insert_link Environment New UN report says greenhouse gas emissions “out of control” A new United Nations report suggests that annual greenhouse gas emissions are at an all-time high. The UN Environment Programme says urgent action must be taken to prevent catastrophic spikes in temperature and avoid the worst impact of climate change. Jody Jacobs has more from the United Nations in New York. todayOctober 25, 2024 11
insert_link Environment At-risk groups in Indonesia demand greater say in climate policymaking By Hans Nicholas Jong, via Mongabay Civil society groups and communities most affected by the effects of climate change are calling on the Indonesian government to include them in the decision-making process of climate policies. Groups such as those representing the urban poor and the disabled say they haven’t been meaningfully involved in the process, particularly the drafting of Indonesia’s revised goals and commitments for reducing greenhouse gas […] todayAugust 15, 2024 12
insert_link Africa African economic expansion need not threaten global carbon targets: study points out the path to green growth By Daniel M. Kammen, University of California, Berkeley and Oluwagbemisola Deborah Akinsipe, University of California, Berkeley Africa contributes only about 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The continent consumes the least energy for each person, compared with other regions of the world. With over 560 million people who don’t have access to electricity, Africa has the lowest rate of energy access in the world. The continent […] todayAugust 12, 2024 10
insert_link Africa Planting trees in grasslands won’t save the planet – rather protect and restore forests By Susanne Vetter, Rhodes University Tree planting is one of the nature-based solutions being used to offset greenhouse gas emissions. Trees absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide. Many of these tree planting projects target Africa’s rangelands (open grasslands or shrublands used by livestock and wild animals). They include agroforestry initiatives such as the Great Green Wall in the Sahel, or commercial timber plantations that double as carbon offset projects. […] todayApril 23, 2024 21
insert_link Environment South Africa’s laws aren’t geared to protecting against climate change: judges are trying to fill the gap By Melanie Murcott, University of Cape Town and Clive Vinti, University of the Witwatersrand South Africa has plenty of environmental laws but none that specifically oblige government officials to consider the risks and impacts of climate change when they approve new developments. In their research, environmental law experts Clive Vinti and Melanie Jean Murcott set out how judges are dealing with this gap in the law. What are […] todayApril 2, 2024 29
insert_link Environment Venomous snakes could start migrating in large numbers if we hit 5ºC warming By Pablo Ariel Martinez, Universidade Federal de Sergipe A global group of scientists has predicted that climate change may cause dramatic movements in venomous snake populations across many countries in Africa. The scientists took into account climate change predictions about changes to the current habitats of 209 venomous snakes, and mapped where those environments were found elsewhere. Based on this, they predict that snakes were likely to migrate […] todayMarch 28, 2024 73
insert_link Africa The Toxic Air We Breathe: Greenpeace Maps Africa’s Air Pollution Hotspots Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa have emerged as Africa’s most polluted countries in terms of air pollution disease burden, with profound health consequences for Africa’s people and exacerbated impacts on climate change, a report prepared by Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace MENA can now reveal. Titled "Major Air Polluters in Africa Unmasked," the report investigates the biggest human sources of air pollution across Africa, focusing on major industrial and economic […] todayMarch 28, 2024 39
insert_link Business / Economics Fashioning a circular future for traditional and alternative leather By Sean Mowbray via MongaBay Crafting leather from animal hides is an age-old industry, but its production today continues to mostly follow a linear model often mired in a range of environmental problems, including pollution, the creation of huge amounts of waste, high water use, and climate change-causing emissions. Applying cleaner and circular economy-based solutions to the leather industry is needed to change this paradigm and make the supply chain […] todayFebruary 7, 2024 15
insert_link Environment ‘A deeply troubling discovery’: Earth may have already passed the crucial 1.5°C warming limit By Malcolm McCulloch, The University of Western Australia Global temperatures have already exceeded 1.5°C warming and may pass 2°C later this decade, according to a world-first study I led. The worrying findings, based on temperature records contained in sea sponge skeletons, suggest global climate change has progressed much further than previously thought. Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions drive global warming. Obtaining accurate information about the extent of the warming […] todayFebruary 6, 2024 20