency’s headquarters that draws attention to the rapidly and ever-growing climate crisis the world is facing, set off a day of climate activism “From FERC to the Senate.” Using Senator Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) own words proclaiming that he has “A whole lot of clout as Senate Minority Leader,” activists asked that anyone concerned about the climate crisis call his office to

The Case For A ‘Bold Idea’ To End The Era Of Coal, Oil And Gas

Could the world negotiate a wind-down of the fossil fuel industry — just as Cold War adversaries once agreed to limit their stockpiles of nuclear weapons? In an interview for the Climate Consciousness Summit 2024, Tzeporah Berman, founder and chair of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative said a growing wave of support for the proposal — which has been endorsed by more than 3,000 scientists, 121 cities and sub-national governments, and 14 nations — could ultimately make new fossil fuel projects unacceptable, even in the United States, the world’s biggest producer of oil and gas.

Paris Plans To Replace 60,000 Parking Spots With Trees By 2030

A newly released plan would see 60,000 parking spots throughout Paris turn into grounds for tree planting by 2030. The goal of the project is to better prepare for extreme heat events by providing shaded green spaces. The plan still requires approval from the Council of Paris to move forward. “Trees and nature are natural air conditioners,” Paris officials said, as reported by Yale Environment 360. “Their development makes the city more pleasant to live in during periods of high heat.” By replacing the selected parking spaces with trees, the project would support a larger city goal to add more than 740 acres of green space in Paris by 2030, with 10% of that green space installed by 2026, Bloomberg reported.

What Mutual Aid Groups Are Doing To Help Hurricane Survivors

Hurricane Helene, which was a Category 4 hurricane, hit on September 26 and claimed around 227 lives as of October 5, 2024. The hurricane is now considered one of the deadliest “of the modern era.” Besides destroying homes, businesses, roads, and bridges, it caused power outages for millions and left countless survivors without food and water. The hurricane has become a source of conflict and division, particularly concerning the federal government’s response to the catastrophe. Media outlets like PBS, U.S. News & World Report, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s Hurricane Rumor Response page have addressed what National Public Radio (NPR) called, “[r]umors, misinformation and lies” about this issue on October 7.

Expanding The Possible, From Below

Less than one week after a self-proclaimed dictator, climate change denier, and big oil-funded billionaire (among other equally impressive accolades) took the single most powerful political office in the world, it seems like a horrible time to release a book about the Green New Deal. Thinking back to 2018, not so long ago in time but perhaps much longer in space, to when the Green New Deal was launched into public attention as a bold proposal for transformative national legislation, is frankly, beyond depressing. Loss, grief and rage compete with numbness and shock, easily overwhelming any effort to fathom where we were then, and where we find ourselves now.

Evidence During COP29 That Biomass Is A Disaster

The global biomass energy industry will triple by 2030, increasing woody biomass supply from monoculture plantations by 13 times and woody biomass supply overall by three times, according to a new report Burning up the Biosphere: A Global Threat Map of Biomass Energy Development released on Monday 18 November by the Biomass Action Network of EPN International. The natural forests which supply the wood burnt for energy production will suffer from intensified logging, degradation, and plantation conversion, exacerbating both the climate and biodiversity crises and adversely affecting communities throughout the global supply chains.

‘As The Coal Age Ends’: UK Announces Ban On New Mines

In a landmark decision, the United Kingdom’s energy secretary Ed Miliband has announced the banning of new coal mines in Britain, as part of the country’s drive to reach net zero. The UK government has committed to introducing legislation to restrict the licensing of future coal mines by amending 1994’s Coal Industry Act, a press release from the UK Government said. “Coal mining powered this country for over 140 years and we owe a huge debt to workers who kept the lights on for homes and businesses across the country. Now the UK is in prime position to lead the way in phasing out coal power around the world, which remains the single largest contributor to global emissions,” said Energy Minister Michael Shanks in the press release.

‘Give Trees A Hand’: Ad Agencies Sell Sketchy Climate Solutions

The video opens on an anonymous industrial site, where a woman stands under a clear blue sky. She’s wearing a white hard hat and a grey utility shirt with the name “Regina” stitched above the breast pocket. Smiling into the camera, she tells viewers that “the world needs ways to reduce carbon emissions.” Speakers from diverse backgrounds then reassure viewers that, luckily, they’re working on solutions to that very problem, “like carbon capture, and clean energy from hydrogen.” If it weren’t for the logos appearing on their uniforms, it would be easy to miss that these characters are representatives of one of the world’s biggest oil companies — until Regina reappears to say, “Believe it or not we’re ExxonMobil.”