Watch in WION Global Summit U.S. Edition: Discussion on Climate change issues that affect the whole world. #WIONGlobalSummit #WIONGlobalSummitUSEdition

WION Global Summit U.S. Edition: Discussion on Climate change issues that affect the whole world

After global street protests demanding action on climate change, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-how-dare-you-greta-thunberg-thunders-at-world-leaders-at-united-nations-251573">Greta Thunberg and 15 other</a> young activists on Monday filed a complaint at the UN against five countries for not doing enough to ward off global warming.

The complaint accused Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey of failing to uphold their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed 30 years ago.

The complaint, filed by the 16-year-old Swedish activist and 15 other petitioners from 12 different countries and aged between eight and 17, accused the five countries of violating children's rights by failing to take adequate and timely action against climate change.

It was filed after Thunberg delivered a searing attack on world leaders for their slow response to climate change at a special session kicking off the UN General Assembly in New York.

Every member of the United Nations except the United States has ratified the convention to protect the health and rights of children.&nbsp;

Monday's complaint focuses on a little-known "optional protocol" that came into effect in 2014 that allows children to file a complaint to the Committee on the Rights of the Child if they feel their rights are being denied. &nbsp;

The committee is then meant to investigate the charges before making recommendations to the countries concerned on how they can fix the issue.&nbsp;

The 16 young people were backed by the legal firm Hausfeld LLP and Earthjustice, an environmental law group.

Lawyer Michael Hausfeld said that while the committee's recommendations are not legally binding, the 44 countries that ratified the protocol pledged to respect them. He said he hoped the recommendations would be made in the coming 12 months.

The five countries named in the complaint are among the 44 that ratified the protocol and are also among the top global polluters, as well as being members of the G20 group of leading global economies.&nbsp;

The largest polluters in the world - the United States, China and India - did not ratify the protocol.

Countries like France and Germany may have recently begun working to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, but have also played a large role historically in polluting the atmosphere, the law firm argued.

After global street protests demanding action on climate change, Greta Thunberg and 15 other young activists on Monday filed a complaint at the UN against five countries for not doing enough to ward off global warming.

After global street protests demanding action on climate change, Greta Thunberg and 15 other young activists on Monday filed a complaint at the UN against five countries for not doing enough to ward off global warming. The complaint accused Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina and Turkey of failing to uphold their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, signed 30 years ago. The complaint, filed by the 16-year-old Swedish activist and 15 other petitioners from 12 different countries and aged between eight and 17, accused the five countries of violating children's rights by failing to take adequate and timely action against climate change. It was filed after Thunberg delivered a searing attack on world leaders for their slow response to climate change at a special session kicking off the UN General Assembly in New York. Every member of the United Nations except the United States has ratified the convention to protect the health and rights of children. Monday's complaint focuses on a little-known "optional protocol" that came into effect in 2014 that allows children to file a complaint to the Committee on the Rights of the Child if they feel their rights are being denied. The committee is then meant to investigate the charges before making recommendations to the countries concerned on how they can fix the issue. The 16 young people were backed by the legal firm Hausfeld LLP and Earthjustice, an environmental law group. Lawyer Michael Hausfeld said that while the committee's recommendations are not legally binding, the 44 countries that ratified the protocol pledged to respect them. He said he hoped the recommendations would be made in the coming 12 months. The five countries named in the complaint are among the 44 that ratified the protocol and are also among the top global polluters, as well as being members of the G20 group of leading global economies. The largest polluters in the world - the United States, China and India - did not ratify the protocol. Countries like France and Germany may have recently begun working to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, but have also played a large role historically in polluting the atmosphere, the law firm argued.

After protests at climate change summit, Greta Thunberg, others file UN complaint against five countries

China on Monday called on developed countries to lead by example in reducing emissions as dozens of<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/time-for-talks-is-over-world-needs-to-act-now-pm-modi-at-un-climate-change-summit-251563"> world leaders&nbsp;gathered at the United Nations Climate Summit</a> on Monday to discuss measures to try and slowdown ever-more dangerous trends in climate change.&nbsp;

China which is&nbsp;the world's biggest carbon emitter by far but also a leader in renewables was represented by foreign minister Wang Yi at the summit.

The Chinese foreign minister&nbsp;said:&nbsp;"We must honour our commitments, follow through on the Paris Agreement and its implementation guidelines and see to it that both the summit and the COP25 will produce positive outcomes that will we inject fresh impetus into the post-2020 multilateral process."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, Yi also took a dig at the US saying that it would continue to fight global warming without "certain parties".

"The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective will of the international community nor will it possibly reverse the historical trend of international cooperation," Yi said in reference to the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump.

Watch: Young climate activists keep pressure on world leaders

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The Chinese foreign minister also told world leaders that his country&nbsp;would honour its obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement.&nbsp;However, he failed to make any fresh pledges to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

He also vowed that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -&nbsp;President Xi Jinping's controversial plan to rebuild the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond -&nbsp;would be green and sustainable.

"We will continue to jointly build a Green Belt and Road through the BRI International Green Development Coalition and other platforms. We are mobilising stronger support for international cooperation against climate change," Yi said.

China had previously concentrated on reducing emissions from its heavy industrial sectors, while maintaining high levels of economic growth, but the approach has been subject to diminishing returns.

It recently changed plans to "proactively promote" nature-based solutions such as reforestation and the expansion of grasslands and wetlands. Total forest reserves in the country rose by 4.56 billion cubic meters between 2005 and 2018, and forests now account for just under 23 per cent of total land.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

China on Monday called on developed countries to lead by example in reducing emissions as dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations Climate Summit on Monday to discuss measures to try and slowdown ever-more dangerous trends in climate change.

China on Monday called on developed countries to lead by example in reducing emissions as dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations Climate Summit on Monday to discuss measures to try and slowdown ever-more dangerous trends in climate change. China which is the world's biggest carbon emitter by far but also a leader in renewables was represented by foreign minister Wang Yi at the summit. The Chinese foreign minister said: "We must honour our commitments, follow through on the Paris Agreement and its implementation guidelines and see to it that both the summit and the COP25 will produce positive outcomes that will we inject fresh impetus into the post-2020 multilateral process." Meanwhile, Yi also took a dig at the US saying that it would continue to fight global warming without "certain parties". "The withdrawal of certain parties will not shake the collective will of the international community nor will it possibly reverse the historical trend of international cooperation," Yi said in reference to the US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement under President Donald Trump. Watch: Young climate activists keep pressure on world leaders × The Chinese foreign minister also told world leaders that his country would honour its obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement. However, he failed to make any fresh pledges to curb carbon dioxide emissions. He also vowed that China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) - President Xi Jinping's controversial plan to rebuild the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond - would be green and sustainable. "We will continue to jointly build a Green Belt and Road through the BRI International Green Development Coalition and other platforms. We are mobilising stronger support for international cooperation against climate change," Yi said. China had previously concentrated on reducing emissions from its heavy industrial sectors, while maintaining high levels of economic growth, but the approach has been subject to diminishing returns. It recently changed plans to "proactively promote" nature-based solutions such as reforestation and the expansion of grasslands and wetlands. Total forest reserves in the country rose by 4.56 billion cubic meters between 2005 and 2018, and forests now account for just under 23 per cent of total land. (With inputs from agencies)

China's foreign minister Wang Yi takes swipe at US during UN climate summit

74th UNGA: Stage set for confrontation? Watch video to know more.

74th UNGA: Stage set for confrontation?

The UN Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit on Monday, and the UNGA will hold a one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). After opening the 74th General Debate, the UNGA will meet to discuss Sustainable Development on September 24.

Around 200 leaders will meet at United Nations General Assembly in New York&nbsp;to discuss diplomatic issues of global value including climate change, the volatile situation in the Middle East, and trade tussles. These include six summits, 360 side events, and 50 meetings on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-dispatch-climate-change-protest-in-150-countries-250860">climate change</a> alone.&nbsp;

On September 26, the UNGA will hold a high-level dialogue on Financing for Development (FfD), as well as a high-level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons. This will be followed by a review of the progress made in addressing the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on September 27.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, alongside Brazilian Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/bolsonaro-may-not-be-the-real-culprit-of-the-amazon-fire-246177">Jair&nbsp;Bolsonaro</a> is expected to skip the Climate Change Summit, while those attending include German Chancellor Angela Merkel who will skip the rest of the events, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Many prominent leaders are skipping the UNGA altogether. These include President Xi Jinping of China, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, alongside Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela is not expected to show either, for he is regarded as an illegitimate leader by over 50 governments, including the US. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will also not attend any events.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present at UNGA.

Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, is expected to present his case to Donald Tusk, the European Council President. Even though Climate Change is one of the key topics to be discussed, the UK's discourse will still largely revolve around Brexit. Additionally, he will be a part of joint discussions with Emmanuel Macron of France and Germany’s Angela Merkel, and a meeting with Ireland’s Leo Varadkar.

The Pakistani Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-arrives-in-us-ahead-of-74th-session-of-unga-251133">Imran Khan</a> will speak at the Climate Summit today.

The US and Saudi Arabia are expected to make their case against Iran. Even though Trump was supposed to meet President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities have dwindled the chances of this meeting.

The United States and its ally Saudi Arabia blame Iran for the attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility and have said they will present evidence to back that up. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, has claimed responsibility.

Rouhani is expected to put forward his case against Trump on Wednesday. Iran would present to the UN a regional cooperation plan for peace called 'The Gulf Security Plan.&nbsp; 
 
Additionally, with climate change at the forefront of UN discussions, more than 60 leaders of states are expected to speak at the Climate Action Summit.

The UN Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit on Monday, and the UNGA will hold a one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). After opening the 74th General Debate, the UNGA will meet to discuss Sustainable Development on September 24.

