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 13
insert_link South Africa South African President as emphasised the need for substantial investments in sustainable infrastructure South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the need for substantial investments in sustainable infrastructure, green technologies, and social programmes. Ramaphosa called for blended finance to attract private-sector investment. The president highlighted the importance of international development finance and pledges from the Paris Agreement and COP26 as sources of capital. He urges collaboration among government, business, and communities to build a climate-resilient and sustainable future for South Africa: todayJuly 16, 2024 21
insert_link Africa Ghana is planning its first nuclear energy plant: what’s behind the decision By Seth Kofi Debrah, University of Ghana Ghana is considering bids from five companies for the construction of what would be its first nuclear power plant. The companies are: France’s EDF, US-based NuScale Power and Regnum Technology Group; China National Nuclear Corporation; South Korea’s Kepco and its subsidiary Korea Hydro Nuclear Power Corporation; and Russia’s Rosatom. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo interviewed […] todayJuly 10, 2024 22
insert_link Africa African countries start business classification to shore up green investment By Conrad Onyango, bird story agency Kenya has joined South Africa and Rwanda in offering a "green investment" handbook as African countries race to close a huge climate financing gap. The draft Kenya Green Finance Taxonomy (KGFT), published by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) in mid-April, is expected to help position the country for green funds and make the investment climate more attractive. Targeting banks, […] todayApril 17, 2024 19
insert_link Africa Ghana’s new vehicle tax aims to tackle pollution – expert unpacks how it’ll work and suggests reforms By Theophilus Acheampong, University of Aberdeen Ghana has introduced an annual carbon levy on vehicles and industrial emissions. It’s only the third African country to introduce an explicit carbon tax, after South Africa and Mauritius. The tax is intended to address harm associated with vehicle emissions. But it has prompted a pushback from various citizens, civic and consumer groups. The Conversation Africa’s Godfred Akoto Boafo spoke […] todayFebruary 16, 2024 21
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 22
Africa Africa needs just trade for a Just Energy Transition, African Development Bank head says at Doha Forum The President of the African Development Bank Group Dr Akinwumi Adesina has reiterated his warning that the introduction of a carbon border tax by the European Union could push Africa back into exporting raw commodities and undermine its industrialisation gains. The European Union recently launched the initial phase of a Europe-wide carbon tax on imported goods as part of its climate change reduction measures. Adesina said this could penalize African […] todayDecember 14, 2023 11
insert_link Africa COP28: Report recommends young people get a fair share of climate finance Young people, who are among those most at risk to the impacts of climate change, are not accessing the funds they need to tackle the challenges posed by global warming, according to a report published on 9 December. The joint report by the Commonwealth Secretariat and YOUNGO, the children and youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), analysed 100 climate finance initiatives targeted at young people. While it […] todayDecember 12, 2023 9
insert_link World As disasters and heat intensify, can the world meet the urgency of the moment at the COP28 climate talks? Shutterstock Brendan Mackey, Griffith University Eight years ago, the world agreed to an ambitious target in the Paris Agreement: hold warming to 1.5°C to limit further dangerous levels of climate change. Since then, greenhouse gas emissions have kept increasing – and climate disasters have become front page news, from mega-bushfires to unprecedented floods. In 2023, the world is at 1.2°C of warming over pre-industrial levels. Heatwaves of increasing intensity and duration […] todayNovember 30, 2023 4