Climate

Once again, Paris delivers. Two years on from the landmark climate agreement that carries the city’s name, President Emanuel Macron’s One Planet Summit has delivered leadership, progress, momentum and the connections we will need to address climate change.

On August 2 this year, we reached the point at which we used more natural resources than our planet can produce in a year through overfishing, overharvesting forests, and emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than forests can sequester.

Momentum is a precious commodity in the climate talks. With the complexity of the negotiations, the enormous inertia working against progress, and the urgency of the need to reduce emissions, maintaining forward motion is vital. COP23, which concluded on Saturday, maintained that momentum. Credit goes to the Fijian presidency, for its focus on implementation and […]

For the first time in human history, over half of the world’s population lives in cities. And urban populations are expected to reach six billion by 2050! Cities and urban areas are also responsible for around 70% of global CO2 emissions, from energy consumption in buildings and transport, waste and water services, industrial processes – […]

Climate change impacts go beyond sea-level rise. Inland areas unaffected by sea-level rise have instead been struck by increasingly extreme weather. Brazilian communities in the Amazon are struggling with flooding, high winds and drought. “Growing food here has become very difficult,” says Marlene Rêgo Rocha. “The wet season strikes too early—and evermore strongly—and there is not enough time to plant and harvest anything.” Rocha, […]

A cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice, toast with Nutella, and a banana: the elements of a spread that may be found at any number of breakfast tables. A WWF report, The Calm Before the Storm, is urging us to reconsider the complacency with which we treat the daily staples of our diets. Such a breakfast […]

Bengal is losing ground. Literally. Sea-level rise driven by climate change has already claimed two of the 54 islands in the Sundarbans, an archipelago on the Bay of Bengal. Sitting in a vast, ecologically rich delta at the confluence of four rivers – the Ganges, Padma, Bahmputra and Meghna – the Sundarbans encompass the world’s largest mangrove […]

In a few weeks time, the world’s climate change community will gather in Bonn for COP23, just shy of the two year anniversary of the Paris Agreement being agreed by almost 200 countries. That accord is already under pressure, with the Trump Administration threatening the hard-won international consensus that enabled success in Paris. But it […]

The world is at a crossroads in its fight against dangerous climate change. In the face of  US President Trump’s announced intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, countries and other actors could have decided to reduce and delay climate efforts. Or conversely, they can continue efforts to fully implement the Paris Agreement and accelerate […]

Arctic sea ice is anything but static. Each year, the sea ice grows throughout the dark northern winter, reaches its peak extent and March, and melts again under the midnight sun until September. This year, like the year before, the spring extent of Arctic ice is the lowest on record. Sadly, it’s not surprising – […]