The UN Secretary-General will convene a Climate Summit on Monday, and the UNGA will hold a one-day high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC). After opening the 74th General Debate, the UNGA will meet to discuss Sustainable Development on September 24. Around 200 leaders will meet at United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss diplomatic issues of global value including climate change, the volatile situation in the Middle East, and trade tussles. These include six summits, 360 side events, and 50 meetings on climate change alone. On September 26, the UNGA will hold a high-level dialogue on Financing for Development (FfD), as well as a high-level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons. This will be followed by a review of the progress made in addressing the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on September 27. US President Donald Trump, alongside Brazilian Prime Minister Jair Bolsonaro is expected to skip the Climate Change Summit, while those attending include German Chancellor Angela Merkel who will skip the rest of the events, and French President Emmanuel Macron. Many prominent leaders are skipping the UNGA altogether. These include President Xi Jinping of China, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, alongside Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel. Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela is not expected to show either, for he is regarded as an illegitimate leader by over 50 governments, including the US. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will also not attend any events. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also be present at UNGA. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the UK, is expected to present his case to Donald Tusk, the European Council President. Even though Climate Change is one of the key topics to be discussed, the UK's discourse will still largely revolve around Brexit. Additionally, he will be a part of joint discussions with Emmanuel Macron of France and Germany’s Angela Merkel, and a meeting with Ireland’s Leo Varadkar. The Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will speak at the Climate Summit today. The US and Saudi Arabia are expected to make their case against Iran. Even though Trump was supposed to meet President Hassan Rouhani of Iran, the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities have dwindled the chances of this meeting. The United States and its ally Saudi Arabia blame Iran for the attack on the world's biggest crude oil processing facility and have said they will present evidence to back that up. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group, which has been fighting a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, has claimed responsibility. Rouhani is expected to put forward his case against Trump on Wednesday. Iran would present to the UN a regional cooperation plan for peace called 'The Gulf Security Plan. Additionally, with climate change at the forefront of UN discussions, more than 60 leaders of states are expected to speak at the Climate Action Summit.

UN General Assembly 2019: What to expect at the 74th session this week

Ecological Disaster In North America: 9 Billion Birds Lost In Less Than 5 Years

Gravitas: Climate Change places Birds in Danger, too

Hundreds Of Thousands Of Students, Across The World, Have Launched Protests Demanding Action Against Climate Change

Gravitas: The Biggest Climate Protest Till Date

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/from-howdy-modi-diaspora-event-meet-with-trump-multilateral-engagements-to-unga-address-pm-modis-jam-packed-us-schedule-251007">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> arrived in New York on Monday ahead of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

PM Modi is scheduled to take part in the UNSG's Summit on Climate Change and Leaders' Dialogue on 'Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives' today.

The summit will be followed by a high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage. This will be followed by Prime Minister's meetings with the Amir of Qatar, President of Niger, Prime Minister of Italy and the Director of UNICEF.

PM Modi will also meet the Presidents of Namibia and Maldives.

US President has achieved much for the United States: PM Modi at 'Howdy, Modi' event

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The prime minister will address the UNGA on September 27.

The prime minister on Sunday addressed the Indian diaspora in <a href="https://wionews.com/india-news/key-highlights-of-pm-modis-speech-at-houstons-howdy-modi-event-251334">Houston's "Howdy, Modi" event</a> in the presence of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/border-security-vital-for-both-us-and-india-says-trump-at-howdy-modi-event-in-houston-251331">US President Donald Trump</a>.

Often hailed as a people's leader, PM Modi spoke about various issues including sanitation, data affordability, ease of business and highlighted the progress made during his tenure.

The Prime Minister said India was striving to become a 5 trillion dollar economy and the government was laying thrust on boosting infrastructure, investment and exports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York on Monday ahead of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). PM Modi is scheduled to take part in the UNSG's Summit on Climate Change and Leaders' Dialogue on 'Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives' today.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New York on Monday ahead of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). PM Modi is scheduled to take part in the UNSG's Summit on Climate Change and Leaders' Dialogue on 'Strategic Responses to Terrorist and Violent Extremist Narratives' today. The summit will be followed by a high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage. This will be followed by Prime Minister's meetings with the Amir of Qatar, President of Niger, Prime Minister of Italy and the Director of UNICEF. PM Modi will also meet the Presidents of Namibia and Maldives. US President has achieved much for the United States: PM Modi at 'Howdy, Modi' event The prime minister will address the UNGA on September 27. The prime minister on Sunday addressed the Indian diaspora in Houston's "Howdy, Modi" event in the presence of US President Donald Trump. Often hailed as a people's leader, PM Modi spoke about various issues including sanitation, data affordability, ease of business and highlighted the progress made during his tenure. The Prime Minister said India was striving to become a 5 trillion dollar economy and the government was laying thrust on boosting infrastructure, investment and exports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in New York to attend UN Climate Action Summit

Average global temperature between 2015-2019 is on track to be the hottest of any five-year period on record, a UN report by the world’s leading climate agencies said Sunday.

"It is currently estimated to be 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial (1850-1900) times and 0.2 degrees Celsius warmer than 2011-2015," said the report titled United in Science, a synthesis of key findings.

Other major takeaways from the report include that the extent of Arctic summer sea ice has declined at a rate of 12 per cent per decade over the past 40 years, with the four lowest values between 2015 and 2019.

Overall, the amount of ice lost from the Antarctic ice sheet increased by a factor of six each year between 1979 and 2017, while glacier loss for 2015-19 is also the highest for any five-year period on record.

The report comes ahead of a major UN climate summit Monday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called to ask countries to raise their greenhouse gas reduction targets.

On this metric, too, the world is failing. The report found that rather than falling, carbon dioxide grew two percent in 2018, reaching a record high of 37 billion tonnes.

More importantly, there is also no sign yet of reaching what is known as "peak emissions," the point at which levels will start to fall, though these are not growing at the same rate as the global economy.

Average global temperature between 2015-2019 is on track to be the hottest of any five-year period on record, a UN report by the world’s leading climate agencies said Sunday.

Average global temperature between 2015-2019 is on track to be the hottest of any five-year period on record, a UN report by the world’s leading climate agencies said Sunday. "It is currently estimated to be 1.1 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial (1850-1900) times and 0.2 degrees Celsius warmer than 2011-2015," said the report titled United in Science, a synthesis of key findings. Other major takeaways from the report include that the extent of Arctic summer sea ice has declined at a rate of 12 per cent per decade over the past 40 years, with the four lowest values between 2015 and 2019. Overall, the amount of ice lost from the Antarctic ice sheet increased by a factor of six each year between 1979 and 2017, while glacier loss for 2015-19 is also the highest for any five-year period on record. The report comes ahead of a major UN climate summit Monday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called to ask countries to raise their greenhouse gas reduction targets. On this metric, too, the world is failing. The report found that rather than falling, carbon dioxide grew two percent in 2018, reaching a record high of 37 billion tonnes. More importantly, there is also no sign yet of reaching what is known as "peak emissions," the point at which levels will start to fall, though these are not growing at the same rate as the global economy.

Five-year period ending 2019 set to be hottest on record: United Nations

Climate Change activists speak to WION

The Global Climate Strike comes just before countries will gather at the United Nations for the Climate Action Summit on September 23, where countries are supposed to ramp up their ambitions to curb greenhouse gases under the 2015 Paris climate agreement.

Climate change protests in 150 countries

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Friday said that the anti-pollution campaign for this year's autumn-winter heating season will set stricter emissions targets for cities that had higher concentrations of damaging particles the last time around.

Cities that met pollution targets last year will be exempt from targets this year, MEE spokesman Liu Youbin said, speaking at a briefing in the capital.

The strategy comes as China enters its sixth year of an aggressive clampdown on pollution in a bid to cut the smog that envelops many cities during the winter months when homes and businesses crank up the heating.

The ministry didn't provide details on precise levels for concentrations of PM 2.5 (lung-damaging particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter) that will be set for the cities that did not meet last year's targets. But preferential treatment for cities that performed well is a part of China's efforts to put an end to what it calls "one-size-fits-all" measures.

According to a draft for the Key Smog Control Zone of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei circulated on industry websites, the target for the capital itself is zero growth in emissions from last year. The remaining 27 cities will be expected to cut concentrations of PM 2.5 by 1% to 11%, or an average of 5.5% during the 2019-2020 autumn-winter season.

Even a cut of 11% will not be enough to offset the increase in pollution in some cities last year.

Ministry spokesman Liu did not comment directly on details but said that the ministry had already sent a draft to local governments to solicit their opinions.

Reuters calculations based on official data showed that only four out of the country's 28 key pollution control cities in northern China met their targets last year, including Beijing, Changzhi, Jincheng, and Jining.

Cities likely to be given even more stringent targets this winter include Langfang, Baoding, Zhengzhou, and Anyang, all of which saw double-digit percentage growth in PM 2.5 last winter.

Official data shows air quality in August was better than last year, with average PM 2.5 readings falling 13% to an average of 27 micrograms per cubic metre in the key 28 cities in northern China. However, over the eight months, concentrations rose by 1.8% to 56 micrograms, more than the national standard of 35 micrograms.

China's central government will not set overall output restrictions on heavy industry for the coming winter but will direct local governments to impose limits based on manufacturers' emissions, the environment ministry had said in July.

Last year China ditched its blanket production curbs on heavy industry, which includes steelmaking, coal-fired power plants, cement factories, coke plants, metal casting, and chemical production from October 1 to March 31.

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Friday said that the anti-pollution campaign for this year's autumn-winter heating season will set stricter emissions targets for cities that had higher concentrations of damaging particles the last time around.

China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) on Friday said that the anti-pollution campaign for this year's autumn-winter heating season will set stricter emissions targets for cities that had higher concentrations of damaging particles the last time around. Cities that met pollution targets last year will be exempt from targets this year, MEE spokesman Liu Youbin said, speaking at a briefing in the capital. The strategy comes as China enters its sixth year of an aggressive clampdown on pollution in a bid to cut the smog that envelops many cities during the winter months when homes and businesses crank up the heating. The ministry didn't provide details on precise levels for concentrations of PM 2.5 (lung-damaging particles of less than 2.5 microns in diameter) that will be set for the cities that did not meet last year's targets. But preferential treatment for cities that performed well is a part of China's efforts to put an end to what it calls "one-size-fits-all" measures. According to a draft for the Key Smog Control Zone of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei circulated on industry websites, the target for the capital itself is zero growth in emissions from last year. The remaining 27 cities will be expected to cut concentrations of PM 2.5 by 1% to 11%, or an average of 5.5% during the 2019-2020 autumn-winter season. Even a cut of 11% will not be enough to offset the increase in pollution in some cities last year. Ministry spokesman Liu did not comment directly on details but said that the ministry had already sent a draft to local governments to solicit their opinions. Reuters calculations based on official data showed that only four out of the country's 28 key pollution control cities in northern China met their targets last year, including Beijing, Changzhi, Jincheng, and Jining. Cities likely to be given even more stringent targets this winter include Langfang, Baoding, Zhengzhou, and Anyang, all of which saw double-digit percentage growth in PM 2.5 last winter. Official data shows air quality in August was better than last year, with average PM 2.5 readings falling 13% to an average of 27 micrograms per cubic metre in the key 28 cities in northern China. However, over the eight months, concentrations rose by 1.8% to 56 micrograms, more than the national standard of 35 micrograms. China's central government will not set overall output restrictions on heavy industry for the coming winter but will direct local governments to impose limits based on manufacturers' emissions, the environment ministry had said in July. Last year China ditched its blanket production curbs on heavy industry, which includes steelmaking, coal-fired power plants, cement factories, coke plants, metal casting, and chemical production from October 1 to March 31.

