The UN said Oct. 26 that current international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions put the planet on track for an average global temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius this century. It’s yet another stark warning in the run-up to the latest climate change summit which begins next week in Scotland. [node:read-more:link]
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is worried by the appointment of Montreal MP Steven Guilbeault as the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change. The former Greenpeace activist was arrested 20 years ago for scaling the CN Tower in Toronto as part of a climate change campaign and has been openly critical of some pipeline projects. Kenney says Guilbeault’s new cabinet role sends a “very problematic” message to Alberta. [node:read-more:link]
With the 26th UN global climate change conference looming next week, a new report drafted by Canada and Germany says the developed world has fallen well short of a commitment to support poorer countries’ efforts. It states that the failure to meet the annual goal of US$100 billion had necessitates more aggressive action over the next few years because “the significance of meeting this goal cannot be overstated.” [node:read-more:link]
Atmospheric greenhouse gases are at a record high, according to the World Meteorological Organization. With yet another UN climate change summit set to begin next weekend, the WMO says the latest data put the planet on a catastrophic warming trend. [node:read-more:link]
A new Arctic strategy published today would ban development of new hydrocarbon development in the region. The European Commission acknowledged that the EU still imports petroleum resources from the North but said it will work “towards a multilateral legal obligation not to allow any further hydrocarbon reserve development in the Arctic or contiguous regions.” [node:read-more:link]
Canada is among two dozen countries which have joined an initiative led by the EU and the U.S. designed to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent from 2020 levels by 2030. The notion is to give momentum to the issue in advance of the UN climate summit which begins Oct. 31 in Glasgow, Scotland. [node:read-more:link]
New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh wants the minority Liberal government to take “concrete” steps in return for its support in Parliament. He said Oct. 7 that the “immediate” requirements include paid sick leave, a federal coronavirus vaccination passport, real progress on reconciliation with indigenous peoples and on climate change measures. [node:read-more:link]
Only a couple of weeks after Chinese President Xi Jinping told the UN his country would stop funding foreign coal-fired power plants to help reduce global carbon emissions, China’s two largest coal-producing regions have been ordered to expand output to address power requirements. [node:read-more:link]
Turkey has become the last G20 country to ratify the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change but is resisting its classification at an Annex 1 signatory. That obliges it take a more aggressive stance on carbon emissions than developing nations. [node:read-more:link]
Some 1,600 businesses deemed to have the poorest emissions-reduction practices have been asked by investment fund managers to “urgently” set science-based targets. The companies have the equivalent of nearly $30 trillion in assets and the fund managers’ call comes just over a month before a UN global climate change summit in Scotland. [node:read-more:link]
Results of a poll conducted in the closing weeks of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan indicate that a plurality of Americans want fewer troops stationed abroad, Published Sept. 28, they also indicate that a majority prefer more diplomatic engagement on a range of issues such as climate change, migration and human rights. [node:read-more:link]
Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau said Sept. 26 that Canada’s “eyes are wide open” when it comes to normalizing relations with China in the aftermath of the “Two Michaels” standoff. He said the government is now following a fourfold approach of “coexist,” “compete,” “cooperate” and “challenge” as it addresses trade, climate change and human rights concerns. “There was no path to a relationship with China as long as the two Michaels were being detained.” [node:read-more:link]
In a report with potentially catastrophic consequences for the global petroleum sector if governments acted on their report, a team of researchers says that if global warming is to be contained, nearly 60 per cent of the planet's remaining oil and natural gas and 90 per of coal reserves should be left in the ground by mid-century. [node:read-more:link]
After a virtual meeting with U.S. climate change envoy John Kerry, his Chinese counterpart characterized their “candid, in-depth and pragmatic” talk as part of an ongoing “dialogue and consultation.” But an environment ministry official rejected U.S. efforts to separate climate from the broader diplomatic conflicts. [node:read-more:link]
The federal government is being asked by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to provide $2 billion over the next three years – followed by $1 billion annually – to help its 2,000 members to guard against more climate-related events such as wildfires, extreme heat, drought and floods. [node:read-more:link]
