The Latest: 'Fossil of the Day' awards underway at COP26

0

The latest on U.N. climate summit COP26:

GLASGOW, Scotland — Environmentalists have launched their traditional “Fossil of the Day” awards at the U.N. climate conference, with Britain and Australia the first to receive the questionable honor.

Climate Action Network, an umbrella group of hundreds of non-governmental organizations, said many observers who had traveled long distances to attend the summit were prevented from reaching meetings because of lengthy lines. When they tried to log on from elsewhere, technical problems prevented them from connecting, CAN said.

It urged the host country to improve organization so civil society groups can participate in the talks.

Australia received the second “fossil” for recently approving three new coal projects even as it claimed to be stepping up its efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, CAN said.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Cyprus’ president says his government is working with neighboring countries to come up with a regional action plan aimed at tackling climate change in the east Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Nicos Anastasiades told the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Tuesday that 240 scientists from the Middle East and Europe are already working to prepare policy recommendations, measures and “specific solutions” for the region that has been classified a “global climate change hot-spot.”

Anastasiades said in the next few months, a meeting of regional ministers will precede a leaders’ summit that will endorse the action plan and set up monitoring mechanisms to ensure “implementation of our commitments.”

Cyprus hosted a regional climate change conference last month that underscored the need for a speedy switch in the Middle East and the east Mediterranean from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources because greenhouse gas emissions are helping to drive up regional temperatures faster than in many other inhabited parts of the world.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — Ecuador’s president has announced that his country is expanding the marine reserve around the Galapagos Islands by almost half.

President Guillermo Lasso told the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow on Tuesday that the government has agreed with the fishery, tourism and conservation sectors to establish a new marine reserve in the Galapagos Islands of 60,000 square kilometers (more than 23,000 square miles).

Lasso said this would be added to an existing marine reserve of about 130,000 square kilometers (50,000 square miles).

Experts says oceans are particularly vulnerable to climate change and the Galapagos Islands are considered one of the world’s biodiversity jewels.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — More than 100 countries are pledging to end deforestation, which scientists say is a major driver of climate change.

Britain hailed the commitment as the first big achievement of the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow.

But campaigners say they need to see the detail — such promises have been made, and broken, before.

The U.K. government said it has received commitments from leaders representing more than 85% of the world’s forests to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030.

More than $19 billion in public and private funds have been pledged toward the plan, which is backed by countries including Brazil, China, Colombia, Congo, Indonesia, Russia and the United States.

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — The mayors of Seattle and Freetown in Sierra Leone greeted each other like long lost sisters on a train hurtling toward Glasgow.

They have been bonded by years of Zoom calls and collaboration in the fight against climate change. They lead cities on different sides of the economic and climate divide.

One is in the cool and northwestern corner of the one of the world’s richest nations. The other is the capital of an impoverished country in the tropics of west Africa.

But Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Freetown counterpart Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr are both on the front lines of global warming and they are working to ensure their cities are prepared for rising sea levels, torrential rains and extreme heat.

___

POINTE-AUX-CHENES, Louisiana — Faith leaders and activists across the world are increasingly joining the fight against climate change driven by a moral imperative to preserve creation for future generations.

Christian pastors have joined forces with Native American tribes to protect their hurricane-prone coastal lands as climate change contributes to rising sea levels.

Hindu groups joined river cleanups. And mosques organized tree-planting campaigns. But they believe systemic change to protect those most vulnerable to the climate crisis must also come from world leaders.

___

BEIJING — China is the largest contributor to global warming and China’s people are already suffering the brunt of climate change.

Historic floods that destroyed farms this summer in the country’s agricultural heartland are a preview of the kind of extreme conditions the country is likely to face as the planet warms.

Chinese government reports also predict rising sea levels will threaten major coastal cities while melting glaciers imperil western China’s water supply. Those with the least resources to adapt are often on the frontlines of suffering in a common pattern around the world. As one farmer in Henan province said, “Ordinary people suffer most.”

___

GLASGOW, Scotland — President Joe Biden is seeking to whip up climate change-fighting efforts abroad at a time when his own climate legislation at home is again in limbo.

Biden is attending a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, for a second and final day Tuesday. He’s due to promote global efforts to preserve forests and stem methane leaks before flying home to Washington.

But Biden’s climate efforts on the global stage are playing out as Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has again raised doubts about Biden’s social spending package, including its $555 billion in climate provisions.

___

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is launching a wide-ranging plan to reduce methane emissions, targeting a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.

Methane packs a stronger short-term climate punch than even carbon dioxide. The plan was being announced as President Joe Biden wraps up a two-day appearance at a U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. It would tighten methane regulations for the oil and gas sector and crack down on leaks from pipelines.

A proposed rule would for the first time target emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than focus only on new wells.

Stay connected with us on social media platform for instant update click here to join our  Twitter, & Facebook

We are now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@TechiUpdate) and stay updated with the latest Technology headlines.

For all the latest For News Update Click Here 

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! Rapidtelecast.com is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.
Leave a comment