China to set stricter targets for polluting cities in heating season

Tens of thousands strike against climate change in around 150 countries. Millions of people are led by Thunberg to the strikes in New York. NY official to allow 1.1 mn students to skip their schools. Watch this video to know more.

Tens of thousands strike against climate change in around 150 countries

Thousands of students took to the streets of Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries on Friday. They kicked off a global strike demanding world leaders who are set to meet for a United Nations Climate Action Summit to adopt urgent measures to stop an environmental catastrophe.

"We didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it", read one sign carried by a student in Sydney, as social media posts showed huge demonstrations around the country including outback towns like Alice Springs.

"The oceans are rising and so are we", read another sign held by a protester wearing school uniform in Melbourne.

Similar protests, inspired by the 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, are planned in around 150 countries on Friday. The aim is for students and others to speak together about the impending effects of climate change on the planet.

The strike will culminate in New York where Thunberg, who has been nominated for a Nobel prize for her climate activism, will spearhead a rally at the United Nations headquarters.

Thunberg noted the "huge crowd" in Sydney in a tweet, which she said would set the standard as the strikes moved across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

By early afternoon, the Sydney protesters were overflowing out of a 34-hectare&nbsp;open space in the city. Similar crowds were reported in Brisbane and other state capitals.

Danielle Porepilliasana, a Sydney high school student, had a blunt message for politicians like Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who told the&nbsp;Parliament on Thursday that students should stay in class.

"World leaders from everywhere are telling us that students need to be at school doing work", she said, wearing anti-coal earrings.

"I'd like to see them at their parliaments doing their jobs for once", she added.

The UN summit brings together world leaders to discuss climate change mitigation strategies, such as transitioning to renewable energy sources from fossil fuels.

The issue is particularly pertinent to low-lying Pacific islands whose leaders have repeatedly asked wealthier nations to do more to prevent rising sea levels.

Children in the Solomon Islands protested on the shoreline wearing traditional grass skirts and carrying wooden shields in solidarity with the global movement.

In Thailand, more than 200 young people stormed into the Environment Ministry and dropped to the ground feigning death as they demanded government action on climate change.

"This is what will happen if we don’t stop climate change now", said Nanticha Ocharoenchai, a &nbsp;21-year-old strike organiser.

No protests were authorised in China, the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but Zheng Xiaowen of the China Youth Climate Action Network said that the Chinese youth would take action one way or another.

"Chinese youth have their own methods", she said.

"We also pay attention [to] the climate and we are also thinking deeply, interacting, taking action, and so many people are very conscientious on this issue", she added.

According to scientists, Global warming caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels has already led to droughts and heatwaves, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and floods.

Carbon emissions climbed a record high last year, despite a warning from the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October that the output of the gases must be slashed over the next 12 years to stabilise the climate.

Organisers said that demonstrations would take different forms around the world, with the collective aim to promote awareness of climate change and to demand political action to curb contributing factors to climate change.

Thousands of students took to the streets of Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries on Friday. They kicked off a global strike demanding world leaders who are set to meet for a United Nations Climate Action Summit to adopt urgent measures to stop an environmental catastrophe.

Thousands of students took to the streets of Australia and other Asia-Pacific countries on Friday. They kicked off a global strike demanding world leaders who are set to meet for a United Nations Climate Action Summit to adopt urgent measures to stop an environmental catastrophe. "We didn't light it, but we're trying to fight it", read one sign carried by a student in Sydney, as social media posts showed huge demonstrations around the country including outback towns like Alice Springs. "The oceans are rising and so are we", read another sign held by a protester wearing school uniform in Melbourne. Similar protests, inspired by the 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, are planned in around 150 countries on Friday. The aim is for students and others to speak together about the impending effects of climate change on the planet. The strike will culminate in New York where Thunberg, who has been nominated for a Nobel prize for her climate activism, will spearhead a rally at the United Nations headquarters. Thunberg noted the "huge crowd" in Sydney in a tweet, which she said would set the standard as the strikes moved across Asia, Europe, and Africa. By early afternoon, the Sydney protesters were overflowing out of a 34-hectare open space in the city. Similar crowds were reported in Brisbane and other state capitals. Danielle Porepilliasana, a Sydney high school student, had a blunt message for politicians like Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who told the Parliament on Thursday that students should stay in class. "World leaders from everywhere are telling us that students need to be at school doing work", she said, wearing anti-coal earrings. "I'd like to see them at their parliaments doing their jobs for once", she added. The UN summit brings together world leaders to discuss climate change mitigation strategies, such as transitioning to renewable energy sources from fossil fuels. The issue is particularly pertinent to low-lying Pacific islands whose leaders have repeatedly asked wealthier nations to do more to prevent rising sea levels. Children in the Solomon Islands protested on the shoreline wearing traditional grass skirts and carrying wooden shields in solidarity with the global movement. In Thailand, more than 200 young people stormed into the Environment Ministry and dropped to the ground feigning death as they demanded government action on climate change. "This is what will happen if we don’t stop climate change now", said Nanticha Ocharoenchai, a 21-year-old strike organiser. No protests were authorised in China, the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, but Zheng Xiaowen of the China Youth Climate Action Network said that the Chinese youth would take action one way or another. "Chinese youth have their own methods", she said. "We also pay attention [to] the climate and we are also thinking deeply, interacting, taking action, and so many people are very conscientious on this issue", she added. According to scientists, Global warming caused by heat-trapping greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels has already led to droughts and heatwaves, melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and floods. Carbon emissions climbed a record high last year, despite a warning from the UN-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in October that the output of the gases must be slashed over the next 12 years to stabilise the climate. Organisers said that demonstrations would take different forms around the world, with the collective aim to promote awareness of climate change and to demand political action to curb contributing factors to climate change.

Asia-Pacific students kick off global climate strike in Australia

Global warming and pollution caused by humanity's carbon-heavy footprint are ravaging Earth's oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale, a landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn.

Diplomats and scientists from 195 nations will gather in Monaco from Friday to validate a summary for leaders of observed and projected impacts ranging from vanishing glaciers and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-oceans-are-heating-up-at-a-quickening-pace-study-189467">marine heatwaves</a>, to rising seas and unprecedented levels of forced migration, according to a draft seen by AFP.

The underlying 900-page scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the fourth such UN tome in less than a year, with others focused on a 1.5-Celsius cap on global warming, the decline of biodiversity, as well as the land use and the global food system.

All four conclude that humanity must overhaul how it produces, distributes, and consumes almost everything to avoid the worst ravages of global warming and environmental degradation.

The barrage of bad news from science and a newly alarmed public demanding decisive action are the backdrop for a key UN climate summit in New York on Monday designed to push countries into setting more ambitious carbon-cutting goals.

Current pledges -- if honoured -- would see Earth's surface heat up more than three degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The 2015 Paris Climate Treaty calls for capping global warming at "well below" 2 C, with 1.5 C&nbsp;possible.

A single degree of warming has already seen a crescendo of extreme weather, including killer heat waves and superstorms amped up by rising seas.

Melting Glaciers

"Some of the impacts of climate change on our oceans are now irreversible and others are looking increasingly inevitable", notes Greenpeace International's scientist, Melissa Wang.

"At current emissions rates, we are effectively dumping one million tonnes of CO2 into the oceans every hour", she added.

Oceans and the frozen zones comprising the cryosphere cover more than 80 percent of Earth's surface, yet more money has been spent to explore the Moon.

The IPCC report pulls together thousands of peer-reviewed studies detailing not only how mankind has degraded the planet's seas and ice, but the blowback humanity will suffer as a consequence. &nbsp;

Since the mid-19th century, oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of excess heat generated by the greenhouse gases that humans have dumped in the atmosphere. &nbsp;

Without oceans, human emissions would likely have warmed the planet's surface by at least 10 C above today's temperature, according to a rough calculation by Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and Director of the Climate Center at Texas Tech University.

Mountain glaciers in Asia and South America provide water for drinking and agriculture to nearly two billion people, and the stable weather patterns to which northern hemisphere populations have adapted depend on sea ice and ocean currents destabilised by global warming.

As the 21st century unfolds, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/himalayan-glaciers-melting-doubled-since-2000-study-229032">melting glaciers</a> will first give too much and then too little to billions who depend on them for freshwater, according to the draft report.

Food Chain Disrupted

Without deep cuts to manmade emissions, 30 to 99 percent of the northern hemisphere's surface permafrost could melt by this century's end, unleashing billions of tonnes of planet-warming carbon.

By 2050, many low-lying megacities and small island nations will experience "extreme sea-level events" every year, even under the most optimistic emissions reduction scenarios.

And by 2100, "annual flood damages are expected to increase by two to three orders of magnitude", or 100 to 1,000 fold.

Even if the world manages to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius -- a big "if" -- the global ocean waterline will eventually rise enough to submerge areas inhabited today by more than a quarter of a billion people, the draft report says.

"The migration crises we are witnessing in North Africa and Central America would pale in comparison to the repercussions of a 1.2 metre rise in sea level", Belize's Carlos Fuller, lead climate negotiator for the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), told AFP.

Acidification is disrupting the ocean's basic food chain, and marine heatwaves (which have become twice as frequent since the 1980s) are creating vast oxygen-depleted dead zones.

The final advice to policymakers will be released on September 25.

While the underlying science cannot be modified, diplomats with scientists at their elbow will tussle over how to frame the findings, and what to leave in or out.

Global warming and pollution caused by humanity's carbon-heavy footprint are ravaging Earth's oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale, a landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn.

Global warming and pollution caused by humanity's carbon-heavy footprint are ravaging Earth's oceans and icy regions in ways that could unleash misery on a global scale, a landmark UN report to be unveiled next week will warn. Diplomats and scientists from 195 nations will gather in Monaco from Friday to validate a summary for leaders of observed and projected impacts ranging from vanishing glaciers and marine heatwaves, to rising seas and unprecedented levels of forced migration, according to a draft seen by AFP. The underlying 900-page scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the fourth such UN tome in less than a year, with others focused on a 1.5-Celsius cap on global warming, the decline of biodiversity, as well as the land use and the global food system. All four conclude that humanity must overhaul how it produces, distributes, and consumes almost everything to avoid the worst ravages of global warming and environmental degradation. The barrage of bad news from science and a newly alarmed public demanding decisive action are the backdrop for a key UN climate summit in New York on Monday designed to push countries into setting more ambitious carbon-cutting goals. Current pledges -- if honoured -- would see Earth's surface heat up more than three degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. The 2015 Paris Climate Treaty calls for capping global warming at "well below" 2 C, with 1.5 C possible. A single degree of warming has already seen a crescendo of extreme weather, including killer heat waves and superstorms amped up by rising seas. Melting Glaciers "Some of the impacts of climate change on our oceans are now irreversible and others are looking increasingly inevitable", notes Greenpeace International's scientist, Melissa Wang. "At current emissions rates, we are effectively dumping one million tonnes of CO2 into the oceans every hour", she added. Oceans and the frozen zones comprising the cryosphere cover more than 80 percent of Earth's surface, yet more money has been spent to explore the Moon. The IPCC report pulls together thousands of peer-reviewed studies detailing not only how mankind has degraded the planet's seas and ice, but the blowback humanity will suffer as a consequence. Since the mid-19th century, oceans have absorbed more than 90 percent of excess heat generated by the greenhouse gases that humans have dumped in the atmosphere. Without oceans, human emissions would likely have warmed the planet's surface by at least 10 C above today's temperature, according to a rough calculation by Katharine Hayhoe, an atmospheric scientist and Director of the Climate Center at Texas Tech University. Mountain glaciers in Asia and South America provide water for drinking and agriculture to nearly two billion people, and the stable weather patterns to which northern hemisphere populations have adapted depend on sea ice and ocean currents destabilised by global warming. As the 21st century unfolds, melting glaciers will first give too much and then too little to billions who depend on them for freshwater, according to the draft report. Food Chain Disrupted Without deep cuts to manmade emissions, 30 to 99 percent of the northern hemisphere's surface permafrost could melt by this century's end, unleashing billions of tonnes of planet-warming carbon. By 2050, many low-lying megacities and small island nations will experience "extreme sea-level events" every year, even under the most optimistic emissions reduction scenarios. And by 2100, "annual flood damages are expected to increase by two to three orders of magnitude", or 100 to 1,000 fold. Even if the world manages to cap global warming at two degrees Celsius -- a big "if" -- the global ocean waterline will eventually rise enough to submerge areas inhabited today by more than a quarter of a billion people, the draft report says. "The migration crises we are witnessing in North Africa and Central America would pale in comparison to the repercussions of a 1.2 metre rise in sea level", Belize's Carlos Fuller, lead climate negotiator for the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), told AFP. Acidification is disrupting the ocean's basic food chain, and marine heatwaves (which have become twice as frequent since the 1980s) are creating vast oxygen-depleted dead zones. The final advice to policymakers will be released on September 25. While the underlying science cannot be modified, diplomats with scientists at their elbow will tussle over how to frame the findings, and what to leave in or out.

Climate change could turn oceans from friend to foe, UN report warns

Know the latest about the Climate Change Protest taking place in Paris from Elenia Casas-Montanez

WION Dispatch: Climate Change protest in 150 countries

Maybe we can get through the climate crisis without a global catastrophe, although that door is closing fast. And maybe we can cope with the huge loss of jobs caused by the revolution in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) without a social and political calamity. But can we do both at the same time?

We should know how to deal with the AI revolution because we have been down this road before. It’s a bit different this time, of course, in the sense that the original industrial revolution in 1780-1850 created as many new jobs (in manufacturing) as it destroyed (in cottage industries and skilled trades).

The AI revolution, by contrast, is not producing nearly enough replacement jobs, but it is making us much wealthier.&nbsp;

The value of manufactured goods doubled in the United States in the past 30 years even as the number of good industrial jobs fell by a third (8 million jobs gone). Maybe we could use that extra wealth to ease the transition to a job-scarce future.

The climate emergency is unlike any challenge we have faced before. Surmounting it would require an unprecedented level of global cooperation and very big changes in how people consume and behave, neither of which human beings have historically been good at.

These two crisis are already interacting. The erosion of middle-class jobs and the stagnation (or worse) of real wage levels generates resentment and anger among the victims that is already creating populist, authoritarian regimes throughout the world. These regimes despise international cooperation and often deny climate change as well (Donald Trump in the US, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil).

Even Trump is worried, which is why he postponed the harsher US trade tariffs against China that were due next month.

So what can we do about all this? The first thing is to recognise that we cannot plot a course that takes us from here and now through all the changes and past all the unpleasant surprises to ultimate safety, maybe 50 years from now.

We can plan how to get through the next five years, and we should be thinking hard about what will be needed later on, but we can’t steer a safe and steady course to the year 2070 any more than intelligent decision-makers in 1790 could have planned how to get through to 1840 without too much upheaval. They might have seen steam engines, but they would have had no idea what a railroad was.

We are in the same position as those people with regard to both AI and the global environmental emergency (which extends far beyond ‘climate change’, although that is at its heart).&nbsp;

We know a good deal about both issues, but not enough to be confident about our choices — and besides, they may well mutate and head off in unforeseen directions as the crisis deepens.

But, there are two big things we can do right now. We need to stop the slide into populist and increasingly authoritarian governments. And we have to win ourselves more time to get our greenhouse gas emissions under control.&nbsp;

The best bet for getting our politics back on track is a guaranteed minimum income high enough to keep everybody comfortable whether they are working or not. That is well within the reach of any developed country’s economy, and has the added benefit of putting enough money into people’s pockets to save everybody’s business model.

And the best way to win more time on the climate front is to start geoengineering (direct intervention in the atmosphere to hold the global temperature down) as soon as we get anywhere near +2 degree Celsius. To be ready then, we need to be doing open-air testing on a small scale now.

There will be howls of protest from the right about a guaranteed minimum income, and from the greener parts of the left about geo-engineering. However, both will probably be indispensable if we want to get through these huge changes without mass casualties or even civilisational collapse. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-dealing-with-two-critical-converging-crises-on-planet-earth-2790804">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

Maybe we can get through the climate crisis without a global catastrophe, although that door is closing fast. And maybe we can cope with the huge loss of jobs caused by the revolution in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) without a social and political calamity.

Maybe we can get through the climate crisis without a global catastrophe, although that door is closing fast. And maybe we can cope with the huge loss of jobs caused by the revolution in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) without a social and political calamity. But can we do both at the same time? We should know how to deal with the AI revolution because we have been down this road before. It’s a bit different this time, of course, in the sense that the original industrial revolution in 1780-1850 created as many new jobs (in manufacturing) as it destroyed (in cottage industries and skilled trades). The AI revolution, by contrast, is not producing nearly enough replacement jobs, but it is making us much wealthier. The value of manufactured goods doubled in the United States in the past 30 years even as the number of good industrial jobs fell by a third (8 million jobs gone). Maybe we could use that extra wealth to ease the transition to a job-scarce future. The climate emergency is unlike any challenge we have faced before. Surmounting it would require an unprecedented level of global cooperation and very big changes in how people consume and behave, neither of which human beings have historically been good at. These two crisis are already interacting. The erosion of middle-class jobs and the stagnation (or worse) of real wage levels generates resentment and anger among the victims that is already creating populist, authoritarian regimes throughout the world. These regimes despise international cooperation and often deny climate change as well (Donald Trump in the US, Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil). Even Trump is worried, which is why he postponed the harsher US trade tariffs against China that were due next month. So what can we do about all this? The first thing is to recognise that we cannot plot a course that takes us from here and now through all the changes and past all the unpleasant surprises to ultimate safety, maybe 50 years from now. We can plan how to get through the next five years, and we should be thinking hard about what will be needed later on, but we can’t steer a safe and steady course to the year 2070 any more than intelligent decision-makers in 1790 could have planned how to get through to 1840 without too much upheaval. They might have seen steam engines, but they would have had no idea what a railroad was. We are in the same position as those people with regard to both AI and the global environmental emergency (which extends far beyond ‘climate change’, although that is at its heart). We know a good deal about both issues, but not enough to be confident about our choices — and besides, they may well mutate and head off in unforeseen directions as the crisis deepens. But, there are two big things we can do right now. We need to stop the slide into populist and increasingly authoritarian governments. And we have to win ourselves more time to get our greenhouse gas emissions under control. The best bet for getting our politics back on track is a guaranteed minimum income high enough to keep everybody comfortable whether they are working or not. That is well within the reach of any developed country’s economy, and has the added benefit of putting enough money into people’s pockets to save everybody’s business model. And the best way to win more time on the climate front is to start geoengineering (direct intervention in the atmosphere to hold the global temperature down) as soon as we get anywhere near +2 degree Celsius. To be ready then, we need to be doing open-air testing on a small scale now. There will be howls of protest from the right about a guaranteed minimum income, and from the greener parts of the left about geo-engineering. However, both will probably be indispensable if we want to get through these huge changes without mass casualties or even civilisational collapse. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Dealing with two critical converging crisis on planet earth

Climate Change protests in 150 countries

Tens of thousands of dead fish have been found on the banks of a lake in a protected nature reserve in northern Greece after high temperatures and drought conditions caused a severe drop in water levels.

Alarming impact of climate change: Tens of thousands of dead fish found at Greek lake

'Cost of doing nothing' is the report of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on the humanitarian cost on climate change. This report claimed that by 2050, 200 million people could need humanitarian aid due to untimely climate changes. Flood, storms and droughts to raise demand for aid. Since 1970, the bird population has been down by 29% in which most of the species are very common.

IFRC's report 'Cost of doing nothing' - focus on humanitarian cost on climate change

Climate Change Is A Crisis That Affects The Whole World. Yet, The Response By Governments Have Been Lacklustre To Say The Least. #WIONEdit

WION Edit: Rampaging forest fires offer a glimpse to our future on earth!

Swedish teenager <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/teen-climate-activist-greta-thunberg-protests-at-white-house-249544">Greta Thunberg</a>, who has inspired a global movement for climate change, delivered a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/swedish-climate-activist-thunberg-asks-us-congress-for-action-not-praise-250336">strong message to US&nbsp;lawmakers</a> on Wednesday: "Wake up."

Wrapping up a six-day visit to Washington, DC, the 16-year-old Thunberg rallied a room full of Democratic lawmakers and activists, urging them to follow scientific warnings and push for strong measures to combat climate change.

"This is not the time and place for dreams. This is the time to wake up," Thunberg said behind a lowered podium at the ornate House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee room.

Thunberg spent the day in Congress and on the steps of the Supreme Court, lending her star power to join US and youth activists who were drumming up attention and support ahead of a global climate strike on Friday.

She began with a pointed message before a US&nbsp;congressional hearing: "I don’t want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists."

Thunberg, founder of the "Fridays For Future" weekly school walkouts to demand government climate-change action, submitted a 2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the hearing in lieu of testimony.

It urged rapid, unprecedented changes to the way people live in order to keep temperatures from rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by 2030.

"People, in general, don't seem to be aware of how severe the crisis" is, Thunberg said, urging lawmakers to "unite behind the science" and take action, saying that people need to treat climate change "like the existential crisis it is."

Thunberg was one of four students invited to a joint hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, to provide the next generation's views on climate change.

 
"BIGGEST CARBON POLLUTER"

Her first appearance took place last Friday in front of the White House, where she encouraged fellow young activists to keep fighting to be heard. She did not mention President Donald Trump, a climate change denier who moved to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement early in his tenure, in her remarks.

 
On Wednesday, she called out the United States for being the "biggest carbon polluter in history" and the top producer of oil.

"And yet you are also the only nation in the world who has signalled with strong intention to leave the Paris agreement because it was a bad deal for the US," she said.

Trump earlier in the day announced plans to revoke California's ability https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-emissions-trump/trump-confirms-us-will-revoke-california-waiver-to-require-cleaner-cars-idUSKBN1W3257 to set emissions standards for vehicles that are more stringent than the federal standards&nbsp;the latest move in his administration’s multi-pronged attack on California's efforts to reduce vehicle emissions, which could slow the deployment of electric and more efficient vehicles.&nbsp;

A conservative climate-change advocate at Wednesday's hearing, 21-year-old Benji Backer from Wisconsin, told lawmakers that young conservatives also favour climate change action, but through an approach focussed on technology and allowing the continued use of fossil fuels.

"As a proud American, as a life-long conservative and as a young person, I urge you to accept climate change for the reality it is and respond accordingly. We need your leadership," he said.

Backer praised Thunberg and other climate activists for putting the issue at the forefront of politics but said there was time to take more measured action.

In addition to meetings on Capitol Hill, Thunberg met former President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

Obama described the teenager on Twitter as "already one of the planet's greatest advocates."

Though Thunberg mostly addressed admiring Democratic lawmakers, she also spoke to some Republican lawmakers at the House hearing.

Republican representatives praised the students for raising awareness about climate change but disagreed over what action the United States should take when emerging economies continue to emit greenhouse gases as their economies grow.

Representative Garret Graves from Louisiana said his state was affected by rising sea levels and that he supported the US&nbsp;emission reduction target enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement, but he criticized the pact for how it treats emerging economies like China.

"I think that signing on to an agreement that allows for China to have a 50 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030 is inappropriate," he said.

Thunberg responded that in her home country, Sweden, people similarly criticize the United States for not taking enough action. "The same argument is being used against you," she said.

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has inspired a global movement for climate change, delivered a strong message to US lawmakers on Wednesday: "Wake up." Wrapping up a six-day visit to Washington, DC, the 16-year-old Thunberg rallied a room full of Democratic lawmakers and activists, urging them to follow scientific warnings and push for strong measures to combat climate change.

Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, who has inspired a global movement for climate change, delivered a strong message to US lawmakers on Wednesday: "Wake up." Wrapping up a six-day visit to Washington, DC, the 16-year-old Thunberg rallied a room full of Democratic lawmakers and activists, urging them to follow scientific warnings and push for strong measures to combat climate change. "This is not the time and place for dreams. This is the time to wake up," Thunberg said behind a lowered podium at the ornate House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee room. Thunberg spent the day in Congress and on the steps of the Supreme Court, lending her star power to join US and youth activists who were drumming up attention and support ahead of a global climate strike on Friday. She began with a pointed message before a US congressional hearing: "I don’t want you to listen to me. I want you to listen to the scientists." Thunberg, founder of the "Fridays For Future" weekly school walkouts to demand government climate-change action, submitted a 2018 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at the hearing in lieu of testimony. It urged rapid, unprecedented changes to the way people live in order to keep temperatures from rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by 2030. "People, in general, don't seem to be aware of how severe the crisis" is, Thunberg said, urging lawmakers to "unite behind the science" and take action, saying that people need to treat climate change "like the existential crisis it is." Thunberg was one of four students invited to a joint hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy and the Environment and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, to provide the next generation's views on climate change. "BIGGEST CARBON POLLUTER" Her first appearance took place last Friday in front of the White House, where she encouraged fellow young activists to keep fighting to be heard. She did not mention President Donald Trump, a climate change denier who moved to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change Agreement early in his tenure, in her remarks. On Wednesday, she called out the United States for being the "biggest carbon polluter in history" and the top producer of oil. "And yet you are also the only nation in the world who has signalled with strong intention to leave the Paris agreement because it was a bad deal for the US," she said. Trump earlier in the day announced plans to revoke California's ability https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-emissions-trump/trump-confirms-us-will-revoke-california-waiver-to-require-cleaner-cars-idUSKBN1W3257 to set emissions standards for vehicles that are more stringent than the federal standards the latest move in his administration’s multi-pronged attack on California's efforts to reduce vehicle emissions, which could slow the deployment of electric and more efficient vehicles. A conservative climate-change advocate at Wednesday's hearing, 21-year-old Benji Backer from Wisconsin, told lawmakers that young conservatives also favour climate change action, but through an approach focussed on technology and allowing the continued use of fossil fuels. "As a proud American, as a life-long conservative and as a young person, I urge you to accept climate change for the reality it is and respond accordingly. We need your leadership," he said. Backer praised Thunberg and other climate activists for putting the issue at the forefront of politics but said there was time to take more measured action. In addition to meetings on Capitol Hill, Thunberg met former President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Obama described the teenager on Twitter as "already one of the planet's greatest advocates." Though Thunberg mostly addressed admiring Democratic lawmakers, she also spoke to some Republican lawmakers at the House hearing. Republican representatives praised the students for raising awareness about climate change but disagreed over what action the United States should take when emerging economies continue to emit greenhouse gases as their economies grow. Representative Garret Graves from Louisiana said his state was affected by rising sea levels and that he supported the US emission reduction target enshrined in the Paris Climate Agreement, but he criticized the pact for how it treats emerging economies like China. "I think that signing on to an agreement that allows for China to have a 50 per cent increase in greenhouse gas emissions annually by 2030 is inappropriate," he said. Thunberg responded that in her home country, Sweden, people similarly criticize the United States for not taking enough action. "The same argument is being used against you," she said.

Greta Thunberg to US Congress on climate change: 'Wake up'

Poor, rural Bangladeshis are spending far more than the government and aid agencies to combat the impacts of climate change, diverting what little money they have away from basic needs, a study said Thursday.

Bangladesh -- a densely populated and impoverished low-lying nation of 168 million people -- is among the most vulnerable to global warming with rising sea levels threatening coastal villages.

In a study billed as the first of its kind in comparing household spending to public financing, researchers found rural families were shelling out an average $2 billion a year to address the impacts of climate change.

In contrast, Dhaka's budget for climate change in rural areas for 2018-19 was $1.46 billion, while international financing was an estimated $154 million annually, the report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) found.

The report was released days before a UN Climate Action Summit in New York between governments, business leaders and international organisations.

"This research reveals an alarming imbalance," IIED's director Andrew Norton said in a statement.

"It is unacceptable that the poorest people are shouldering the burden of spending for adapting to climate change in Bangladesh.

"Much more needs to be done to make sure more public climate finance reaches the people who need it most."

Families -- instead of buying food or spending their money on health and education -- were repairing damaged homes and replacing animals and crops.

They were using the money to raise their houses above flood levels, and some were even taking out high-interest loans from informal sources, pushing them further into poverty, the researchers said.

Mohammad Nannu's home was last year destroyed by the shifting currents of the Padma, a tributary of the Himalayan river the Ganges.

He told AFP he borrowed money at an interest rate of more than 20 percent to make ends meet after the disaster, which experts said was due to climate change.

"I become penniless after losing my home and property... when the Padma devoured our entire village," the 50-year-old said.

Local mayor Shahidul Islam said just a handful of families were provided with new homes, with hundreds of others having to rent or move to cities.

Atiq Rahman, a Bangladeshi expert who sits in a UN climate change panel, welcomed the study but said $2 billion was "a fraction of the amount" Bangladeshis and the government spent every year.

"This is an underestimate. There are many climate change-related costs that cannot be easily monetised," he told AFP, citing the impacts on health, land fertility and livestock.

Poor, rural Bangladeshis are spending far more than the government and aid agencies to combat the impacts of climate change, diverting what little money they have away from basic needs, a study said Thursday.

Poor, rural Bangladeshis are spending far more than the government and aid agencies to combat the impacts of climate change, diverting what little money they have away from basic needs, a study said Thursday. Bangladesh -- a densely populated and impoverished low-lying nation of 168 million people -- is among the most vulnerable to global warming with rising sea levels threatening coastal villages. In a study billed as the first of its kind in comparing household spending to public financing, researchers found rural families were shelling out an average $2 billion a year to address the impacts of climate change. In contrast, Dhaka's budget for climate change in rural areas for 2018-19 was $1.46 billion, while international financing was an estimated $154 million annually, the report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) found. The report was released days before a UN Climate Action Summit in New York between governments, business leaders and international organisations. "This research reveals an alarming imbalance," IIED's director Andrew Norton said in a statement. "It is unacceptable that the poorest people are shouldering the burden of spending for adapting to climate change in Bangladesh. "Much more needs to be done to make sure more public climate finance reaches the people who need it most." Families -- instead of buying food or spending their money on health and education -- were repairing damaged homes and replacing animals and crops. They were using the money to raise their houses above flood levels, and some were even taking out high-interest loans from informal sources, pushing them further into poverty, the researchers said. Mohammad Nannu's home was last year destroyed by the shifting currents of the Padma, a tributary of the Himalayan river the Ganges. He told AFP he borrowed money at an interest rate of more than 20 percent to make ends meet after the disaster, which experts said was due to climate change. "I become penniless after losing my home and property... when the Padma devoured our entire village," the 50-year-old said. Local mayor Shahidul Islam said just a handful of families were provided with new homes, with hundreds of others having to rent or move to cities. Atiq Rahman, a Bangladeshi expert who sits in a UN climate change panel, welcomed the study but said $2 billion was "a fraction of the amount" Bangladeshis and the government spent every year. "This is an underestimate. There are many climate change-related costs that cannot be easily monetised," he told AFP, citing the impacts on health, land fertility and livestock.

Bangladesh rural poor bear financial burden of climate change: Study

By Heather Connolly

A week of strikes and coordinated action across the world is planned for September 20-27 to demand that governments around the world take decisive action to combat climate change, ahead of a major United Nations summit in New York on September 27. Millions are expected to take to the streets across the world in this collective call to action.

If you’re thinking of striking, there are a few things to bear in mind, particularly if your employer is not supportive of you taking to the streets during working hours. Here, would-be strikers can look to trade unions for support and inspiration, and understand that in order to achieve progressive change and combat the climate crisis, workers need to help build a movement powerful enough to challenge the status quo.

Some organisations – both public and private employers – have come out in support of their workforce taking action against climate change. In the UK, this includes local councils, universities and employers in the creative industries. But the level of support varies, with some employers telling workers they need to take time off if they want to support the action, or arranging activities during sanctioned work breaks to coincide with the action.

If companies claim to be ethical and responsible employers they may want to be seen to be supporting their staff’s wishes – even if this means taking the hit on productivity in the short term. Workers can use their company’s claims about social responsibility to leverage them to support striking.

From the perspective of managing human resources, there is evidence that supporting these campaigns could lead to better recruitment and retention of staff and even behaviour at work. But this is more likely in professional occupations than low-skilled jobs where this is less of a concern as workers are easily replaceable.

Taking Up the Call

Trade unions in many countries have taken up the call. The International and European Trade Union Confederations spoke out in favour of solidarity actions under the banner of a “just transition” – moving to a carbon-neutral economy in a way that is fair to people working in industries that will be required to change.

But the International Trade Union Confederation clearly frames action as taking place “within the constraint of the law” and that strikes, stoppages and demonstrations should take place “where the law allows”. This makes things difficult in many countries that have heavily restrictive strike laws – including the UK.

Laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s were designed to curb industrial action. Secondary or sympathy action – which is where workers go on strike in sympathy with people who work for a different employer – are illegal, and so is striking for a wider political or social interests. The Trade Union Bill in 2016 put further restrictions on industrial action by requiring trade unions to meet a voter turnout threshold when holding ballots to strike and must give employers a fortnight’s notice.

In light of this, the Trades Union Congress passed a motion to support workers engaging in a “30-minute working campaign action” on September 20. The Universities College Union tabled a motion calling for trade unions to support a 30-minute workday stoppage to coincide with the global school student strike.

The wording is significant here. Other unions were concerned about the legality of saying “stoppage” without a ballot. Union laws make it difficult to obtain a legal ballot over climate change and even if a union could find a way (such as its impact on health and safety) they would need to adhere to 50% voter turnout thresholds and strict timetables before being able to take industrial action.

Another worry is that taking strike action could put union members at risk of victimisation by their employers. This is a legitimate worry. Union members going on strike risk being a breach of contract if they take action (especially without holding a ballot), and losing their jobs. Workers who are not union members risk having no immunity at all.

Trade Union Support 
 
One thing trade unions can do to back those who want to strike demonstrates that there is widespread support for this action. This will make employers less likely to take action against workers for striking for fear of looking bad in the eyes of employees and the wider public.

Unions can do this by framing climate change both as a class issue – the poorest in the world are the most likely to suffer from the effects of climate change – and as a moral imperative. It is not a given that the issue of climate change will trump the desire for profit at any cost. “Greenwashing”, where companies pay lip service to environmentalism, may be as far as some companies go, but this could be unsustainable if workers become more climate-conscious.

All of us experience the effects of climate change. If employers fail to support this cause, it is a bleak day – not for workers, but for the human race.

The Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group argues that “Trade union history is filled with examples of workers breaking laws to ensure that society can progress. When a law is unjust it’s the duty of the trade union movement to challenge that law”.

History shows the power of trade unions for progressive change, from the Ford Dagenham women’s strike and its influence on the Equal Pay Act in 1970 to the understated work by UNISON to scrap employment tribunal fees, allowing greater access to justice for all workers. Trade unions need to take bold action once again – not only to embed climate change as a union issue, but also to shift the balance of power in favour of those promoting a more sustainable future.

(Heather Connolly is Associate Professor of Employment Relations, University of Leicester)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-strikes-how-to-take-part-and-how-trade-unions-can-help-123627">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

By Heather Connolly A week of strikes and coordinated action across the world is planned for September 20-27 to demand that governments around the world take decisive action to combat climate change, ahead of a major United Nations summit in New York on September 27.

By Heather Connolly A week of strikes and coordinated action across the world is planned for September 20-27 to demand that governments around the world take decisive action to combat climate change, ahead of a major United Nations summit in New York on September 27. Millions are expected to take to the streets across the world in this collective call to action. If you’re thinking of striking, there are a few things to bear in mind, particularly if your employer is not supportive of you taking to the streets during working hours. Here, would-be strikers can look to trade unions for support and inspiration, and understand that in order to achieve progressive change and combat the climate crisis, workers need to help build a movement powerful enough to challenge the status quo. Some organisations – both public and private employers – have come out in support of their workforce taking action against climate change. In the UK, this includes local councils, universities and employers in the creative industries. But the level of support varies, with some employers telling workers they need to take time off if they want to support the action, or arranging activities during sanctioned work breaks to coincide with the action. If companies claim to be ethical and responsible employers they may want to be seen to be supporting their staff’s wishes – even if this means taking the hit on productivity in the short term. Workers can use their company’s claims about social responsibility to leverage them to support striking. From the perspective of managing human resources, there is evidence that supporting these campaigns could lead to better recruitment and retention of staff and even behaviour at work. But this is more likely in professional occupations than low-skilled jobs where this is less of a concern as workers are easily replaceable. Taking Up the Call Trade unions in many countries have taken up the call. The International and European Trade Union Confederations spoke out in favour of solidarity actions under the banner of a “just transition” – moving to a carbon-neutral economy in a way that is fair to people working in industries that will be required to change. But the International Trade Union Confederation clearly frames action as taking place “within the constraint of the law” and that strikes, stoppages and demonstrations should take place “where the law allows”. This makes things difficult in many countries that have heavily restrictive strike laws – including the UK. Laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in the 1980s were designed to curb industrial action. Secondary or sympathy action – which is where workers go on strike in sympathy with people who work for a different employer – are illegal, and so is striking for a wider political or social interests. The Trade Union Bill in 2016 put further restrictions on industrial action by requiring trade unions to meet a voter turnout threshold when holding ballots to strike and must give employers a fortnight’s notice. In light of this, the Trades Union Congress passed a motion to support workers engaging in a “30-minute working campaign action” on September 20. The Universities College Union tabled a motion calling for trade unions to support a 30-minute workday stoppage to coincide with the global school student strike. The wording is significant here. Other unions were concerned about the legality of saying “stoppage” without a ballot. Union laws make it difficult to obtain a legal ballot over climate change and even if a union could find a way (such as its impact on health and safety) they would need to adhere to 50% voter turnout thresholds and strict timetables before being able to take industrial action. Another worry is that taking strike action could put union members at risk of victimisation by their employers. This is a legitimate worry. Union members going on strike risk being a breach of contract if they take action (especially without holding a ballot), and losing their jobs. Workers who are not union members risk having no immunity at all. Trade Union Support One thing trade unions can do to back those who want to strike demonstrates that there is widespread support for this action. This will make employers less likely to take action against workers for striking for fear of looking bad in the eyes of employees and the wider public. Unions can do this by framing climate change both as a class issue – the poorest in the world are the most likely to suffer from the effects of climate change – and as a moral imperative. It is not a given that the issue of climate change will trump the desire for profit at any cost. “Greenwashing”, where companies pay lip service to environmentalism, may be as far as some companies go, but this could be unsustainable if workers become more climate-conscious. All of us experience the effects of climate change. If employers fail to support this cause, it is a bleak day – not for workers, but for the human race. The Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group argues that “Trade union history is filled with examples of workers breaking laws to ensure that society can progress. When a law is unjust it’s the duty of the trade union movement to challenge that law”. History shows the power of trade unions for progressive change, from the Ford Dagenham women’s strike and its influence on the Equal Pay Act in 1970 to the understated work by UNISON to scrap employment tribunal fees, allowing greater access to justice for all workers. Trade unions need to take bold action once again – not only to embed climate change as a union issue, but also to shift the balance of power in favour of those promoting a more sustainable future. (Heather Connolly is Associate Professor of Employment Relations, University of Leicester) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Climate strikes: how to take part and how trade unions can help

From Amazon to Indonesia to Malaysia to Singapore to Thailand - it's one story. It's a climate emergency.

And the rally to tackle climate change must be global and concerted because the effects are global.

The raging forest fires in the Amazon wild forests, as well as Indonesia, are two snapshots of our future which must concern all of us.

The most important problem is the global ineptitude in preventing such climate disasters from happening.

This is because these fires have become annual events. Every year, Indonesia sets late-summer fires to clear forests.

The smoke from the fires has been disastrous for several neighbouring countries.&nbsp;

Malaysia, for instance, is paying the price for Indonesian fires.

The 1997 fires in Indonesia alone burnt nearly 20 thousand square miles of forest cover.

In 2015, &nbsp;the fires caused premature deaths of nearly one lakh people.

Yet, the apathy continues.

The sad truth is, countries view offers of help as external interference. For instance, Indonesia has declined offers of assistance from Malaysia and Singapore to tackle forest fires&nbsp;

Just like Amazon fires, in Indonesia too, there is zero accountability. Even after the order from the country's top court, the Joko Widodo government has not released data on plantation ownership, boundaries and licenses.

Such data would help the government identify the origin of fires.

But countries are not willing to fix the problem. Their focus has been damage control but knee-jerk reactions and stop-gap solutions will not work anymore.&nbsp;

The effects of climate change are being felt by the people. Air is polluted, the forest cover is dwindling at a rapid rate, and it has become a public health crisis.

Rampaging fires are slowly making life difficult in this planet and failure to act against global warming will accelerate the extinction of life as we know it.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

From Amazon to Indonesia to Malaysia to Singapore to Thailand - it's one story. It's a climate emergency. And the rally to tackle climate change must be global and concerted because the effects are global.

From Amazon to Indonesia to Malaysia to Singapore to Thailand - it's one story. It's a climate emergency. And the rally to tackle climate change must be global and concerted because the effects are global. The raging forest fires in the Amazon wild forests, as well as Indonesia, are two snapshots of our future which must concern all of us. The most important problem is the global ineptitude in preventing such climate disasters from happening. This is because these fires have become annual events. Every year, Indonesia sets late-summer fires to clear forests. The smoke from the fires has been disastrous for several neighbouring countries. Malaysia, for instance, is paying the price for Indonesian fires. The 1997 fires in Indonesia alone burnt nearly 20 thousand square miles of forest cover. In 2015, the fires caused premature deaths of nearly one lakh people. Yet, the apathy continues. The sad truth is, countries view offers of help as external interference. For instance, Indonesia has declined offers of assistance from Malaysia and Singapore to tackle forest fires Just like Amazon fires, in Indonesia too, there is zero accountability. Even after the order from the country's top court, the Joko Widodo government has not released data on plantation ownership, boundaries and licenses. Such data would help the government identify the origin of fires. But countries are not willing to fix the problem. Their focus has been damage control but knee-jerk reactions and stop-gap solutions will not work anymore. The effects of climate change are being felt by the people. Air is polluted, the forest cover is dwindling at a rapid rate, and it has become a public health crisis. Rampaging fires are slowly making life difficult in this planet and failure to act against global warming will accelerate the extinction of life as we know it. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

WION Edit: Global warming threat continues to grow

A Human Rights Watch report on Tuesday (September 17) found that more than 300 people have been killed over the past decade in conflicts over the use of land and resources in the Amazon, many by organised criminal networks profiting from illegal deforestation.

Hundreds killed in Brazil's Amazon over land, resources in past decade -report

Greta Thunberg: How one school girl's climate change campaign recruited millions

Climate change activist Greta Thunberg led a student rally outside the White House on Friday, demanding more action on climate change. The Swedish teenager - who began her activism by skipping school to lobby her government - has inspired a similar movement in the U.S. They're demanding more action on climate change as world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations.

Swedish student activist leads rally on climate change outside White House

By Kelly Sims Gallagher and Fang Zhang

As the effects of climate change become more widespread and alarming, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on nations to step up their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Every country has a part to play, but if the world’s largest emitters fail to meet their commitments, the goal of holding global warming to a manageable level will remain out of reach.

US carbon dioxide emissions are on the rise after several years of decline, due in part to the Trump administration’s repeal or delay of Obama administration policies. In contrast, China – the world largest emitter – appears to be honouring its climate targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement, as we documented in a recent article with colleagues.

We study many aspects of China’s energy and climate policy, including industrial energy efficiency and reforestation. Our analysis indicates that if China fully executes existing policies and finishes reforming its electric power sector into a market-based system, its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to peak well before its 2030 target.

China’s Climate Portfolio

Over the last decade China has positioned itself as a global leader on climate action through aggressive investments and a bold mix of climate, renewable energy, energy efficiency and economic policies. As one of us (Kelly Sims Gallagher) documents in the recent book “Titans of the Climate,” China has implemented more than 100 policies related to lowering its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

Notable examples include a feed-in-tariff policy for renewable energy generators, which offers them a guaranteed price for their power; energy efficiency standards for power plants, motor vehicles, buildings and equipment; targets for energy production from non-fossil sources; and mandated caps on coal consumption.

China has added vast wind and solar installations to its grid and developed large domestic industries to manufacture solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles. In late 2017 it launched a national emissions trading system, which creates a market for buying and selling carbon dioxide emissions allowances. This was a profoundly symbolic step, given that the United States still has not adopted a national market-based climate policy.

Most of these policies will produce additional benefits, such as improving China’s energy security, promoting economic reform and reducing ground-level air pollution. The only major program explicitly aimed at reducing carbon dioxide is the emissions trading system.

Major Challenges and Policy Gaps 
 
Under the Paris Agreement, China committed to start reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and derive 20 per cent&nbsp;of its energy from non-fossil fuels by around 2030. But when Chinese emissions rose in 2018, international observers feared that Beijing might fail to meet its targets. We analysed China’s actions to assess that risk.

In our review, we found that the policies with the greatest influence over China’s projected emissions in 2030 were power sector reform, industrial transformation, industrial efficiency, emissions trading and light-duty vehicle efficiency.

Reforming the electric power sector is an essential step. Traditionally, electricity pricing schemes in China were determined by the National Development and Reform Commission, which leads the country’s macroeconomic planning. They favoured existing power producers, particularly coal plants, not the cleanest or most efficient sources.

China committed to electric power reform, including emission reductions and greater use of renewables, in 2015. Converting to a process under which grid managers buy electricity from generators starting with the lowest-cost sources should facilitate installation and use of renewables, since renewable electricity has almost zero marginal costs. Meanwhile, renewable energy projects across China, especially solar, have become cheaper than grid electricity.

Even as China made big investments in wind and solar power in recent years, it also kept building coal plants. Power sector reform will help reduce the resulting overcapacity by stopping planned additions and encouraging market competition.

But success is not guaranteed. The affected companies are giant state-owned enterprises. There is political resistance from owners of existing coal-fired power plants and from provinces that produce and use a lot of coal. The current US-China trade war is slowing China’s economic growth and spurring rising concerns about employment, which could further complicate the reform process.

China’s emissions trading system has had a very modest impact so far because it set a low initial price on carbon dioxide emissions: $7 per ton, increasing by 3 per cent&nbsp;annually through 2030. But our analysis found that emissions trading, which allows low-carbon generators to make money by selling emissions allowances that they don’t need, could become influential over the longer term if it can sustain a much higher price. If China reduces its cap on total carbon dioxide emissions after 2025, which will increase the price of emissions allowances, this policy could become a major driver for emission reductions in the power sector.

Energy efficiency standards, particularly for coal-fired power plants, factories and motor vehicles, will also be very important over the coming decade. To continue driving progress, China will need to update these standards continuously.

Finally, there are some important gaps in China’s climate policies. Currently, they only target carbon dioxide emissions, although China also generates significant quantities of other greenhouse gases, including methane and black carbon.

And China is contributing to emissions outside of its borders by exporting coal equipment and directly financing overseas coal plants through its Belt and Road Initiative. No nation, including China, currently reports emissions generated abroad in its national emissions inventory.

Following Through

The biggest challenge China faces in achieving its Paris targets is making sure that business and local governments comply with policies and regulations that the government has already put in place. In the past, China has sometimes struggled with environmental enforcement at the local level when provincial and city governments prioritized economic development over the environment.

Assuming that China does carry out its existing and announced climate and energy policies, we think its carbon dioxide emissions could likely peak well before 2030. In our view, Chinese leaders should focus on completing power sector reform as soon as possible, implementing and strengthening emissions trading, making energy efficiency standards more stringent in the future and developing new carbon pricing policies for sectors such as iron, steel and transportation.

If they succeed, US politicians will no longer have “But what about China?” as an excuse for opposing climate policies at home.

(Kelly Sims Gallagher is Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University; Fang Zhang is China Research Coordinator and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tufts University) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the<a href="https://theconversation.com/china-is-positioned-to-lead-on-climate-change-as-the-us-rolls-back-its-policies-114897"> original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By Kelly Sims Gallagher and Fang Zhang As the effects of climate change become more widespread and alarming, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on nations to step up their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

By Kelly Sims Gallagher and Fang Zhang As the effects of climate change become more widespread and alarming, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on nations to step up their plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Every country has a part to play, but if the world’s largest emitters fail to meet their commitments, the goal of holding global warming to a manageable level will remain out of reach. US carbon dioxide emissions are on the rise after several years of decline, due in part to the Trump administration’s repeal or delay of Obama administration policies. In contrast, China – the world largest emitter – appears to be honouring its climate targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement, as we documented in a recent article with colleagues. We study many aspects of China’s energy and climate policy, including industrial energy efficiency and reforestation. Our analysis indicates that if China fully executes existing policies and finishes reforming its electric power sector into a market-based system, its carbon dioxide emissions are likely to peak well before its 2030 target. China’s Climate Portfolio Over the last decade China has positioned itself as a global leader on climate action through aggressive investments and a bold mix of climate, renewable energy, energy efficiency and economic policies. As one of us (Kelly Sims Gallagher) documents in the recent book “Titans of the Climate,” China has implemented more than 100 policies related to lowering its energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Notable examples include a feed-in-tariff policy for renewable energy generators, which offers them a guaranteed price for their power; energy efficiency standards for power plants, motor vehicles, buildings and equipment; targets for energy production from non-fossil sources; and mandated caps on coal consumption. China has added vast wind and solar installations to its grid and developed large domestic industries to manufacture solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles. In late 2017 it launched a national emissions trading system, which creates a market for buying and selling carbon dioxide emissions allowances. This was a profoundly symbolic step, given that the United States still has not adopted a national market-based climate policy. Most of these policies will produce additional benefits, such as improving China’s energy security, promoting economic reform and reducing ground-level air pollution. The only major program explicitly aimed at reducing carbon dioxide is the emissions trading system. Major Challenges and Policy Gaps Under the Paris Agreement, China committed to start reducing its carbon dioxide emissions and derive 20 per cent of its energy from non-fossil fuels by around 2030. But when Chinese emissions rose in 2018, international observers feared that Beijing might fail to meet its targets. We analysed China’s actions to assess that risk. In our review, we found that the policies with the greatest influence over China’s projected emissions in 2030 were power sector reform, industrial transformation, industrial efficiency, emissions trading and light-duty vehicle efficiency. Reforming the electric power sector is an essential step. Traditionally, electricity pricing schemes in China were determined by the National Development and Reform Commission, which leads the country’s macroeconomic planning. They favoured existing power producers, particularly coal plants, not the cleanest or most efficient sources. China committed to electric power reform, including emission reductions and greater use of renewables, in 2015. Converting to a process under which grid managers buy electricity from generators starting with the lowest-cost sources should facilitate installation and use of renewables, since renewable electricity has almost zero marginal costs. Meanwhile, renewable energy projects across China, especially solar, have become cheaper than grid electricity. Even as China made big investments in wind and solar power in recent years, it also kept building coal plants. Power sector reform will help reduce the resulting overcapacity by stopping planned additions and encouraging market competition. But success is not guaranteed. The affected companies are giant state-owned enterprises. There is political resistance from owners of existing coal-fired power plants and from provinces that produce and use a lot of coal. The current US-China trade war is slowing China’s economic growth and spurring rising concerns about employment, which could further complicate the reform process. China’s emissions trading system has had a very modest impact so far because it set a low initial price on carbon dioxide emissions: $7 per ton, increasing by 3 per cent annually through 2030. But our analysis found that emissions trading, which allows low-carbon generators to make money by selling emissions allowances that they don’t need, could become influential over the longer term if it can sustain a much higher price. If China reduces its cap on total carbon dioxide emissions after 2025, which will increase the price of emissions allowances, this policy could become a major driver for emission reductions in the power sector. Energy efficiency standards, particularly for coal-fired power plants, factories and motor vehicles, will also be very important over the coming decade. To continue driving progress, China will need to update these standards continuously. Finally, there are some important gaps in China’s climate policies. Currently, they only target carbon dioxide emissions, although China also generates significant quantities of other greenhouse gases, including methane and black carbon. And China is contributing to emissions outside of its borders by exporting coal equipment and directly financing overseas coal plants through its Belt and Road Initiative. No nation, including China, currently reports emissions generated abroad in its national emissions inventory. Following Through The biggest challenge China faces in achieving its Paris targets is making sure that business and local governments comply with policies and regulations that the government has already put in place. In the past, China has sometimes struggled with environmental enforcement at the local level when provincial and city governments prioritized economic development over the environment. Assuming that China does carry out its existing and announced climate and energy policies, we think its carbon dioxide emissions could likely peak well before 2030. In our view, Chinese leaders should focus on completing power sector reform as soon as possible, implementing and strengthening emissions trading, making energy efficiency standards more stringent in the future and developing new carbon pricing policies for sectors such as iron, steel and transportation. If they succeed, US politicians will no longer have “But what about China?” as an excuse for opposing climate policies at home. (Kelly Sims Gallagher is Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy and Director, Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University; Fang Zhang is China Research Coordinator and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Tufts University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

China is positioned to lead on climate change as the US rolls back its policies

Know about Svalbard, the fastest warming place on planet

Climate Change bringing in Tourism

By Robert T Walker

The number of fires this year in the Amazon is the highest since 2010, reaching more than 90,000 active fires. Farmers and ranchers routinely use fires to clear the forest. But this year’s number reflects a worrisome uptick in the rate of deforestation, which had started to drop around 2005 before rebounding earlier this decade.

Many people blame the Brazilian government and its pro-agriculture policies for the current crisis. But as an environmental researcher who has worked in the Amazon for the past 25 years, I can say the seeds were planted before the election of President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018. And the prospects of slowing deforestation remain dim, an issue that matters to people around the world.

That’s in part because the current administration has only aggravated the situation with its anti-environmental agenda. Unless the Brazilian people succeed in making Bolsonaro retreat from his stated goal of developing the Amazon, deforestation will surge again. Adding fuel to the fire is the quickening pace of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA), a multi-nation plan to build road, dams and rail lines across the Amazon.

Conflicting objectives

Brazil managed to significantly reduce deforestation rates at the turn of the millennium with effective environmental policy and voluntary efforts by the private sector. Deforestation, which started in the 1970s, began climbing again in 2015 due to political turmoil and an economic recession that paved the way to policy reversals.

The Amazonian deforestation rate dropped from about 10,700 square miles in 2004 to 1,765 square miles in 2012, and remained low until its resurgence a few years ago. This was because of effective environmental policy, which in Brazil is mostly based on protected areas, such as national parks, and a forestry code limiting the amount of land that can be cleared on individual properties.

Over the years, the Brazilian government has developed a system of protected areas for ecological protection and indigenous reserves. In 2002 it expanded their coverage to about 43 per cent of the entire Amazon. It also created protected areas in zones of land conflict as a means to tamp down rampant fire and deforestation.

Adding to this, enforcement of the forestry code was enhanced by the development of a satellite monitoring system that enabled Brazil’s environmental protection agency to identify law-breaking property owners from space. In addition to government, the private sector helped lower the rate of deforestation. Soybean farmers stopped planting new fields in the forest, and retailers demanded that the goods they sold come from lands already cleared so they could certify them as “green,” especially beef.

Unfortunately, these efforts began to unravel almost as soon as they proved themselves effective. The background reason is that many people have long viewed the Amazon as a vast store of valuable resources to be used for the economic development of a poor region. The agenda of IIRSA – an extensive infrastructure-building project launched in 2000 to link the region’s economies and remote areas – expresses this view, common to all nations that share the Amazon Basin. These include, in addition to Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It should come as no surprise that their individual orientations to the region all reflect a contradiction between economic development on the one hand and conservation on the other.

In Brazil, the government not only creates protected areas, it downsizes them in order to prepare for infrastructure projects. Former President Dilma Rousseff even downsized Amazon National Park in 2012, the first in the Amazon, to make way for the Tapajós Hydroelectric Complex, a key component of the IIRSA plan. The government does not act in a vacuum, and in Brazil, a powerful congressional bloc, the rural/mining caucus known as the Ruralistas, works tirelessly at undermining the environmental policy.

This has led to revisions in the forestry code, in 2012, that favour agriculture, not the environment, by exempting those who illegally deforested before 2008 from having to reforest in accordance with the law. Continuing Ruralista political action made it easier in 2017 for land grabbers to obtain title to illegally seized lands.

Fears of a tipping point

President Bolsonaro has inherited a set of weakened environmental policies and all indications are that he will continue to weaken them. At the same time, he has acted on his promise to open the Amazon to development by announcing plans to build a bridge across the Amazon River and to extend a paved road all the way to the border with Suriname. The IIRSA agenda appears to be accelerating, and as people flock to the region to take advantage of the jobs it creates, the fires can only get worse.

Since the opening of the Amazon to development in the 1970s, fires have been deliberately set on a yearly basis to make way for fields and pastures and to fertilize soils. The Amazon maintains a moist climate, which limits their extent. Thus, super fires have never raged over hundreds of square miles as happens with wildfires in the US. But this could change due to the cumulative effect of the repeated use of fire.

Research shows that every year when the forest burns, the destructive effect spreads beyond the flames to kill trees and desiccate the landscape. This can make the forest ever more vulnerable to fire through the buildup of flammable materials and the coalescence of fire-scarred ecosystems across broad swaths of the entire basin.

If Brazil does not retreat from the course it is on, scientists warn there will come a time in the near future when Amazonian fires burn without control and push the forest to a point of no return, what some have called a “tipping point” that will permanently change the underlying ecosystem. Without a restoration of environmental policy in Brazil, the worst fires are yet to come.

(Robert T Walker is Professor of Latin American Studies and Geography, University of Florida)

(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the<a href="https://theconversation.com/in-brazils-rainforests-the-worst-fires-are-likely-still-to-come-122840"> original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Robert T Walker The number of fires this year in the Amazon is the highest since 2010, reaching more than 90,000 active fires. Farmers and ranchers routinely use fires to clear the forest.

By Robert T Walker The number of fires this year in the Amazon is the highest since 2010, reaching more than 90,000 active fires. Farmers and ranchers routinely use fires to clear the forest. But this year’s number reflects a worrisome uptick in the rate of deforestation, which had started to drop around 2005 before rebounding earlier this decade. Many people blame the Brazilian government and its pro-agriculture policies for the current crisis. But as an environmental researcher who has worked in the Amazon for the past 25 years, I can say the seeds were planted before the election of President Jair Bolsonaro in 2018. And the prospects of slowing deforestation remain dim, an issue that matters to people around the world. That’s in part because the current administration has only aggravated the situation with its anti-environmental agenda. Unless the Brazilian people succeed in making Bolsonaro retreat from his stated goal of developing the Amazon, deforestation will surge again. Adding fuel to the fire is the quickening pace of the Initiative for the Integration of the Regional Infrastructure of South America (IIRSA), a multi-nation plan to build road, dams and rail lines across the Amazon. Conflicting objectives Brazil managed to significantly reduce deforestation rates at the turn of the millennium with effective environmental policy and voluntary efforts by the private sector. Deforestation, which started in the 1970s, began climbing again in 2015 due to political turmoil and an economic recession that paved the way to policy reversals. The Amazonian deforestation rate dropped from about 10,700 square miles in 2004 to 1,765 square miles in 2012, and remained low until its resurgence a few years ago. This was because of effective environmental policy, which in Brazil is mostly based on protected areas, such as national parks, and a forestry code limiting the amount of land that can be cleared on individual properties. Over the years, the Brazilian government has developed a system of protected areas for ecological protection and indigenous reserves. In 2002 it expanded their coverage to about 43 per cent of the entire Amazon. It also created protected areas in zones of land conflict as a means to tamp down rampant fire and deforestation. Adding to this, enforcement of the forestry code was enhanced by the development of a satellite monitoring system that enabled Brazil’s environmental protection agency to identify law-breaking property owners from space. In addition to government, the private sector helped lower the rate of deforestation. Soybean farmers stopped planting new fields in the forest, and retailers demanded that the goods they sold come from lands already cleared so they could certify them as “green,” especially beef. Unfortunately, these efforts began to unravel almost as soon as they proved themselves effective. The background reason is that many people have long viewed the Amazon as a vast store of valuable resources to be used for the economic development of a poor region. The agenda of IIRSA – an extensive infrastructure-building project launched in 2000 to link the region’s economies and remote areas – expresses this view, common to all nations that share the Amazon Basin. These include, in addition to Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela. It should come as no surprise that their individual orientations to the region all reflect a contradiction between economic development on the one hand and conservation on the other. In Brazil, the government not only creates protected areas, it downsizes them in order to prepare for infrastructure projects. Former President Dilma Rousseff even downsized Amazon National Park in 2012, the first in the Amazon, to make way for the Tapajós Hydroelectric Complex, a key component of the IIRSA plan. The government does not act in a vacuum, and in Brazil, a powerful congressional bloc, the rural/mining caucus known as the Ruralistas, works tirelessly at undermining the environmental policy. This has led to revisions in the forestry code, in 2012, that favour agriculture, not the environment, by exempting those who illegally deforested before 2008 from having to reforest in accordance with the law. Continuing Ruralista political action made it easier in 2017 for land grabbers to obtain title to illegally seized lands. Fears of a tipping point President Bolsonaro has inherited a set of weakened environmental policies and all indications are that he will continue to weaken them. At the same time, he has acted on his promise to open the Amazon to development by announcing plans to build a bridge across the Amazon River and to extend a paved road all the way to the border with Suriname. The IIRSA agenda appears to be accelerating, and as people flock to the region to take advantage of the jobs it creates, the fires can only get worse. Since the opening of the Amazon to development in the 1970s, fires have been deliberately set on a yearly basis to make way for fields and pastures and to fertilize soils. The Amazon maintains a moist climate, which limits their extent. Thus, super fires have never raged over hundreds of square miles as happens with wildfires in the US. But this could change due to the cumulative effect of the repeated use of fire. Research shows that every year when the forest burns, the destructive effect spreads beyond the flames to kill trees and desiccate the landscape. This can make the forest ever more vulnerable to fire through the buildup of flammable materials and the coalescence of fire-scarred ecosystems across broad swaths of the entire basin. If Brazil does not retreat from the course it is on, scientists warn there will come a time in the near future when Amazonian fires burn without control and push the forest to a point of no return, what some have called a “tipping point” that will permanently change the underlying ecosystem. Without a restoration of environmental policy in Brazil, the worst fires are yet to come. (Robert T Walker is Professor of Latin American Studies and Geography, University of Florida) (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

In Brazil’s rainforests, the worst fires are likely still to come

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